trip to cold lake

[wcbarker]

Was thinking of a 3 day trip to cold lake for some lakers.
Never fished lake trout before and was wondering if I could get some tips.
Where to fish i have no fishfinder
Where to stay (cheap hotel is ok)
What to use for bait or what hooks to use
Tipups or jigging
lake trout is on my bucket list so must try this out any help would be greatly appreciated(spelling)
Oh ya I live in Edson so it is a 6 hour drive for me anyone else wanna go let me know.
Unsure of which weekend maybe March 5 or 12

Thanx  for the help

[critter]

im actually glad i found this thread! ive bin to cold lake a few times, and done GREAT each time. I live in calgary so its a 6-7 hour drive for me as well. I was there 2 weekends ago, and caught 23 lakers in 1 and a half days, all 4-11 pounds, average of 6 pounds, broke off a monster. I have all of the best gps coordinates possible, including humps in the middle of the lake and secret little holes given to me by locals and guides from the lake. (i know they are the real deal as i only had the chance to try them on the last morning, and it was the hottest action we had seen anywhere)
I was planning on going this weekend as it is reading break for myself, but the weather just seems too cold, as id be walking out from the marina and various lake access spots about 2 km each day, as i would not have a 4X4. Might as well wait till early march when it warms up a bit (the warmer the weather, the better the fishing) Not having a truck with 4 wheel drive is the dealbreaker for me, as its a huge lake and the best spots are away from the crowds, well out of walking distance.
I would love to go with you and make use of your truck if you have one suitable, and fish the hot spots with you each day. Also, i know what works and what doesnt. I have always stayed at the Dockside Inn, its reasonable, 65.00$ a night, and very nice. There may be cheaper hotels, but this one is the most popular and closest to the water. Jigging is the only method that will catch lakers there, its very spot specific tho, so location is more crucial. Let me know if your interested in heading there, ill be there either way on of those weekends, i just dont feel like walking from the hotel each day and being limited to mediocre spots. Itd be ideal to meet up each morning at daylight and hop in the truck with the gps and head to the hotspots to fish HARD! Let me know what you think. Im a fishing guide on the West Coast in the summer, currently a student in Eco-tourism at Mount Royal University. let me know! cheers,

critter

[wcbarker]

This sounds cool
Let me check on what weekend I can get off probably be a friday, sat, sun for me.
What hooks does a guy need?

[critter]

Right on. The best set-up is a 4 inch white tube jig (berkley powerpait) that you can buy at basspro, wholesale, anywhere like that. Youll need heavy duty hooks that wont bend, so look for big bullet shaped lead that will fit inside the tube, or round/other shaped heads would suffice, as long as the hooks are heavy duty. If you cant find any heavy duty jig heads, i have a few as a backup. Pretty much need a trailer attached to the jig as the whole offering will be about 6 inches long. I broke 2 off and was using 14 lb leader, so 17 lb flurocarbon is the best bet. Youll need braid, as fishing is usually in over 100 feet. My setup is 20 lb fireline and 17 lb flurocarbon leader with a white tube jig and secret bait. You will need a medium-heavy action rod. It looks like it warms up the next couple weeks into march which is huge for the fish biting.

[robinfish]

Hi guys!  Any chance on getting in on this.  Would love to try it but don't know where to go or what to use.  Have fished Cold lake in the spring and fall with good success.  I have a camera,
4 wheel drive, etc and access to a skidoo.

[#1fisherman]

Bucket list trip for me also. I've been trying for years to go and no one I know wants to put in the effort. I too live in Edson so I could help you split the gas all the way. I have all the gear and knowledge sounds like pairing up with you and Critter would make a great grouping because I too fish hard way before sun up and way after. I'll PM you Robinfish and maybe we know each other.

[crblair]

Might head up there this weekend but never fished it before. Any suggestions on where to try for lake trout and how deep to find them??

[2fastwalleye]

If you never been before go off of marina where there will be a bunch of people and punch holes and fish around. 70ft to 120ft i fish there. 80ft seems productive fish east and west sides. provincial park boat launch go left and head out past the point. there is many of places to go and catch trout. if you wanna move around the lake look for groups of people thats where there will be fish.

[wcbarker]

Hey critter looks like the 11-12-13 of march
is this ok with you

[FishinSam]

I'm good for the 5th!   
Can you get a 1 ton dually on Cold Lake? Guess I could bring the quad and Commando... jeez... do you even NEED a shack there? Warm 1 ton with tunes & snacks would be best... lotsa room for others...
 Are there good tracks to drive on? Or deep snow plowing?

[agb crash]

I was there on Saturday the 26 Feb, skunked, there was about 40 anglers withing shouting distance and only 4 were caught all day. Nice ones though all over 10lbs. Marked some locations on my gps.  Guess I need to learn more, I did not even get a bite.
We were in a jeep and it was an easy drive on the ice. It was snowing more so that will make it tougher for the ice drive.

Crash in Edmonton

[GETFSHN]

Hey guys if you check my website newhorizoncharters.ca and go to cold lake lakers you'll get an idea of how big  lakers get there. We used a blue jig with half a herring on it. we also used a vexlar sounder to spot them. we fished between 120 and 150 feet of water. Our system was called meet and greet. when you see your jig go down at your fishing depth and then you see fish come up to your jig and they meet SET the hook and you've got yourself a fish. The biggest ones we got were in the 18 to 20 lb range.  Oh we fished on the Sask side and its ok to do so even if your from Alberta. Good Luck

[chezandy]

The best lures for up there are the cold lake specials sold at wholesale sports in edmonton the whiteand yellow ones are killers. I dont even usethose bucktails anymore just a waste of money those c.l. specials are the only way to go!!!!!!