After a great ice fishing season it is time to focus on the upcoming open water season. Sebago was completely iced over for the first time in many years, but has quickly started to shed its ice so we will be out there chasing lake trout very soon! If you haven’t had the chance to jig or fly fish for these hard fighting fish I recommend booking a trip and seeing for yourself what it is all about.
One of my favorite ways to fish for lake trout is by vertical jigging as it is very interactive and the client can see everything unfold in front of them on the electronics. One of the biggest misconceptions that people have is that lake trout are lazy bottom feeders and nothing is further from the truth! When you have electronics you will see the speed and ferocity that they can exhibit. They can also be very frustrating when they get picky, but that will happen with most fish at some point. Early season we saw bite windows and you just needed to be patient and keep your lure where the fish are.
The other important thing is to watch the screen and be ready to reel up when a fish comes that is ready to eat. I had a client who had his reel hand in his pocket and was late to react when I said “reel reel reel” and the fish turned away. It is imperative that we react quickly when a “ hot” fish comes in. What this means is that the fish was looking for a meal and by not moving your lure to imitate a fleeing baitfish it didn’t recognize it as food and lost interest. You need to play keep away with them and watch how they react to your speed. Sometimes you can’t reel fast enough, but don’t be discouraged as if you miss a strike there is usually more than one that has followed your lure up and you need to be ready.
When the smelt run into the rivers this is when chasing lake trout with a fly rod is possible. Having at least a 7 weight with a fast sinking line is the best option. An 8 weight is optimal. I like a short leader of at least 15 pound fluorocarbon and I keep my fly selection simple with a gamechanger, clouser or deceiver in various colors that imitate a smelt. Patience is important if you are fishing in deeper water, but many times you can find them in shallower water so it never hurts to try different spots throughout the day. This is a short window of opportunity so don’t wait to book your trip today!
