I often troll for lake trout. I've done okay but not great.

I always use a portable depth finder. I occasionally see things suspended below me at about 30-50 feet deep.

Are those baitfish and lake trout?
Should I stop and jig for them?
What should I use? Jigs or blade baits or other?

I like buzz bombs and zzingers for vertical jigging. The old reliable Sonars are good, too. A 1 oz or heavier buzz bomb will get down fast. The spin on the drop really seems to trigger fish. All that being said, wind often makes vertical jigging from a canoe frustrating.

I use a 3/4 oz to 1 oz white tube jig. I don’t know about the sonar thing

We used this Rapala jigging lure with great success in early June, while fishing in the middle of a beautiful sunny day, with a light wind, using a Gunflint guide on Seagull Lake. He used a fish locator and GPS to keep us over the mound we were fishing in 40 feet of water. Also, caught Lakers jigging with a plain 1/4 once jig and a minnow in the middle of a sunny, warm afternoon fishing Saganaga Lake.

GirlOnARock: "I use a 3/4 oz to 1 oz white tube jig. I don’t know about the sonar thing"

I have heard good things about this set up.

I have never caught a laker jigging.........just trolling.

My desire is to use Shimano Butterfly jigs (sort of like a jigging spoon). I have had great success with them in Salt water. There is a Utube video of a guy using the Shimano butterfly jigs on lakers on one of the Great lakes with considerable success. There can be no doubt that the lakers would eat them.........they are deadly on just about everything that swims and eats other fish.

I used a heavy white hair jig tipped with cutbait in Canada with success. I think it had some flashy silver ribbon on it too.

You can use all sorts of stuff....My general luck is better with larger lures. Big soft plastic swimbaits, Sebile Vibratos, big jigging spoons, A-rigs, tube baits, Jigging Raps, and big hair jigs can all work.

mastertangler: "

GirlOnARock: "I use a 3/4 oz to 1 oz white tube jig. I don’t know about the sonar thing"

I have heard good things about this set up.


I have never caught a laker jigging.........just trolling.


My desire is to use Shimano Butterfly jigs (sort of like a jigging spoon). I have had great success with them in Salt water. There is a Utube video of a guy using the Shimano butterfly jigs on lakers on one of the Great lakes with considerable success. There can be no doubt that the lakers would eat them.........they are deadly on just about everything that swims and eats other fish.
"

Good tip. I'm going to do some research and look into these. I haven't used jigs much from my canoe. It's worth a try.

+1 on white tube jigs.

I also like jigging slender spoons and large hair jigs. Have had success with regular old white jig heads with big white paddle tails.

Size 7 pearl white Swedish pimple tipped with a minnow or minnow head