Targeting suspended lake trout under the ice By Tom Armstrong This day ended up being a trip for the books, although it started out as more of a relaxed outing with friends than a serious fishing expedition.
We headed to a lake trout lake that’s not known for numbers of fish, but known to hold a serious beast of a lake trout or two. With fairly easy access, it was a great place to fish a few hours with friends who aren’t much into ice fishing, more for an excuse to get out than hopes of leaving with limits of trout. Not long into our trip I was jigging a tube in about 80’ of water, and saw a rather large mark show up on my Humminbird flasher. It looked suspiciously like a large, suspended lake trout half way up the water column. I quickly brought my tube up to it, and it took barely a twitch on my jigging rod before he attacked that tube with a fury, and he was on, and he was big. After what seemed like an eternity I managed to get this beast of a lake trout to the hole, squeeze his giant head through and onto the ice. As I hoisted this trophy of a lake trout, and one of my biggest to date, it was another great reminder of how productive fishing for suspended lake trout can be in North Western Ontario.
Lake trout are serious predators, cruising below the ice looking for their next meal. Unlike many other species, they’re not necessarily bottom focused fish, and can be found, and caught anywhere throughout the water column. Anglers that sit and jig on bottom all day will likely get fish, but are also more than likely missing out on some great trout fishing action. Depending on the lake, these fish are cruising in search of bait, often smelt, cisco or other baitfish that aren’t necessarily bottom oriented themselves, meaning these hungry trout are often cruising throughout the water column on the hunt for their next meal.
There can be several different methods to target these fish, and flashers play a major role in my lake trout ice fishing game. Although still not essential, they definitely give anglers an edge when it comes to icing more trout. Anglers without a flasher can still target suspended lake trout, and do well with a bit of effort. I fished lake trout for a number of years before I joined the flasher revolution, with good success; not the same level I’d say I enjoy now with my Ice 55 at my side, but good action nonetheless. When fishing without a flasher, I would generally start fishing just off bottom, and jig there for 5-10 minutes. After that I’d reel up 10 or 15 feet, and spend another 5 minutes jigging there. I would do this until I was very near the ice, and then move onto another hole and try my luck elsewhere.
When anglers with flashers start targeting suspended trout, it becomes even more effective, and worlds more entertaining. When fishing with a flasher, you can catch suspended trout several ways. I’ll still fish throughout the water column, starting on bottom and slowly moving up fishing at different depths as I go. It’s also not uncommon to be fishing on bottom, and see a suspended fish swim well above your bait. By reeling quickly up to it, and tempting this trout, you’ll have a good chance at catching this fish, one you’d otherwise never even know was there.
Another great thing about using your flasher for lakers, is when fish come in to check out your bait, on bottom or otherwise, and don’t hit right away. In this case, a little encouragement is sometimes all that’s needed. I’ve found that by taking your bait away, and reeling towards the surface, the trout switch gear and are soon in hot pursuit. I’ll often slowly reel my jig in, twitching and jigging it as it comes up, but making a steady retrieve towards the surface as long as that fish shows interest. Some fish will be hot, chasing your jig as fast as you can reel it, while others may fall back, and you need to slow or halt your retrieve to allow them to catch up. You may see a fish follow a bait 80 feet up before finally smashing it five feet below the ice, so if they seem interested keep it up. You can vary your retrieve or action as the fish dictates, but it will often eventually elicit a strike. You may have to drop it back down to a fish that loses interest, but they will often take notice again, and give chase. I’ve had fish chase a bait up the water column 3 or 4 times before eventually crushing the jig, so don’t lose hope.
Keep this approach in mind even when setting up set lines or tip ups. They don’t necessarily need to be bottom oriented; if I’m rigging up a set line, I’ll often hang it 10, 20 or even 30 feet off bottom, hoping to catch a fish cruising by. If you’re fishing with others, try to coordinate it so you have the water column covered, especially if you’re fishing in close proximity to each other.
Pound for pound, I think lake trout are the most exciting fish you can catch through the ice, and when done with the added excitement of looking for suspended fish, or watching them chase baits on a flasher before hammering your jig, makes it one of the most entertaining things to do all winter long.