Lake Trout Fishing in Ontario
DESCRIPTION: The average size of this fish is dependent upon the body of water which it comes from. Minnitaki produces larger fish which range in weight from 12 lb to 18 lb, and 30+ lb. fish are not uncommon. If you fish for this species on Big Vermilion, you are going to average 3 lb. to 6 lb. fish. In general, there is greater action on Big V than on Minnitaki, but the search for trophy Lakers is definitely found to be on Minnitaki Lake. The colour of this fish varies from light green or gray, to dark green, brown, or almost black. The entire body of this fish is covered with light spots and its belly is generally light. As this fish grows to larger sizes, it can take on a silvery appearance, sometimes making the light spots difficult to see. Their fins may be orange to orange-red in colour. This species has an adipose fin present on its back between the dorsal fin and its tail fin. This is typical of the Char family of species.
We fish Lake Trout on 2 different water systems. The tackle suggested here is based on fishing Big Vermillion ~ a spring fed lake that is crystal clear and produces great numbers of fish ranging from 3 to 8 lbs. We also fish Minnitaki Lake for this species and tend to see larger fish ~ 8 to 20 lbs. Minnitaki Lake Trout fishing is most productive in early season (May and June) and Big Vermillion has great action all season long. These fish need cold water to thrive and will go into deep holes as the water temperatures increase. You can expect to fish them relatively shallow (8-16 feet) in spring, and up to 80 feet deep in mid summer.
DISTRIBUTION: Due to the need for this species to have deep, cold water it is not as wide spread in our area as many other species are, but the numbers of fish are abundant which we see being caught throughout our season. Lakes which host this species are as named above, Minnitaki and Big Vermilion Lakes. Due to cold water temperatures in the spring and fall, this fish is often caught in 4 to 50 feet of water. As the summer warms the water, these fish will move to deeper water where they can be caught in up to 80+ feet deep. As Big Vermilion is a spring fed lake and remains colder throughout the season, the average depth we fish in the summer is 50 to 80 feet. As a fall spawner, this fish will come up from the depths of the lakes when the water temperatures reach 48° F to 57° F.
ANGLING METHODS: A common practice for angling Lake Trout in this area is to run a “set line” from the shore. This involves attaching a hearing on to a treble hook, weighing it down with an egg sinker, and running the line out to an area of water that ranges from 30 to 80 feet deep. Also common is to jig for these fish with a sonar or a plain lead head jig tipped with a minnow.
TROPHY LAKE TROUT FISHING: We fish two different lakes for Lake Trout from our base camp. The trophy Lake Trout lake in our area is Minnitaki Lake. Minnitaki produces Trophy Lake Trout up to 45 lbs. We also fish Big Vermilion for Lake Trout. The size of the fish are not as large as Minnitaki but the fishing is more consistent.
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