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page 6 Lures for jigging are basic. Everyone has their favorite, and there are local enclaves of fisherman who have confidence in special baits. Silver and white tube jigs are very popular with anglers who fish small, inland lakes in Northern Ontario. Day in and day out, though, spoons are a wise choice. While flash is minimal in deep, ice covered water, vibration and 'sound' become the lure's primary triggering elements-especially when fished on bottom. Scent is also key. The addition of live or dead minnows to a spoon helps lakers to find it, and triggers them to eat it. Hooking the minnow through the bony plate on the top of the head and out the lower jaw keeps it on indefinitely. Adding a stinger hook is mandatory. Lake trout will often bat spoons with their mouths closed, or miss them entirely. Having a sticky-sharp treble at the end of the minnow(s) will up your hooking percentage dramatically. Northland Tackle's Sting'r hooks are excellent. Clip the tiny attachment clasp to the eye of the spoon's main treble. Use the soft wire from inside a twist-tie to wrap the mono neatly to the shank of the main hook. The stinger will hang perfectly straight, without fouling as the spoon falls.
For active fish, heavier, fast dropping spoons excel. Mr. Champs, Swedish Pimples, Crippled Herrings and Hopkins jigs have all produced fish for me over the years. Thinner, lighter spoons give scattered or inactive trout more time to find them. Little Cleos, Williams Wobblers/Whitefish and the Mepps Cyclops are all deadly. When selecting color, remember that lakers feed on silvery, suspended forage almost exclusively.
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