Cant' get these at Cabela's, but you have time to order online/
I've always done well with these. Heavy for size and work well casting from shore or trolling.

(You need to Login or Register to view media files and links)

I like the Spring Frog in green or orange.

I agree with Old Salt's recommendations.  I would add this, though: not only can the hot color or lure vary on a day-to-day basis, the preferred lures AND colors can vary on a lake-to-lake basis.  Forage foods available to lake trout can vary by lake.  My tried-and-true lures that imitate those forage foods may work well in the park's northwestern lakes but not produce as effectively further east.  And vice-versa.

My primary lake trout lure-types are:
  *  Lightweight "fluttering" spoons worked in conjunction with 1/2 oz up to 2 oz weights (depending on depth fish are feeding) affixed 4-5 feet up the line.
  *  Fat-lipped, wobbling deep-divers (I prefer white OR blue & silver).

OS is right about "experimentation," especially as you learn new trout waters.  If you put the lure-types mentioned in this thread into your tackle box, you'll at least have what you need to begin experimenting on a day-to-day and lake-to-lake basis.

Also, a decent canoe-type depth-finder can help you with your lure selection.  My experience is that "feeding" lake trout will come up a long way to grab your lure.  It helps to know HOW deep they are, however, so you get place your bait in the general ballpark just above them.  When they are REALLY deep, I find myself clipping on those 2+oz weights and using Sutton fluttering spoons more often than not.  Nevertheless, I have been amazed to have LT's occasionally come up from summer-time depths to nab lures that can't be running much deeper than 15 feet.

Anyway, that's my two cents' worth added to OS's dollar.

Jimbo   

Craig Zarley who was a presenter at Canoecopia thinks all you need is a jig between 1/4 ounce and 3/4 ounce with a white twister tail.  You vertical jig the jig unless it is spring and the water is cold then you could fish in the conventional way with a jig.
Water temperature is more important than depth.  There is, of course, a correlation between temperature and depth.  I use a thermometer which records the temperature every 5 feet.  A depth finder is also very helpful.  My understanding is that trout will come up to get a lure, but rarely go down to get a lure.  Trout like water around 50 degrees.

Curious, jigging for Lakers other than spring sounds like you would need a fish finder.  I won't have that option.  I plan on trolling a 20 ft tail dancer first, and switch to a 30 ft if I'm not getting bit.

Since you don't have a fish finder and people have posted about using jigs/twister tail, maybe you could do something like this?

You can't have more than 4 hooks on a single line in Ontario except in certain instances/places.

If you could handle the extra drag, I don't know ( assuming it IS legal) why  you couldn't adapt this to different stick baits/jigs or maybe even combo of the two? 

Allows you to cover more water as you paddle. Start hitting fish at one depth, change over to single lure.

(You need to Login or Register to view media files and links)

Mad_Mat wrote on Apr 17^th, 2017 at 6:00pm:


Found this quote on a fishing forum. Some high-end spoons come with a swivel, NO snap already. I have a few and it really cuts down on line twist.

" I use a small swivel I only use a couple of ADL spoons in my arsenal and all of them have a small SPRO black swivel (no snap) rigged to the split ring ahead of time.  There is an added benefit to using a swivel that you may not be considering here and that is line twist.  When using any inline spinner or spoon, it is recommended to use a small swivel to prevent line twist."

I fished the river for smallies while paddling 17 miles on Easter.  I  almost exclusively use a #3 Mepps, gold with bucktail on that river, and man was my line twisted at the end of the day.  I'm going to get some swivels and give it a try.

If you're a fan of Berkely Flicker Shad or they're Gripper swim jigs, check this out. Bought one of each for big discount and got the other for 50% of that.

.84 for a nice jig and 1.49 for a Flicker shad is a great price. I think that swim jig with a twister tail and weedless hook might be a great one to troll for WHATEVER your fishing for?

(You need to Login or Register to view media files and links)

I thought I would give you an update.  The first attempt at fishing with the 20 ft taildancer resulted in an almost immediate hook-up with something large, which quickly broke me off.  It had to be a pike.  There goes $10, lol.  The next day I decided to troll the purple 30 ft taildancer through the middle of the north end of McDougall Lake.  Because I had a quick hit with the 20 ft diver, I used a short cast, hoping to keep the lure running shallower than it's full potential.  I hooked two 17" smallies in a row, then I hit something a little bigger.  After a few minutes I was rewarded with my first Lake Trout!  Thanks to everyone for helping me check that off my list.  I never did use the spoons, I will have to get those out on the next trip.  If I remember, it was 5.5 lbs, and maybe 25"?

On our recent late June trip my wife surprisingly had good luck catching Lakers on this hot pink rattling HotnTot

Actually, that was the only break off I had in 8 days,  and I fished every day.  I retie often, and just got lucky I guess.   I had to have landed 20 or more pike, I didn't bother to count.
Trilene XL clear 8 lbs test.

I've switched to titanium leaders and braid line.  I like the braid for hook setting when trolling a long line.  Gotta make sure to check the drag often though.  I use 14lb. on a 7' medium heavy rod when trolling for the big ones.  8lb on a medium 7' for jigging and bass.

PJ,
Is that P-Line superior enough to say PowerPro you would make the switch come time to re-fill, the price being about the same?

Thanks PJ,
I use a 7 ft Ugly Stik GS2 medium heavy 1 piece as my trolling rod.
I use a spinning reel with #40 PowerPro (mono #10) because being solo, I got tired of breaking line/losing lures if I hit a snag and couldn't react fast enough.

Now unless I have a tailwind, the lure either pulls free or the canoe stops and I can go back and retrieve my lure. Haven't lost a lure since I made this switch.

I suppose I'm losing fish with the heavier line but then fishing isn't my main goal anyway.

Quote:

Not at all.

Braided line is much stronger than mono so I only use a leader if northerns are on the catch list.  If I use a leader I would tie the line directly to the leader.  If I am not using a leader, I would tie directly on a small snap.  The snap allows me to change lures with no need to retie.