Lake Trout
Lake trout are a species of freshwater fish that are known for their size and strength. They are considered a trophy fish for anglers and are found in the depths of lakes. To catch them, there are two basic techniques that guides use: trolling and jigging. The guides at different lakes use different techniques; for example, the guides at one lake may do more jigging than trolling, while the guides at another lake may predominantly troll for lake trout.
When it comes to equipment, when jigging for lake trout, the preferred rods are 6’6” to 7’6”, medium to medium heavy, with a fast action. 30-40 lb braid with about a 12’ fluorocarbon or monofilament clear leader is the preferred line set up. Jigging lures are often 1-2 oz jigs, both Bucktails and tube jigs are used with white and chartreuse being popular colors. When trolling for lake trout, the preferred rods are anywhere from 7’6” to 9’6”, medium heavy, with a fast action. Shimano Tekota 500 series or equivalent reels are excellent choices. T-60 Flatfish, and Eppinger Husky Senior and Junior Lures are the most popular lures. Bright colors are often used.
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Lake Trout Gallery
Best Tackle for Lake Trout
Don’t bring a ton of lures.
Don’t bring musky-sized lures. They will work, but are too heavy for related casting, but the 2½ to 3 inch spoons noted above will do the job better.
All hooks on your fishing line must have all of the barbs pinched down. Best to pinch down the barbs of all the lures you bring prior to leaving home. Manitoba law says that the lure on your rod has to have pinched barbs, but not the ones in your tackle box. This means, you don’t have to pinch all your lures prior to arrival, in case you plan to take them somewhere else that may allow barbs.
Lake Trout
Fishing
Over-all Lake trout fishing is a secondary fish since most folks prefer going after the big Pike. Lake trout fishing techniques at Munroe Lake Lodge will depend upon when you go there. If you are going at the beginning of the season, in June/early July the lake trout will almost certainly still be roaming around in the shallows, in 1 to 5 feet of water.
Casting spoons in these areas, just as if fishing for Pike, will catch a lot of lake trout also. Sometimes you never know what you’re going to get. In August, the lake trout are going to be in the deeper parts of the lake, near the deepest parts.
Techniques at this time in the north of Canada will involve jigging in 50-70 feet of water or so. Heavy jigs (1-2 oz) with a white hollow tube are a norther favorite. Heavy metal spoons with a chrome finish that are dropped to the bottom, then jerked and retrieved to the top is also a very good technique. Sometimes the trout will hit that lure on its descent, so you have to pay attention at all times, and watch the depth finder for the action if you can. There may be a few of these heavier spoons that I have left there from a previous trip.
Lures
Lures for the lake did not have to be large either. For spring time casting in June & July, use the same lures as you do for Pike. Isn’t that nice and easy?
For summertime lake trout, when they are deeper, there may be a few heavy lures at the lodge that you can use. However, just to be sure, you may wish to bring 2-5 lures of your own. A small hook file is a great idea since Lake Trout have very hard mouths, and hitting a few rocks with your hook will reduce your chance. Here are a few suggestions…
Marathon Ava Diamond Jig with Tube Tail, 2, 3, or 6 oz. (The heavier ones go down faster!)
SPRO Bucktail Jig, 2, 3, 4 oz in white.
Offshore Angler Baitfish Bucktail Jig, 2, 3 oz or heavier. White or Chartreuse.
Rod & Reel
The same rod and reel combo as for Pike will suffice for lake trout most of the time. However, if you’re going to fish deep water, there is a very real possibility you can get a 40-inch class fish, which is essentially a big salmon… so have a rod that can handle that. A medium heavy spinning rod or casting rod should do the job, and handle the heavier jigs/spoons.