Big Lake Trout?

[AdkIceman]

anybody have any tips of gettin the truly huge lakers threw the ice all i am getting is 22inchers on george and its drivin me nuts.

[dogfish]

Right place, right time, right bait and a big gaff.
Sorry....the best I can do Dogfish

[trapperdirk]

Number one.Use a 10 inch hole,not 6 or an 8. Gorge hooks with a herring laid on bottom works great. I don't like to use gorge hooks unless your intending on keeping the fish. A sucker minnow just under the ice no deeper than 10ft tops
Put just enough lead on him to slow him down but not too much.His squirming will bring the big boys a calling .If you see the bait being pushed to the surface on the graph get out the williams wobbler and jig it just under the ice and hang on .We catch many lakers in their teens here with 20's in between.Some we never get.As long as the lake produces fish of large proportions you will get them, but I have also took a 16 pounder out of a lake that hardly ever produces a fish over 4 pounds. Good luck.

[NAD42]

I'm a deep water...means big trout...believer. That's my opinion.

[mooseslayer]

BIG FISH NEED BIG BAIT! I USE A 8 OR 9IN SMELT OR SUCKER ON
A HERITAGE TIP UP SPOOLED W/50LB DACRON W/15LB FLO. LEADER.USUALLY USE A SIZE 2 OCTOPUSS HOOK.I FIND A UNDER WATER POINT THATGOES OUT INTO DEEP WATER(100FT).I SET ABOUT 10FT FROM BOTTOM.IALSO LIKE TO CLIP ONE TAIL LOBE OFF BAIT TO MAKE IT MORE ERRATIC ON THE LINE.WE DONT JIG MUCH FOR TROUT BUT I HAVE 3 LAKERS OVER 15LBS, ONE OVER 20 UNDER MY BELT .HOPE I HELPED.GOOD LUCK!

[TroutFishingBear]

You have to be in the right place at the right time, the big bait method keeps getting me your average lakers, but not many.

You also need to put time out on the ice, fish in the same areas and use the same methods you always do.

Me, I live in Colorado, and since there are really no special minnows in the lakes that I fish, I always fish near the bottom, I never catch lakers fishing shallow or fishing suspended

[deadsmelthead]

I usually run a mix of live and dead smelt in shallow water, 5- 25 feet deep, biggest laker I ever pulled through the ice was a 12 pounder in 5 feet of water,once and awhile I'll use muddler minows and they work well also.. I know it sounds silly but I think the fish get real comfortable with a roof over their head plus the water temperature is not a factor.. Threading your bait can make a big difference, but I would only thread them if you are going to keep them because the hook usually ends up in their stomach..Someone made a good point earlier asking if the lake you were fishing produced big fish often..Ask around and see if big fish have been caught lately sometimes lake trout water is packed with fish all the same size.. I know Raquette lake is full of 18 inchers if you get one over 24 inches it's almost a miracle, 7th lake is the same way..The fulton Chain has some nice sized ones but you can't eat them (ddt)...