Category: lake trout

Hi Italo, I fish for lake trout on a lake just south west of Algonquin on the border of Muskoka and Haliburton. It’s a large lake. I’ve had a lot of success during the winter with catching big (10-20lb) lakers through the ice. However, in the spring, summer and fall all that seems to be feeding are the small 40-55cm lakers that fall in the slot limit. I was wondering if you have any tips for targeting the big boys during the warmer months. My preferred presentation is a live or plastic minnow in the 4” range on a drop shot working the bottom. Thanks

Posted on July 16th, 2019

Hi Simon, those are nice lakers you are catching through the ice.  The only think I can suggest is that you cover more deep-water by trolling either leadcore line or using a downrigger to get down to the bottom in 60-90′ structure breaks. I have a feeling that the bigger lakers are feeding near the bottom and moving around quite a bit.  You can use a Great Lakes fluttering spoons or a “gang-troll’ (Christmas Tree of flashers) with a #11 Original Rapala.

Posted in
Like me   Follow Me  
Subscribe youtube   Newsletter Subscriber   InstagramFollow in instagram

Hi Italo, Looking for some advice for fishing Algonquin park. doing a 2 week interior trip from canoe to cedar to opeongo and back. Im comfortable with the small mouth bass fishing but looking for suggestions on how to get brook or lakers mid summer form a canoe. Never caught a trout in Algonquin. I know to go deep, but any other suggestion on what to use / look for would be great. Thanks! .

Posted on July 27th, 2017

Hi Tyler, for summer Brook & Lake Trout you do have to indeed go deep in the Algonquin Provincial Park lakes. Best presentation to find both species feeding suspended away from the shorelines in deeper water is to troll. You have a few choices fishing from a canoe. The simplest is to use a heavy weight (1-3 oz), like a bead chain “keel-sinker” ahead of your lure (Original Rapala #11, or 3-4″ fluttering spoon-like the kind used with downriggers).  Do a test drop in water that is 50-80′ deep and when you touch bottom, lift it up about 5′ and start paddling at a speed that you know the lure is working properly. Second choice is to use a diving device like a Dipsey Diver or Pink Lady to get the same lures down to the 50-80′ depths. These devices put quite a bit of torque on a rod so you would need to use a heavier outfit. Lastly, and what is traditional for fishing summer trout in Algonquin is to use a leadcore, copper or stainless steel line to get your lures to the right depth. This also requires special high-capacity reels and also a stouter rod to use properly. Both Lakers and Brook Trout will be suspended form 30-80′ water. Lakers will also be close to the bottom in water deeper than 30′. Fishign a heavier jig with a plastic swim-bait like a Lunker City Fin-S Fish can also work well if you find some deep-water structure where Lake Trout will be feeding. For the best jigging you will need clam water so you can contact the bottom every 3-5 sec. Also jig from the bottom to half-way up the water column for cruising, suspended feeding trout. Hope you have a great trip….God bless you.

Posted in
Like me   Follow Me  
Subscribe youtube   Newsletter Subscriber   InstagramFollow in instagram

Hi Italo, My cottage is on a small and deep landlocked lake just south of Bancroft, Ontario. I have been trying to jig and troll for lake trout for the last few seasons using various spoons, and jigs with no luck. I don’t have a fish finder so I’ve mostly been fishing the bottom (80+ deep). Do you have any suggestions that could help me hook up on some for next season? Yours truly,Aidan

Posted on January 4th, 2017

Hi Aidan, not knowing what the lake is makes it difficult to give you a specific educated answer but I will try my best. First suggestion is for you to go to FishONLine and see if your lake appears with all the fish/stocking data if any.  If you are targeting the lakes in open water they will be very shallow in the spring and you can catch them right off the shore and especially if there is any inflow/outflow in your lake. There you can catch them simply casting spoons, Rapalas, or Vibrax spinners.

lake-trout-schroeder026

As water temperatures warm up they will head deeper, away from the shorelines and in mid-summer they will either be feeding suspended in the 40-70′ in the water column (especially if your lake has open water forage like Ciscoe/lake herring), or other open-water baitfish), or they will feed near the bottom. If you target the open-water lakers fish the deepest part of the lake either using steel line, downriggers or diving devices like the Dipsey Diver that will help you troll lures at deeper depths. If you target the lakers that are feeding closer to the bottom jigging is a good option but you will need to jig on or around structure in deeper water like reefs, shoals or drop-offs. Hope you have success in 2017…God bless you.

Posted in
Like me   Follow Me  
Subscribe youtube   Newsletter Subscriber   InstagramFollow in instagram

I’m going fishing in a lake that has a maximum depths of 80-95 feet. Most of the lake trout caught on this lake don’t get too big, around 45 cm. What lures should I use. Also bait fish is not aloud.

Posted on July 25th, 2015

italo_laker

Troll between 50-60′ down either using a sinking line like leadcore or copper. Best trolling lure will be a #11 Original Rapala with a 20′ leader of 14 lb. fluorocarbon leader connected to the sinking line.

Posted in
Like me   Follow Me  
Subscribe youtube   Newsletter Subscriber   InstagramFollow in instagram

where is the best area to fish for lake trout on lake of the woods (northern part of the lake). I like to vertical jig and i would love to try for one of these in the summer.

Posted on April 24th, 2015

Best area to fish for lake trout on Lake of the Woods is Whitefish Bay. Most people troll there in the summer time with either downriggers, leadcore (especially the Sufix Advanced Leadcore), copper or stainless-steel line, but you can also vertical jig for them. Best depth to locate them jiggin is structure breaks like submerged reefs in 60-100′ depth.

Posted in
Like me   Follow Me  
Subscribe youtube   Newsletter Subscriber   InstagramFollow in instagram

How do i fish for lakers as soon as the ice is off the inland lakes? I live in the sault ste marie area and have a boat. Thanks

Posted on April 20th, 2015

Ice-out lakers will be cruising in shallow water less than 30′ in inland lakes feeding heavily. Best technique is to troll with either a Rapala Scatter Minnow, a Rapala J11, or a 1/4 to 3/8 oz spoon off of shorelines, islands, points, bars, shoals and reefs.

Posted in
Like me   Follow Me  
Subscribe youtube   Newsletter Subscriber   InstagramFollow in instagram