Canadian Shield Lake Trout depths/feeders

[10,000 Casts]

I'm told that the Lakers that lay on the bottom are inactive and rarely bite. So my question for the guys running downriggers is, do you still run your downriggers at consistent depths like 30 or 60 fow hoping to find active feeding trout or do you go where the fish are and run your balls down close to the bottom hoping you can get them to bite? 

[Surface Tension]

Watch your sonar.  You might have lake trout suspended one day and tight to bottom the next.

I also use a thermometer to eliminat large sessions of water, that is the 1st thing I do.

 Lake trout on bottom will most certainly hit and guess what, after you eliminated all that water you'll be dialed in on depth.    The later it is in Summer the easier it is to find them.   What do you do when you mark and catch lake trout 50' down over 100fow and the next dayyou can't find any?  Your thermometer would help you answer that.  Was 50' in their comfort zone or were they moving in periodically to take advantage of prey.  If the later,  lake trout will return to preferred temps, they have to do that and in all likelihood that will be on the bottom you just need to find out how deep.

[rkhinrichs]

How do you use your thermometer? What temp are you looking for? If you are marking fish in 45 ft, Do u check the temp there? 

[Surface Tension]

I use the thermometer as another tool to dial in on lake trout.   I look for 45 degrees but lake trout can swing 5 degree swing up or down.  Even more when exploiting prey such as a hatch, aquatic or even terrestrial but that preferred temp has to be close by in the water column or bottom.   A note that when you see lake trout tight to bottom its usually to get  back in that comfort zone.   As I said in the my 1st post, that doesn't mean won't feed, its just where they want/need to be.   So yes I'd like to know what the temp is when marking lake trout and schools of bait fish for that matter, as much information I can gather the better.   Use either a corded hand held or Fish Hawk TD.  Better yet step up to a Fish Hawk X4.   So why not just look for lake trout on the sounder?  That works but what are you learning?  When you mark fish you should want to know why they are there. 

[rkhinrichs]

On July 12, 2016 at 7:54 AM, Surface Tension said:

I use the thermometer as another tool to dial in on lake trout.   I look for 45 degrees but lake trout can swing 5 degree swing up or down.  Even more when exploiting prey such as a hatch, aquatic or even terrestrial but that preferred temp has to be close by in the water column or bottom.   A note that when you see lake trout tight to bottom its usually to get  back in that comfort zone.   As I said in the my 1st post, that doesn't mean won't feed, its just where they want/need to be.   So yes I'd like to know what the temp is when marking lake trout and schools of bait fish for that matter, as much information I can gather the better.   Use either a corded hand held or Fish Hawk TD.  Better yet step up to a Fish Hawk X4.   So why not just look for lake trout on the sounder?  That works but what are you learning?  When you mark fish you should want to know why they are there. 

Thanks ST!! Yea I can catch lake trout but I really don't know why. I normally just drop my jig to the bottom and real up 10 ft or so. Seems to work but I know I'm missing fish. I also will drive over an area and mark fish and start to fish for them, which is fun when I catch them but even a blind squirrel finds a nut!! Lol

[Surface Tension]

 When the trout go deep and your in a canoe,  jigging on the spot or a very slow drift is the way I'd go.
  The OP mentioned lake trout on the bottom.  Lake trout will certainly come off the bottom and hit a lure but if I'm trolling and targeting those trout laying on the bottom I'll run close to bottom and even skip bottom.  IMO trolling that lure in their face will trigger a strike more times then one run off bottom.  In fact I can say positively that it out produces by a lot.   Jigging and watching your sounder,  you have time to work that fish.   Pound bottom than raise up 5-10'.  Make it chase but give it a chance to catch you.

 

[rkhinrichs]

Yea the only thing is my depth finder is a portable hummingbird. So the quality is not that great but the depth is right on! Here are some pictures from the mine center area of catch 10 trout in one day in 90 degree! Missed about another 10 or so just in one day of fishing!