bait for lakers

[AdkIceman]

hey everyone got a questions about bait for lakers, i have been fishin lake george and paradox lake in new york and i have only caught one keeper laker trout out of 10 fish, is this usual? I have a feeling that I am using to small of bait. I have been using icicles and baby suckers just because they dont cost as much and I have heard guys say that they  have caught 10 pounders on perch bait so I didn't think it would matter all that much. Baby suckers are 4-5 inches, a nice size bait to attract attention, think I am just usin to small of bait or just not gettin the big ones, I have been fishin 10-15 feet down and right on bottom. So far i have caught equal at both depths but my biggest a 22 incher in George came at 10 feet under. Well any help would be appreciated.
~AdkIceman~

[AdkGuidesForHire]

size of bait depends on what size forage fish they are taking at the moment.

can't tell that until you ice one and you can't ice one until you know the size bait. catch-22.

we tend to rig big. esp. if the lake has big pike in it. then we run smelt from half of a 6" on up to a 10" or larger smelt whole.

don't hesitate to cut the smelt into the size you think it should be.

are you getting hits at all but missing them, or no flags at all?

Alot of times we out fish flags with jigs, actually I guess we out jig tip ups all the time.

airplanes with the pecs and belly of a smelt can be deadly.

don't know if that helps at all, probably already what you are doing, keep at it.

[AdkIceman]

i haven't missed any fish and unfortunately smelt aren't allowed on lake george

[AdkGuidesForHire]

our mistake~ thought you were having trouble on paradox.

you're using the right bait on george.

if you are marking fish then stay on them and vary tactics.

If you're fishing blind then anybody's guess is good, you may be in a bad spot, or four feet off the active fish.

[camo_fish]

on lake george, I've used, suckers, shinners, icicles, but I seem to catch my lakers on rosy reds. Last Sat., 1st tip-up in was a rosy on bottom and not 5 min.     And a nice 24" laker. If I liked eating them, it was a keeper, but I let it go to grow up some more.
I like using rosy reds on lake george. My opinion though.
Good luck,
Tight lines.

[AdkGuidesForHire]

We like reds too, though sometimes they don't seem to have the attraction we would like. That's fishing.

you hear a lot of stories that they don't work, and sometimes they don't, but like you we seem to have good luck with them.

[Fishmon]

A buddy of mine got an 18 pounder on a large shiner last weekend.  Also, he got some undersized ones on shiners.   Personally, I like to use electronics and jig for them using large swedish pimples or airplane jigs rigged with a 4" white twister tail or a leftover minnow.  I have caught small ones and larger ones up to 10 pounds doing this.  Does not seem to be any particular pattern.  I am going to try a 1/2 ounce Kastmaster without treble hooks followed by a minnow about 6-8 inches behind it rigged with a single hook in head and a stinger treble hook behind the dorsal fin.  I like the look of it more than anything.  Let you know if it works.

[AdkIceman]

out on the lake yesterday caught a ton of perch wasn't even fsihing for lakers but my buddy caught two 25" on tip ups on bottom on icicles. Where can u get rosy reds fish307 has a few that come mixed in with cup bait does the outdoorsman carry them? Thanx.

[TJC]

Where are you from adkiceman? Theres a place in Watervliet that sells them all the time. Sometimes they even have different sizes.

[AdkGuidesForHire]

Bob's in corinth has them, anderson's in schroon might( didn't look last time in) hank's in 'saratoga' does
(is round lake a town and is he in it?)

[iceintheveins]

Jigging generally will outproduce tip ups. I like a 2 1/2 or 3 inch white tube jig tipped with a piece of cut baitfish. Rig on a 1/4 ounce head and use no bigger than 10 pound test line. If you hook a big one, just set a light drag and the lighter line will give you no problem.
My brother also swears the smallest whole minnow, dead or alive, that you can find will work much better than a piece of baitfish. I think I would have to agree with him on that one, it's just he hogs all the little minnows for himself. Oh well, I like watching him catch fish too.


Tyler

[TJC]

Usually I use smelt when I am fishing Schroon lake in NY. But I have had some luck with rosy reds and emerald shiners. Usually late in the season when the forage base has been diminished and the size has gone down to smaller faster bait these bait will out produce larger shiners. Check what is in your catches stomach and try to copy the size next time and you will usually have better luck. One year all the fish I caught had small smelt in their bellies and I never had a bite on any larger smelt or suckers, but I killed them with rosy reds.Good luck

[grumpymoe]

when i head down to my favorite lake in ontario, we use cisco's (large) which are very similar to smelts except cisco's are much deeper.we catch small to large trout and the bait doesn't seem to make much difference except they do not swallow when they hit---(the notorious long run with the bait broadside in the mouth)this can be excruciating for many anglers who are tempted to try setting the hook especially when you have 100 yards plus already off your reel but ciscos work very well.

[NAD42]

hey grumpymoe...very good......you know what's up!!

[trapperdirk]

Yes ciscoes on a gorge hook are deadly here in Ontario . It's one reason they banned them in Algonquin Park . The just worked way too well .

[wolverine-iceman]

 Grumpymoe makes a great point .Seems when i`m flagged if we let them run for a few minutes,when using smelt or minnows are hook-ups and land percentage goes way up. Jigging for lakers...They slam it.