Mooching for the Canadian Lakers – a new way to get their attention!

Gods Lake in northern Manitoba is recognized as a world-class lake trout fishery. The average Laker caught is 6 to 10 pounds, with larger fish up to 40 pounds in the mix each year. The Lakers’ largest “trophy” weighs over 50 pounds! At our lodge we have perfected a angling technique for the Lakers using a bottom rebounder in conjunction with a herring teaser and a dead or herring whiff.

We add one ounce egg sinkers and “squeeze” them into a bottom jumper to get our lure to the depth we want. Each one-ounce egg plummet equals about 10 feet of depth. The lure is trolled along rest lines and feeders. We often vary the weight, and therefore the trolling depth, until we find the right lake trout and depth for the day. Speed ​​can also play a role. You want the lure to move fast enough to have a smooth turn as it travels through the water. In this type of fishing, the Trout hits hard and you have to be prepared to set the hook and hang on, or risk breaking a rod.

We had a fun case where my clients had successfully hit the Lakers pretty hard using this technique; they had hooked 6 in the 8 to 15 pound range over a 15 minute span. As he continued to trolling a break line, one of the guys decided to relax and close his eyes for a second. The next thing he knew, the Laker had hit his lure hard, his rod was snapped in two, and the line was flying off his spool! Fortunately, his brother quickly assessed the situation and, like any resourceful fisherman, picked up the end of the broken rod and tried to set the hook by holding it up. Unfortunately, everyone was laughing so hard that the great Laker spit out the bait and left my client with another story about the great that got away.

The reward of hooking and battling a great Laker this way has proven to be a lot of fun for many of our customers, and I encourage you to give it a try and let us know how it works for you.