Novice Laker Fisherman - Questions

[Augerdogger]

I've been getting some great advice on the what type of jigging rod I should be using for lakers this winter (see Topic - Lake Ice Rod Preference).  From other threads, I think I have a pretty good idea as to location and lures/bait.  I will be fishing in NH where I will only be allowed 2 lines on lake trout lakes.  I'll probably set up a single tip-up and jig at the same time.  I will be using a Vex and this year I'll have a power auger so drilling lots of holes shouldn't be a problem.  For those of you who fish for lakers under similar conditions, I'm looking for some guidance on the following:

1. I'v heard that lakers are bottom-huggers.  Can my Vex differentiate lakers on the bottom from the bottom?

2. If you drill a hole and are not marking fish on the Vex, do you immediately move on to the next hole?  Or do you jig that hole for a while and try to draw the fish in?

3. How close do you rcommend setting up the single tipup to the holes that you're jigging?  Real close so the bait on the tipup acts as chum? Or fairly remote so that you're covering more area?

Thanks in advance for all of the advice.

AugerD

[TroutFishingBear]

1. I'v heard that lakers are bottom-huggers.  Can my Vex differentiate lakers on the bottom from the bottom?

2. If you drill a hole and are not marking fish on the Vex, do you immediately move on to the next hole?  Or do you jig that hole for a while and try to draw the fish in?

3. How close do you rcommend setting up the single tipup to the holes that you're jigging?  Real close so the bait on the tipup acts as chum? Or fairly remote so that you're covering more area?

Thanks in advance for all of the advice.

AugerD

98% of the time, the lake trout will be on the bottom. (a lot of people will disagree on this site, but in colorado they are almost always on bottom). But you can deferentiate them from the bottom as they stay about 1-2 ft. off the bottom most of the time.

If you don't see anything on the vexilar, don't move to another hole. The vexilar doesn't see out very far and there may be fish just outside the cone angle. Drop down to fairly close to the bottom and jig some. It may be they are hugging the bottom exactly and you can't see them, then they will come up to  your jig.

Usually, You should set the tipup fairly close, but not too close. Maybe 30 yards away or so. I suggest putting the jig on the tipup too as it seems they don't like the plain baitfish as much. Also, set it on the lightest setting possible as lakers, especially the nice ones, are the softest-hitting fish around. They make it seem like crappie smash it. I suggest a wind tip up on fairly high resistance so it doesn't jig it too much, but it jigs it some.
But about the tipup, sometimes the lake trout are really picky about hitting your jig. In that case use your second line for a jig pole right next to yours (maybe 3 ft. away from your hole) and drop it down there as well. Your jigging may bring in the lakers but they might not like it sometimes. Sometimes they will hit the stationary bait right next to you.
I don't suggest using a stationary tipup for lakers.

Be careful, set a light drag, lake trout can be big. Remember 95% of the time the bite, even when jigging, is just added weight. The other 5% of the time you get a slight, slight tap.

[iceintheveins]

TFB gave you some great pointers. I would start fishing in 30 - 50 feet of water, right on the bottom. Lakers seem to like areas with bottom structure, such as humps, points, steep drop offs, and creek channels. They also like to roam large flats in deeper water.
I would say to stick with tube jigs in the 2 1/2" to 4" range. White and chartreuse seem to be the best colors. Always tip your lure with a small piece of cut sucker or other baitfish.
Drill a lot of holes in one area, starting shallower and working deeper. I would simply start fishing, as the sonar can't see out very far, and your chance of immediately marking a laker are iffy. Jig in each hole for 10 -  15 minutes. If you don't see a fish or get a strike, move to another hole.
If live minnows are legal in your area, bait your tip ups with a live baitfish in the 3 - 5" range. If you want a chance at targeting just big lakers, use bigger baitfish than that, up to 10" or so.
If live baitfish aren't legal, sticking the same tube jigs with a piece of cut baitfish on a wind tip up also work. A stationary rod with the same jig can often garner hits too.
Stick with 6 - 10 pound mono or fluorocarbon on a fairly stiff, longer jigging rod with at least medium action. Don't jig too aggressively. One lift fall of about 1 - 2 feet every 35 seconds or so is enough. When a laker draws close, jiggle and dabble the tube lightly, sometimes moving it upward also works well too.

Tyler

[Augerdogger]

IceFishingBear & MackDaddy21:

Thanks for the advice.  I can tell from your detailed tips and your previous posts that you guys have a lot of experience with lakers.  I'll keep you posted during the season as I attempt to get my first laker through the ice.   

AugerD

[TroutFishingBear]

What type of baitfish are in your laker lakes? Seems if the lake has ciscos, shad, whitefish, or alewives, the lake trout will suspend some to, and be more apt to feed in the day. In these lakes use a 4" white tube and jig much more aggressively and use the whole water column. Look for similar structure to what I already described.

If your lakes only have suckers for baitfish like mine, what I told you should be right on the money and you should stick near the bottom jigging not as aggresively with a 3" tube jig.

remember though, under any circumstances, a storm is the best laker fishing! Don't hesitate, in fact want to fish in the worst weather 

[deadsmelthead]

I fish for lakers in upstate NY in a lake where smelt are their primary food source.. I have never caught a lake trout in water deeper than 35-40 feet on this lake.. I have caught them all day long in 15-25 feet of water 6-10 feet below the ice depending on how much sun is shining.. I believe the more over cast the day is the tighter to the ice they cruise.. One thing I started to notice last year and of course at the end of the season  is that they seem to favor water under the ice that is in the 42-45 degree range..

[MeadowPikeman]

we have noticed the same trend more and more later in the season they move higher in the water column, sometimes right under the ice in over 80 ft of water.

[iceintheveins]

I read in an In Fisherman article that biologist Gord Pyzer said lake trout move higher in the water column because plankton move higher as the winter progresses, and thus baitfish like smelt, ciscoes, or alewives will move higher as well, so lakers will be there. In Colorado we don't have roaming baitfish, so lakers are on the bottom year round 90% of the time. Suspenders aren't common but I occasionally see one or so each trip on sonar. A lot of those suspenders tend to be small rainbows though. But if you have suspending baitfish, it pays to fish other depths, especially late in the season.

Tyler

[trapperdirk]

Well Gordy is a Canuck and is used to normal lakers . I find quite often when I notice the bait coming close to the surface on my graph the lakers are chasing the baitfish and I will jig just under the ice and its not long before you get a bone jarring strike . My way I always keep my eye on what the bait is doing and to consistently nail lakers you must too . 

                 TD

[iceintheveins]

Hey I would like to trade the lakers you have for the ones we have here, except I would take the size of the ones here over anywhere. Many lakes produce tons of 20 pounders and one, blue mesa, consistantly produces 40 pounders.
Maybe the lake trout around here are nuts. My dad says they don't behave like normal fish. He calls them alien fish.

Tyler

[MeadowPikeman]

guy  i laker fish with has pushed 40 through the ice and broke 50 this summer was a 52"!!! so i'll stick with my laker haunts northern manitoba over colarado!!! sorry mackddady

[trapperdirk]

Yeh I don't think Colorado will show us much as too size either when it comes to lakers and even the world record brookie
 just happens to come from Ontario .  Our fish aren't alien . LOL
   Oh and Gordy Pyzer just happens to be from Ontario but close to the Manitoba border . LOL
         TD

[TGF]

Heh boys. The conservation officers netted a 94.5lb laker 3 yrs ago on one of my local lakes in northern BC. It was released back into the lake. Lots of  less than 50lbers out here but the over 50lbers are alot harder to catch. Lakers here can be suspended anywhere in the water column when under ice. Where the baitfish are so will the lakers be just below.Just my Canadian 2 cents.

[TroutFishingBear]

Yeh I don't think Colorado will show us much as too size either when it comes to lakers
 

how common are 40 lbers in your area? here they are a dime a dozen, and they would be even far more numerous if there was a better limit on lakers. Also, our division of wildlife kills lakers, so our lakers do pretty good considering all of that.
For USA our state records may not be the highest but soon will be because the records are being broken 3 and 4 times a year at blue mesa, but CDOW is ruining that lake so maybe the other states' records are safe.

[trapperdirk]

Well being from a province that happens to have 250,000 lakes I 'm sure we have our share and were also home of the largest freshwater lake in the world not counting the great lakes . Locally we had one get caught in a creel net and released that was 72 pounds recently .

                 TD

[deadsmelthead]

I want to see what a 72 lb Laker looks like Biggest I have got was around the 18lb mark and I thought that was big but 72LBS !!! HOLY SNIKEEZ

[MeadowPikeman]

i used to live in la ronge and one of the trading posts had a 86 lber on the wall!! what a sow!! as far as drive in lakes not two many are know for real monsters though 40's aren't really anything to cause a stir about on a few lakes. a lot of fly in lakes in manitoba and sask it takes a 50+ to raise eyebrows. where my freind caught that 50+ this summer the caught dozens over thirty pounds in july. not sure of the lake it was in northwestern manitoba about a one hour flight from flin flon(my home away from home).

[TroutFishingBear]

Well being from a province that happens to have 250,000 lakes I 'm sure we have our share and were also home of the largest freshwater lake in the world not counting the great lakes . Locally we had one get caught in a creel net and released that was 72 pounds recently .

                 TD

yeah, canada is definitely a whole different story. CO has got some big lakers for the good old USA though.

I pretty much agree with everything cider said about lakers... pretty much act the same way here except for the running the line of the tip up away. SO I guess best luck for you will be early in the morning, but if you got some of these crazy canadian and new york lakers I guess mid day is good too.

I got another tip that does work. If you are going to be fishing a spot for lakers the next day, drill a hole the night before and poke a couple holes in a can of catfood and then throw that down the hole. It will draw the lakers into the area even more.

[Augerdogger]

Cider:

Thanks for the detailed information and advice!     As always, when you get detailed info, it generates more questions.    So, if you'll bear with me, here goes:

1. What lure do you have on your 2nd rod?  Another (different color) bucktail jig?  Others on this site are proponents of 3-4" white tube jigs with a strip of sucker meat.  Have you tried that combo?

2. Do you buy your bucktail jigs at local tackle shops? I've looked for them on-line and can't seem to find the Micky Finn (red & yellow) color.

3. I've heard about the trick of slicing the hunk of sucker meat so that it has "legs".  Someone suggested that you have to skin the sucker meat for it to work.  Is that your experience also?

Must have been a blast getting two lakers on tip-ups simultaneously.  Were you able to land either? both? after the tangle?

Going to the Winni Derby is definitely in my plans.  I plan on concentrating my efforts this year on Winni and Newfound.  By the time of the Winni Derby, hopefully I'll have been out at least a few times and made all the rookie mistakes.  So that when I get to the Derby I'll be able to ask informed questions.

Good luck on the ice this year.  I hope you have continued success with those lakers.


AugerD

[TroutFishingBear]

if you like to use anchovies or shiners, or even small suckers to tip your laker jigs, I find the head of a 3" baitfish or so is the best to use.