What is your favorite bait for togue?

[lunkahville]

I have only caught a couple togue in my short time. Mostly using large shiners. But I have had a couple people tell me larger smelts work good, others say a "cut" sucker works better, and some other people I ask say shiners. I caught one last year that was 27" on a big flat shiner in about 25-30 fow. And then the discussion of depth comes into play. Anything is helpful...

[HUNTnFISHSD]

A shiner fishes close to the bottom.

[lunkahville]

We are going out in the morning to fish west grand for the opener. Always wanted to catch a "wallhanger" togue. Just trying to increase my chances.

[HUNTnFISHSD]

 I understand I attempt to do so with pike and other toothy fish but I tend to lose them at the hole dueto the leader breaking.

[fishless12]

There have been some other posts recently on this topic. Try searching for them and you can read lots of different opinions on the matter. I'll tell you they all have their day:

Live shiners 3-6"
Live smelts
Live suckers
All of the above dead, too

[lunkahville]

Cool thanks!! I'm new to the whole forum thing. But finding allot of this information on here very help. Ill probably try one of each tomorrow and see what happens. Hopefully there will be pictures to follow.

[TheOutdoorsman]

A buckshot rattle spoon tipped with a large smelt head. 

[bdonaghy]

It all depends on the water your on & whats in pond for forage. WG id say smelts are good. I think big suckers are always good in any togue water. Suspended off bottom a bit, say 10', is usually better than right on bottom. Don't overlook dead bait, especially big crushed dead bait for togue. I like to fish dead bait right on bottom & live bait suspended.

[lunkahville]

Guess Ill try them all this weekend. We have some nice big suckers (10"-14"), and some big shiners (4"-6"). Give it a go and the worst that happens is a lot of time spent by the fire. Either way it will be a win/win.

[fishless12]

If you're fishing deep, don't be afraid to try some halfway through the water column, those buggers can be anywhere, the hungry ones are often up off bottom chasing smelts.

[hal120]

dead sucker, whole, but cut open

[lunkahville]

Well looks like I am gonna try a little of this and a little of that this morning. 26 years old and still cant sleep the night before grand lake opens. Do you pull the guts out a little when you cut the sucker open or just let it be?

[JDK]

Don't know if I'm in a minority or not but give me smelt any day of the week and twice on Sundays.  Different sizes for different lakes but smelt.  If I cannot get smelt then shiners and chubs.  Never done beans on suckers.

[mainedukblaster]

in a lake where smelts are prevelent, I use a jack smelt live in 50-60 FOW 4-8 feet off bottom..   also any dead smelts I slit the belly and hang it 1 foot of bottom,  then I usually have 1 trap iwth a dead sucker all cut open and laying on bottom and every now and then "jig the trap" to get a sent ball going.

[Oldfart]

A buckshot rattle spoon tipped with a large smelt head.

X10.  Just go out with a rod and a small box of jigs. My jigging has outpaced the traps 6 to 1 this year for togue.
 And bring the Vex.  I would have lowered the jig right past the suspended ones if I had not known they were there.

[jacksmelt71]

big ol' jacksmelt!

[outdoorsman7617]

I have only caught a couple togue in my short time. Mostly using large shiners. But I have had a couple people tell me larger smelts work good, others say a "cut" sucker works better, and some other people I ask say shiners. I caught one last year that was 27" on a big flat shiner in about 25-30 fow. And then the discussion of depth comes into play. Anything is helpful...

I have had some good like on medium to large smelts, not sea smelts; and I've heard some good things about cut suckers.

[lunkahville]

Well today I tried everything besides donning scuba gear and chasing them across the bottom. Gonna try it again tomorrow with hopefully a fish in hand to show. Couple flags today, one spit bait at the hole and a couple salmon stealing bait. Hope everybody else had a good day

[EmeraldShiner]

After targeting this particular species for well over 30 years, and yes I like to keep one, once in a while for consumption after cooking on my Weber Grill with a special 24 hour soaking/marinade recipe.  I can tell you that after the autopsy performed on the dinner fish it is very apparent that their main diet is smelt, no doubt about it.  After all these years of either catching or releasing Togue in Central Maine or Northern Maine, every single one was caught on a live or dead smelt, the trick is at what depth in what water and at what time of season as others have mentioned on here, and yes the old timers swear by the cut suckers fished on bottom, just have not had any luck with that.  The fact is you have to get out there, spend the time and experiment on any given Lake known to contain populations of Togue, once you discover the secret, best kept to yourself! 

[bigfish7]

simple dead smelt on bottom your catching lakers

[woodchip]

 With traps   If you are fishing around a smelt hole, Fish right under the ice.Just put your sinker a foot under the ice. When they are feeding they wing a lot of smelts.Then they glide with there backs against the ice picking up the winged ones. I,ve caught a few big ones this way. When Jigging I always fish the bottom or the thermalcline where ever my Vexilar tells me the fish are. Use a small piece of cut bait prefably fresh cut sucker on with Shinner,smelt Tom cod.

[saltyshores]

Have any of you caught togue by jigging Rattletraps?

[rainbowslayer12]

What depths do you like fishing for lakers? Dead or live bait? shiners or suckers? How far off of bottom?

[JDK]

Not trying to be a jerk but in the first 10 pages, there are about 10 different topics on togue bait, togue depths, togue jigs, hook sizes, etc.