For the Lake trout chasers

[surflizard]

Here is a real Interesting and Informative article about Lake trout, it contains a lot of great Techniques, Tips and Tricks !
                                           
                                                 Lake Trout, How, When and Where


The real secret to catching more fish is knowledge! The more you know, the more fish you'll catch. These Lake Trout ice fishing tips and techniques are proven winners.

It's time to take a closer look at one of the most sought after fish in North America, the Lake Trout. What's not to like about them? They're as good to eat as they are fun to catch. With their golden scales and their diamond like eyes, they're even fun to look at, for a fish anyway .

Lake Trout are naturally pretty aggressive fish which is one of the reasons they're so fun to catch. But mid winter slows down just about every species, including Lake Trout, so it's important to learn how to trigger them to bite after the slow down.

If you want to catch more fish the two most important keys are location and presentation. You could have the most appealing bait in the world but if there aren't any fish around it's going to be a looong day. And, not catching a thing while everyone else around you is catching fish can be really frustrating. What you present to the fish is just as important as finding them.

The information found here is best used along with some investigative work done by you. Finding out what the Department of Natural Resources says about a lake and talking to local anglers, especially at the bait shop, can save you a ton of time finding the fish and knowing what they're biting on.

Lake Trout can be ice fished at any hour of the day or night but changing light conditions in the morning and evening usually triggers more activity and feeding. You'll catch more Lake Trout in the 90 minutes surrounding sunup and sundown then at any other time.

Lake Trout Ice Fishing Location

Whether it's summer or winter, Lake Trout are generally found within a couple feet of the bottom. And not just any bottom, normally Lake Trout hang close to some sort of lake structure like points, breaks, rock piles and humps. Click here to learn about fish attracting lake structure. Structure meets a couple of basic needs, including shelter and food.

Lake Trout also like fast access to deep water so check out the steep breaks around points and bars.

During early ice Lake Trout can be found in the same places they were just before ice up. Look for them in shallow water near points and shoreline bars. Other structure, like inside turns and rock piles, are always an added bonus.

As winter progresses Lake Trout move out toward mid-lake humps. It's interesting how this move resembles mid summer fishing. One reason for this move is the water is just a bit warmer in deeper water which is more comfortable for them and keeps them more active.

As spring nears Lake Trout begin moving shallower again into pre spawn areas. Besides shoreline points and breaks, look for them near river mouths.

Before we switch gears and talk about presentation, remember locating the fish is half the battle. Don't just drill one hole in 10 ft of water next to a point. Instead drill several holes in varying depths and find the fish.

Using modern electronics can also help you find fish faster. Depth, fish and structure can all be seen using a flasher (Vexilar or Marcum).

Lake Trout Ice Fishing Presentation

OK, you've found the Lake Trout, now let's look at some effective techniques to get them on the ice!

The most effective ice fishing presentation is jigging. Jigging is basically raising your rod tip about a foot, then dropping it back down to its starting position. Since Lake Trout are close to the bottom, insure you're jigging within a couple feet of the bottom.

Don't be afraid to touch bottom. Often this will stir up the bottom and attract fish. Don't overdue it though. You'll catch more fish by keeping your lure slightly above them rather than on the bottom of the lake .

Jigging attracts fish but unless they're very active, a Lake Trout won't take your bait/lure until it stops. So a very effective method is to raise and drop the tip, wait 3-10 seconds and repeat the raise/drop. Vary the amount of time you let you jig remain still.

Another jigging technique made popular by the pro ice fisherman Dave Genz is pounding the jig. Pounding a jig is basically jiggling your rod tip up and down just an inch or two very quickly.

Last year my brother-in-law bought me a Buzz Stick rod/reel combo for Christmas. You press a button and the rod tip jiggles. It's amazing how far ice fishing has come in the past few years!!

Now that you've got the hang of jigging, lets look at the lure/bait you're using. There are two main types of lures jigged while ice fishing for Lake Trouts. Flash spoons and swimming lures.

Swimming lures include the Jigging Rapala and Nils Master Jigging Shad.
 
Swimming lures are great for more aggressive Lake Trout. Usually I put a minnow head on one of the treble hook barbs and start by fishing with one of these. 

Northland Tackle and Lindy make lead head swimming jigs which can also be very effective.

Flash spoons, or vertical spoons, like the Swedish Pimple and Acme Kastmaster, are a couple of my favorites. They are easily identified by their vertical fishing position and a treble hook on the bottom. Spoons are great for moderately active fish. Put a minnow head on one of the hooks and you've got a dangerous combinatio

In most places while ice fishing you're allowed more than one rod. I usually set up either a tip up or a deadstick in either deeper or shallower water. Normally that set up just has a lead head jig and a sucker minnow on it while ice fishing for Lake Trout.

Hopefully you've found something new to try in these Lake Trout ice fishing tips and techniques that will help you ice more fish.

What most people consider luck is usually a combination of preparation and practice so get out there and enjoy the practice !

[masoneddie]

Thanks for sharing the info. Surf! That was a good read. I wish the area lakes around here held lakers!

[surflizard]

If anyone else has any other lake trout articles, by all means, feel free to share them with us !

[Twisted Cisco]

Great article. One thought I have though is lakers will use the entire water column in winter. I'd say more often then the bottom I've caught them suspended somewhere, many times within 10 feet of the ice surface.

 Also they can get picky and not want to hit the big stuff. Going to a smaller presentation like a small tungsten jig tipped with a waxie or minnow head can pay off.

 

[WalleyeTom]

Cisco and Surf,

Great info on technique and  lure/bait.

They like to chase the bait from the bottom up or on the drop.  That is where a flasher is a must.

My go to is a buck tail with a stinger hook tipped with a minnow or anchove.  If they are finicky I'll try a double tail Mr. Twister tipped with minnow.

This year I'll be using my new drifter stix with an Abu Garcia Ambassadeur 5501C3 reel.

[Chase88]

In Lake George there are a lot of times lakers are no where near the bottom. Also one thing most guys who have not got a lot of trout will do is jig right off the bottom and never move the jig more than a couple of feet.  There are many times a lake trout will follow a lure 40 or 50 feet up before they hit. I have had lakers follow the lure right in to the hole. Sometimes that is the only way you can catch them is tease them to make them hit.

[jgouldin]

Here is a story...My dad always told me in northern minn. they caught half the lakers 10feet below the ice.  In my experience here in south Dakota they are bottom fish but will follow lures or come up to lures 40 to 60 feet up when fishing 80 to 110 feet of water.  So with this all said there are always exceptions and lakes are different so go have fun trying to find and catch them.

[Whopper Stopper]

Good stuff!

     WS

[AkDan]

dumb question but don't they spawn in the fall?   I know they do at least here in AK and also in MN.

[Fishgod]

"As spring nears Lake Trout begin moving shallower again into pre spawn areas."

Hmm, all species of the char family here in Alaska spawn in the fall.

[bigredonice]

Lake Trout do indeed spawn in the fall...

[Drifter_016]

Yep, they are certainly fall spawners.
They do move shallow in the spring though but it has nothing to do with the spawn. They will come into extremely shallow water to A/ warm up, B/ feed if there is good bait in the area. I have caught big lakers in shallow sandy flats where my prop was kicking up the bottom.   
We are not allowed retention on our more pressured lakes during September and October as this is the time of the spawn here in Yellowknife.
We do get to still C&R though.
Got this one the middle of October this past fall. 
This fish followed my bait out of a hole onto a 4' deep flat at a river mouth.

[AkDan]

Nice Mac Drifter!

Do you notice the leeches on them like we get here?  I notice it much more on char than lakers but a few of the lakers have had them.  Char of any size are almost 100% guaranteed to have them.   They're not really leaches but something similar, and no they're not lampreys either.   

[Drifter_016]

Yes we see them in the winter and spring.
They get them during the winter when they spend time with their bellies on the bottom.
We see them come shallow in the spring into sandy bays and they swim along rubbing their bellies on the sand to remove them.
Smart fish.

[WaynefromMaine]

 Man that's a fish of a lifetime dave.  Awesome laker.  Thank's for sharing

[Maddog]

Nice picture and very interesting about leaches on lakers.

[lakerladyvt]

Great info you shared!  Thank You!

[ice warrior]

good article super laker