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Nam's
Tackle Recommendations
For
Lake Trout
Of
all freshwater fish my favorite is the lake trout. What I
like best about lake trout is they do not leap, but instead
wage a strong, determined underwater battle. My personal best
is 31" caught in May 2005 on Rowan Lake in Ontario, Canada.
Lake
trout are a medium to dark gray or olive color with white
worm-like wavy marks on their backs and on top of the head.
Occasionally, they have bars or spots along the side mainly
tinged with red. Lake trout average between 20 and 24 inches
and 3 to 6 pounds, but are capable of reaching 50 pounds.
Lake
trout require cold, clear, well oxygenated water, so they
are found almost exclusively in oligotropic lakes. In summer
they often move to depths of 50 to 100 feet, but in spring
and fall you can find them at depths of 20 feet or less. They
prefer water from 40 to 52 degree F.
Equipment:
Technique:
There are two ways I fish for lake trout. Jigging and trolling.
Jigging is a numbers game, not so much on size. Trolling is
for size. During the spring and fall when I travel to Canada
the lake trout are shallow and usually less than 20 feet deep.
With good electronics finding lakers is very easy. When in
deeper water, anything you see of size, is usually a laker.
By early July the trout should be set up around structures
related to the main basins of the lake. This usually happens
once the surface temperatures get above 52 degrees. Cruise
the lake and find the holes. Everything 60+. Then cruise the
edges of the holes, focusing on points, underwater humps,
etc. and you will see the trout very clearly. If you are not
seeing any trout in the holes, they might still be in shallower
water (where they often spook before you can drive over them
and mark them on your depthfinder). They'll bite vertical
jigged spoons and lead heads, or trolled lures that get in
their depth range. Speed and erratic lure movement will trigger
lakers to bite.
Largemouth
are my favorite fish to target during the summer months. They're
acrobatic and put up a fun battle! My personal bass record
to date is 21" weighing 4.8 lbs.! Click
here to view the fish in my personal records.
Largemouth
bass are moderately compressed with a deep body. The back
of the mouth, when closed, extends past the eye. This characteristic
distinguishes it from the smallmouth bass where the back of
the mouth does not extend past the eye. The largemouth also
has a black band that extends down the side of the body.
Largemouth
bass prefer ponds, lakes and slow, sluggish streams.
The
average size largemouth bass in Minnesota runs from 1 to 2
pounds.
Largemouth
bass usually spawn between mid-April and mid-June. They eat
crayfish, frogs, large insects, and other fish.
Equipment:
-
ROD:
5' to 7' in length, one or two piece, ultralight to medium
heavy action (for heavy cover)
- REEL:
Spinning reel with the capacity for approximately 200 yards
of 4 lb. test or 160 yards of 6 lb. test
- LINE:
Trilene XL (4 lb. to 17 lb. test)
- TACKLE:
1/8-1/2 oz. jig and pork/plastic trailer, Rebel Pop-R,
Rapala Fat Rap, Yamamoto 5" Senko and Creature
baits, Rat-L-Trap, spinnerbait, Mister Twister
5" Curly Tail Grub, buzzbait, Moss Boss,
4" tubes, and Silver Minnow (As for colors mix
and match between pearl, black/blue combination, silver, chartreuse,
gold, red, purple, pumpkin, etc. The key here is having
confidence in the color and lure you're using.)
Technique:
Largemouth bass can be caught on a wide variety of natural
and artificial baits using casting, spinning, and fly fishing
gear. The best time of year to catch largemouth bass is May,
June, and July, but they can be caught throughout the year.
-
Topwater: My favorite way to catch a bass
is using a topwater such as a Pop-R. Make a long cast with
the Pop-R. Let it settle for a few seconds, then begin popping
the lure with your rod tip a couple times and let it settle
again. Then pop again, followed by a series of short snaps
of the rod tip reeling in between the jerks. This creates
a side to side darting action which drives bass nuts!
- Texas-rigging:
My second favorite method is Texas-rigging a 5" Senko and
flipping it in pockets in the weedbed. You will want to keep
semi-slack line as the worm sinks and watch for any line movement.
Any bump line could mean a largemouth taking the worm and an
irritating pecking sunfish. You will know the difference after
a few outings. Reel in the slack line and set the hook immediately
if you detect a bass has picked your lure.
I
can't say too much other than this fish has given me two massive
heart attacks and a number of empty feelings! I am currently
putting together my true fishing tales, three of them that
has the musky as the featured fish. My personal best musky
record is 49" in length and weighing 27.5 lbs.! Click
here to view the fish in my personal records.
Muskies
are strong fighters and provide a great thrill and challenge
to anyone lucky enough to hook one. People have told me a
musky is caught in about 1,000 casts! I actually believe in
that statement. I remember the countless casts and hours that
rolled by without even seeing a fish. And then the ones that
followed my lure to boatside only to turn away at the last
second... Or the one that took a massive strike at boatside
and missed... Well I can't say more other than I am always
ready on every cast for that elusive fish!
Musky
are long, slender fish with a large duckbill shaped mouth
and needle sharp teeth. The dorsal fin is soft and located
near the tail. In contrast to its cousin the Northern pike,
only the upper half of the cheek and ear flap have scales.
Muskies
caught in Minnesota average from 30 to 40 inches long and
weigh from 5 to 15 pounds. Muskies in the mid-40 inch range
is considered a trophy.
Prime
musky habitat is found in heavily vegetated lakes with lots
of tree stumps and bays. Muskies usually spawn in April and
early May when water temperatures are in the low to mid-50s.
Muskies prefer suckers and gizzard shad as prey.
Equipment:
-
ROD:
7' in length, one piece, medium heavy to heavy action, baitcasting
rod (my personal preferences: 7' Heavy Quantum XL Muskie
Grade or 7' Heavy Fenwick HMX)
- REEL:
Baitcasting reel with the capacity for approximately 165 yards
of 12 lb. test or 130 yards of 17 lb. test (my personal preferences:
Shimano Calcutta 400TE or Shimano Corsair CS400A)
- LINE:
Trilene XT (20 lb.+), PowerPro (65-80
lb.), or any specialized "Muskie" line
- TACKLE:
Mepps Magnum Musky Killer, Fudally Musky Candy
Spin, Blue Fox Super Vibrax, Rapala Super Shad Rap, Poe's
Jackpot, Bucher Super TopRaider, Hi-Fin Mag Teasertail,
1 1/2 oz. J-Mac Musky Jig and 6" Lunker City Salt Shaker
trailer, and Suick Jerkbait (As for color you
can go wrong with black. Black offers the best silhoutte against
the sky. Firetiger, orange, perch, white, silver, chartreuse,
and any combination of these colors will work.)
Technique:
Baitcasting and trolling are the most popular ways to catch muskies.
Cast to the edge of vegetation beds and submerged cover using
a fast retrieve. Speed and change of lure direction will trigger
muskies into biters many times. Trolling with shallow or deep
running lures during the summer months will take a number of muskies
in the shallows.
My
personal best pike record is 33" in length and weighing
about 10 lbs. It was actually caught in a nearby pond close
to my home. The pike population in Minnesota has declined
recent years but I am hoping with the new changes in the regulations
the northern pike population will rebound.
The
northern pike is a long and slender fish with a duckbill shaped
mouth and lots of needle sharp teeth. The dorsal fin is soft
and located near the tail fin. In contrast to the musky, the
lower half of the opercle (gill cover) does not have scales
while the cheek is fully scaled. Northern pike also have numerous
white or yellow-green spots on the sides of the body which
are arranged in oblique rows. There is no teardrop below the
eye.
Most
northern pike caught in Minnesota weigh between 2 and 5 pounds.
Northern pike spawn as soon as the ice breaks, usually in
late April or early May.
Northerns
utilize cover to ambush their prey which is primarily other
fish such as yellow perch. Pike feed primarily on fish but
will take nearly anything they can fit in their mouth, including
frogs, muskrats, and small ducks.
Equipment:
-
ROD:
6' to 7' in length, one or two piece, medium to medium heavy
action, spinning or baitcasting rod (my personal preferences:
6'6" Medium Ugly Stik or Berkley Lightning
Rod)
-
REEL:
Spinning or baitcasting reel with the capacity for approximately
165 yards of 12 lb. test or 130 yards of 17 lb. test (my
personal preferences: Shimano Sedona 4000 or Pflueger
Trion 56)
-
LINE:
Trilene XL (8-12 lb. test), PowerPro
(20-30 lb. test)
- TACKLE:
1/2 oz. Rat-L-Traps, 1/2-3/4 oz.
Blue Fox Aqua Spoon, Eppinger DareDevil, Johnson
Silver Minnow, Mepps #4 Aglia, Rapala Shad
Rap, spinnerbaits, and crankbaits. The key here is to have
a variety of baits, some of which are shiny and put off lots
of flash such as silver, white, firetiger, chartreuse, and orange.
Crankbaits are deadly for early spring and late fall. ***
It is strongly suggested to use a wire leader when fishing for
pike: 9-12" in length are most common. The titanium leaders
are the best! ***
Technique:
This fish will go after anything! The most productive method
of fishing for northern is to cast for them using various types
of spoons. In early spring and late fall, trolling crankbaits
is also very productive in luring these fish onto your line.
Walleyes
are my favorite fish to target during the fall period in the
early morning or late evening. I have missed, hooked, and
landed some of the biggest walleyes during this period than
any other time of the year. My biggest walleye to date is
27.5" weighing 7 lbs.! It was caught in Nov. 1994.
The
walleye has a long slender body with a yellow-olive color
with a brassy overcast on the sides. The tail fin has a white
spot on the bottom edge. The eye is large and cloudy, and
there is a dark blotch on the webbing between the last three
spines of the first dorsal fin. The mouth is filled with sharp
canine teeth. The walleye looks similar to the sauger and
saugeye.
Most
walleyes caught in Minnesota average 1 to 3 pounds and are
between 12 and 20 inches. Walleye spawn throughout the month
of April when water temperatures are between 40 and 55°
F.
Walleye
prefer clear to slightly turbid waters. They are usually found
over reefs, shoals of gravel, bedrock, and other firm bottoms.
-
ROD:
5' to 7' in length, one or two piece, medium light to medium
action (my personal preferences: 6'6" Medium Light
Ugly Stik or Berkley Lightning Rod)
- REEL:
Spinning reel with the capacity for approximately 200 yards
of 6 lb. test or 160 yards of 10 lb. test (my personal preference:
Shimano Sedona 4000)
- LINE:
Trilene XL (6-10 lb. test)
- TACKLE:
1/8-3/8 oz. Lindy Glo Fuzz-E-Grubs, Rapala Husky
Jerks #12, Mister Twister 3" Meeny Curly Tail
Grub and 3" Sassy Shad, Rapala Rattin'
Rap and Shad Rap (As for colors black and white,
blue and white, firetiger, and perch are my favorites.)
Technique:
My favorite method to catch these fish is to jig for them
using various size lead head jigs tipped with a minnow. The
most important key to jigging for walleyes is to be able to
feel the lake bottom. Other techniques I use include casting
or trolling crankbaits (this is best suited for spring and
fall fishing when they are shallow).
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