Top Ten Lake Trout Fishing Tips for Novice Fishermen
With these lake trout fishing tips, you will find that it won’t be long before you catch yourself a nicely sized fish to photograph and throw back or to have for lunch. Trout can be quite tasty, but expect many tiny bones, especially when the trout is fresh caught.
Tip #1: Check the Fishing Report
One of the best lake trout fishing tips is to check the fishing report. This is the surest way to find out where the trout are biting. There is nothing worse than going out to your fishing destination only to find that the kind of fish you prepared for isn’t even present there. The fishing report will often also tell you what bait is working for the particular trout in the area.
Tip #2: Shades
If you want to catch some trout, you have to have a good pair of sunglasses. This is not only so you’ll look cool while you’re fishing, but more importantly, so you’ll be able to see past the glare and reflections on the surface of the lake in order to identify the spots where trout like to hide.
Tip #3: Trout Need to Breath
Once you actually arrive at the lake, you will want to remember a few things about trout. The first of these is that trout need to take the air out of water in order to breath and the easiest way for them to do so is in water that is all churned up already. For this reason, trout love inlets leading into lakes and you will often find them there. (This is also a reason that many people prefer trout fishing in rivers.)
Tip #4: Trout are Cold Water Fish
Remember that trout love cold water. If it is a particularly hot day, then you may want to try to find them in the deeper waters of the lake where the temperature is liable to have stayed cold. A general tip is to start shallow early in the day and head towards the deeper sections as the day wears on.
Tip #5: Trout Love to Hide
One of the most important lake trout fishing tips I have ever heard is that an angler should know his trout. Trout are large predator fish. Trout are a bit lazy, however. They are not big fans of chasing fish around. Instead, they find a nice shady area with adequate cover, they sit still in wait for some unsuspecting smaller fish to come by their hideout, and that’s when they pounce. So when you are looking for trout, look for areas where they might have adequate coverage. Look under a pier, or in rocky formations that stick up above or near the surface.
Tip #6: Stay on the Move
If you’ve given your spot a good half hour and you’re not getting anything, cast somewhere else. Trout are often just lying in wait, so if you haven’t gotten one, you may not be in the right spot.
Tip #7: Come back to your old spot!
Just because a particular spot wasn’t working early in the day, doesn’t mean it’s a bad spot. Don’t forget that trout are always looking for a better fishing spot as well, so they will move throughout the day. If there was a spot that you really liked earlier in the day, but it disappointed you, try it again in the afternoon. You may find the trout having taken a shine to it by then.
Tip #8: Cast Deep!
Because trout like to lie in wait for their prey, you should look to cast deep. Keep dropping your line until you hit the bottom. If you are at one of the Great Lakes doing some ice fishing, it may feel like you are casting into a bottomless pit, but eventually you will hit bottom. When you do hit bottom, pull your line up about half a yard.
Tip #9: Do the Trout Lunch Dance
The key once you have placed your line at the proper depth is to make your bait move like a wounded fish. Move your line up and down slowly every minute or so to mimic this sort of wounded fish movement. This will make your bait unbelievably appetizing to most trout.
Avoid however, any sudden jerks on your line or you will tip your trout off to your true intentions.
Tip #10: Let the Trout Wear Himself Out!
Once you have hooked your trout pull him up a bit by backing up from your spot or by reeling him up a bit, but then wait him out. Most trout will put up a real fight, and given how far down you cast this is likely to be a long haul. However, if you let him fight against your line for a bit before starting to pull him in, he will likely wear himself out a bit for you and make your job much easier.
Happy casting!