More Laker/Burntside Bash EXCITEMENT!!!

[Lisa Almquist]

Yes-your beautiful trout flies that you donated will be there-so should you.

[Lisa Almquist]

I won't buy an of the tube baits then. We'll find smelt somewhere around here then too. I will still be bringing ALL my walleye arsenal. I can't wait to use my new Jason Mitchell Mackinaw! Sorry I keep yacking about all my rods but I'm just so excited to be trying new techniques/species. Thanks as always for the awesome tips and bringing me back down to earth long enough to stop buying bucktails (with their awesome sparkly tails) and get back to BURNTSIDE lakers!

[Powerstroke]

Lisa I hope you get to tie into one of those B-side lakers. It is definetly a fight you will not forget. It spoiled me for sure.

I caught a few lakers this summer for the first time and all I could think about was how boring it was catching a laker on a 7foot rod instead of a 3 foot rod pointed down a hole.

[Lisa Almquist]

Me too! I can't wait! I'm starting to get some good gear for trout fishing so even it it doesn't happen on Burntside, I'll be set for other opportunities!

[Steve Foss]

A good thing to remember when lakering, especially coming from a walleye perspective, is that lakers love to pursue lures. If you act like a typical walleye angler and stop your jigging lure when the fish comes in, wait for it to eye your lure for five seconds and then give it a tiny jiggle like when you're walleye fishing, you'll not put too many lakers on the ice.

You jig aggressively all through the water column and when one comes in, if it doesn't hit IMMEDIATELY, you start pulling the lure up and away from it to get it to pursue. Then, if it doesn't hit after you've pulled it up and up and up, drop the lure back down well past the fish and it'll come back down to it, then keep pulling it up and up and away.

Sooner or later, if you do it right, you'll often egg that fish on so much it'll lose its temper and smack your lure. One key is never to give up until the fish does. As long as it's there, it's interested, and I have three rods rigged at all times with different lures so I can rip up a lure the fish doesn't seem to want and drop down a different look.

I've fooled with fish for 10 or 15 solid minutes before they've hit before. And, of course, some never hit and just swim away. But that's when your tip-up 20 feet away with a nice wiggling golden shiner or rainbow suspended half way down the water column comes into play. Many is the time I've had a laker turn away and then, 10 seconds later I hear the telltale jingle bells of my flag popping. There's more than one way to skin a laker.

[reelemin]

Awesome information Stfcatfish. I'm learning alot reading yours and others post on lakers.

Any chance of some photos of the actually lures you use. ( don't know if thats against forum policy or not )

[Lisa Almquist]

That's great advice for this walleye fishing person. We were fortunate enough that we have a friend who is loaning us one of his laker rods too so we will have 3 rod combos on hand. I was really interested to hear that Chubby Darters even can play a role for lakers.

[Steve Foss]

Tami, your wish is my command.

First, two of my three typical laker setups. The baitcasting rig is an Amassadeur 5500c3 on a Berkley Genz Rod medium-heavy 36 inch rod designed for lakers. I've held the great Jason Mitchell Laker Rod, made by an HSO/FM site sponsor, and it felt just great, but don't have one yet.

The second is a Shimano Sonora 2500 on a Polar HT PL-34H 34-inch heavy action rod. The spinning rod looks longer than the baitcaster in the pic, but it's not. Just a trick of the camera angle.

I spool both with 12 lb Trilene XL, good old-fashioned limp Trilene. Superbraids work great in a heated house, but I do some hole-hopping outdoors, too, and braids grab water and freeze up faster than mono. I add a ball bearing swivel and three feet of 12 lb fluorocarbon leader, then a crosslock snap and the lure. The swivel is because most jigging lures spin to some degree and the swivel cancels that out. The fluoro just as a precaution. Lakers aren't line shy, but in the gin-clear water on most lake trout lakes, I don't take any chances.

Lures in the first two are the Slender spoon and a jigging Rap, both tipped with a chunk of cut cisco.

When downsizing (the fish will tell you do to this if they won't go for your larger lures,) I go for the angel eye (left) and 1/4 oz go devil (both also available in the online store here.) Note that when I say "larger" I'm only talking walleye sized lures or slightly larger.

Another lure I use a lot when downsizing is the Nils master jigger shad in its smallest size. All three of these last lures are designed for crappies and walleyes, but on Burntside, small rules on some days. Nils is in the online store, too.

[reelemin]

Stfcatfish - YOU ROCK !!!

Awesome - thank you - thankyou

pictures do it for me, I tend to forget names of lures more than forgetting names of people.

Looking at what you've got, I think I may be sittin pretty good. You also answered something I was wondering about, which was a leader, and or a swivel.

Also looks like you put on larger trebles ?

thanks again - fabulous info

[Steve Foss]

Tami, I put larger trebles on the jigging raps, which come with trebles that are too short to suit me. The Nils come with the larger trebles (smart company!), and the Slenders, Go Devils and Angel Eyes have the factory trebles on them, which work just fine.

Another point to make is that reels should have smooth drags. The 12-lb line I use is heavier than some folks use, but regardless, a 10-lb laker will be making runs that'll snap your line unless your drag is smooth.

Also, there's been a long thread (over a year old) packed with great info on winter inland laker fishing, with lots of different perspectives. Every laker angler does things a bit differently, and each style has benefits and drawbacks. You can see the thread here.

[reelemin]

Thanks - yep been reading that tread, about half way through. I don't have much spare money this year( being back in school and all ) so I'm gonna have to make do with what I have.

* 32" medium heavy rod (did splurge and bought this)

* spinning reel with 10lb braid on it.

* plenty of lures that should be fine, way switch a few trebles around

** need to make a few leaders

** need to get some smelt and / or sisco

** need minnows ( some atleast )

How does all that look?

I am planning on being in Ely Thurs. night and heading out with the "caravan" fri. morning. It should be a great learning day, I will be a sponge

[Lisa Almquist]

That looks great Tami! We'll be meeting everyone at 8 am Friday too! It'll be great to finally meet you and everyone else next weekend. I am still reading through that laker thread! Almost as much info to absorb as cell biology. It's laker biology and it's WAY more fun!!

[harvey lee]

I agree with Steve on his choice of jigs for the lakers. When I fished on Gunflint lake a week ago, I caught almost all my fish on these jigs. They can be shipped pretty fast and one could have them in hand before the Bash. I would key on the 1/4oz size for the lakers and they will always work for those eyes too.

Check them out here.

http://outdoorprostore.com/glow-devil.html

[Lisa Almquist]

Harvey Lee,

I gotta stop reading your posts. You just make pointing people in the right direction and then Ka-ching just too darn easy! Sold HL! And Thank you!

PS Don't tell Jim!

[harvey lee]

Thanks I guess Lisa. These lures really do, do well on lakers as you will hopefully see. One can always use these for eyes and perch and even crappies as they are a very versatile jig.

[Steve Foss]

Lisa, we won't tell Jim if you don't. Of course, telling your own secret in front of 30,000 people is no way to keep it from your hubby.

I keep go devils on one of my walleye rods all the time, too. Don't know what it is that makes them work so well, but they do.

Don't forget the patterns with green, blue and purple for Burntside. If it looks like a smelt, lakers think it probably IS a smelt. Another tip: bring a couple dozen waxworms. When the lakers are really bashful about hitting, if you tip a smaller lure with waxies, it'll do the trick. One guy at the last couple Bashes has used nothing but 6 lb test and panfish jigs tipped with waxies/maggots/eurolarvae, and he's caught as many fish as anyone. When the fishing got really tough on Bash afternoon last year (it was great in the morning then it started to bluster and blow), he did very well on his panfish stuff. Aggressive as they are, we sometimes forget lakers are trout, not sharks, and sometimes they act like trout.

[reelemin]

Thanks guys - I'm ready !!!

Burntside lakers - - - here I come

[Lisa Almquist]

 Quote:

telling your own secret in front of 30,000 people

Then I better not tell anyone that I'm actually Larry?? Oopsie! Secret's OUT! Now you'll all have to come to the Bash and see!

[Steve Foss]

Lisa or Larry, Jenny or Jerry, no one at the Bash will care which gender you are as long as you can catch a trout or two. Uh, well, I expect JIM will still care.

[Lisa Almquist]

!! !!

[Powerstroke]

 Originally Posted By: stfcatfish

Lisa or Larry, Jenny or Jerry, no one at the Bash will care which gender you are as long as you can catch a trout or two. Uh, well, I expect JIM will still care.

Now thats hilarious

[harvey lee]

Its probably to late now but if one wants to look at laker rods, Ice leaders has three rod sponsors that make nice laker rods.

http://thornebros.com/

http://www.jasonmitchellrods.com/

http://scottyscustomrods.com/

[Jim Almquist]

Steve it's not a problem cause now I get to raid her tackle box Tami if you have not made up your leaders ahead of time I will have some 10lb fluorocarbon for leader material if you would like some. Friday just can't get here quick enough Harvey if they ordered from Jason Mitchell today they would have by wed and if they called Thorne Bros I am sure they could be just as fast.

[harvey lee]

I just dont know if some of these guys are around on Saturday Jim. For the last few weeks when I have shipped out different product, seems the shipping times have really been slow.

I guess that if a person wants the rod, its worth a shot.

[reelemin]

Thanks Jim - but being too cold to fish this weekend, I'm actullay looking forward to hanging out inside and putsing with gear.

Has anyone used a small gun case for thier longer ice rods?? I've often thought about this.