How do you determine how deep to fish for lake trout? I've always just tried to go deep and hope that's where they're at. Sometimes I'll go a little shallower and hope they come up, but I really don't have a method of determining the water temps and figuring out where they are.

Do you bring a thermometer and check the water? Tie a thermometer to a weight and test at different depths? I'm assuming that you would use a mercury style thermometer and pull it up quickly to measure below the surface, but I haven't done it before.

I've heard that lake trout prefer water temps between 40 and 50 degrees. My trip this year is on June 13th and we'll be starting on Clearwater. Clearwater, Mountain and Moose are the lakes we're targeting for Trout.

Just keep an eye out for water temp reports as your date gets closer. Also fishing or trip reports for that area or similar ones leading up to your trip. They'll be moving deeper but how deep and how fast depends on the weather between now and then. They feed up way better than they feed on things below them. So don't go too deep, you can fish deep water but start at like 20' down for a while and if nothing then let more line out, etc.

We enter Daniels (EP 61) May 26 with “plans” to target the Mountain/Moose area for Lake Trout. Will let you know if those plans come to fruition and if we have any luck.

In researching this area, West Pike and Pine lakes also have Lake Trout. As we only have 3 nights - doubt we will have enough time to hit those lakes, but wanted to mention as potential targets for your trip - time permitting. Should you decide to venture down to Pine, take the time to visit Johnson Falls - it should be a sight with the melt and rain they have experienced lately. We were on Pine last year mid-July and visited the falls. No attempts made for Lake Trout but we had very good smallmouth action.

Good luck!!

I'm guessing some people will not agree with the temperature range data in the pic below, but I'd say its reasonably close for the main species up in the BWCA/Q.

For Lake Trout in Spring within a couple weeks of ice out I will catch them at about 5-15 ft deep using a spoon or floater Rapala with a wolf rig setup or some weights to get it down some. In June or later I run a Rapala Deep Tail Dancer (purpledescent color) which may get down 25-30 feet. I catch a few, not a ton, but I catch 'em. I'm usually trolling across a lake or paddling back and forth over a shelf.

IMHO don’t over think it.

Trout are in clear water, they will chase a lure a long ways, they feed up. I consider them one of the easiest fish to catch up there. Compared to walleye they are super aggressive. You don’t need to be at a specific depth, just make sure you aren’t under them. I’ve had Lakers bust the surface mid day in 80 degree August weather—following my lure all the way to hit it as I bring it out of the water. So I don’t try to figure out their depth.

I fish deep reefs, wind swept shore line, suspended bait fish, deep current breaks (from wind and structure)or just troll whenever you are traveling. I don’t think depth is as important as where…

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