Author Topic: First Time Ice Fishing For Lake Trout  (Read 2284 times)

Offline CTBrahan

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First Time Ice Fishing For Lake Trout
« on: Jan 27, 2021, 07:51 PM »
Hello Everybody. I am a new member to the forum but have been reading it for years. Im a Kearsarge Region resident and was curious about ice fishing on Sunapee for lakers. I have fished almost every lake in the area but sunapee and I was wondering what the ice conditions look like and if there is a certain depth/spots that I should try for lakers of any size. I am personally just looking for a good fight on a jigging rod (tired of catching dinky crappie and perch on my home lake) and Im not going to keep any trout that I catch. Also Is there any lures that people might recommend for lakers on sunapee? Tight Lines!

Offline PIKE FISHERMAN

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Re: First Time Ice Fishing For Lake Trout
« Reply #1 on: Jan 27, 2021, 08:18 PM »
50-120 feet of water for Lakers. I set up in an area with access to depths in this range. Don’t be afraid to move if your not marking fish. I try to move If I haven’t marked a fish in 10 minutes. I’ll stay longer of bait is around. Humps in deep water, pinch points, trenches are good places to start. Sometimes they’re hanging on steep drop offs, sometimes on the flats in deeper water. Lakers often travel mod water column, so don’t be afraid to run the entire column once and a while.  As for lures, my go tos are jigging spoons(Swedish Pimples, Cleos, Red Devils), jig heads with soft plastic minnow bodies or a swim bait work awesome! Simple bass tubes also work well. White and chartreuse work well for the soft plastics. I usually put a small piece of cut bait to my set up for scent attractant. Good luck, hope you tie into some.
Precision Angling on YouTube. Maine based Bass, Pike, Fly fishing, Ice fishing, Brook fishing and Trolling. Feel free to follow along as I move through the Maine fishing seasons!!
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Offline CTBrahan

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Re: First Time Ice Fishing For Lake Trout
« Reply #2 on: Jan 27, 2021, 08:30 PM »
Pike Fisherman, I have to say you have an awesome YouTube channel. I've been watching for two years now. Thanks for the advice and keep posting great videos! (It would be great if you did a burbot fishing video this year)

Offline Doppler2

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Re: First Time Ice Fishing For Lake Trout
« Reply #3 on: Jan 27, 2021, 09:19 PM »
Deep water, 40+, but strive to be close to the deepest hole in the lake and play around with depths, go all over the water column with whatever bait you feel confident with. Ive hooked them literally right under the ice letting down seconds after drilling a hole (probably would have been my personal best had it not got off at the last second) and I've got them right off the bottom. And certainly everywhere in between. Lakers almost certainly require sonar because you never know where they are. When you see them, so series of reeling in, pausing very briefly, and reeling in. If a mark chases you 30 feet up in a few seconds it's a laker. They are unique in the way they can empty their swim bladder instantly. To attract i do super tall slow jigs starting at the hole and raising it until the tip of my rod is a foot from the top of my shelter. And finally, a little tip that has helped me from being skunked on slow days- keep a deadstick rod in the water. If i am using something that moves side to side  (tubes, jigging rap, rattle traps) ill keep the dead stick right under the ice. If something that's strictly up and down I'll leave it off the bottom 5 feet.

Offline missoulafish

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Re: First Time Ice Fishing For Lake Trout
« Reply #4 on: Jan 27, 2021, 09:27 PM »
Similar to what Dopp said. Don't be afraid to burn  your jig 20-40 feet or more up the water occasionally whether you see a fish on the screen or not. Macs love to chase and often you can attract them by doing the above mentioned. Also, of you hook one and it falls off, get your jig back down to the fish instantly. I've often hooked the same fish multiple times before landing it.

Offline TheCrittaC

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Re: First Time Ice Fishing For Lake Trout
« Reply #5 on: Jan 28, 2021, 03:41 PM »
You'll do at least 30 times better if you have a fish finder. Big marks that move aggressively are lakers. As you may have read in other threads, they'll often chase your lure when you reel it in. Sometimes they'll chase it up 60 feet. Don't be afraid to increase your reel speed if they chase and don't hit. Good luck, and post pictures of what you catch.

Offline dunphy11

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Re: First Time Ice Fishing For Lake Trout
« Reply #6 on: Jan 28, 2021, 03:55 PM »
Recent Sunapee trout. Reported at 28#! That ought to do it for ya.


Offline CTBrahan

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Re: First Time Ice Fishing For Lake Trout
« Reply #7 on: Jan 28, 2021, 06:17 PM »
Thanks for all of the great advice! I do have a fishfinder, a garmin 7cv with the upgraded garmin ice ducer and an underwater camera (hopefully to see some underwater strikes). From what you guys are saying ill definitely have to try the deeper water, it seems like that is the most productive fishing depth. My bud (never fished for lakers before) is convinced that they will be in 10 fow off the state beach but Im going to try to convince him to go fishing in the deeper water with me. Ill definitely post if I have any luck there this sunday. Current mission is to catch a dozen smelt or lake chub at highland for bait this weekend. 

Offline lowaccord66

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Re: First Time Ice Fishing For Lake Trout
« Reply #8 on: Jan 28, 2021, 08:01 PM »
Bigger lakers definitely go shallow.  Some of my largest have been shallow.  If you want numbers sure you'll want to find schools on the lakes main basin. 

Offline Clams

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Re: First Time Ice Fishing For Lake Trout
« Reply #9 on: Jan 28, 2021, 08:02 PM »
I did a post in the winni bs thread yesterday about not finding much action deeper where we had action last week then we found some in as shallow as 4 ft all around 3.5-4 lbs. we were looking for rainbow action and by the first ones runs and fight we thought we had a nice bow or salmon. Then after the third laker we were like wow they’re really shallow in this area today. Nothing is set in stone..... get out there and experiment it’s most of the fun in it anyway. They act differently in whatever NH lake they’re in let alone other states.

Offline lowaccord66

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Re: First Time Ice Fishing For Lake Trout
« Reply #10 on: Jan 28, 2021, 08:09 PM »
You aren't kidding.  I'm almost out of laker water that I want to chase them in outside of the biggest of the big lakes.  Even so there are several behaviors lakers exhibit in all lakes...learn them and you can catch the dumb things anywhere.

Offline Guinea

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Re: First Time Ice Fishing For Lake Trout
« Reply #11 on: Jan 28, 2021, 08:21 PM »
Bigger lakers definitely go shallow.  Some of my largest have been shallow.  If you want numbers sure you'll want to find schools on the lakes main basin.

Hello and welcome!

I've caught some nice ones in 6 fow, nothing huge, but no smaller than other people I knew were catching in 40+ feet. If I still had that access I'd still be fishing there.

I don't know Sunapee, never fished it (I should, it isn't that far from me), so I can't give you any advice on that lake. On the other hand, if you start with a map and a general idea, you'll probably find "your spot" over time.
So if you're close to it, give it a spud check and give it a shot if you've got enough ice. All you'll have to lose is a few shiners.
Thinkin 'bout cusk on the grill......


Offline AQUAASSASSIN

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Re: First Time Ice Fishing For Lake Trout
« Reply #12 on: Jan 28, 2021, 08:26 PM »
Hello and welcome!

I've caught some nice ones in 6 fow, nothing huge, but no smaller than other people I knew were catching in 40+ feet. If I still had that access I'd still be fishing there.

I don't know Sunapee, never fished it (I should, it isn't that far from me), so I can't give you any advice on that lake. On the other hand, if you start with a map and a general idea, you'll probably find "your spot" over time.
So if you're close to it, give it a spud check and give it a shot if you've got enough ice. All you'll have to lose is a few shiners.

That’s pretty solid advice
You count your years by the Winters.

It’s not being Cocky if you can back it up.

Offline Brendog9

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Re: First Time Ice Fishing For Lake Trout
« Reply #13 on: Jan 29, 2021, 08:03 AM »
Most of my luck has come in 30-40 FOW. My go to is a 1/8 ounce copper Swedish Pimple.
Marking anything?

Offline Dipstick

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Re: First Time Ice Fishing For Lake Trout
« Reply #14 on: Jan 29, 2021, 11:47 AM »
CT, I frequent sunapee. She can be amazing one day, then where did they go the next. Ive been twice this year and the poor ice formations haven't allowed me to get to some of my favorite spots. 30-50 fow on subtle points is my go to there. I jig a mixed bag of lures, but 3 primaries there. The smelt fishermen do well on the Lakers shallow when the smelt begin their run. I will be up there for a few hours tomorrow morning, pm me if you want to try for a bit.

Offline OldCaveman

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Re: First Time Ice Fishing For Lake Trout
« Reply #15 on: Jan 29, 2021, 12:55 PM »
 :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:
John

Offline Tony Thunder

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Re: First Time Ice Fishing For Lake Trout
« Reply #16 on: Jan 29, 2021, 06:36 PM »
Recent Sunapee trout. Reported at 28#! That ought to do it for ya.

Would like to hear more about this, or more pics!! What a beast!

Offline Dipstick

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Re: First Time Ice Fishing For Lake Trout
« Reply #17 on: Jan 29, 2021, 06:42 PM »
It was not sunapee, 45", 31.8lb. my buddy in the pic is 6'6"... But it was in NH.

Offline Tony Thunder

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Re: First Time Ice Fishing For Lake Trout
« Reply #18 on: Jan 29, 2021, 08:34 PM »
That’s impressive numbers, beats the state record in length

Offline CTBrahan

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Re: First Time Ice Fishing For Lake Trout
« Reply #19 on: Jan 30, 2021, 07:51 PM »
Went out today at 6:30 am and starting on the deep end of a drop off in 30 fow. Ended up catching a 26.75 inch laker on a spoon pounding the bottom after an hour. No bites for 4 hours after that and moved past the ice ridge onto 8 inches of solid black ice. Marked no fish untill 3:00 then caught two, a 20 incher and an 18 incher in 15 minutes. Also got 1 flag, no fish on it. While packing up marked something weird on the bottom and couldnt get the fish to react to the spoon I was using. It made me think it was a panfish or burbot. I dropped down a 1/24 ounce kastmaster drop chain jig with some spikes on it and couldnt get the fish to come more than a foot off bottom. I then let it sit in the sand for a couple seconds, lifted up and felt dead weight. I had this spoon on an ultra light noodle rod with 4 lb flouro. Fish was quite a fight and when it got to the hole it turned out to be a 22.5 inch laker.

Thanks again to all the advice you guys gave me. Made for one of the most memorable days of ice fishing for me.

Offline AQUAASSASSIN

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Re: First Time Ice Fishing For Lake Trout
« Reply #20 on: Jan 30, 2021, 07:52 PM »
Nice!
You count your years by the Winters.

It’s not being Cocky if you can back it up.

Offline jimmyrig

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Re: First Time Ice Fishing For Lake Trout
« Reply #21 on: Jan 30, 2021, 07:55 PM »
Nice work!
that is thinking with your dipstick......jimmy

Offline Lv2hunt

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Re: First Time Ice Fishing For Lake Trout
« Reply #22 on: Jan 30, 2021, 08:01 PM »
That's great it's always fun to see what you pull out of the deep!!
Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day teach him how to fish and he will sit there and drink all day!!

 



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