LAKE TROUT PRESENTATIONS

[spoiler]

What type of baits and presentation do you use for lake trout. Do you troll open water at various depth in search of lakers, vertical jig?

[Outfitter17]

We mainly jig for them. I like to use white tubes with 3/4oz tube jigs, with 14lb fireline on a med heavy spinning.

I locate them on the graph by slow trolling around, when we spot one we drop down usually in 50-90ft. of water.

You can watch them on your graph as well as your line if you stay vertical. It's kind of like watching a video game except its real.

You need a good graph with a plenty of power to do this of course.

I really enjoy trout fishing in the mid summer and targeting them this way.

Good Luck if you try it.

[goblueM]

Vexilars are nice if you are jigging and once you locate fish...

[Outfitter17]

Vexilars are great for winter, but I have never tried one in the summer.

[Cedarcreek]

I fish a few lakes in canada and one I always can get trout on a 1/2oz jig and cisco. the other i have had poor luck. Everyone else trolls. I can catch white fish etc. I mark trout but can;t hook them. Is there s way to troll to cover ground. I dont have riggers and usually the fish are around 60 ft down in 100ft. or is riggers only way to go. a cheep rigger ideas would be nice as I fish 1-2 times a yearfor trout. This is mainly a walleye trip but a few bonus lakers would really make the trip.

[Outfitter17]

If yoy have a good graph, you can watch your jig on the screen and when a trout comes across the screen you just need to lower your jig or raise it up to the fish.

It's kinda of like playing a video game, if you don't have a good graph or can't see your line - it's like fishing blind.

[Deep_Sinker]

a cheep rigger ideas would be nice as I fish 1-2 times a yearfor trout. This is mainly a walleye trip but a few bonus lakers would really make the trip.

Dipsey divers would work for your 1-2x per year. You want to make sure you have a good stiff rod with about 30lb test.

[52luge]

Outfitter17 describes pretty much what we do.

We use a 1/2 oz white jighead with a white 3" powerbait twister and backtroll into the wind looking for fish suspended off the bottom. The higher the better as these seem to be the agresive fish. If we are in 80' and we see one up at 50' we stay over him and drop our jigs. As the jigs are going down (you watch them on the graph) you watch the fish. If he starts swimming up, immediatly start reeling up and hang on. I've had fish chase all the way to the suface and hit my jig. This is very addicting and hard to stop doing once you try it.

Good luck

Bill

Good luck

[macgruber]

in the boundary waters we typically use 2 oz. bell sinkers and then run a 4 foot leader out behind them with whatever you are trolling with..... it's tough to tell what depth you are in, but it does work for a makeshift rig..... usually i'll get the canoe trolling at the speed we want to be at, then drop the rig down till we feel bottom and reel up a couple feet...... sucks a little cuz yer fighting the fish with a ton of weight on the line, but it does work..... i want to try and figure out some kind of packable canoe downrigger......

the nice thing about dipsy divers is that if you have a good graph, it'll tell you your speed and then supposedly you can figure out the depth you are running your rig at.....

a cisco on the bottom works just fine too-- a lot of times you don't even have to jig it, just drop it over the side and let it sit..... if the line starts moving, you gots one..... this method requires numerous frosty beverages, cuz if the fish aren't there, it gets rather boring..... i wouldn't recommend it if you aren't keeping fish, for obvious reasons.....

[Outfitter17]

Macgruber,

Have you ever thought about bringing a portable graph with you in the boundary waters to see what depth you are fishing?

We also have alot of guys with the cisco rigs in the spring of the bottom.

[Cedarcreek]

Thanks for the info. my dad was up there 2 weeks ago and caught tons. I was up there this past weekend and didn't catch a thing. Is this normal was there 4 day tried for a few hours each day. don't know why we could not get even 1. I am going back up in a few weeks. I will try it again. Doe time of day matter wnhat seem to be the best times. morning/eves after dark?

I don't know how they stop biting. they had been biting all summer until a week ago. but the eyes were big. any help ideas for my next trip would be good.

[MuntzAngling]

Depending on where you are fishing there are several methods.

I like bucktail jigs 1/2 to 3 oz depending on depth/wind to achieve desired depth. My favorite one is the black/white tipped with a slice of native fish. Thawed and frozen or fresh smelt, herring or sucker works best. Fillet off a side and attach it skin-side down to the main hook and the stinger. Large slow irregular pumps while jigging trigger fish.

Trolling is my favorite approach. I would recommend in-line planer boards to get the spoons or crankbaits away from the watercraft to find suspended fish in deep water. They are there all year.

Yes, dipsey divers are effective too but are most effectively used with a counter reel with 12-20 monofilament line. Gauge the angle at which your line goes behind the boat with how much line you have out to estimate depth. Also a two piece 8-9' rod makes the combo best. A variety of spoon or crankbait colors helps a lot.

I like to have pre-tied leader on a tackle buddy and a variety of snap-on weights to fine tune depths.

My Lowrance LMS522 iGPS is an invaluable tool. I can see my jig on the screen below the boat/ice or suspended fish and use waypoints to mark fish and structure. It

Like '52' said, buying lake trout gear is a sick disease.

[tonkapat]

be very careful catching lakers in the summer. anything over 55 degrees with a long battle will do them in. hard to tell if your killing trout since they will sink to the bottom. Precision trolling big water edition will have the depths of all dipsies,jet divers, and lead well worth the $20. Go up north in may and catch them in 5ft casting. good luck

[macgruber]

yes, outfitter, we have a graph...... trouble is, unless you are using something heavy enough, when you're trolling you can't keep the weight on the screen (as speed increases, it moves up and behind ya)...... thus the issue with the canoe trolling in deeper water......

i suppose the answer would be to use something heavy enough..... but it's tough to justify hauling all that in when you are in the bwca.... especially when you lose track of it and have to snap off 8 oz. of lead on the bottom..... (when i go up to sag with on pops' ranger, we have downriggers and can see the ball on the graph)

we still do pretty well..... if you know the general depth the fish like to sit at during various times of year and can read a lake map for structure, you'll find fish..... we're probably missing those open water fish that are sitting in 60 ft. over 100 ft. of water, but there are plenty that always relate to structure....

[Outfitter17]

Do you ever just jig and watch you line on the graph?