Lakers in shallow water

[redkona]

Does any one else fish for lakers in shallow water 25 feet or less. I lost 3 of them today in about 5 feet of water. I caught 30+ lakers last year all jigging but in about 10 - 20 feet of water. Not a single one of them had anything in their belly for bait and most of them were spawning.

[Flash_King]

I was always told that Lakers in the Big Lakes of NH spawn in the latewinter/early spring.Always had good luck on the gravel bars of winnsquam in early march-however -How large were the lakers caught in that shallow water? If they were in the 2-4lb range- they could be small males trying to hurry up the season.Rainbows like to patrol Wini's shoreline,so I guess that lakers would also,but I guess I have been trained to find the reefs and to fish off them in 35+ depth.

Good Luck - Good Fishing     DERBY!!!

[redkona]

2 of them were in that range but one of them was well over 5lbs. Most of the ones I caught last year were females.

[mooseslayer]

IN N.MAINE COME MARCH THE SMELT MOVE TOWARDS THE BROOKS+RIVERS PREPARING TO MIGRATE UP THEM TO SPAWN AND THE LAKERS FOLLOW. IVE CAUGHT MY BIGGEST LAKER,23LB.,2YRS AGO ON A 8IN. SMELT IN 8FT. OF WATER. I ALSO GOT A 12 AND13LB. IN THE SAME AREA IN 6FT. OF WATER. I DONT THINK THEY STAY SHALLOW ALL WINTER BUT THERE IS DEFINITELY TIMES THEY LIKE SHALLOW WATER.

[grumpymoe]

the lake trout season up here, closes sept30 until jan 1 for the spawning season. this and ice-out until the lake rolls over is the only time you find lakers in shallow. they will move briefly into the shallows to feed, but you will always find them in water temperatures of 52f, which is their preferred temp. hot summer, drives them to deep spots on the lakes and depths over 150ft. tidbits from grump

[deadsmelthead]

I rarely fish water over 30 feet deep... I have gone as far as to put tip ups in less than 5 feet of water and have caught lakers... I think it has a lot to do with the sunlight, if its a sunny day I tend to go a little deeper, on overcast days I will fish for them in shallower water..

[Germ]

I think they are rounding up fish in the shallows as alot of guys here catch em in shallow water...SO not to sure. They like to roam so....Anyone guess!

[TGF]

I'm with grump. I fish 50-70ft of h20 for lakers and have had the wife fishing 3-10 ft of h20 for them cause she was scared of the 5 inches of ice. I caught and released 7 that day and she caught 1.
Out here in BC the laker season gets closed down from approx Oct1-Oct31.
If you want good info you can buy "IN FISHERMANs Trophy Laketrout video" Very informative.

[trapperdirk]

I'm also with grumpymoe on this one and our seasons are the same as his . I will move into shallower water in front of a creek too just before the smelt decide to run . The smelt stage at the openings of tributaries and Mr laker is there too .

[Germ]

I believe ya on the deep water i was just saying iv'e caught em as lil as 3-4 feet when fishing for brooks. This is in february..SO not sure what to tell ya..And on lake of bays i belive were in like 40 feet catching em there so...But simcoe i fish for em in 80-120. Only cause i don't know where else they are on Simcoe lol.

[TroutFishingBear]

It all depends on the type of baitfish in the lake your fishing. Here in colorado, a laker, besides if it was sponing, wouldn't be caught dead in less than 25 ft of water. But of course this is a wierd fishing state with very few baitfish in the lakes. The main forage is other lakers and small trout and suckers. Here fish 25ft+, usually about 45 for best success. That is the only way to get those light hitters here!

[Cook078]

Caught 3 Lakers the other day in an area that produces Lakers and Browns, but I didnt know how deep it was.....fisrt time with the Vex., 15 feet all across the board.  But the area had lots of smelt, so I assume thats why they were there.  Also near a feeder stream.  A group of guys 10 miles up the lake in 80 feet of water had good luck too, so I guess they are scattered about...
Mike

[Ottawa_fish]

I never cought them in water less than 45', but they
often took my jigs just 10' below the ice. Last two
saturdays I tried to find them in shallower water and
was skunked royal. Drilled a lot of holes in all seemingly
right places and nothing... Probably it is all about food
present.

[raleigh]

I went down to Turquoise Reservoir in Colorado. People where catching lakers in about 15 feet of water...They where not big lakers. They where about 12 to 14 inches long. And they where just using plain old sucker meat.

[bluecaddisfly]

 Someone mentioned "In-Fisherman", one of the things Doug Stange says is "not all the fish in the lake are doing the same thing at the same time." So, some lakers will be shallow, maybe keyed on bait fish or, as I have found, insects. I often catch all size lakers on panfish jigs tipped with waxworms. We used to believe in only fishing 30 plus ft, but after using a "run and gun" approach, and drilling holes all over, from shallow to deep on points off islands, I believe there are two groups of fish, ones that stay deep most of the time and ones that will roam throughout the whole lake.

[hard_waterer]

The small ones move around but the big boys stay deep

[wyojoe]

I'm not against trying shallow. Have caught a 10lber in 12'. Have a friend who caught a 20lber in 6'.