I can't understand why more people don't fish for lakers except in spring or fall. They really aren't all that tough to catch at anytime.

Any ultra-deep diving plug will do, but mylar is the biggest asset any deep plug can have. The flash just seems irresistable to trout. We troll these plugs over deep water and rarely come up empty even on the hottest days. They'll catch trout of all sizes, too. We've caught a couple topping 20 lbs. this way and last year my nephew hooked one so big it snapped his fishing rod in half! Got it on video, too. My nephew did a great job getting him up, but when that big fella saw the canoe, he spooked straight down and snapped the pole and line all at once.

Flutter spoons also work great, as long as they have a mylar coating on them. We use clip-on weights of anywhere from 4-6 oz. about 5-7 feet in front of the spoon. These are the same weights sold for use with planer board systems for walleye (I bet planers would make trout-fishing even more productive, but I refuse to hassle with them). Once again, just slow troll them over deep holes. You want to move just fast enough to keep the spoon wobbling, but no faster.

I've found both of these methods far more effective than vertical jigging, and you don't need specialized equipment either. Just a fairly stout rod with 10 lb. test line will do.

My question is this: Anyone else do much summer fishing for lakers, and if so, what methods do you use? I'm always looking to expand my options.

Posted by Snowdog on March 06, 2002 at 13:52
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