Favorite rods for lake trout

[BigFish1]

I'm going to Canada for the first time for a probable annual lake trout trip. What do you recommend for a rod? I was looking at the Jason M rod that is 38" spinning MH, but it seems a little light. I already have a st. croix 32"H that I was going to use as a back up. I stopped at Thornes but there rods are 42" and are $70 dollars. Any suggestions? I will be using a stradic 2500 shimano reel. Am I wrong to think that Jason Mitchell's rod is too light? Thanks in advance!

[Fred_Bear]

The St. Croix should be a good trout rod. I almost bought one today as a backup rod. I agree that the Jason M is too light for trout, I don't think it was designed for lakers.

I highly recommend the Mr. Walleye series. There's a 42" and a 45" that both would work great just pick whichever you like the feel of better. I use an old 42" Genz Rod that has been discontinued for a few years but is exactly like the Mr. Walleye Rods.

Call me crazy but I use a Jason Mitchell 30" walleye on lakes where the average laker is 2-5 lbs. It's perfect for smaller baits like jigging shads and handles the smaller fish very well. I've landed fish up to 8 lbs with it and I didn't feel overpowered by the fish at all.

[NoWiser]

I have the Thorne Bros. rod that you mentioned and I love it. I'm not sure where you are going, but if the average laker is under 5 or 6 pounds you might find it a bit too heavy for your likeing. If you fish on a lake where the next red mark on your vex could turn into a 20 pounder and 10-12 pounders are very common, you will love it. Its a bit on the spendy side, but I figured it should last me forever being that it's fiberglass. The eyes on it are also nice and big to help ease the problem of icing up. The St. Croix is a good rod, I have a friend that likes his, and as Fred Bear mentioned, the Mr. Walleye series is very nice. I have a friend that lives in Canada that swears by those. A word of warning, if you are going to be fishing outside a lot in extreme cold temperatures I would maybe shy away from some of the HT rods. They have a nice action but I've seen 3 of them blow up on the hookset when the temps were around -25.

One more piece of advise. Throw your Stradic in the freezer for awhile and test it out before you put it on your rod. I have a Shimano Stradic and Symetre that I would like to use, but the anti-reverses quit working in the extreme cold. I can't use them at all. My Diawas seem to work fine no matter what the temp, even though I don't like them quite as much.

[Jim Almquist]

I'm going to Canada for the first time for a probable annual lake trout trip. What do you recommend for a rod? I was looking at the Jason M rod that is 38" spinning MH, but it seems a little light. I already have a st. croix 32"H that I was going to use as a back up. I stopped at Thornes but there rods are 42" and are $70 dollars. Any suggestions? I will be using a stradic 2500 shimano reel. Am I wrong to think that Jason Mitchell's rod is too light? Thanks in advance!

I would take a look at the Jason Mitchell Mackinaw and the put a Abu Garcia C-3 5500 on it if I was going to Canada and it was going to be a annual trip. Sooner or later you will get a monster on and it will take lots of line and smoke your drag so you should have a rig that can take the fight.

From there HSOforum:

Jason Mitchell Elite Series 36MH Mackinaw special fishing rod for Lake Trout. This bait casting rod was designed xtensively for the sole purpose of taming Lake Trout. This medium heavy action graphite blank features a spiraled guide wrap for better shock absorption and sensitivity. The handle is designed extra long past the reel seat for better balance and leverage to reduce fatigue while "bobbing" all day. This rod is an awesome stick for trophy hunters looking to land large predators like trout, salmon, pike or musky.

[Surface Tension]

You can use walleye gear that is on the heavy side for inland lake trout but it is not idle. However if you are down sizing lures, which I often do, then a rod can be on the lighter side.

What you do not want or at least me and I've been chasing inland lake trout for decades and have my wants dialed in, is a rod that is too light of action for the lure. With heavy lures and on a lift I do not want a rod to bend over. Add the drag of the line in those deeper haunts of the Laker and you create more drag on the rod which = more bend. At rest a hair of deflection on the rod is good. Any more deflection of either and it'll be like an itch I can't reach. I won't spend the day like that.

Jason Mitchell Elite Series 36MH Mackinaw.

Matched on a Abu 5500 with 10 lb Power Pro, my go to Inland Lake Trout Rig. That is my tool to feel the lift and drops of the lure. The PP lb test I can keep in contact with the lure on the drop and detect a hit on the fall. Then there is the subtle nudge of a Laker. Such a light hit for the fury of what is Lake Trout Battle. The Mackinaw does it for me.

[BigFish1]

Im going to Browns clearwater west lodge. I believe that some of lakers are very large. The Jason Mitchell is the spinning equivalent to the Mackinaw but it seems very light.

[NoWiser]

The first couple of years I went, I just made my own rods. Cabelas had buckets of broken off rod tips for $2 or $3. I grabbed a couple with the action I wanted and mated them with some old handles I had laying around and they worked great. I think my total investment those first years was about $10.00 and a tube of epoxy. When I realized that I was going to be going up there multiple times each year I finally bit the bullet and got a nicer rod. Still use my homemade ones as backups, though, and I caught a ton of fish on them! Sensitivity is NOT an issue where I fish in Canada. Having a rod you can hold onto tight is much more important! Have fun and let us know how you do!