Looking for any information that you're willing to share on catching lake trouts. From lures to structure to what color your lucky socks might be.

I have never fished for them and we are heading up into Seagull this May, we will be there for a week and plan on Camping on Kekekabic and doing day trips from there/fishing there.

Thanks!

If you dig through the search archives you'll find this post covered in extreme depth. In short: they tend to suspend where the water temps are right. Could be anywhere from 10-20 feet on down, depending on the time of year. If you can get a flashy spoon (lil cleos, swedish pimple, kastmasters etc.), big jig or shiny rapala (deep tail dancers are the weapon of choice for deep depths) in front of them you'll probably have good luck. Finding their depth tends to be the hard part.

Of course, you can read all the stuff in the world about trolling deep lures only to have your buddy pull up 4 in a row on a shallow crawdad (which happened to me) so take it all with a grain of salt. Your best bet in May will probably be to troll a variety of crankbaits at different depths over the open water. You can try casting the shallows at dawn/dusk too in case they're still shallow but unless you're going real early they'll probably have moved a little deeper.

Check out the Spring 2014 BWJ which focuses on LT. There is probably more information in there than you can use along with a very comprehensive lure list :).

quote HighnDry: "Check out the Spring 2014 BWJ which focuses on LT. There is probably more information in there than you can use along with a very comprehensive lure list :). "

Awesome, I will have to get that for sure.

quote outdooraddict: "

quote HighnDry: "Check out the Spring 2014 BWJ which focuses on LT. There is probably more information in there than you can use along with a very comprehensive lure list :). "

Awesome, I will have to get that for sure."

A few of the things that Stu and Bill Colgate recommend in that article you may already have.

One of them suggest Eppinger spoons in the 3" to 5" size with chrome (hammered) being the preference. Some like spoons, others do not. It depends on your approach and preference. Also suggested are the Dr. Spoons in the 285 and 295 size, the latter for hunting the large brutes that are down deep. They will also bring up the same size of pike :). A few of the crankbait options (my preference) suggested are the Rapala Taildancers in TDD-11 size. Purple, crawdad and firetiger if I remember correctly. Reefrunners will work as well as some lures such as countdowns that go to the upper water column. Bill suggests Rat-L-Traps and Husky Jerks which also fits what I have but I've never used them for LTs.

Jigs and plastics are not left out either. Depending on your depth to target, 1/2oz to 3/8oz jigs in yellow, white, perhaps orange with a matching twister tail and a gulp minnow (some do this, some do not) to tip it finishes off that presentation.

Lots of options there. Mix and match and make it your own.

When are you going? We used to go up into the Quetico at ice out every year fisjing exclusively for Lake trout, May or first week in June. Depending on water temps, the lakers are usually in 10-20 feet of water. We used to just troll the same baits that you would use for walleye. Just make sure your baits are getting to the proper depth. My favorite "Go-To" lure was always a Storm Hot and Tot. Silver and black or silver and blue always produced.

Good Luck

May 22-29 is when we will be there.

May 14th ill be on snowbank looking to land my first LT as well. Im bringing some tail dancers and little cleos to troll around the reefs north of the big island. Is fishing at dawn (before the wind picks up) going to be ok or do lakers only feed once they are out of bed and showered with a cup of coffee in hand?

Usually the morning is slow and it picks up around 10-11. However, I've had openers where you couldn't get out early enough it seemed like. I would be trolling by sunrise if I where you

We've had our best LT success (mid-late June) by far with Mann's 30+
that's not the best link. better color selections are available elsewhere

Addict,

Are you staying at the Seagull bunkhouse on the night of the 21st? My son and I are going in the same timeframe as you. We were planning on base camping on either Ogish or SAK. Maybe we'll run into you.

quote charliez317: "Addict,


Are you staying at the Seagull bunkhouse on the night of the 21st? My son and I are going in the same timeframe as you. We were planning on base camping on either Ogish or SAK. Maybe we'll run into you."

My buddy and I will be up there the night before we head in. We will probably spend a day or to on Ogish as well. We don't have a set plan, but just a basic idea of what we want out of the trip. Which is basically taking it easy and fishing.

The 3-1/4”, hammered silver, Dr. Spoon is the first choice when it comes to spring trolling for lake trout. In the spring, target areas in the 8 to 10 foot range, just outside the areas you would be looking for smallmouth. Look for gently slopping, rocky, rubble type areas. You don’t want to be in an area that appears to be a straight drop off from the shore. If you view the shore line, you can make a good determination of what the structure should hold beneath the surface.

I am still looking for that elusive trophy “laker”. Some people in the Ely area have told me if you want to catch an enormous lake trout you need to fish early in the season, just after ice out, and troll the shallow areas with a 4-1/2” nickel plated Dardevle Spoon. The nickel color imitates a cisco or whitefish which are the primary forage for these fish.

These two spoons can be cast or trolled during the early spring phase. When the water begins to warm, these trout will move to deep water on reefs located next to adjacent deeper water. The summer time phase is when you will need to troll deeper. This can be accomplished by adding weight to your line with a three-way swivel. Tie off about three feet of leader line to the middle loop of the swivel and tie on your spoon. On the bottom loop tie on about a foot and half of line with a one ounce weight at the far end of this line. Tie the remaining loop to the line on your reel. Let out plenty of line, at least 120 feet while trolling the depths of the lake. With the three-way swivel set up, if you do happen to snag up, there is a good chance you will just lose your weight and will be able to retrieve your lure. These spoons can also be jigged vertically over deep reefs as well.

Another good trout lure to use in warm water is the one ounce hair or plastic jig. White or black colors seem to work best while vertical jigging over a deep reef. I prefer to use white. You will need to lift the rod a little higher when jigging at extreme depths. Since you will be fishing so deep you probably won’t feel the hit itself as most of the strikes come during the drop. You will just feel a heavier weight on the line, when you do, set the hook as hard as you can.

quote QueticoMike: "The 3-1/4”, hammered silver, Dr. Spoon is the first choice when it comes to spring trolling for lake trout. In the spring, target areas in the 8 to 10 foot range, just outside the areas you would be looking for smallmouth. Look for gently slopping, rocky, rubble type areas. You don’t want to be in an area that appears to be a straight drop off from the shore. If you view the shore line, you can make a good determination of what the structure should hold beneath the surface.


I am still looking for that elusive trophy “laker”. Some people in the Ely area have told me if you want to catch an enormous lake trout you need to fish early in the season, just after ice out, and troll the shallow areas with a 4-1/2” nickel plated Dardevle Spoon. The nickel color imitates a cisco or whitefish which are the primary forage for these fish.


These two spoons can be cast or trolled during the early spring phase. When the water begins to warm, these trout will move to deep water on reefs located next to adjacent deeper water. The summer time phase is when you will need to troll deeper. This can be accomplished by adding weight to your line with a three-way swivel. Tie off about three feet of leader line to the middle loop of the swivel and tie on your spoon. On the bottom loop tie on about a foot and half of line with a one ounce weight at the far end of this line. Tie the remaining loop to the line on your reel. Let out plenty of line, at least 120 feet while trolling the depths of the lake. With the three-way swivel set up, if you do happen to snag up, there is a good chance you will just lose your weight and will be able to retrieve your lure. These spoons can also be jigged vertically over deep reefs as well.


Another good trout lure to use in warm water is the one ounce hair or plastic jig. White or black colors seem to work best while vertical jigging over a deep reef. I prefer to use white. You will need to lift the rod a little higher when jigging at extreme depths. Since you will be fishing so deep you probably won’t feel the hit itself as most of the strikes come during the drop. You will just feel a heavier weight on the line, when you do, set the hook as hard as you can.


"

Excellent info! Thanks Mike!

Picked up a few lures today. My son threw in the two bombers when I told him I'm looking for "shiny" lures. He's 3.5 yrs old, hope they bring the luck :)

quote outdooraddict: "


Picked up a few lures today. My son threw in the two bombers when I told him I'm looking for "shiny" lures. He's 3.5 yrs old, hope they bring the luck :)"

Are the wire leaders in the picture just because? Be certain you do not use those to Lake Trout fish with for they will surely hamper your success. I use straight mono (8lb Green XT and have caught many in the 8lb class as well as one at 15b). I would be interested to hear of others success on larger lakers using straight braid without Fluorocarbon leaders.

OK.......I understand if I go around popping peoples bubbles its not going to help my popularity (if someone doesn't want to be liked stay away from them) but I would rather try and help you out than win an election.........so here goes.

Whats up with all the shiny stuff? Fine for the spoons but I detest shiny metallic crank baits in canoe country. (that doesn't mean I'm right BTW, just my opinion ;-)

The lure you simply must have (2 or 3 is better especially if you tie lousy knots) is the large Rapala Taildancer in the Rainbow trout finish. White belly, pinkish gill plates. No more shiny metal stuff.

FWIW My biggest Laker in canoe country came off a dark colored crank bait with an orange belly..........I was trolling mid-day for walleye along a drop off in August in Basswood and "BOOM". I thought I had Walleye 13's thirteen pound dream fish. I was stunned to see the slob Laker emerge from the depths (is it really a catch if I wasn't fishing for lakers? Hmmmm)..........I thought the fish would easily be over 20lbs but the Boga grip doesn't lie.

Part of the fun of fishing is doing things your own way. Take all opinions.......consider them.......throw them in the trash can and do what you think is best. More satisfying that way......Dont forget to re-tie your knots occasionally, they do wear out ......... Good luck!

quote outdooraddict: "


Picked up a few lures today. My son threw in the two bombers when I told him I'm looking for "shiny" lures. He's 3.5 yrs old, hope they bring the luck :)"

Might as well let you have it with both barrels ;-)

I like spoons.......big fan actually and think they excel in the northern climes. A few thoughts on spoons. First off is ball bearing swivels. Do not neglect this..........even better is two ball bearing swivels separated by a leader of some 2 or 3 feet. Line twist my dear friend will ruin your spool of newly minted line in short order and turn your dream trip into an exercise in frustration. This goes against MT's philosophy of "No Hassles". And don't try and save money by using smallish swivels either........Mr Big might crash the party with a spoon and your smallish but still expensive swivel can fail you. No good.......besides, spoons want some freedom of movement so a little bigger snap is important. (a LITTLE bigger......not giant)

Now.........your "set-up" with spoons is very important. That is, how you position and stabilize the rod. Spoons generally have larger and less "premium" hooks that modern crank baits. What that translates to is more physical force being required to set the hooks. We are back to physics once again. Of paramount importance, particularly with spoons, is a rigid and loaded rod. If the rod has movement when the fish strikes then much of the required energy transfer to set the hook is used up when the rod shifts or flexes. Chew on that for a while. Rod holders are ideal as they limit the potential for the rod shifting or otherwise moving and dissipating energy when the fish strikes........to further alleviate this "energy dissipation" we can angle the rod towards the fish. What that does is render the energy robbing flex in the rod as a moot point. Didn't know you needed to be a rocket scientist to fish huh? LOL

When are you going? The later in the year the more important it is to get the spoon a bit deeper in the water column. If your trip is in late july or August you may consider an in-line weight of 3OZ to get the required depth. Skip the suggestions for 3 way swivels as such rigs are generally prone to tangle and not required to fish up and off the bottom. Simple in this instance is better.

Observe your spoon at the side of the boat for 5 minutes or so while you paddle to get the right speed. Spoons can be a bit fickle and if you paddle to fast they will spin and not be effective. Observe your rod tip at this time to understand how it should look. Does it have a gentle rhythmic thump........good.......keep that speed and adjust accordingly.

The Bomber spoons would be ideal to jig with IMO. If trolling and you hook a fish with the Tail Dancer I suggested ;-0 then stay where you are and drop down the Bomber spoons. Don't be afraid to pump the rod with a bit of violence. They will hit it on the drop and when you pull up the hook will set. I like braid for this work.

Generally speaking.........crankbaits will be easier for you to hook lakers with as their premium hooks need very little force to set.

Well I'm off to church and can go with some happiness knowing that I have already accomplished my "good deed for the day" (eye roll emotive inserted here)

Thanks for the replies. I do have other cranks I'm bringing. I just don't own many spoons, I always run a fluorocarbon leader on a barrel swivel. I picked up the leaders because I walked past them and didnt have any in my tackle box ;)

I do other cranks, I've never been the flashy guy either, always just natural patterns. So I picked these up after reading suggestions for flashy stuff :p

I'll be sure to share the pictures when we get back :) Especially if I get lazy and throw a leader on ;)

I'm probably bringing two rods this year as welll. MH for trolling is my top pick.

quote zski: "We've had our best LT success (mid-late June) by far with Mann's 30+
that's not the best link. better color selections are available elsewhere"

have also had very good success with the 4-3/8" Storm Deep Thunderstick but the trout color they're selling now is dift than the old one

You will catch more lake trout, big ones especially on shiny metal spoons then any crankbait out there. Don't get me wrong crankbaits will catch trout and big ones too, just not as many.

If I where you I would attach a 2 ounce keel sinker to power pro and run a 6 foot leader of 15 mono or fluorocarbon to that gold hammered doctor and troll it reel slow 70 feet behind your canoe

quote plittle: "You will catch more lake trout, big ones especially on shiny metal spoons then any crankbait out there. Don't get me wrong crankbaits will catch trout and big ones too, just not as many.


If I where you I would attach a 2 ounce keel sinker to power pro and run a 6 foot leader of 15 mono or fluorocarbon to that gold hammered doctor and troll it reel slow 70 feet behind your canoe"

Geez, the best advice of all and only 2 paragraphs!

quote mastertangler: "

quote plittle: "You will catch more lake trout, big ones especially on shiny metal spoons then any crankbait out there. Don't get me wrong crankbaits will catch trout and big ones too, just not as many.



If I where you I would attach a 2 ounce keel sinker to power pro and run a 6 foot leader of 15 mono or fluorocarbon to that gold hammered doctor and troll it reel slow 70 feet behind your canoe"

Geez, the best advice of all and only 2 paragraphs!"

It's not always how much you say ;)

I will be putting everything I've read here to use. I really do appreciate everybody's input. I'll be picking up a tail dancer or two after work, so know your time wasn't wasted :)

Thanks again!

Different styles.

I am detail orientated. I could probably never pass info along in an abbreviated manner effectively. I am intent on people understanding why. Understanding why you should employ a specific methodology is the key.

Why do I need to have a rock solid set-up to troll spoons effectively?.........why I need to employ BALL BEARING swivels with any spoon trolling?

Details..........like the florocarbon plittle suggests............15 might be a bit light with braid trolling a big spoon unless you have a somewhat limber rod. Big Lakers can have some big head shakes and if your really tight on a fish with no stretch braid I can see the big girls easily popping 15 if your not experienced........... I like 20 unless you have a limber rod.

And what about tying knots with Fluorocarbon? Pesky details which make or break you (pun intended). While Fluorocarbon leaders is absolutely the way to go with braid the stuff can be fickle to tie knots with to put it mildly. Knots which are fine with mono are often ineffective with fluorocarbon. Don't let that scare you away but rather learn........details, details, details.

FWIW........I use a tie fast knot tying tool to handle fluorocarbon. I use it to tie the "Gyrp" knot which handles fluorocarbon quite effectively. The number of wraps is key. With 15/20 lb line try 5 max and if it won't stick got to 4. Be sure to "pop" the knot off the tool when it comes time to tighten. Wet and pull slowly.........florocarbon burns rather easily if you don't wet it and tighten quickly. Cinch it down in 3 stages.........an initial modest tightening, then allow it to relax for a mere second.......then a bit harder pull.........again allow it to relax for a mere second.........and then crank down on it. Presto perfecto!

I already have a spool of 15# fluoro that I typically use for leaders, so that's what I will be bringing. I've had plenty of success with big fish and head shakers on some light fluoro to braid set ups. Pike and Walleye through the ice have surprised me quite a few times while perch fishing. I personally like to use the drag to its full advantage. Got my 9.5# Ice walleye on 6# fluro and 6# braid, it was a clincher but bigger isn't always better imo.

Appreciate the advice, and I will be bringing some of the ball bearing swivels I use for river fishing around here. Or I might grab some more after work since I seem to have an addiction to buying fishing stuff. ;)

One thing I would add, when it comes to Lakers and spoons, smaller is better. I think the best all time spoon for fishing Lakers is the Sutton 44 flutter spoon, which is only 3 and an eighth inches in length - silver for bright days, copper or copper/silver for dull. Suttons are fairly hard to come by these days but Williams makes the Mooselook Thinfish, which is a decent copy (not as thin and therefore not as good action) and comes with nice real silver plate finishes. I also switch off my hooks. My choice is Trokar Lazer Siwash hooks, which are pricey but surgically sharp. I would also reiterate what MT said about swivels - ball bearing definitely and I use 45 lb test solid ring. Okay so more than one thing to add.

Hey kerry......check this out

Nichols magnum flutter spoon

LOL.....this is what I am taking to WCPP in the way of flutter spoons. Not sayin I'm right. In fact I'm not sure I have ever caught a laker (other than the great lakes with down riggers) on a flutter spoon period. All of mine have come on crankbaits, primarily the Tail dancer. I do believe in the "big bait, big fish philosophy" however.

Just thought you would get a kick out of it.........2 ends of the spectrum as it were.

Outdoor addict that walleye through the ice is a memory and a fish to be proud of. Sounds like you got it going on.......but some are newbies and need help.

quote mastertangler: "Hey kerry......check this out


Nichols magnum flutter spoon


LOL.....this is what I am taking to WCPP in the way of flutter spoons. Not sayin I'm right. In fact I'm not sure I have ever caught a laker (other than the great lakes with down riggers) on a flutter spoon period. All of mine have come on crankbaits, primarily the Tail dancer. I do believe in the "big bait, big fish philosophy" however.


Just thought you would get a kick out of it.........2 ends of the spectrum as it were.

Outdoor addict that walleye through the ice is a memory and a fish to be proud of. Sounds like you got it going on.......but some are newbies and need help. "

Ah yes, I'm familiar with those honker spoons. But keep in mind they are designed for Bass not Lake Trout and as you know Bass are a particularly aggressive, territorial fish whose habits are very different from Lakers. But see for yourself. When you're out there fish those big ones for a while and then switch to something small. I think you're going to find that when it comes to Lakers the 3 -3 and a half inch spoons are more effective. Pick up one of those Mooselook Thinfish in silver just for giggles.

quote mastertangler: "Hey kerry......check this out


Nichols magnum flutter spoon


LOL.....this is what I am taking to WCPP in the way of flutter spoons. Not sayin I'm right. In fact I'm not sure I have ever caught a laker (other than the great lakes with down riggers) on a flutter spoon period. All of mine have come on crankbaits, primarily the Tail dancer. I do believe in the "big bait, big fish philosophy" however.


Just thought you would get a kick out of it.........2 ends of the spectrum as it were.

Outdoor addict that walleye through the ice is a memory and a fish to be proud of. Sounds like you got it going on.......but some are newbies and need help. "

I just picked up the TD11 in Rainbow Trout and a Hot N Tot in silver and black. I should have plenty to throw at them. Really looking forward to it.

Think they are designed for bass? I seriously doubt it........I give kudos though to the guy using them for bass, that is some outside the box thinking. I picked mine up at Cabelas where all the other trout and salmon stuff was. It is, after all, a flutter spoon.

Little spoons for big fish? Naw, not buying in. Lets see, a 20 to 50b fish isn't going to even twitch a fin to chase down a 3" morsel. No way Jose'. That is counterproductive as it would take the fish more energy than its getting just to catch it. Probably a good lure for fish in the 6 to 8lb class. But what do I know? I don't do this all that much.

I'm no Laker expert but I see a big fish with some serious dentures and a big mouth and I'm thinking if I was a foot long whitefish I might be a little nervous.......just sayin.

This is a pretty cool set up.........I have one of those viper spoons somewhere......(and its never been wet!.......maybe I should bring it)

viper 3 way

I'm probably not giving Kerrys Sutton spoons their due. I understand they have a following that is loyal indeed........want to catch the "most"? Kerry's suggestion of the Sutton would likely be hard to beat. I like his swapping out of the hooks as well.

I'm always thinking getting the biggest........how can I get a whopper?..........something that would break my heart if it got off.........and get off it just might (as big fish are prone to do).....thats what floats my boat and colors my opinions.

quote mastertangler: "Think they are designed for bass? I seriously doubt it........I give kudos though to the guy using them for bass, that is some outside the box thinking. I picked mine up at Cabelas where all the other trout and salmon stuff was. It is, after all, a flutter spoon.


Little spoons for big fish? Naw, not buying in. Lets see, a 20 to 50b fish isn't going to even twitch a fin to chase down a 3" morsel. No way Jose'. That is counterproductive as it would take the fish more energy than its getting just to catch it. Probably a good lure for fish in the 6 to 8lb class. But what do I know? I don't do this all that much.


I'm no Laker expert but I see a big fish with some serious dentures and a big mouth and I'm thinking if I was a foot long whitefish I might be a little nervous.......just sayin.


This is a pretty cool set up.........I have one of those viper spoons somewhere......(and its never been wet!.......maybe I should bring it)


viper 3 way "

100% true. You don't see lions chasing around rabbits. Big predators like lake trout "want" to expend the least amount of energy and get the biggest bang for their buck. Chasing down one big meal is WAY more energy efficient then chasing down multiple meals with the same calories of one big meal.

quote plittle: "

quote mastertangler: "
Little spoons for big fish? Naw, not buying in. Lets see, a 20 to 50b fish isn't going to even twitch a fin to chase down a 3" morsel. No way Jose'. That is counterproductive as it would take the fish more energy than its getting just to catch it. Probably a good lure for fish in the 6 to 8lb class. But what do I know? I don't do this all that much.



I'm no Laker expert but I see a big fish with some serious dentures and a big mouth and I'm thinking if I was a foot long whitefish I might be a little nervous.......just sayin.



viper 3 way "

100% true. You don't see lions chasing around rabbits. Big predators like lake trout "want" to expend the least amount of energy and get the biggest bang for their buck. Chasing down one big meal is WAY more energy efficient then chasing down multiple meals with the same calories of one big meal."

Agree. I know everyone has an example of catching a big fish on a little lure or bait, but people that catch big fish consistently use big lures/bait. There was a study on 17inch walleyes (which are not considered big) and their preferred minnow size was 6-7 inches. Smaller baits will almost always catch more fish, simply because there are more smaller fish available.

T

Well we made it to the outfitter and will be heading out after coffee and breakfast tomorrow. Hope to have some pics to share when we come out.

Thanks again for sharing advice!

We just got back from Ima and caught several Trout using different methods. Most were between 12-5 PM, Water was still pretty cool, 58-60 degrees in most of the lake. Fish seem to be pretty shallow still; all of the fish caught and most that were marked were in the 12-15 ft range in water from 12 to 30 ft deep.


1. Trolling white or silver/blue crankbaits that run 10-18 ft in

2. Tube jig tipped with minnow in 12 ft of water.

3. Plain hook, rainbow chub under a Slip bobber from shore in 12 ft of water.

Not much luck on spoons or Ciscos.

Hopefully the fishing treats you better these next few days.
All fisherman int he Seagull/Alpine area reported that everything was shut down.
Every fisherman I encountered repeatedly asked, where can we find fish.
I told them, We caught 1 of each of the following species over a 2 day period: Laker, Whitefish, Northern, Smallie. Could have caught more smallies if that was what we were targeting.
Lost 1 fish on a snap off, certainly a Laker, based on location.

Everyone told me that was the best report they heard from these 2 lakes. Rough weekend for everyone we encountered.

Returned Sunday from a forty-some mile loop that included Lac la Croix and some smaller trout water.

On LLC we SAW big lakers eating ciscos off the surface in 70 to 100 ft of water. I also graphed several huge pods of bait everywhere from 10 to 60 ft down in water greater than 70 ft deep, and sometimes there appeared to be a single big fish nearby the bait pods. We hooked and lost one by casting a bucktail jig at the bait pod, and also hooked/lost one by trolling a big spoon through them, running 10 - 20 ft down. We caught one nice (29", 7 lb 8 oz weighed) laker off the edge of a rock hump, 42 ft deep, vertical jigging on bottom. That fish struck a big blade bait. There were ciscos everywhere on that spot too.

On the smaller waters we caught several smaller lakers in depths of 25 to 45 ft of water. We had fish strike everywhere from the bottom to the top of the water column. Must've had about a dozen hits, landed 5 fish, all smaller. All hits were on white tube jigs. We'd cast, let sink, and rip-jig them back to the canoe, varying depths. one fish was taken on a small cleo spoon as well.

I gathered that the lakers seemed to be at all depths, since the water remained cool enough to allow it, and their favorite food was also present at many different depths (on Lac la Croix). Crankbaits got zero attention. Spoons were the ticket for trolling.

These results are from about 8 - 10 hours targeting lakers on LLC and maybe 3 hours on smaller waters.

Well we didn't get as much fishing in as planned and actually came out one day early due to lack of camping siyes on alpine and seagull.

I got a limit on Monday and Thursday. My buddy also landed one Thursday. He lost his Rod when we tried to fish a little on Sunday in the wind and he snagged up and the lake took it from him before he could react.

Caught the first from shore on a silver spoon. Then had another chase a hot n tot right up about 10 feet from shore but missed it. Caught my 2nd on a hot n tot silver/black in around 40 fow. Same depth range Thursday and both came on the gold spoon trolled very slow. Nothing would hit the tail dancer. I put some milea on that thing...

All fish were around 18"

quote mastertangler: "Different styles.


I am detail orientated. I could probably never pass info along in an abbreviated manner effectively. I am intent on people understanding why. Understanding why you should employ a specific methodology is the key.


Why do I need to have a rock solid set-up to troll spoons effectively?.........why I need to employ BALL BEARING swivels with any spoon trolling?


Details..........like the florocarbon plittle suggests............15 might be a bit light with braid trolling a big spoon unless you have a somewhat limber rod. Big Lakers can have some big head shakes and if your really tight on a fish with no stretch braid I can see the big girls easily popping 15 if your not experienced........... I like 20 unless you have a limber rod.


And what about tying knots with Fluorocarbon? Pesky details which make or break you (pun intended). While Fluorocarbon leaders is absolutely the way to go with braid the stuff can be fickle to tie knots with to put it mildly. Knots which are fine with mono are often ineffective with fluorocarbon. Don't let that scare you away but rather learn........details, details, details.


FWIW........I use a tie fast knot tying tool to handle fluorocarbon. I use it to tie the "Gyrp" knot which handles fluorocarbon quite effectively. The number of wraps is key. With 15/20 lb line try 5 max and if it won't stick got to 4. Be sure to "pop" the knot off the tool when it comes time to tighten. Wet and pull slowly.........florocarbon burns rather easily if you don't wet it and tighten quickly. Cinch it down in 3 stages.........an initial modest tightening, then allow it to relax for a mere second.......then a bit harder pull.........again allow it to relax for a mere second.........and then crank down on it. Presto perfecto!


"

I tend to be detail orientated as well, very good info, thanks.

FWIW I have always had good luck with a Storm Thunderstick Jr., the deep-diving version, in pure chrome.

It has caught me lakers at all times of the year.

Strangely, lakers are the ONLY thing I have ever caught on that lure--not even pike, in pike-infested waters!

Very slow troll BTW, with pretty big weight maybe 8' in front of the lure.

quote outdooraddict: " Nothing would hit the tail dancer. I put some milea on that thing...


All fish were around 18""

Hey sounds like you did OK! Good deal.........My guess on the Tail dancer is it was probably running underneath the fish. Very hard to catch them when the lure is underneath the fish as they seldom look down.

The hot-n-tot runs shallower and it was good that you had some out. I wouldn't be surprised to catch lakers in the top 10' of the water column at this time of year even way offshore ("Oh, now you tell me"!! :-)

quote mastertangler: "

quote outdooraddict: " Nothing would hit the tail dancer. I put some milea on that thing...



All fish were around 18""

Hey sounds like you did OK! Good deal.........My guess on the Tail dancer is it was probably running underneath the fish. Very hard to catch them when the lure is underneath the fish as they seldom look down.


The hot-n-tot runs shallower and it was good that you had some out. I wouldn't be surprised to catch lakers in the top 10' of the water column at this time of year even way offshore ("Oh, now you tell me"!! :-)"

I still had images of the big girl lurking deep so I had to give it a go ;).

I think my next investment is going to be a depth finder.

Yup certainly pays to have all the bases covered. Heres some food for thought.........the bigger the fish the more apt their habits are going to directly correspond to the availability of groceries. They want to be near their food source.

So learn lots about what makes their food source tick and you will be in a better position to catch big momma. In the lakers case it is usually ciscos. So learn about that all important bait fish and fish in areas where they are abundant and success is not far behind.

If I am fishing a spot which looks good and I am striking out my first thought is that there must not be any groceries here.........where can I go which will have the all important food source? You can apply this thinking to all fishing not just lakers BTW.

quote mastertangler: "Yup certainly pays to have all the bases covered. Heres some food for thought.........the bigger the fish the more apt their habits are going to directly correspond to the availability of groceries. They want to be near their food source.


So learn lots about what makes their food source tick and you will be in a better position to catch big momma. In the lakers case it is usually ciscos. So learn about that all important bait fish and fish in areas where they are abundant and success is not far behind.


If I am fishing a spot which looks good and I am striking out my first thought is that there must not be any groceries here.........where can I go which will have the all important food source? You can apply this thinking to all fishing not just lakers BTW.

"

Ciscoe is what made me go with my silver spoon and the silver hot n tot and I lost them all in pretty short order. What drew my attention to the area we caught our trout off kekekabic was a loon that kept showing up to hunt. Don't know if the birds are worth paying attention to when trying to find bait fish or not.