I'm a lake trout newbie...

[gill_getter]

Hello everyone. I have been fishing hard water for a few seasons now and I mostly target gills/crappie/and perch. But this year I would like to start targeting lake trout. What size bait do you guys generally use on your traps for lakers? And they are generally in the bottom of the water column I have heard, is that correct? Another question I have is are they found in the bays of LG or only in the main lake? I don't want specific coordinates to honey holes but a general direction of which bays I should try for lakers would be much appreciated. Me and the lady are going out tomorrow and I wanna get our lake trout experience off on the right foot! Any information would be appreciated. Thank you!

[jayy]

Lake trout will take big baits.  Bass sized shiners (medium) work as do pike (large) sized. Suckers, smelt, whatever is available.

I am not familiar with lake george but lakers are generally found in the main lake this time of year.. I find them within 5ft of the bottom but the lakes i normally fish max at 150ft deep or less.

[adkRoy]

I mostly catch lakers on lake George in 40 to 60 feet of water. they like hard rocky bottoms. suckers and hunts work well.

[swampking89]

What is a"hunt"?

[adkRoy]

type of minnow that looks like a cross between and icicle and a smelt.

[pmac3]

I usually start with medium shiners and hunts and jig smelt for bait (as long as it’s legal). I fish smaller lakes in the Adks so I’m rarely fishing deeper than 60.’ You’ll find more fish near bottom, but find the smelt/baitfish and you’ll find the fish.

[Chase88]

Most of the Lake Trout water on Lake George is not frozen yet.... I would wait a few days unless your lady is a real good swimmer....

[bigredonice]

I spend most of my time jigging lakers at George in the 60-100 foot range, but my biggest lakers always come when I am jigging for perch on the perch beds.   On the more isolated or less pressured perch beds it seems like every afternoon or mid morning you can depend on a few ‘raiding parties’ of big lake trout cruising through and kicking the perch around.   Pretty exciting thing to see on the aqua-vu!

[iloveacrappiedinner]

Lake trout are nomadic predators, find the food, and you'll find them. Most of the time in the bottom of the water column, but today I was in 55 fow and saw one come in at 20' pulled up and he hit it. Another one today hit 10' under the ice when I was just reeling in. Lost that one, but it felt bigger.

[pmac3]

Lake trout are nomadic predators, find the food, and you'll find them. Most of the time in the bottom of the water column, but today I was in 55 fow and saw one come in at 20' pulled up and he hit it. Another one today hit 10' under the ice when I was just reeling in. Lost that one, but it felt bigger.

I’ve caught my biggest lakers within five feet of the ice. Don’t be afraid to suspend bait.

[Northeastangler]

Only 2 lakers I’ve caught so far have been on tip ups in 55 fow set 5 feet below the ice (rigged for salmon). With that said I have become addicted trying to jig for these over the last 2 years. Chasers on the fish finder are all I have succeeded at up to now but that was more exciting than my better tip up days, their speed is incredible. Locations have varied from 30-60ft with deeper drops nearby.

[jxh25]

Only 2 lakers I’ve caught so far have been on tip ups in 55 fow set 5 feet below the ice (rigged for salmon). With that said I have become addicted trying to jig for these over the last 2 years. Chasers on the fish finder are all I have succeeded at up to now but that was more exciting than my better tip up days, their speed is incredible. Locations have varied from 30-60ft with deeper drops nearby.

Jigging them with sonar is a blast! I'll take it over tip ups any day.

[Hardwaternubie53]

What is a"hunt"?

They are a very lively and hardy bait fish. Lakers and walleyes love them.

[Hardwaternubie53]

Got my only laker three years ago in Harris Bay. I was jigging and using tip-ups. Jigging for pannies and tip-ups for pike. I had bait all over the water column. The laker, 10lb., 33", hit the hunt's I had placed just 3 ft. under the ice, right at sunset. He hit that bait so hard that the tip-up launched a foot in the air. Boy, did he run! He ran into my buddies tip-up set and tangled everything up. It was an interesting and fun fight.

Another time, we were in the same area, just jigging for pannies. My buddy had no more that dropped his pannie jig down to about 30 feet and a laker hit it. Hell of a fight on 4lb. test, light wt. pannie pole. Nice 8lb. fish.

[mealworm]

On LG I have caught Lakers in 15fow to180fow jigging and on tip up. Lakers eat anything from grass shrimp to smaller Lakers so don't be afraid to go small or go really big as far as bait. I once kept a 28" laker that had a 13" yellow perch in its belly. Lakers like cold water so this time of year Lakers can be anywhere in the water column and anywhere in the lake. If u r jigging and u don't mark a laker after 30 min it's time to move.also with tip ups I don't bother setting them any deeper than 10' under the ice it's a waste of time to set them on the bottom especially in deep water. Even in 180fow lakers will come up to just under the ice in the blink of an eye.

[Dudest]

Owasco if main lake freezes  biggest shiners you can get off the creek in ensinore. 80 plus it's a gimmee middle of day

[northernnyice]

Got my only laker three years ago in Harris Bay. I was jigging and using tip-ups. Jigging for pannies and tip-ups for pike. I had bait all over the water column. The laker, 10lb., 33", hit the hunt's I had placed just 3 ft. under the ice, right at sunset. He hit that bait so hard that the tip-up launched a foot in the air. Boy, did he run! He ran into my buddies tip-up set and tangled everything up. It was an interesting and fun fight.

Another time, we were in the same area, just jigging for pannies. My buddy had no more that dropped his pannie jig down to about 30 feet and a laker hit it. Hell of a fight on 4lb. test, light wt. pannie pole. Nice 8lb. fish.

Your tipup went a foot in the air due to how hard the lake trout ate the minnow? 

[JTrottaNY]

Your tipup went a foot in the air due to how hard the lake trout ate the minnow? 

Probably spun the spool real fast and tangled the line like a backlash on a baitcaster... I had a rainbow rocking my tipup off the ice last year- it didn't shoot a foot off the ice but it was exciting to watch

[gill_getter]

Thanks for the info everyone! Looks like I will have to wait for some main lake hardwater before I attempt it. We ended up taking the day off and hitting browns in search of some walleyes that night since it's much closer to home. I really have the laker urge! Looks like such a blast on the jig rod! I set traps out but I prefer jigging with my electronics as well. Much more satisfying for me.

[Fontona19]

Not to make things difficult for you, but the answer is everything and every way. Lakers are pigs, and will eat almost anything. It never hurts to think outside the box as you might be pleasantly surprised. That being said jigging spoons with a flasher or bigger baits on tips ups seem to be most people's favorite ways to land lakers.

[Icemaster19]

Caught this one last year on a 1/16 jig tipped with a spike with 4 pound mono and an ultra light pole.  When they are hungry they will eat anything at any depth! 

[Neil McCauley]

^I remember that fish from last year. Awesome laker.

Caught a few today on 1/64 oz jig and 2lb fluoro. Made the day interesting. 

[T-Rok]

White tube jig tipped with small  minnow. Bounce it off the bottom few times then reel up and stop every 5 feet jig twice then wait 30 seconds. Keep going til you can see your jig. They like to follow a ways before they hit... Sometimes right under the ice.

[Icemaster19]

^I remember that fish from last year. Awesome laker.

Caught a few today on 1/64 oz jig and 2lb fluoro. Made the day interesting. 

that would be one hell of a fight!!

[Craveman85]

I catch most of mine in less than 50' of water. Actually I catch most of mine in Canada and West lake in less than 10'.

[IcemanADK]

Try not to get as addicted as we are.

Jigging lakers over the vex is the most fun you can have with your clothes on.