troutologist Posted January 17, 2011 Report Posted January 17, 2011 (edited) Nothing else to say but the lakers in NWO have been on fire!! The past 3 weekends our group has had amazing success with these fish. Here are a few observations and tips that have helped our success recently. Electronics: unless you hate catching big lakers this is a must have. Most of the bigger fish come onto the flasher as 'cruisers' higher up in the water column. This past weekend for instance, 4 fish in the 10-12lb class came in at 40ft in 55ft of water. The fish coming in the middle of the water column tended to be much more aggressive (larger) and required no finessing to get to bite. Multiple rods: rigged and ready. Some of the best luck has come on a rather featureless flat. Some days fish were on the flasher from the moment it’s dropped down until the end of the day, though other days the fish are roaming widely, looking for food and need to be called in. Ripping a Live Target trap-style lure 10-20 ft off bottom until fish came in, if they didn't hit, quickly reel up and drop a tube jig, or Buckshot rattle spoon back to them, both were tipped with a salted minnow/minnow head. Make them chase: learning to interpret your electronics is key. As soon as a fish shows enough interest to start making quicker, more aggressive movements, start pulling the lure away from them. Often very quickly, again the fish's response on the flasher will dictate the sequence of events. They will often chase it up 20, 30, even 40 feet to smash it or only to turn away at the last minute. These lookers are often caught by dropping the bait, down past them to the bottom. The more you can get a trout moving vertically in the water column to chase a bait the more likely they will commit. Here are a few pics and a rough video of some trout fishing. Stay tuned for a more complete video as we put together all the footage from 3 weekends on the ice. Our setup The pup and I waiting for a fish Girlfriend with a beauty hardwater laker A word about catch and release of fish in the winter. With cold temperatures, the eyes, gills and fins of fish become quite vulnerable to freezing, with detrimental effects to the fish's survival even when released. Lake trout are a slow growing species, and trophy fish are often much older than one would expect, as such it is our responsibility as anglers to ensure every possible measure is taken to preserve these fish. Here are a few things I try to do to minimize my impact on these fish: 1. Have all your release tools and cameras ready to process fish. Pliers, measuring tapes etc. should be at hand before a fish is hooked; this keeps on ice handling to a minimum. Cameras should not be buried in a bag somewhere, keep it in an inside pocket so the batteries are warm and you are able to snap a quick picture without having technical issues with cold batteries. 2. Minimize time out of water, if you need to wait for a buddy to come and take a picture hold the fish's head in the hole, better yet, a lower your ice scoop in the hole, followed by the fish, until you are ready for a picture. Sometimes in frigid temperatures, you should only take photos of fish inside a shack. It takes no time at all in -30C for damage to occur. 3. Not every fish needs to be photographed. Sure, it’s nice to capture the memory of the first fish or trophies but, bear in mind the potential for harm in the winter for fish held out of the water for long periods. Hopefully, the catch and release in the video can be an example of how long a fish should be handled. Tight Lines! ***New Videos added*** Footage of some buddies catching lakers the last few weekends, as seen on Jason's Adventures. Part 1 Part 2 Edited January 19, 2011 by Jay Hamilton
castgame Posted January 17, 2011 Report Posted January 17, 2011 great post, thanks! especially this point: 3. Not every fish needs to be photographed. Sure, it’s nice to capture the memory of the first fish or trophies but, bear in mind the potential for harm in the winter for fish held out of the water for long periods. this is something more people need to come to understand for sure
Guest ThisPlaceSucks Posted January 17, 2011 Report Posted January 17, 2011 nice job. did alicia land that one herself? trying to convince winger to pick up a sled so we can do some hut fishing but he says he'll buy a sled "when my feet stop working"...lol
troutologist Posted January 17, 2011 Author Report Posted January 17, 2011 nice job. did alicia land that one herself? trying to convince winger to pick up a sled so we can do some hut fishing but he says he'll buy a sled "when my feet stop working"...lol Yup, she saw it on the flasher, hooked it and landed it. It's getting dangerous, she's learning too quickly!
Guest ThisPlaceSucks Posted January 17, 2011 Report Posted January 17, 2011 Yup, she saw it on the flasher, hooked it and landed it. It's getting dangerous, she's learning too quickly! so does she ever let you drive the snowmachine?
alphaalpha Posted January 17, 2011 Report Posted January 17, 2011 Great report and tips, thanks for sharing!
solopaddler Posted January 17, 2011 Report Posted January 17, 2011 Unreal Jay! Glad to see you and the missus are embracing winter.
asdve23rveavwa Posted January 17, 2011 Report Posted January 17, 2011 Great, informative, post!! Lakers truly are made for ice fishing!!! Congrats to the GF on an absolute beauty!
johnnyb Posted January 17, 2011 Report Posted January 17, 2011 whyyyyyy do I live down here in the south?!?!? Great writeup and video, Jay....a big THANKS for sharing
ehg Posted January 17, 2011 Report Posted January 17, 2011 Very thoughtful report, nice fish for the gf
Rod Caster Posted January 17, 2011 Report Posted January 17, 2011 Informative, visually stimulating and respectful to our common passion. Did you just graduate from Fishing Report Writing class? That trout is a beauty and I'm all itchy now.
trapshooter Posted January 18, 2011 Report Posted January 18, 2011 Good stuff Jay, that's a beauty laker your GF got. Awesome info too, making them chase is everything.
limeyangler Posted January 18, 2011 Report Posted January 18, 2011 (edited) Absolutely awesome post.....could not agree more with everything said. Moderators....you should 'sticky' this post somewhere.... I got my first clearwater trouting sessions experience this year...awesome to watch, now i just need to hook into some bigger ones like you did, plenty of venues here hold 'em, just need to arrange the proper amount of time to do it with the Ministry of Time Allowed on the Ice Great post....tight lines PS....loving the vid....more please. Simon Edited January 18, 2011 by limeyangler
TDunn Posted January 18, 2011 Report Posted January 18, 2011 Awesome post Jay. Great tips on proper release and flasher techniques. Beauty laker your GF landed! TDunn
troutologist Posted January 18, 2011 Author Report Posted January 18, 2011 Thanks for the comments folks. I can't wait to get out this weekend, we're in a deep freeze right now, but its forecasted to warm up in time for a weekend laker trip.
troutologist Posted January 19, 2011 Author Report Posted January 19, 2011 New videos added in 1st post
Guest ThisPlaceSucks Posted January 19, 2011 Report Posted January 19, 2011 what was goin on with your auger buddy?
trapshooter Posted January 19, 2011 Report Posted January 19, 2011 what was goin on with your auger buddy? No, that's how jiffy's are supposed to run.
troutologist Posted January 19, 2011 Author Report Posted January 19, 2011 Yup something is not right with it in very cold temps this year. Changed the plugs, gas lines and new gas this week. Plus lots of seafoam....I need a Strikemaster!
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