Table of Contents
What time of year is best for lake trout fishing?
The best time of year for lake trout is often early spring. They’re hungry, and they’re not very discriminating about when and where they feed. That means they’re easier to catch throughout the day. If the lake has only recently lost its ice, the lake trout may be right at the surface.
What is the best place to fish for trout?
- Madison River (Montana)
- Gallatin River (Montana)
- Yellowstone River (Montana)
- South Fork Flathead River (Montana)
- Clearwater River (Idaho)
- Deschutes River (Oregon)
- North Umpqua River (Oregon)
- Kern River (California)
What is the best bait for lake trout?
Live bait is generally the most consistently effective way to fish for lake trout. Minnows are usually the best option. Other good live bait options are nightcrawlers, salmon eggs, or anything similar to their native prey. One of the best artificial options for deepwater trout is a big bucktail jig.
How old is a 36 inch lake trout?
Cory Goldsworthy, Lake Superior area fisheries supervisor for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, said it’s hard to estimate the age of Gotchie’s big lake trout without taking a fin out of it. Trout over 36-inches long caught and aged by researchers in the past have varied from 15 to 30 years old, he said.
How do you target lake trout?
Aquatic vegetation is always a good place to start when targeting lake trout. Stumps and downed logs also provide favorable coverage. Lake trout also prefer colder temperatures — usually, water around 55 degrees Fahrenheit — meaning dropoffs and deeper water make for excellent habitat.
How do you catch stocked lake trout?
What is the trout capital of the world?
Scenic Roscoe in upstate New York—also known as “Trout Town, USA”—is widely acclaimed as the nation’s fly-fishing capital. Roscoe was named the country’s “Ultimate Fishing Town” by the World Fishing Network in 2011, but it has been a prized fishing destination for more than a century.
When can I fish lake trout in MN?
The lake trout open water season begins with the general May fishing opener an continues until the last day of September. In winter, the season opens January 1 and continues until the end of March for lakes entirely within the Boundary Waters Canoe Area.
Do I need a trout stamp in MN?
In 1982, at the request of anglers, the DNR introduced the state’s first trout and salmon stamp. This stamp is now necessary for anglers 18-64 years old who wish to fish in designated trout water or possess trout.
What is the limit on trout in Minnesota?
Limits on stream trout, which include splake, brook, brown and rainbow trout, are highly variable across Minnesota. In most waters, fishing for stream trout is open from April 17 to Sept. 30, with a combined daily limit of five fish, only one of which may surpass 16 inches.
What color lures do lake trout like?
The best lure color for lake trout is silver and blue. Certain lake trout guides like using silver because it resembles an actual fish while blue is visible at deeper depths. Silver and blue is the only lure you need.
What depth are lake trout at?
Lake trout inhabit cold, oxygen-rich waters. They are pelagic during the period of summer stratification in dimictic lakes, often living at depths of 20–60 m (66–197 ft). The lake trout is a slow-growing fish, typical of oligotrophic waters. It is also very late to mature.
What size hooks for lake trout?
In general, trout hooks that are size 8 to 14 are going to be best. Always use barbless hooks for trout unless you plan to eat what you catch. Smaller hooks are always best for trout because they will see larger hooks if the water is clear enough.
How heavy is a 30 inch lake trout?
Weight of Actual Fish: 11 – 13 lbs.
Are lake trout good to eat?
Lake trout can grow very large and are fun to fish for. However, they are not prized for their flavor. Many anglers consider lake trout greasy. The flavor can be very fishy because of the fat content.
Where are the biggest lake trout in the world?
The biggest lake trout ever caught is a gigantic fish of no less than 102lb. Two anglers caught it on Lake Athabasca (Saskatchewan, Canada) back in 1961. This behemoth reportedly measured an incredible 60 inches.
Where do trout hide in lakes?
In large bodies of water, Trout hold to the thermocline, which is a gradient layer in the water column where cold water meets warm water and mixes nutrients and oxygen. This layer is generally located in the bottom two-thirds of the water column. For example, 5-10 ft. off the bottom in 30 ft.
What depth do you fish trout?
With a depth finder, fish your lure/bait between 10 feet and the surface following winter, between 35 and 45 feet deep in mid-spring, between 50 and 65 feet deep in late spring and at the 53 degree thermal layer in the summer.
Can you jig for lake trout?
Lake trout can be jigged at just about any time of year, but later in the summer the conditions are ideal to find trout stacked up on deep water structure. We look for submerged reefs that top out in 80 to 120 feet of water and are surrounded by much deeper water.
Can you catch lake trout from shore?
Lake trout fishing from shore (for lake trout) can be accomplished in some rocky, cold lakes. In Colorado, for example, the locals use sucker meat on the bottom much like fishing for catfish.
Do trout feed off the bottom?
Trout are not bottom feeders like carp or catfish. But, they do feed predominantly near or just off the bottom. Trout prefer to wait and cruise in the bottom 2-3 feet of water to intercept any food that drifts by.
What do lake trout eat?
Lake trout feed primarily on other fish like whitefish, burbot and sculpin, but will also feast on crustaceans, insects, plankton and even small mammals – the size of prey typically increases as the lake trout grows up.
What attracts trout the most?
Anglers all seem to have their favorite baits, including old school nightcrawlers as well as human foods such as marshmallows, kernels of sweet corn, and Velveeta cheese. Another popular fish attractant for trout option is artificial dough bait, particularly in areas where the use of live bait is prohibited.
Why do trout not bite?
Stocked trout may not bite or be as active due to several external factors, including: How they are transported, changes in their feeding habits, the type of bait used by anglers, barometric pressure, and water temperature shock.