I am looking for some advise on what lakes are good for fishing lake trout next spring.   Would prefer to go to BWCA lake.  Seems like most lakes wrote about in the Boundary waters Journal are in Quetico.  It also looks like Quetico Park is getting very very expensive to go to, so perfer BWCA.   I would like to take my grandson (9 yrs old) with me.  He is a very avid fisherman -all He thinks about is fishing -He is also very good at fishing.  Since He never has been on a canoe trip, I am looking for a "not so tough" trip.    I have never went fishing for lake trout, so no very little about it.  If someone knows about some good lakes, would appreciate their suggestions.  Note: have Furtman's book on fishing.

PS: I am new to this board, so hope I am doing this correct

Welcome Al

most of the "Laker" lakes are N of the border or on the border.  Not the easiest fish to start a youngster on....
Investigate Kekkabic, Sag, Lac la Croix and lakes just S, some portions of Basswood(alas N bay in Q is a great Laker area), Knife.

Pics plz of any fishing going on

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this might help

Slow troll spoons shortly after ice-out has been my best luck with lakers.  Personally I like Mooselooks & Williams Wablers.

Lake Trout might be fun, but for a youngster or anyone new try a trip for small mouth.  
Eitherway, since you are new to BW/Quetico I suggest you hook up with an outfitter.  Unless you have your own canoe and all equipment you are going to need to rent some stuff.  If BW is your preference try Ely and find one that works for you.  If you go through the boards here you will see lots of us use an outfitter for some portion of the trip.  
A good outfitter will help you plan a trip that meets your needs, talk to them and see where you get.

I've done fairly well chasing those elusive creatures.  My best advise is to review Furtmans Book and focus on some of the smaller lakes that are reported to have Lakers.

I would suggest Frost and Mesaba as a place to start.

I also primarily use spoons, trolled slow in deep water.  
I don't use a fish finder, but examine the topo maps for countours and usually troll the drop offs.

They are truly a fun fish to catch, but can be a bit frustrating.  So if you are looking for more action the smallmouth and walleyes might be a better option.

Mesaba is a bust from what I have heard and experienced...Cherokee, holds the native (non stocked), and Frost have produced for me, nothing huge but good eaters.

The MN DNR lakefinder will help on the search in some regards.

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Also there is an article in the Boundary Water Journal about "reds" in the Fall '06 addition.

I focus on saddles with deep water on either side, "ledges" adjacent to deep water, and deep water breaks near bays and narrows.

#2,3,4 vibrax spinners in silver have out produced all other lures for me, with weight to get them down. The down side is line twist even with a good quality swivel, which is guaranteed with long lining on a spinning reel setup.  Shallow (15-30') in spring and deeper (30+) when summer like temperatures come around has been my experience.

This is the way that I started to fish them, the ye old spinner set up, now I am running a smaller line counter so I can apply weight and line recipes to fish to specific depths, an application of great lakes trolling methodology.

I vary the speed, it varies between 1.8 to 2.6 mph...easy paddle speed with out a GPS as Furtman suggests.

Spring (ice out) through the end of June is the hot time, but I have caught them in July. Still have not figured out how to catch well in  August and early September...MMMMmm, just something to work on in the future.

And for goodness sake dont bang around in the boat, it will shut 'em off. ;)

Good eats.

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Good stuff Marlin. Your lookin rather stylish in the knit hat.  ;)

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The down side is line twist even with a good quality swivel, which is guaranteed with long lining on a spinning reel setup

Since the subject has been brought up, any tips on avoiding/ limiting this?

I use a good quality swivel, and have tried using a 3-4 ft leader to spinner lure, with a double swivel which I hook the main line swivel too.
Seems to help somewhat, but still it's not perfect.

I also use a keel type sinker with attached swivel ahead of a leader when I want to get the lure deep. This seems to be the best of the methods I've tried.

Use 2 ball bearing swivels. ;)

a keel sinker or a lindy bottom bouncer type sinker that hangs below your line will eliminate the twist. put a swivel at the lure and where you attach the leader to the sinker. this lets just your leader line spin all it wants and the sinker keeps your main line twistless.

keel sinkers run smooth through the water however they are so close to the main line that they can end up twisting when running a spinner with a big blade. bottom bouncers have the drop wire with the weight farther off of the mainline which keeps the sinker from spinning with the line.

colorado blades are made for a slow retrieve/troll and can really twist up your line if you go too fast. same with little cleo type spoons with a distinct spoon shape. troll with a willow blade cuz it runs cleaner and faster through the water because it resists less. this will also reduce your line twist. as for spoons, mepps syclops and red-eye lures spoons are longer and cut more cleanly through what water at higher speeds. the wider spoons with the little cleo shape displace more water and have a wider action. at higher speeds their action actually gets cut down and they just spin and twist up your stuff.

in summary: to reduce line twist, run a sinker with a decent drop distance from your main line + barrel swivels, run willow blades on spinners, run long slender spoons

things that cause line twist: sinkers that run too close to the mainline, large spinner blades(specifically colorado blades), wide/deep spoons, but the  one thing that causes most line twist = going too fast

Good stuff OS and Jaximus 8-)

I have tried the three way with a dropper to the weight, Spro hardware, and keel style sinkers...the source of the line twist IMHO opinion is derived from the spinning reel itself in my case. That's  what induced the acquisition of the smallest, lightest, functional, and affordable (key) line counter; it also allowed for weight and line out recipes to get to specific depths. Diving planes are also a possibility as is traditional baitcasting reel; it just that I am breaking those planes in the pack.

Anyone making bismuth keel weight yet?

If I would would yah be interested?

What about Suttons?

Jaximus...I have a notion about fishing a rock hopper and floating jighead combo on the bottom for a bit now....ever done that, anyone?

I remember the size of the leech I found in the last Laker's gut. :-?

the only time i have ever used a rock hopper is when trolling. the retrieve speed to keep it upright and working properly is too high for just cast & retrieve in my taste. plus i feel you need a fairly decent sized lure running behind the rig to keep the mainline tight so the wire stays vertical.

if you are talking about trolling a rock hopper with a floating jighead thats a different story but one with a similar ending. when trolling, the floating jighead gets pulled too fast and basically runs straight behind the rock hopper. basically you would be better off with a regular hook because it was twist less. floating jigheads generally have a pretty awkward eyelit-to-hook shank angle that doesnt bode well to cast and retrieve fishing. its basically just a cast and let sit presentation like a slip bobber.

I have great times with the walleye drag and the set up I am speaking of...nice up and down on the retrieve...

Haven't fished lakers in BWCA, but have done it extensively in the Q.  Go early in the season while the water is still cold.  Troll body baits (Rapalas, Bombers, etc.) around the shorelines.  My 9 year old caught many of them this past spring.  He used the same lure all week- a medium-sized fire tiger Rapala Husky jerk.  He still has the lure, even though it is all torn up with teeth marks.  We even caught a few lakers casting lures from shore.

Mark

that fire tiger rap in the spring is a deadly wicked tool.  Several years I cleaned out the local sports store of all #7, 9, and 11's....floating.  Still have a mess of 'em.  But every spring trip we loose many to the muskies.  Can't put on a leader if you want some trout.

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Can't put on a leader if you want some trout.

Have you tried those ultra-flexible Titanium leaders?
I use them when I'm traveling and have my heavy rod/line combo out.
I've caught Lakers with Double Loon spinner rig and Minnow type stick baits using them.

If the fishing hot and heavy the titanium is the way to go. You can catch repeated toothy fish without them bending or kinking.

One word of caution though, I have had the Bass Pro brands literally fall apart when I went to just snug the knot down. I would of been hopping mad to have spent top $$ on leader and lure and then had it fail on a whopper. I returned them pronto.

I've been using 130lb floro carbon leaders with good results so far.

On the topic of leaders...This year I started to use leader material known as tieable wire. You can find it in the fly fishing section of Cabelas. The nice thing is it comes in a few different Lb. tests and it is really soft and flexible. What I did is tied a 18 inch piece to a few different lures (you can use any knot you like) and then made a good loop at the other end. To switch lures just cut your main line and tie on to another leader/lure. Lures mantain a good action but are protected from toothy gators.

We actually did quite well for lakers while using leaders this past spring.  In the past, I've gone without, and the pike always made me pay for it.  But this year, we used wire leaders and it didn't seem to affect the bite at all.  Toward the end of the trip, I got greedy and took my leader off.  Yup- Mr. Toothy came and took my blue/orange husky jerk that had accounted for dozens of fish.  

If the fish were pressured, the leader might lead to less bites. But we didn't have that problem.

Mark