What's wrong with me??? Been a die hard Walleye fisherman for 40 years, and have gotten pretty good at finding them I think. But the last few years all I want to do is chase Lake Trout!! I'll go to the end of the earth searching for these elusive creatures, and don't even get a bit discouraged if I go a day or two without a bite!! Is it because they hit like a freight train, and fight even harder? Is it the elusive nature of those fish that fuels my obsession???? Please help me overcome this sickness!!

My guess is your like me......you like the challenge. When fishing gets easy I lose interest and want to be good at something else. I am looking to vastly upgrade my depth finder just so I can mark lakers. I also want to get a temp gauge which tells me temps in 5ft increments. Fishing, if it were easy I would take up golf ;-)

Lakers are fun to catch and good to eat! My favorite except for brookies! Marc

This is what I ask my therapist. He said the only cure is more fishing.

I'm with MT. For me, and it sounds like your in the same situation, it's the chase. I would relate it to bow hunting over rifle or fishing from a canoe instead of a $80,000 boat. In my mind, the more effort and work you have to put into catching lakers or other trophy fish make it that much sweeter when it all goes right.

quote DeanL: "I'm with MT. For me, and it sounds like your in the same situation, it's the chase. I would relate it to bow hunting over rifle or fishing from a canoe instead of a $80,000 boat. In my mind, the more effort and work you have to put into catching lakers or other trophy fish make it that much sweeter when it all goes right. "

Yes your right about catching big fish out of a canoe., a big laker pulls my solo canoe around the lake pretty well!!

a lot of people say smallies are the hardest fighting fish , i have to disagree , maybe the most acrobatic , but hook into a #5 laker on #8 test , thats what i'm talking about.

quote shock: "a lot of people say smallies are the hardest fighting fish , i have to disagree , maybe the most acrobatic , but hook into a #5 laker on #8 test , thats what i'm talking about."

That's a tough call Shockster,

While smallies may rank 4th on my list (the big 4 are all pretty close for me anyways) the jumping abilities of smallmouth being factored in make them a very exciting fish to catch. Both fish pull hard.

On the other hand lakers get lots bigger. My buddy had a laker on with 8lb XT and he kept telling me the fish was going to be 20lbs. I kept telling him it was going to 8lbs and so it was, right on the button.

Here's a thought.......imagine an 8lb smallie ;-) It would probably jump over the canoe.

quote mastertangler: "

quote shock: "a lot of people say smallies are the hardest fighting fish , i have to disagree , maybe the most acrobatic , but hook into a #5 laker on #8 test , thats what i'm talking about."

That's a tough call Shockster,


While smallies may rank 4th on my list (the big 4 are all pretty close for me anyways) the jumping abilities of smallmouth being factored in make them a very exciting fish to catch. Both fish pull hard.


On the other hand lakers get lots bigger. My buddy had a laker on with 8lb XT and he kept telling me the fish was going to be 20lbs. I kept telling him it was going to 8lbs and so it was, right on the button.


Here's a thought.......imagine an 8lb smallie ;-) It would probably jump over the canoe. "

Only if it was being chased by a 7 pound Laker!!! I love catching smallmouth, but I've caught Lakers up to 30 pounds, and was in the boat when a 53 pounder was boated, and I'll guarantee there isn't a smallmouth in the world that can fight like a "big" Laker!

I, too, have spent much, much, much more time the last few years chasing lake trout. They are now the primary species I fish for, though low-light conditions in June are always going to be smallmouth with topwater.

I live in central MN and fish for walleyes, largemouth, and smallmouth probably three or four days a week during the spring, summer, and fall. I catch a lot of pike by accident, too, so all three species are less exciting and interesting to me than lakers.

Plus, and it's hard to explain for me, but a lake trout seems like the essence or distillation of wilderness for me. Holding a lake trout, more than anything, lets me know I'm somewhere special and rare. I can't get them anywhere else (Ok, we get them trolling on Lake Superior, but hauling them up on leadcore or with downriggers isn't my favorite way to catch them) around home, and they are stunningly beautiful. I dunno, sounds corny, but it's close.

I also like how there's the chance of catching a true giant....a fish over 40'' would be a real thrill. Yes, a 20+ smallie is also a thrill, but I fish Mille Lacs 40 times a year, and after dozens and dozens of tankers, well, they lose a bit of luster. I've never caught a laker that's 40'' in a canoe; I might die without doing so, but knowing they're swimming in LLC and Argo and Basswood (and a few other lakes, too, of course) keeps me paddling when it's been an hour or four between bites.

Oops, I forgot to mention:

I don't really understand the appeal of *catching* walleyes in canoe country. They don't fight anywhere near a decent pike, smallie, or trout, and, well, I suppose they taste good, but...meh. For me, in terms of the thrill of the chase and the excitement of getting a fish into a canoe, walleyes lag far, far behind the other "big" three. Just my .02.

must be the same reason fishaholics go Musky fishing... casting again and again and again and again....

dr bob

quote mastertangler: "

quote shock: "a lot of people say smallies are the hardest fighting fish , i have to disagree , maybe the most acrobatic , but hook into a #5 laker on #8 test , thats what i'm talking about."

That's a tough call Shockster,


While smallies may rank 4th on my list (the big 4 are all pretty close for me anyways) the jumping abilities of smallmouth being factored in make them a very exciting fish to catch. Both fish pull hard.


On the other hand lakers get lots bigger. My buddy had a laker on with 8lb XT and he kept telling me the fish was going to be 20lbs. I kept telling him it was going to 8lbs and so it was, right on the button.


Here's a thought.......imagine an 8lb smallie ;-) It would probably jump over the canoe. "

i never have caught a laker over #9 but those in that #5-#9 range impress the heck out of me, this one from last may was an believable fight , it did not want to show itself , didn't measure or weigh , she fought so hard i wanted her back in the water ASAP and then that fish sat there for over 30 minutes before it finally took off. lakers is one of the main reasons i go to canoe country, i'm sure a #8 smallies would be a heck of a fight especially mid summer with warmer water temps , most of the one's i've caught are either may or october. and a pic of my sons #6 off the same campsite

Great thread and interesting talk. It's hard to disagree with lakers fighting hard, tasting great and being the symbol of canoe country. I get all that.

But here's a thought......are they really that much fun to fish for? And what I mean by that is much of my current strategy is blind trolling. Get out in a main lake basin and ease around pulling a "whatever" behind the boat.

Any of the other 3 species of fish we target can certainly be argued to be more engaging. Wether top water smallies, fishing Quetico Mikes Zulus which are also very visual, keeping a tube just off the bottom and feeling that "tick", trolling a very specific break line for walleye or fishing over the tops of deep weeds for big pike are all more interesting for the most part IMHO.

My solution is to make lake trout a bit more cerebral game. I want to get good at it. To that end I am upgrading my depth finder to something more sophisticated and picking up a water temp gauge which measures in 5ft increments. I want to find them and then drop offerings on top of them which sounds more fun to me than blithely paddling all over tarnation pulling a taildancer which after about 2 or 3 hours gets dull.

quote carmike: "Oops, I forgot to mention:


I don't really understand the appeal of *catching* walleyes in canoe country. They don't fight anywhere near a decent pike, smallie, or trout, and, well, I suppose they taste good, but...meh. For me, in terms of the thrill of the chase and the excitement of getting a fish into a canoe, walleyes lag far, far behind the other "big" three. Just my .02.
"

WTF...walleyes don't fight? You've never sat on a reef catching bulldog walleyes staying deep making runs--yanking your canoe around? I've caught big walleyes while trolling open water for Lakers and couldn't tell a difference---until we got them to the boat. I tried fishing over 80' of water for Kawnipi lakers but could only catch 24" walleyes---every time I thought I had a big laker on...I don't think there are lakers in Kawnipi BTW. Every fish fights it is just different. Even within species the fight is different. I've had big smallies rocket from the depths come up and jump and then just be done--that's disappointing--while smaller ones stay deeper and fight and I think "that's all the bigger you are?" when I land them. Some mistake jumping for fighting but it is the pull into the depths that gets my heart pumping. I have caught walleyes that don't fight but usually they are small younger ones under 20 inches. I'll agree postspawn May/June walleyes may not fight much on average but they are scrawny and recovering from the spawn that time of year. I wouldn't fight hard either if I was starving.

Back to the subject, for me the allure of Lakers is they are a fish I can't catch at home and the waters they inhabit are so different than what I am used to. Usually very clear deep cold lakes. I remember once tossing cranks on a reef and the lakers were coming out of the depths and banging the lure right at the boat, they would savagely roll over the lure and only get hooked 1 out of 5x. Being clear water you could see it so clearly. Even though they weren't getting hooked it was an awesome afternoon and fascinating to watch---I almost didn't care if I caught them the site was so cool. My favorite fights with lakers are the ones that sort of come up easily and don't realize they are caught until they see the canoe and then about yank the rod out of your hand as they make several big runs. You think you have a small one and the surprise all of a sudden is so fun!

T

As someone said.... "Whatever floats your boat".
probably the same reason my wife is always on a moose search....
keeps her happy and I get some time in reading while she is taking a gazillion pictures...
Thankful we are in the digital age...

dr bob

WTF? In my world that stands for "Wheres The Fish"!

Just my .02, Tim. I've caught at least dozen walleyes this summer over 27'' (none hit 30'', alas, though that might change with some big redtails and creek chubs over the next few weeks :), so yes, I am familiar with how they can fight. I wonder if different fish in different systems fight differently? Maybe, I dunno. In my experience, on average walleyes fight the least of the big four. That's all. They can definitely do some bulldogging when they get big, but I have to catch a lot of them to get one big enough to pin the rod to the gunwale. Again, just my .02. YMMV, as the kids say.

In a related vein, has anyone else noticed that lakers can have very, very different fighting "styles," even on the same day in the same lake? Some go crazy on the initial hookset, some run fast right at the boat, some dog you the whole way in, and some are a wet sock until they see the boat, then it's straight down hard and fast. And some don't much fight at all. I don't think other fish have this much variety...pike have the short, fast runs and walleyes dig hard with head shakes and smallies are, well, smallies. But lakers can't seem to make up their minds.

Re: MT's question about lakers not being fun to fish for: Yep, I know what you mean. Kind of like trolling for big pike and dragging lindy's or spinners for walleyes. I've had great success the last few years casting and/or vertical jigging for lakers *after* I find them. It can take many hours to get them pinned down, and sometimes I never catch even one, but a big maribou jig or a jigging rap or a rippin' rap or a big Swedish Pimple or a big Little Cleo or a Super Fluke or paddletail on a big jig can really whack 'em when you know where they are.

My favorite, by the way, is the jigging rap. They get mighty mighty mad on the initial "hookset." :)

Sounds groovy big daddy.

quote mastertangler: "WTF? In my world that stands for "Wheres The Fish"!


"

Sure... :) I have that hat and t-shirt

@Carmike yes I notice fish fight differently on different lakes.

Mille Lacs walleyes in my opinion are the worst fighters, but that is based on only 4-5 fishing trips. Kabetogama walleyes are some of the toughest. An 18 incher will strip a lot of drag there when I don't normally think of an 18 inch walleye as much. I had a 23 inch walleye take over 15 minutes to land. All the other boats around us just backed off and watched---a nearby guide boat was telling his clients I had a sturgeon on...everyone was disappointed when we netted the fish? An extreme example not all of them fight that hard I know.

For Lakers I have noticed different fights as well even on the same lake. The biggest ones I have caught hit and just stay deep or strip line right away...act like they haven't been caught but some come rocketing up from the depths and you think you lost them, then they just sort of come in until they see the boat---then they go back down with a vengeance almost like they caught you not the other way around. Occasionally some medium sized ones will just turn sideways and just sit there---I feel like I am just power reeling them in. It is a fight as my hands are sore afterwards but minimal runs---that is my least satisfying fight.

T

Yeah, I'd agree Mille Lacs fish don't put up much tussle, relatively speaking. I was just up at Leech, and while I haven't caught a Mille Lacs 'eye since before the closure, the fish at Leech were pulling much harder. Last month, I was up at LoTW pulling leadcore, and a few times I would've bet $100 that we had hooked a big pike, but nope, just a tanker walleye. On Mille Lacs, that *never* happens...if it's a random pike or 'ski, it's obvious.

Sorry for the thread hijack. Yeah, lakers are addicting. For my money, only thing better is a popper or buzzbait on a June morning before the mist burns off. :)

There is no cure, I think its a combination of the mystery of the deep cold depths that they usually inhabit, and the beauty of the places they live. Definitely in my top 4 favorite fish.

I think I could catch a lot more Lakers if I didn't spend a majority of my time trying to catch "the big one". Talked to a good number of guides over the years who said if you want a truly big Laker, 20 to 30 pounds concentrate on fishing on the bottom . Most seem to agree that the big girls spend most of the time hugging the bottom, and don't want to chase a bait to far. I know there are exceptions to every rule, but this has proven true to me over the years.especially in canoe country.

I'm with you Wallee.......I want to catch a whopper. My biggest Laker was an accident. Trolling the 25ft break line with a crank for walleye. I was probably within 2 ft of the bottom. 15lb and change on a certified scale, when it hit it powered immediately towards deep water and that was how I knew I had a big fish on. That Laker was the last fish I expected to see.

FWIW my previous large Laker was several in the 8lb class which seem somewhat common in North Bay. They fought almost as well as the bigger fish.

This is why it is addictive. This occurred 2 weeks ago.
Jim and I had decided that it would be good to eat lake trout for supper that evening. We were moving camp and would be paddling for several hours through prime lake trout territory with no portages. We had agreed to meet up at a pinch point near our preferred camp for the next 3 nights. Sometimes he was ahead sometimes I was ahead and sometimes we were side by side. I caught the smallest lake trout I have ever caught. That little guy was about 10 inches long. I told him to tell your daddy to come see me and let him go. About a half hour later Jim and I are paddling near each other when my pole bends over. I have 20 Lb. test line and a stiff action pole so most fish I can just real in. Having lost a lot of fish with the no barbs rule I pay particular attention keeping a good bend in the pole at all times. I was keeping the handle of the pole aimed almost straight up while the tip was aimed down at about 45°. Within a few minutes the fish started coming up. I could mark my progress by watching the fish go by on my fish detector. When he got to 40 feet he stopped coming up and just set there. The tip of my pole was bouncing as his tail waved. After a few minutes I increased the pressure bending my rod 180°. He responded by going back down to 60+ feet. There was a thermal at 60 Ft. that my detector had trouble seeing through. I went back to holding enough pressure to keep my pole bent about 130° and he soon started coming up again. I decided he should be really tired when I got him to the boat I did not try to horse him in instead just let him keep my pole bent 90 to 130°. It was fun to watch him on the fish detector. He really knew where 40 Ft was that is where he stopped coming up and 3 time after getting him to 40 ft. he went back below the thermal at 60 Ft. The next time there was almost no pause at 40 ft. I see him on the detector at 20 ft. and start looking over the edge of the canoe to try to get a glimpse of what I am fighting. My rod bends double and down he goes as the real squeals as the break lets line out. When he stops I start watching the detector and soon see him go by at 50 ft. He must have set at 50 ft. for 5 minutes before starting to come up. It was slow but steady and at 10 ft. he released a bunch of air. It had been over 30 minutes since he first bent my pole over. He was alongside my canoe. He was too big to get my hand across his back gill to gill. I slipped my gloved fingers in his gills and was trying to get a thumb in the opposite gill from the bottom when he gave one more flip and a split ring opened up and I watched him disappear headed down only creating a line on my fish detector. He was way too big to eat any way. He will be there next year only bigger.

quote MagicPaddler: "This is why it is addictive. This occurred 2 weeks ago.
Jim and I had decided that it would be good to eat lake trout for supper that evening. We were moving camp and would be paddling for several hours through prime lake trout territory with no portages. We had agreed to meet up at a pinch point near our preferred camp for the next 3 nights. Sometimes he was ahead sometimes I was ahead and sometimes we were side by side. I caught the smallest lake trout I have ever caught. That little guy was about 10 inches long. I told him to tell your daddy to come see me and let him go. About a half hour later Jim and I are paddling near each other when my pole bends over. I have 20 Lb. test line and a stiff action pole so most fish I can just real in. Having lost a lot of fish with the no barbs rule I pay particular attention keeping a good bend in the pole at all times. I was keeping the handle of the pole aimed almost straight up while the tip was aimed down at about 45°. Within a few minutes the fish started coming up. I could mark my progress by watching the fish go by on my fish detector. When he got to 40 feet he stopped coming up and just set there. The tip of my pole was bouncing as his tail waved. After a few minutes I increased the pressure bending my rod 180°. He responded by going back down to 60+ feet. There was a thermal at 60 Ft. that my detector had trouble seeing through. I went back to holding enough pressure to keep my pole bent about 130° and he soon started coming up again. I decided he should be really tired when I got him to the boat I did not try to horse him in instead just let him keep my pole bent 90 to 130°. It was fun to watch him on the fish detector. He really knew where 40 Ft was that is where he stopped coming up and 3 time after getting him to 40 ft. he went back below the thermal at 60 Ft. The next time there was almost no pause at 40 ft. I see him on the detector at 20 ft. and start looking over the edge of the canoe to try to get a glimpse of what I am fighting. My rod bends double and down he goes as the real squeals as the break lets line out. When he stops I start watching the detector and soon see him go by at 50 ft. He must have set at 50 ft. for 5 minutes before starting to come up. It was slow but steady and at 10 ft. he released a bunch of air. It had been over 30 minutes since he first bent my pole over. He was alongside my canoe. He was too big to get my hand across his back gill to gill. I slipped my gloved fingers in his gills and was trying to get a thumb in the opposite gill from the bottom when he gave one more flip and a split ring opened up and I watched him disappear headed down only creating a line on my fish detector. He was way too big to eat any way. He will be there next year only bigger.
"

Awesome story MP, what a thrill!!

Much of lake trout addiction goes with the natural setting and water quality associated with lake trout. A more wild or wilderness setting.

I am addiction proof, laker-wise. I don't like when they mummify themselves with line and I don't like to bringing up fish from the deep, possibly imperiling them. I don't think they fight especially hard and they don't jump. They are pretty. One trip I found them in ten feet of water ten feet from shore and those were fun. I caught 21 of them and didn't worry about pressure shifts.

Wow MP..........fish of a lifetime out of a canoe.

Why is this so addictive?? Come on... these fish are fighters?

quote bobbernumber3: "Why is this so addictive?? Come on... these fish are fighters?


"

Looks like bait to me ;-)

Miss Molly I may be wrong but I believe that Lake trout can handle a very great variety of pressure changes. Something about how they are made. Where they can run into trouble is temperature changes at the surface. If you can bring them in somewhat quickly and release them I would say the survival rate is probably good if they can get back down quickly.

But I am no expert and will gladly be educated if someone else has an informed knowledgable teaching.

As per they don't fight hard? There is some ability to disagree here as I have been on both sides of this issue. If small lakers are over tackled they certainly can seem rather puny. I experienced this just recently. But having said that some of the strongest pulling fish I have ever fought were Lakers in North Bay during July. An 8lb Lake trout on 8lb Trilene XT on an 8' Steelhead rod are some of the toughest customers I have come across. Its like "whoa Baby!!"

quote Pinetree: "Much of lake trout addiction goes with the natural setting and water quality associated with lake trout. A more wild or wilderness setting."

Yep!

quote mastertangler: "

quote bobbernumber3: "Why is this so addictive?? Come on... these fish are fighters?

"

Looks like bait to me ;-)""

No live bait in Quetico. The spoon that caught this beauty was as large as the fish. They are aggressive eaters.

My son and I tripped to North Bay this June in search of our first Lakers. Needless to say we are hooked too!!

Nice fish! Basswood has some lunkers, that's for sure.

quote MagicPaddler: "This is why it is addictive. This occurred 2 weeks ago.
Jim and I had decided that it would be good to eat lake trout for supper that evening. We were moving camp and would be paddling for several hours through prime lake trout territory with no portages. We had agreed to meet up at a pinch point near our preferred camp for the next 3 nights. Sometimes he was ahead sometimes I was ahead and sometimes we were side by side. I caught the smallest lake trout I have ever caught. That little guy was about 10 inches long. I told him to tell your daddy to come see me and let him go. About a half hour later Jim and I are paddling near each other when my pole bends over. I have 20 Lb. test line and a stiff action pole so most fish I can just real in. Having lost a lot of fish with the no barbs rule I pay particular attention keeping a good bend in the pole at all times. I was keeping the handle of the pole aimed almost straight up while the tip was aimed down at about 45°. Within a few minutes the fish started coming up. I could mark my progress by watching the fish go by on my fish detector. When he got to 40 feet he stopped coming up and just set there. The tip of my pole was bouncing as his tail waved. After a few minutes I increased the pressure bending my rod 180°. He responded by going back down to 60+ feet. There was a thermal at 60 Ft. that my detector had trouble seeing through. I went back to holding enough pressure to keep my pole bent about 130° and he soon started coming up again. I decided he should be really tired when I got him to the boat I did not try to horse him in instead just let him keep my pole bent 90 to 130°. It was fun to watch him on the fish detector. He really knew where 40 Ft was that is where he stopped coming up and 3 time after getting him to 40 ft. he went back below the thermal at 60 Ft. The next time there was almost no pause at 40 ft. I see him on the detector at 20 ft. and start looking over the edge of the canoe to try to get a glimpse of what I am fighting. My rod bends double and down he goes as the real squeals as the break lets line out. When he stops I start watching the detector and soon see him go by at 50 ft. He must have set at 50 ft. for 5 minutes before starting to come up. It was slow but steady and at 10 ft. he released a bunch of air. It had been over 30 minutes since he first bent my pole over. He was alongside my canoe. He was too big to get my hand across his back gill to gill. I slipped my gloved fingers in his gills and was trying to get a thumb in the opposite gill from the bottom when he gave one more flip and a split ring opened up and I watched him disappear headed down only creating a line on my fish detector. He was way too big to eat any way. He will be there next year only bigger.
"

I could "feel" this story. Great job and amazing tale. Any guess as to the size?

quote Grizzlyman: "

quote MagicPaddler: "This is why it is addictive.


I could "feel" this story. Great job and amazing tale. Any guess as to the size?"

While it was alongside the canoe I was not looking at size but how do I handle it.

quote MagicPaddler: "

quote Grizzlyman: "

quote MagicPaddler: "This is why it is addictive.



I could "feel" this story. Great job and amazing tale. Any guess as to the size?"

While it was alongside the canoe I was not looking at size but how do I handle it. "

I need to let you borrow my Boga grip some day. On the other hand those big lakers are subject to expiring rather quickly so you can feel good about it still swimming around. I tried to take a quick pic of my big one and it ended up dying in my hands while trying to revive it. A very tough lesson and I felt bad about it. Now I have a thwart mounted selfie stick and its a simple matter to push it away from me via a RAM set up and lift the fish up with the boga. Bada-bing

For me it doesn't get better than fishing lakers through the ice. Preferably a few miles within the BWCA where I have a lake all to myself and perhaps a friend. I'd take a day of seclusion catching a couple lakers through the ice over a day on LOW catching 100 walleye every single time....

quote Gadfly: "For me it doesn't get better than fishing lakers through the ice. Preferably a few miles within the BWCA where I have a lake all to myself and perhaps a friend. I'd take a day of seclusion catching a couple lakers through the ice over a day on LOW catching 100 walleye every single time.... "

Its fun to walk around on the ice and maybe have a campfire off to the side where maybe you sit back and watch your tipups.

I love catching them, but would like to stop trolling and try the jigging rap that I always bring and never use... Ideas?

This guy fought pretty well!

I *love* catching lakers on big (usually white) jig raps. That initial hook up is something to behold.

I first find them by trolling, and by find them, since I don't have a depth finder, I mean have a very consistent pattern where I'm catching one or more fish within 100-200 yards or so on a trolling run. Then the big guns come out.

I also add a bobber stop on my line about 20' from the lure. That let's me know how far down I'm fishing, and since I never go any deeper than 30' down for them, I can usually keep the lure above them with a reasonable amount of precision. I fish them just like I do for walleye; RIP them straight up and then I let them fall on slack. Essentially, I'm setting the hook every time I rip the lure up. The fish are just there, or they'll hit it as it falls, which is pretty obvious with the heavy lure.

The trick for me is to know the fish are beneath me. Fishing that slowly (I usually drift when fishing them) without knowing there are fish beneath me would drive me nuts.

I *love* catching lakers on big (usually white) jig raps. That initial hook up is something to behold.

I first find them by trolling, and by find them, since I don't have a depth finder, I mean have a very consistent pattern where I'm catching one or more fish within 100-200 yards or so on a trolling run. Then the big guns come out.

I also add a bobber stop on my line about 20' from the lure. That let's me know how far down I'm fishing, and since I never go any deeper than 30' down for them, I can usually keep the lure above them with a reasonable amount of precision. I fish them just like I do for walleye; RIP them straight up and then I let them fall on slack. Essentially, I'm setting the hook every time I rip the lure up. The fish are just there, or they'll hit it as it falls, which is pretty obvious with the heavy lure.

The trick for me is to know the fish are beneath me. Fishing that slowly (I usually drift when fishing them) without knowing there are fish beneath me would drive me nuts.

Good info, I have some jigging raps but haven’t used them much, but they look like they should be good for lakers.

I think my kids would like jigging definitely better than trolling.

T

Grizzlyman, just reading your story has got me pumped up for a return to some laker spots next summer.

Carmike, I know exactly what your describing when you find a school of them. We'll have to try the jigging raps, had good luck for walleyes but never tried them for lakers.

Ugh, sorry for the double post. Not sure why that happens. I certainly didn't type it out twice.

But yes, give it a try if you're thinking of it. A big Swedish pimple will work, too, and I've had some luck ripping Little Cleos in much the same manner. White maribou jigs are good as well. But the very fast fall of the #9 jig rap seems to work best, most of the time. Now if only I could find a way to rip jig a taildancer, then we'd be in business. :)