Posted on May 14th, 2021
Hi there, if you’re going to be targeting Brook and Lake Trout by late June they will probably be in their summer pattern and suspended in the water column our from shore or off steep-dropping shorelines close to shore. For Brook Trout you can cast lures from deeper shorelines/points and also fish a slip-bobber and and wait for trout to cruise those areas early and late in the day. If there are insect hatches you can also enjoy fly fishing for the Brook Trout if you see them taking flies on the surface.
For both Brook & Lake Trout throughout the day you will do well trolling for them in the 30-50′ depth using 1/4-3/8 oz spoons, Original Rapala’s on either steel or lead core line, or using a small Dipsey Diver to get down to the 30-50′ depth. Another technique you may want to try is trolling with an “in-line” weight up to 1 oz. and using a4-6″ fluttering spoon without the hooks and swivels at both ends to act as a flasher and then add 24-36″ of line with either a hook & work, streamer fly or Original #7-#11 Rapala. The spoon will flash and draw both trout from a distance and when they get close they will hit the trailing bait or lure.
If you target Bass or Pike, thy should be off rocky shorelines, in bays, around any submerged wood and especially around any weeds. You can cast Vibrax #3 spinners for them or use a twitch-bait like the Rapala Husky Jerk and also cast 1/4 & 3/8 oz jigs with 2-4″ plastic grubs for them. Hope you have a great trip…God bless you.
Make sure to check the fishing videos on our Italo Labignan YouTube channel and if you have any questions just email them to me at Ask Italo throughout our website.
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Posted on April 23rd, 2021
As you probably know Brook Trout and Splake are related and they share the same biology. Both Trout & Splake will be shallow in the spring time after ice out and they can be easily caught in lakes by simply casting to the shorelines with small crankbaits, spinner and spoons. Among these some of my favorite are the Count Down #4 in the trout color, their Ultralight Shad and Minnow series, Vibrax #2/3 spinner and the Lil’Cleo 1/4 oz spoon.
As the water temperatures get warmer both species will disperse in the open lake and the best way to locate them is by trolling the same lures out from the shore. Many anglers just troll with a small flasher (dodger) and about 24-36″ back a spinner & worm combination or a live or fresh-dead minnow. They key is to locate them in both seasons…God bless you.
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Posted on March 5th, 2021
I normally don’t use jigs for Splake or Brook Trout through the ice or in open water. If you’re ice fishing I would suggest you use either a small Jigging #3 or #4 Rapala or a small 1/8-1/4 flashy spoon. If you are targeting in open water try casting small spinners like the Vibrax #1-#3, Rapala CD #3 & #4, and 1/8-1/4 casting spoons. Many anglers in Quebec also troll using a small worm-harness and worm with a small weight ahead of the line to be able to control the trolling depth…God bless you.
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Posted on January 10th, 2017
Hi Tim, I don’t have a specific lake to ice fish. I normally do my research on the OMNR & F FishONLine site where I search for smaller lakes that are off the beaten path and which have been regularly stocked for at least the last 3-4 years.
Brook trout have a short life span, about 5 yrs., so if you find some 3-4 yr old brook trout they can be real whoppers….God bless you.
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Posted on December 31st, 2016
Hi Todd, no idea. A good friend that had permission to fish the private access lake took me in. Not even sure how to get there on my own. A good way to find good brook trout lake in the Minden/Haliburton region is to go to the Ontario MNR&F FishONLine site .
Just look at the lakes, the brook trout stocking program. The strategy I use is to find lakes that are a little back from the main back-roads which don’t get as much pressure and that have been stocked for the last 4-yrs. They are the ones where you have the best chance of catching nice-size brookies….God bless you.
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Posted on April 29th, 2016
Hi Peter, I love walking steams for resident trout too. Some of my favorite memories are “bushwacking” to catch browns and brook trout.
In the Red Pine Wildernesss Lodge show that just premiered on WFN I did explore a beautiful stream to catch very pretty, small brook trout on Vibrax #1 spinners.
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Posted on March 16th, 2016
Fish shallow especially over a mud bottom in bays, at the mouth of inlets or outlet streams, around beaver dens and submerged beaver food piles.
Some of the best brook trout fishing now should be in water ranging from 6-15′.
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Posted on May 21st, 2015
I did not know Weslemkoon had crappie, just Lake Trout, Brook Trout, Smallmouth Bass, Pumpkinseeed & White sucker. Anyway, for crappie, they should be in shallow water less than 10′. Best fishing will be in shallower bays around boat docks and trees that have fallen in the water. Best presentation will be to use a slip-bobber rig with 4 lb. test, 1/8 oz. jihgead/1″ plastic TriggerX creature grub. For the brook trout, they will be transitioning from shallows to deeper water. Best way to locate them will to troll for them using a small flasher (4-6″ long), followed by a 24″ leader, a hook & worm. Once you find a stretch/depth where you catch at least 2-brook trout, you can start casting the Rapala Countdown size #3 & #4, or cast small 1/8 & 1/4 oz. spoons.
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Posted on March 30th, 2015
Hi Mark…In my younger years I fished in Algonquin Park for brook & lake trout, and smallmouth bass, but I have not fished the Tim River or Rosebury Lake. I would suggest you use 6 lb. test monofilament line with a 6 lb. fluorocarbon leader. You should take some worms with you and an assortment of small trout hooks, some split-shot sinkers and some small floats. Sometimes fishing half a worm on a hook along the shoreline with a float can be very productive, especially once you go to your camp site and you want to do some fishing from shore. Both trout species should be pretty active when you go up and they should hit an assortment of lures. Some of my favorite spoons to cast and troll for them are the Lucky Strike Banshee Wobbler ( http://www.luckystrikebaitworks.com/product.asp?p=12 ), the size #125 Humper ( http://www.luckystrikebaitworks.com/product.asp?p=25 ), and the Algonquin Wobbler in the#2 size ( http://www.luckystrikebaitworks.com/product.asp?p=9 ). Small Vibrax #1 & #2 spinners, the Rapala CD3 & 4, The Rapala Shad Rap #5, and the Original Rapala are also very good lures to cast or troll with. If you are having a tough time locating trout in the lake, I would suggest you try trolling with an in-line spoon (acts as an attractor), and a 18-24″ leader with a hook/worm. The Lucky Strike Algonquin Wobbler in the #3 or #4 size will work well for this. You just take the treble hook off the spoon and add a second swivel to it (swivel at both ends). Trolling in a “zig-zag” pattern along the shorelines and even out in open water should help you locate the trout quickly. For the lake trout you may also want to take some 3/8 & 1/2 oz. in-line trolling sinkers (they usually have a “keel” & bead-chain so they don’t twist the line while trolling), that you can add about 2-3 feet ahead of your trolling rig to get your presentation deeper….God bless you, Italo
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Posted on March 30th, 2015
Hi Dave…The entire southern Ontario region (south of Guelph), is referred to as “marginal” brook trout habitat. Having said this you can catch brook trout in many of the head-waters of our Great Lakes tributaries, but they are challenging to find. Near Hamilton I would suggest you check some of the head-waters of the larger tributaries. The closest ones are in the upper reaches of Bronte Creek (south of Campbelleville, ON), south of Acton, ON, and north of Kitchener, Guelph, etc. Most of the cold-water creeks that feed the larger rivers that flow north to Lake Huron/Georgian Bay, and south to Lake Ontario/Lake Erie, have population of native brook trout. Most of these are spring-fed and you will need hip-boots to go in and out of the water as you try and fish the streams. If you don’t mind fighting some bush, and pretty soon, some bugs, you can catch brook trout not too far from Hamilton….God bless you, Italo
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