Lake Trout

[Rich s]

Hey folks

Just put the boat to bed and am already thinking of next season..

I read the article about the Lake Trout restoration program and found it very informative.. I know some folks give them a bad rap and maybe can understand that trolling/catching them might be a bit of a lack of sporting (using that term loosely) but I find them to be a great fish and enjoy the heck out of catching them, especially through the ice or light tackle from a canoe.. The thing I really like is that they grow HUGE on the Great Lake.. I can totally see the over harvest on the great lake if that is what is needed to put people on fish but I seriously see a lack of that occurring if they are targeted wisely.. In the report it states the appropriate catch/ratio to maintain a self sustaining population. Right now, they have stocked an "extra" 300,000 to bring their levels up to what they feel par.. It also states that alewives are the biggest contributor (thiamine ) to their lack of reproduction levels.. Granted, they are a long living fish but do not reproduce until around age 7 so I fear without a good natural reproduction level the increased stocking may be necessary (I know, why not salmon).. As well I think with the added stocking of Cisco and the increased goby they may stand a chance if not over harvested.. It's a tricky balance to maintain the ecosystem of the sport fishery but still I feel the management group is doing an overall good job in Natural species VS introduced (salmon) .. To me this is most important ..

Now that I've long winded you all, here are some thoughts to how I would like to approach fishing for them next season..

Jigging or just live bait drifting.. Thought and insight would be helpful..

I know the currents/wind and weather plays havoc out there but we have also had many calm days when we just shut the boat down and jump overboard , fun stuff.

If we were to shut down over say 120fow and just drift do you think it would be feasible to use :

1. a sliding sinker rig of (2-5oz ) and live bait them off the bottom ? would we even reach the bottom given current ? I use this tactic when fishing stripers on the Hudson river (tidal) with whole herring for striped bass, granted it's usually 30fow or less.

2. Direct jigging using buck tail or plastic jigs.. How much would the jig need to weigh to reach bottom in again, 120 fow ?

Thanks in advance of any help offered .. I'm already starting to plan ahead for next season in hopes of a giant laker.

This one was caught using 4lb test on an ultra light fishing for brook trout

Edited October 12, 2015 by Rich s

[KilliansRed]

I jigged for lakers this summer a few times. I started out with 2 oz jig heads and a 5 inch swimbait. Those are good if there is light wind. For a stronger wind I ordered a couple of 5 oz jig heads and put a 7 inch swimbait on. The lakers will crush either. White and pink were my winning colors. I fished with and without a stinger hook and it didnt matter much, depends on if you get a bunch of short strikes or not. 

[whaler1]

Jigging has grown in leaps and bounds in the saltwater scene and a lot of their success could apply to the lake.

Google jigging for cod etc etc and I think you will get a wealth of information. Also Google jigging fluke and sea bass. This summer I enjoyed a great day jigging both of those on my dads boat. The water depth and current concerns were pretty much the same you would run into for Lakers.

Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United

[Smeltz]

Whaler1:  that's a dammmmm nice boat your dad has.  Please tell him that (but I thik he already knows)

 

KilliansRed:  do you have a link or was it a mag article on the restoration program?  Can you post?  I'm very interested & enjoy reading/researching any and all articles on restoration of native species. That seems the trend & direction of many environmental movements these days.   thanks.

[Rich s]

http://www.glfc.org/lakecom/loc/Lake%20Ontario_Lake_Trout_Strategy_Nov_2014.pdf

[GAMBLER]

Trolling them is way more productive. I run cowbells just off the bottom with spin n glow rigs. Jogging can be tough due to heavy currents. It is doable but not as easy. There is way more of a learning curve.

[Smeltz]

Rich...thanks for the link.  Sorry I addressed it to someone else.  Must have been thinking of having a Killians & the keyboard & brain weren't cooperating.

I glanced thru the article & am always amazed at how every base has to be covered.  That's one of the things that makes it interesting; all the different aspects that come into play.

[Sk8man]

For those folks here new to jigging or Lake O for that matter - It is never an "either or" situation in fishing and that is what makes it such a great sport. Jigging and trolling both have their place and the person that masters both will be the most productive. Both have one thing in common as far as success goes....water conditions conducive to it. When the wind is up and the waves are cresting neither usually works real well. The other factor is water currents - and both require adjustments in technique and equipment. With jigging it is important to be able to stay over or very near the fish to be able to present your"bait" (jig or spoon) properly and the wind and currents raise h with this much of the time. Lake O has very "active" subsurface currents sometimes going in multiple directions at the same time so you need to be able to "hover" (e.g. electric trolling motor) over the fish if not anchored up and often use heavier jigs than normal to deal with the subterranean currents. "Drifting" while jigging is often difficult on Lake O because of the rolling wave characteristics that can take you far from the target in just one wave. As with any other lake locating active fish is the key and then staying with them becomes the next objective. Pick a pretty flat day out there  to give it a try.

[Rich s]

thanks for the insight and tips folks.. Much to think about in my planning.

while often jigging lake trout in depths of 100-160fow it is through the ice and with minimal currents that I am experienced in. Having spent the entire summer on the great lake it was easy to understand that the currents and conditions would be the most difficult factors to over come..

In saying that I still feel it is something I wish to target.. My preference in trying to catch lake trout would be in the following order

1. straight line jig : I know it would be almost impossible to stay in 1 location (anchored) but I would like to give a straight line jigging with a heavy enough lure such as a diamond cod or squid jig a try.. Just not sure how heavy is enough, 2 oz ? 4oz ? heavier ? We typically use 3/8-1oz jigs in those depth on the ice but obviously minimal current.. I think if it requires something more then 4oz I may have to look at option #2

2. Live bait drift: we employ a 3 way slip sinker swivel when targeting striped bass on the tidal water of the Hudson river.. With this rig we may use up to 6 oz sinkers and whole live herring up to 12' long which will get them to the bottom (30fow) even in strong tidal currents..

I think if I used this tactic it may be effective on the great lake using shiners or other live baits.

I understand that staying over a targeted area wouldn't happen but it seems that if I could get the bait to the bottom using a sinker instead of rigger it would allow me to cover water by just free floating.. This again would be a preferred method over trolling and allowing at least a lighter tackle.

3. Basic rigger trolling:

totally understand this is the most effective method but really my least desired to target lake trout.. We did explore this just a little this season using hammerheads and spin/glow.. Didn't catch any but honestly only put little effort into this..

My goal as said is to catch them using typically light tackle and preferably spinning gear..

thanks again and please keep thoughts and tips coming.

Rich

Edited October 13, 2015 by Rich s

[KilliansRed]

Ill add that i use a drift sock and my trolling motor to hold the boat over fish. If you have both of these you can get away with lighter jigs.

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[Big Water]

You should have fished the west end of the lake this past spring.  You couldn't keep them off of the lines.  Speed made no difference and lure selection made little difference.  The only thing you could do was move out of the area, but there were kings mixed in with them, so we didn't.  Eventually we dropped down to 4 rods and ended up with all four rods hitting within 1-2 minutes.  We actually caught 5 fish on those four rods because we had a double on one that hit the slider.   The deck was GREASY!

[fishdawg]

You should have fished the west end of the lake this past spring.  You couldn't keep them off of the lines.  Speed made no difference and lure selection made little difference.  The only thing you could do was move out of the area, but there were kings mixed in with them, so we didn't.  Eventually we dropped down to 4 rods and ended up with all four rods hitting within 1-2 minutes.  We actually caught 5 fish on those four rods because we had a double on one that hit the slider.   The deck was GREASY!

We easily got 100 fishing around the Bar first weekend in May mixed with kings for 4 days.

Over here on the Canadian side many bass guys target them using dropshots, spoons and tubes in early June, kind of a warm up session for them before our bass season opens 3rd Saturday in June) 

[rolmops]

Currents are not a problem. We used to jig for cod 300 foot down on Stellwagen Bank with 16 ounce jigs and 50 pound power pro line with ocean current that moved at 3 to 4 mph. So the 140 foot down laker should not be hard to get to. Just use powerpro with 8 or 10 ounce sinkers  with a threeway swivel about 3 foot above the sinker and a 3 foot line with a light sutton spoon or jig. Anybody who ever set up a Seth Green meat rig can probably make one to jig for lakers that deep.

[Rich s]

Yikes , 8-10 oz , almost a lb of weight , I'm not so sure I'm into that heavy with a light rod in hand .

I have a 9' - 6-20lbb rated ugly stick spin rod which has handled live bait and 40 lb stripers but don't think it will work well on that heavy of weight jigging . I'd like to use 10-12 lb test line also although braid ( no stretch) might be better with a fluro leader

If I need to go over a 4 oz lure or weight I think I would just set rod in holder and drift live bait

Edited October 14, 2015 by Rich s

[Sk8man]

For most jigging on Lake O 20 lb braid and a 2-2 1/2 oz jig will work down deep if you choose your day carefully and the lack of stretch will help greatly with results. Remember although you may be targeting lakers there are kings and cohos present in the lake and you never know where they are going to be....sometimes they are mistaken for lakers near bottom . I'd be using a high capacity bait casting reel with a good drag and a rod with some stiffness. A lot of the lake is a flat basin that you can drag the jig across too when they are on or very near bottom without the steep drop offs, unpredictable structure changes and canyons  in an ocean environment. Ocean currents and rip tides etc. are a much different matter too.

[Rich s]

Thanks Les,

you put my mind at ease about not needing a TON of weight to reach the depths.. I feel much more confident in being able to strait line jig given the right conditions.. Seeing we will again be on the lake every single week next season, our opportunities will come..

I'm pretty set on my gear , I do think I will have 2 dedicated jig/live line drift rods set up just for lake trout.. Braid does seem the way to go as it's no stretch = instant sensitivity , we use it for jigging deep water on ice, it makes a world of difference ..

As for rod & reels, I'm very confident in my bait runner spinning reels and really like the 9' 6-20lb rated ugly stick rod, I may just buy another to complete the pair..

That set up has handled chinooks and yes, 40 lb striped bass .. It's length and light action are an absolute blast when you get a big fish on the line..

To me its about playing the fish and not just "stiff arming" them in with over rated tackle..

Super excited now and cant wait , but first we got a TON of lake trout to jig through the ice using the short pole

Rich

 

Here is just one of the fish that this set up was successful in tackling

Edited October 14, 2015 by Rich s

[Richard]

The On The Water fishing program aired here in Massachusetts had a program jigging for brown trout in Mexico bay. If I recall correctly they were in 80 foot of water with 1 or 2oz. jigs. They were on a charter boatthat went outof sandy pond. I think if you look on their website you can see some of that episode.

[Richard]

http://www.onthewater.com/lake-ontario-vertical-jigging-recap-otw-tv/

[Rich s]

Excellent article and information.. THANK YOU for sharing... Much more helpful to prepare for next season.. Oh and I can now let the wife buy more shoes because I have more tackle to buy