Lake trout are a species some anglers visiting northern Ontario for the first time may not have ever fished for. Lake trout are a native species to the province and are also one of the larger sport fish out there. Some anglers use a contraption called downrigger to get these fish, but there is some extra rigging involved. In my estimation, the best way to appreciate the feeling of a large lake trout putting the brakes on a bait is to go old school. This means using weights, large lures and some medium to beefy rods. There is something supremely satisfying bait catching trout this way. Here is how to use old school tactics to catch lake trout.
THE THREE-WAY RIG
When it comes to fishing on bottom and keeping direct contact with it while trolling for lakers, the three-way rig is the way to go. It’s a low-tech rigging and requires some preparation to do properly. The basic three-way rig is this: A three- way swivel, with dropper and weight off one eye, and leader and swivel off the other. For most of the lake trout fishing I do with three-way rigs, the dropper is about three feet long, and has a weight that varies from three to eight ounces. Most large lead weights are long and skinny, although round weights are my preference. The heavier the weight, the more vertical the presentation to the trout. The leader to the lure should be the same length as the dropper. This will make it much easier to handle and allows you to land the sinker and the fish at the same time. Matching leader and dropper may not sound important, but a six-ounce weight that is not in control when you have a large fish flopping in the net can become a potential problem.
As for the test weight of leader and dropper, a lot depends on what you are running as a main line. This type of fishing requires a stout baitcasting rod and reel. I use a rod that is about seven feet long with a large capacity reel. The main line is 20-pound test monofilament. The leader and dropper are both 15-pound test. Top grade, ball bearing snap swivels attach both the sinker and the lure.
Lures used for three-way rigging should be large, light and flashy. My go to spoon is a Willams Wabler in silver (hammered or smooth), silver and gold, or silver and blue. The Williams Whitefish is a longer profile option, and I’ve caught some nice trout on it as well. Other good three-way spoons include the Toronto Spoon, Doctor Spoon and Canoe Spoon. You can also run a large crankbait like a floating Rapala or Rebel Minnow.
Trolling with a three-way rig for lakers requires a slow speed, under two miles an hour. Check the action of your spoon with the speed you are trolling before you drop it down. Let the weight go right to the bottom and lift the sinker off just enough to touch every once and a while. This lift/drop action can trigger a strike.
BANANA WEIGHT TROLLING
Banana weight trolling is most often used when fishing off the bottom. The cool thing about banana weights is they are streamlined and troll well with a wide variety of lures and presentations. Most of the banana weights used will be between two and six ounces. I use line counter reels for this technique as they allow you to get very specific about where your sinker is in relation to depth. This may involve some trial and error, but in time you will have a good sense of what depth your gear is running at when you let out say 75 feet of line. Then, if you get a fish there, the line counter reel can get you right back to that depth quickly. Run a three-foot leader of 15-pound rest monofilament off the banana weight and attach a metal clasp. Super simple but deadly.
LEAD CORE LINE
For those who prefer not to use heavy weights, lead core line is an option. This line, as the name suggests, has a lead core covered with a coloured material. Every 30 feet of line the colour changes. The cool thing about this is that each 30 feet of coloured line equals a depth of five feet down. So, if you let out four different colours of line, that equals 120 feet of lead core line. That four colours of line will put your lure down 20 feet. This simple equation allows pinpoint trolling. I don’t suggest lead core if fish are super deep, like below 40 feet. Often you can troll lead core at 20 feet in the summer and fish that are holding off reefs and points will swim up a grab the lure. Lead core is also super effective in late spring and early fall when lake trout are not yet shallow but have begun moving up from deeper water. Use a large bait cast reel and a softer rod for lead core as there is no stretch. A lead core line of 18 to 20 pounds will be fine in most situations. Use about four feet of 15- 20-pound test monofilament as a leader. Any lake trout lure already mentioned will work.
Old school lake trout fishing requires a little more hands-on work along with some trial and error. However, if feeling the strike and the first few headshakes from a big laker do it for you, this is the way to go. These techniques are classic, exciting, and very effective. What more do you want out of your fishing day?
Sidebar: ELECTRONICS
There is nothing wrong with kicking it old school, but having some form of electronics will help you. Seeing the depth, reefs and humps, and any fish on them, will make an astounding difference to your success. I highly recommend having a unit with GPS capabilities. You can mark any hump or structure as well as groups of fish that may be on flats with a way point. Marking fish is also a key. If the fish are hugging bottom a three-way rig and spoon will usually dredge them up. Fish five to 10 feet off the bottom are very active and liable to chase a lure that us tolled higher in the water column via banana weight. I often use a split screen and set one to zoom.
