For pike, I suspend dead bait 3'-4' off the bottom. Lake trout tend to hang out right on the bottom, so for lake trout I suspend dead bait about a foot above the bottom to reduce the chances that the bait will be hidden by nearby rocks or weeds, but lake trout are happy to take dead bait off the bottom. One way to fish for lake trout from shore or a dock is by casting a sausage or dead bait out with an egg slip sinker on your line, letting the sinker and bait sink to the bottom, and putting a bit of tension on your line so you can tell when a lake trout grabs your bait. A favorite bait on Flathead Lake is Johnsonville maple syrup flavored sausages.