losing lake trout

[scotch and sodus]

For some reason im having bad luck losing lakers as soon as they break the surface out away from the boat. Is this something im doing incorrectly? Should i lighten my drag more for these soft lip fish? i usually use spoons with treble hooks. any insights would be appreciated.

[rolmops]

It is hard to say what you should do without seeing how you do it now, But make sure that your hooks are very sharp. keep constant pressure on the fish and keep your rod up high. Do not "pump" the rod because that is where you loose constant pressure.

Edited April 3, 2018 by rolmops

[Silver Fox]

Hey mops, read your reply again..... LoL. Yeah I'm immature.

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[rolmops]

You may be immature, but at least, you're having fun.

[scotch and sodus]

Thank you gentlemen for the info and the giggles. 

[Legacy]

9 hours ago, scotch and sodus said:

For some reason im having bad luck losing lakers as soon as they break the surface out away from the boat. Is this something im doing incorrectly? Should i lighten my drag more for these soft lip fish? i usually use spoons with treble hooks. any insights would be appreciated.

 

It always seems that Lake Trout dont begin to fight until they see the boat and they hit the prop wash. If I loose a Lake Trout it is almost always when I can put eyes on it. Sharp hooks are always a must but patience goes a long ways too. Give them a minute to stop thrashing behind the boat and don't horse them. Let the drag work. Once they are done, get back on them and bring them to the boat. And then the real fight begins. Lake Trout tend to fight more in the net then in the water.

[guffins fisherman]

We catch a lot of lake trout with clients in the summer. The one thing I find myself saying A LOT, is "rod tip up." I am not implying you are an inexperienced angler, but I am implying the importance of steady pressure on the fish with the rod tip up and no pumping. They are soft-mouthed and tear out really easily. For the record, the majority of our losses are on the surface too.

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[Iceman]

Loosing a laker at any time is a blessing, don't have to handle their slimy crap spraying stinky AZZ, & don't have to clean off the boat!

[ontherise]

Loosing a laker at any time is a blessing, don't have to handle their slimy crap spraying stinky AZZ, & don't have to clean off the boat!

[emoji106]


Thanks for letting me share.

[GAMBLER]

There are some days, Lakers are just picking at the bait and not getting hooked deep. Add scent to your baits to get them to take the bait deeper. If you are bored, watch some of the underwater footage on YouTube and you will see lots of Lakers slashing at the bait barely hitting it. These are the fish you barely hook and they come off at the boat.

 

 

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[jerryriggin]

I guess im different when we are trout fishing we fight them with the rod tip pointed towards the water to ensure there mouth doesnt come out of the water.

[scotch and sodus]

Thank you very much for the input. There are a lot of things i will take out with me the next time i go. I love to fish for lake trout. But most of all i love to smoke them and eat them. Call me crazy but i love the taste. 

[Yankee Troller]

I don't see the problem here? This is a bad thing?

[sszoldra]

On 4/3/2018 at 8:26 AM, Iceman said:

Loosing a laker at any time is a blessing, don't have to handle their slimy crap spraying stinky AZZ, & don't have to clean off the boat!

 

Count yourself as fortunate when you lose it.

[GAMBLER]

6 minutes ago, sszoldra said:

 

Count yourself as fortunate when you lose it.

One mans trash is another mans treasure!  I love guys with this attitude.  This leaves more for me!

[Silver Fox]

One mans trash is another mans treasure!  I love guys with this attitude.  This leaves more for me!

It must be "uncool" to put a smile on someone's face when the other fish aren't cooperating.

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[stoneam2006]

Lakers are what started it all for me....on my list to Target some Erie Giants this year using some gambler rigs....can't wait

This fish and boat that started it all....wow was I not ready for the addiction that became...lol

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[Paul Czarnecki]

I don't see the problem here? This is a bad thing?

EXACTLY!!!

All the fun of catching them without the LT diarrhea all over the boat. So......what's your problem?


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[gasman2438]

TAKE THE DAM TREBELS OF AND INSTALL A 2/0 SINGLE YOU MAY MISS A FEW BUT THE SINGLE WILL NOT COME OUT

Edited April 5, 2018 by gasman2438

[hard knox]

Single hooks and when that trout hits the surface and starts to trash and role just reduce pressure a little and slow things down so that he stays under water and you will lose alot less fish .Keeping him swimming and not thrashing is the key .

[scotch and sodus]

Thank you I will try some single hooks and some scent thank you for the words of wisdom. I will take all the trout I can get. Lol. When I figure them out i will look for another fish to catch right now I’m trying to make it fun for my family and we like to smoke them. 

[stoneam2006]

Thank you I will try some single hooks and some scent thank you for the words of wisdom. I will take all the trout I can get. Lol. When I figure them out i will look for another fish to catch right now I’m trying to make it fun for my family and we like to smoke them. 

Are you using gambler rigs? They take alot of guess work out of targeting Lakers ....only my 2nd season of trolling and they have put more in the boat than anything else...probably even more than everything else combined lol

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[scotch and sodus]

i picked up 2 at the brewerton show. i plan on using them next time as well. If this snow ever stops.

[Char_Master]

14 hours ago, GAMBLER said:

One mans trash is another mans treasure!  I love guys with this attitude.  This leaves more for me!

Couldn’t agree more! Every boat that isn’t fishing for them means my presentations look all the more appetizing. 

 

14 hours ago, stoneam2006 said:

Lakers are what started it all for me....on my list to Target some Erie Giants this year using some gambler rigs....can't wait

This fish and boat that started it all....wow was I not ready for the addiction that became...lol

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Lake Ontario United mobile app
 

Same story here! The first fish I caught when I started trolling in 2015 was an Erie chunk Laker, I’d never caught a fish with so much stamina! Since then I’ve caught every species of Salmonids in the Great Lakes but LTs are still my absolute favorite fish out there.

Edited April 6, 2018 by Char_Master

[Fishstix]

When they are on top rolling around with their mouth open X2 on releasing pressure so they go back down. Sometimes slowing the boat down works. I run 30lb test on everything.Real short leads so I can gain as much line on them before they get to the surface.  On my boat if a fish hits and doesn't take drag we do not want it.

And yes a big laker takes drag. Lakers do jump.  

9K in Fingerlake derby winnings last year with lake trout.........

So sharpen your hooks we plan on the same this year