Setup for Lakers

[Jds63]

Typically when heading for some laker ice fishing I bring 3 rods and try to have each one setup with a different lure, so i don't have to mess with stuff on the ice.

Ist rod- usually spoon or williams setup, 2nd rod - hook minnow and weight, 3rd rod - meegs or white tube .

 

What do you usually head out with, does anyone still use the 3 way swivel with minnow and weight or spreaders.

[Guest ThisPlaceSucks]

i hole hop with my 39" laker taker and flasher - typically with an active presentation bait (tube, spoon, rattlebait) . i also usually have a set line... either a tip up with a minnow and 3 split shot or a gad and bell with a spoon and a snell dropper with a live minnow.

[BillM]

Sounds about right.. Something flashy to bring them in and something wiggling at the other end of the line for them to eat (If they won't take the spoon)

[LesCulpJr]

Typically when heading for some laker ice fishing I bring 3 rods and try to have each one setup with a different lure, so i don't have to mess with stuff on the ice.

Ist rod- usually spoon or williams setup, 2nd rod - hook minnow and weight, 3rd rod - meegs or white tube .

 

What do you usually head out with, does anyone still use the 3 way swivel with minnow and weight or spreaders.

 

 

Same here:) a Meegs, a minnow, and a williams...I catch em all on the meegs and the williams Never got one on the tube...

[12footspringbok]

The last couple years I always fished one rod with a williams ice jig and one with a white tube deadsticked up off bottom.

 

This year I'll still be fishing one rod always with the williams ice jig.

 

I'll have three others rigged with tubes and different colours/styles of swimbaits to try up off bottom.

 

I don't really bother with minnows anymore for lakers unless I'm on some smaller lakes further north.

[Moosebunk]

Haven't done much of this over the years but usually now go with one rod with a jiggin spoon like Williams, sure, or Snakie, Buckshot or Champ. Second rod will be a lighter set-up, sometimes with something micro like a crappie jig, or have it dead sticked with a spoon, dropper hook then minnow. And if I did take a third to target just lakers, remembering one week on Temagami taking along a 3 1/2 foot stick with a big ole white tube. Longer so to get big rise and fall of the tube... best little fish of the week came on that. lol.

[irishfield]

A little white tube like this one Bunk?

 

 

That's my go to bait on Temagami ! (and yes it's a 10" Red October Monster Tube)

[crappieperchhunter]

A little white tube like this one Bunk?

 

 

That's my go to bait on Temagami ! (and yes it's a 10" Red October Monster Tube)

 

Christ Irish. If you didn't catch anything to eat you could probably get a few good fillets off of that

[chris.brock]

I know it's a personal confidence thing, but my favorite bait the last few laker ice seasons has been the mepps cyclops in pink glo, sometimes tipped with a piece of shiner

caught my 2 biggest fish on a white tube though, both while slowly bringing it up to the hole, both fish hit mid depth

[Moosebunk]

A little white tube like this one Bunk?

 

 

That's my go to bait on Temagami ! (and yes it's a 10" Red October Monster Tube)

 

10" Wayne!!! Jeez bud, your white tube might just be an inch bigger than the white tube I use.

 

That's some good jiggin' when you got a white tube like that to use. All the fish take notice. lol.

[GbayGiant]

Try stuffing a Meegs into a white tube with a treble trailer hook.

[irishfield]

Try stuffing a Meegs into a white tube with a treble trailer hook.

 

Does James make them that big??

[troutologist]

Rod 1 Lindy Darter, Live Target or Strike King trap

Rod 2 White tube (or other colours pink, chart, smoke all have caught)

Rod 3 1/4oz Rattle Spoon with Stringease Fastach clip and a minnow head

Rod 4 salted shiner or smelt and No. 2 bait hook last try for finicky fish, they can't resist the way an unweighted minnow (need a flat side) slowly sinks.

[limeyangler]

Typically when heading for some laker ice fishing I bring 3 rods and try to have each one setup with a different lure, so i don't have to mess with stuff on the ice.

Ist rod- usually spoon or williams setup, 2nd rod - hook minnow and weight, 3rd rod - meegs or white tube .

 

What do you usually head out with, does anyone still use the 3 way swivel with minnow and weight or spreaders.

 

 

Hey JD...i think that is a really good selection. I typically have a tube jig, jig and minnow for deadstick and jigging, and some kind of noise making /flash lure.

 

I find that different lures on different lakes are my go to. But what you have is pretty much covering all the bases.

[Jds63]

seems like most of us try similar lures ...

 

does anyone use a 3 way swivel with bell sinker and minnow off the swivel on a fluro leader as a second line and jigging with another line if allowed of course ... my friend actually uses a spreader as a second line and usually gets a laker, i always thought they were for whitefish but he usually gets a laker .. LOL

[archie_james_c]

34" Heavy rod, down rigger reel (all I have handy) 15 pound braid, Abu Koster and half a minnow on it.

 

28" Med-Heavy, baitcaster, braid, williams wabbler, little cleo, etc.

 

Tip up, wabbler dropped to a snell with life minnow.

 

28" Med-Heavy, Daiwa Tierra, braid, tube jig.

 

Which ones/how many get brought out depend on how ambitious Im feeling that day. Some days it all comes out, others I take one, and dont even punch a second hole.

Edited January 5, 2012 by archie_james_c

[Harrison]

I use similar baits. Only two rods.

 

1 - darter, williams or Mr Champ.

2- tube, power minnow, this year I'll try a xzone swammer.

 

Try this. If you see a fish come in on the sonar to the flash/action of the hards bait to have a look. Shake the plastic and then reel it up fast. If it's a laker it will usually give chase. Give it a shot.

Edited January 5, 2012 by Harrison

[DRIFTER_016]

Broom handle with a winch on it and a 5# whitefish for bait.

 

For when the big ones aren't arround I have a mixture of 32", 36" and 42" rods from medium to heavy matched with braid from 10# to 20# in both spinning and bait casting setups.

A variety of lures including white tubes, williams ice jigs, meegs and airplane jigs as well as quick strike rigs on my dead sticks.

[Sharkbait22]

When bombing around Simcoe looking for fish I use one rod, but have a back up in case something breaks. I use the typical lures. I find using two rods more hassle more than anything, especially in deep water. Rarely use bait anymore too. Got tired of hooking fish deep and lugging bait around. Keeps it simple. If in a hut and not moving around I'll break out another rod and bait it with something loud Cicada or rattle and two-hand it when a fish shows up. Back when Nipissing was hot a wise old man sold me on working one rod and that was for walleye.

[Beans]

Don't use a three way spreader ever since one of the hooks got caught on the bottom of the hole and the whitefish pulled free...

 

Never have that problem with a two-way as the second hook rides upside my line when I get a fish on...

[BillM]

I like 3 way spreaders for whities when they are finicky. I think I might do up one of those homemade tip up Aaron posted in his vid.. Super sensitive and cheap to make.

[ckrb2007]

One rod or stick with a Williams 1/2 and 1/2 on bottom, and another dead sticking a white/silver fleck tube 15-20ft off bottom. Another stick with a meegs in the ATV for back-up.

[camillj]

I normaly use a single number 6 hook through the lips of a 3" rainbow shiner with two split shot about a foot up with the minnow about 6" from bottom.... unless of course I am jigging ... then it is anywhere in th ewater column .. I have had lakers follow me right up to inches below the ice before hitting... for the really big girls my preferred approach is a dead (and stinky) sucker lying right on bottom at least 50' from where I am fishing (so the noise wont be a deterrant)