What is the best bait for lake trout?
Lures. 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.
Do lake 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 depth is best for lake trout?
Lake trout are often most active at dawn or dusk. Warming water sends lake trout to the cool depths. Look for them in depths greater than 40 feet. Troll with downriggers, wire line, or bottom bouncers, using crankbaits or spoons.
What depth do lake trout eat?
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.
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.
What is the best time of day to fish for lake trout?
The best time of day for lake trout fishing is early morning from dawn until 2 hours following sunrise. The second best time of day is late afternoon 3 hours before sunset all the way until dusk. Lake trout can be caught in very deep, colder water during the middle of the day but the midday day can be very unreliable.
How do you shore fish for lake trout?
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.
Do lake trout live below the thermocline?
Lake trout prefer the colder water temperatures found below the thermocline in the summer months. This is the zone where water temperature drops and oxygen increases, making a preferred habitat for forage fish like cisco (whitefish).
Will lake trout eat worms?
Lake Trout Bait & Tackle In their natural habitat, lake trout will feed on small to medium-size baitfish, so it should come as no surprise that the minnow on the end of your line may also seem like a worthy meal. Like other fish, however, nightcrawlers and worms can also be fine live bait choices.
What is a lake trouts favorite food?
Some of their favorite foods are insects, larvae, worms, leeches, frogs, minnows, crayfish and snails.
How do you jig a lake trout?
What kind of bait fish do lake trout eat?
Deepwater dwelling baitfish such as alewives, suckers, whitefish, ciscoes, and smelt are lake trout favorites, but big lakers will also eat gamefish such as walleye, kokanee, or even other trout.
How do you target lake trout?
Best Lake Trout Lures When learning how to catch lake trout, it’s important to know that they prefer light lures so consider stocking up on small spinners and spoons. If you want to try live bait, try night crawlers, salmon eggs, or minnows that mimic their native prey.
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.
How do you catch lake trout with lures?
How old is a 50 pound lake trout?
The largest lake trout caught at Milton Lake Lodge came in at 50lbs! That is a massive fish and is likely to be over 40 years old!
What is the biggest lake trout ever caught?
Lake trout are the largest of the chars; the record weighed almost 102 pounds (46 kg) (netted) with a length of 50 inches (130 cm), and 15–40-pound (6.8–18.1-kilogram) fish are not uncommon. The average length is 24–36 inches (61–91 centimetres).
What is considered a trophy lake trout?
For Brown Trout, the stock length is 8″, quality is 12″, preferred is 16″, memorable is 20″, and trophy is 24″. A trophy Brook Trout is 23 inches. Based on these categories, there are very few Brown Trout and almost no Brook Trout that are “trophies” in Wisconsin’s streams.
What month is best for trout fishing?
It’s also year-round in most areas. Normally, the best months to target trout are July to Early September when the waters are at their warmest and many insects are hatching. Because of this, dry fly fishing becomes incredibly effective.
How cold is too cold for trout fishing?
Trout generally are more active when water temperatures are in their comfort range: 45 to 65 degrees. They can survive in water temperatures as low as 35, but rarely do mountain streams get that cold.
Why do trout get hook jaw?
So why does the male trout need a hooked jaw? The hooked jaw is in the lower jaw and where there are strong teeth. The male uses the hooked jaw to bite other males that are trying to fertilize eggs. It really is as simple as that.
What pound test should you use for lake trout?
30-40 lb braid with about a 12′ fluorocarbon or monofilament clear leader is the preferred line set up. 17-20 lb monofilament line throughout can also be substituted if preferred.