Part of the allure of fishing for Lake Trout is the romance of trying to get to where the fish are.

We can read the MN DNR website to find out if Lake Trout are present in a lake, but there is nothing like talking to those that have personal experience finding Lake Trout hot spots. So, if my dad and I are going to do a trip in May for the express purpose of finding Lakers, what sage advice does this body have for us?

Another thing to consider is that it appears a good portion of the Lake Trout Lakes in Lake County are in areas of the park that were hit hardest by the blow down of '99. For those that have traveled to these lakes, is the damage still very evident, and does it detract from the enjoyment?

I think the best Laker lakes are accessed from the gunflint side with many of the lakes hard hit by the fires.

I especially have liked Peter Lake but I know it was devastated by the fires. It is a different experience now with so few trees, but still enjoyable. Peter is probably easiest accessed from Round Lake going up through the Brant Lake EP. It may take more tha a day to get there. There are other options along the way including Gillis, the lakes north of Flking Lake and Gabimichigami a little further west. Some of those areas were not as badly impacted by the fires as Peter was.

Good Luck.

Kekakabik is my favorite because of the journey to get there. You can access it from either side.
For the best laker fishing consider a trip to the Q.

From all the old stories from around Ely I have to believe Lac Lacroix is the local favorite.....I've never fished there...
We have caught Lakers on McIntyre in Quetico every time. Off Cedar Point Camp....If you want the location E-Mail me.
P.S. Cedar Point Camp has a message Jar too.

Yea, most of the best trout lakes are in the blowdown and/or burned areas, but even areas burned over less than two years ago have greened up a lot. Shade can be a big problem though, if the weather is hot. Just get out and explore and you will find the fish!
But please limit your kill to a few smaller fish for the pan!

Last year in the first wk of June we hammered Lake Trout on Duncan. We were the only ones on this lake at the time and had a blast. They were in the shallows. Size ranged from 12 inches to the largest being close to 8 lbs. Super rooster tails in white or silver seemed to work best. We spent a great deal of time every night trying to bend them back into shape. We did catch fish on suspending jerk baits also.

Does anyone have any experience on Oyster? What parts of Lac La Croix are good?

We have been to Thomas lake two years in a row, we had some success, but it was tough and spotty fishing, but it was worth it!!

My favorites are Robinson and Elk. With Robinson consitently producing the largest fish. No blowdown or burn issues in either area.

So assuming you find a lake with Lake Trout, what's the best lures for Lake Trout?

We had some luck on Oyster a couple years ago. I marked the spot on the map section i think of the spot where we caught em. It was a hot July day, although, wind had picked up good, so there was a chop on the lake. We were going to try some laker fishing this past year on kek, knife and/or peter lake, however, the weather didn't want us to.

paddlefast,

can u give me some advice on where abouts on Thomas Lake you caught some lakers and what worked best...heading that way mid June 2009, with my dad, brother and buddies from church. will be long paddle from Malberg, but will try if good fishing!!??

thanks!

big kek and little kek

lake trout.......walleye jigs w/ minnows work fine...

lake trout hunt w.there eyes from below...if in forty feet of water...start at the bottom.....and draw your lure/bait up...just jig it up and up and up...they will foloow right to the surface...

cruisng lakers...can hit your jig when its falling as well...dont just free spool to the bottom..

lakers can hit like a freight train at times...then its a muscle struggle up...but some real nice rod shock at first...

I fished Oyster Lake about 30 years ago and no luck on lakes

One thing to keep in mind with lake trout. The earliest you can get out is never early enough. If you can get into the lakes the DAY the ice comes off you will find the best fishing, with fish in shallow water. once June rolls around the fishing goes downhill. I have been on very very hot bites, and two days later there is not a trout to be found beacuse the water got to warm and they moved deep.

Chadwick: Would few days after Memorial Day be too late on a year with average temps? I hope to go then if I get off work. I will try Knife and Kekekabic. Thanks.

Tim

Paddlefaster - nice fish. What happened to the top of her tail?

Had good luck on Knife Lake, had to work for them though. Used a worm harness with a bottom bouncer and trolled back and forth.

Just watch the water temps. They like 46 - 48 degree water. check out outfitter advice like seagull outfitters. Its very informative for all species. Lures, size, colors, time of year, etc. I'm salivating and I just had breakfast.

empty nest... It wont be too late. you certainly wont find the fishing as good as earlier in the year though.

Lake trout prefer water that is 55 F. Go in May. Find 55 F water. I recommend camping next to it. Take 1/2 of a frozen cisco, place on a 1/0 or 2/0 hook. Use a knotable wire leader if pike are abundant. 1/2 oz weight will get your bait off shore. Prop up rod (securely) and open bail. Wait.


31.5" - Released

For trolling.... I recommend Lindy rigs and those cheesy preserved shiners.

Believe it or not, we caught one trout on a cisco that ate one of our dyed and preserved shiners.

We had good fishing Oyster several years back on a mid May trip. The lakers on Oyster have white flesh as opposed to most pink/orange fleshed lakers.

The one your on that day. Knife lake has improved substantially the last ten years. It was really hurt by heavy fishing in the 1960's when snowmobiles were allowed and heavy fishing took place. The best thing about lake trout fishing is that usually you are on a very good water quality lake.

got sick of catching them on kekekabic at the end of may last year...it was awesome!

Had limited success on Oyster last spring. The weather was windy and rainy, but we were able to land two lakers on a deep diving Rapala type knockoff. We trolled using the technique where the bow paddler sits facing the stern paddler. It looked goofy, but it worked.

I've caught lakers in Oyster & Knife lake in bwca and Argo & Darky in Quetico. Of those lakes, Argo was the best lake trout fishing based on quantity to hours fished but Darky produced the bigger fish.

As mentioned by others, gunflint area is known for lake trout. I plan to try that area this year in late May. Entry 51 through Missing Link, Tuscarora, Crooked, Little Sag, Gabi, Peter, French, Gillis and out to brant.

Good luck on your trip!

It is a myth that Lakers don't bite when the water warms up. What happens is they move away from the shallows and into deeper water. You need to know where they are. Consistent weather in June produces a more even bite than the irregular weather of May. The best fishing I ever had was the last week of June one evening. My dad and I drifted across a point and landed 18 Lakers in eleven drifts over an hour and forty five minutes. They ran in size from 6-8 pounds. On several of those drifts I had one on, and it got off, and then another one hit it. A cold front came in, and I scratched one Laker the next morning, and not anotber one for that day or the next two days. My dad was with me and he caught seven, and then tried to find a lure they wouldn't take. Be caught no Laker over the next three days. Actually, I don't recall either of us having having a hit. The key is fishing where there is a significant population. Are they easier to find when the wa5er is colder? Probably. They are more consistent biters with steady weather. Steady weather is typically not in April or May. This occurred in a Lake in Ontario, near Perrault Falls.

McEwen has good Lake Trout. Also nice size Smallmouth. We went in august and caught both in open water. Only couple good camp sites. Not much traffic.

Hooked up and caught many Lake Trout only kept one. Only kept one of the trip. Plenty of other species to feed.

K

wow a 9 year old thread revived.

quote Airrick13: "Does anyone have any experience on Oyster? What parts of Lac La Croix are good?"

Oyster is a beautiful lake with an awesome stand of old growth trees if you find that interesting, but we fished it hard for a day and a half and didnt do very well the only time we were there. I have caught a few lakers on clearwater, i think there are better lakes, but i do not have much experience with lakers.

quote Pinetree: "wow a 9 year old thread revived."

Didnt notice that before i answered the question i did, lol
Its kind of funny, i had not even been to oyster when he asked about it.

Going into knife over Labor Day weekend and the next week. How would one go about catching Lakers that time of year?

I've caught one in August. Bare hook and a Leech in 30' water on a drop off to 50'. Same for the first of September. Lake trout in the summer are suspended down around 50'. But really 50-55 degrees wherever that is. They are not very active in the summer but they still eat. They can't stay in warm water for more than a few minutes. First find spawning area. Look for areas of shallow with steep drop offs to 50'+. A fish locator helps a lot in locating groups of fish. Then try very slowly jigging live bait above the school while relaxing. The other trick is to use spoons, swedish pimples, preserved cisco and drop them with a 1oz weight through the school. Reel up above the school and drop again. A trout may take the bait as it is falling.

Down riggers are used but I've yet to find a sensible way to haul and use one from a canoe.

quote Airrick13: "Part of the allure of fishing for Lake Trout is the romance of trying to get to where the fish are.



We can read the MN DNR website to find out if Lake Trout are present in a lake, but there is nothing like talking to those that have personal experience finding Lake Trout hot spots. So, if my dad and I are going to do a trip in May for the express purpose of finding Lakers, what sage advice does this body have for us?



Another thing to consider is that it appears a good portion of the Lake Trout Lakes in Lake County are in areas of the park that were hit hardest by the blow down of '99. For those that have traveled to these lakes, is the damage still very evident, and does it detract from the enjoyment? "

I don't know if Oyster is the best but I caught some beauties last week. Both were caught in about 40ft of water using Little Cleos

Indeed Oyster has great Lake Trout fishing.

We did pretty good last September.

the one that gets less pressure.

i'm a fan of knife and seagull lake , 2 pics of the nicer lake trout from seagull this May. (CPR the bigger one)