Ice Fishing for Lake Trout: Tips and Tactics to Catch Winter's Ultimate Trophy Fish

From locating hotspots to using the best lures, learn everything you need to know about targeting lake trout beneath the ice.

Ice fishing for lake trout takes patience, but the reward is a memorable fight that will leave you shaking. | Joe Shead

Why Lake Trout Are Winter’s Most Coveted Trophy Fish

Lake trout might be the ultimate winter trophy. A tangle with one of these denizens of the deep is not soon forgotten. Lake trout fight with spirit and are always game for a battle in winter’s cold water. Plus, they grow large. A 20-pounder is a possibility nearly anywhere they swim, and in some waters, a fish topping 50 pounds isn’t out of the question! They will test your skill, your tackle and most of all, your patience because sometimes you’ll go hours without a bite. But it’s all worth it when a fish smacks your jig.

Lake trout are a unique species. They prefer colder water than other fish and are often found at mind-boggling depths. I think the fact these fish seem so otherworldly is what makes catching them so appealing.

The northern United States is at the southern end of their range, and they are only found in some of our deepest, coldest lakes. They are much more common in Canada and Alaska.

Where to Find Lake Trout When Ice Fishing

Because they require cold water, in summer, you automatically look for them in deep water. However, in winter, when all the water is cold, lake trout can be more scattered and can easily tolerate shallower water. Still, most anglers target them in deep water, say 40 feet or more.

Look for lake trout along deep structure. Identify sharp drop-offs where fish can slide up and ambush prey, then retreat to deeper water. Steeply dropping shorelines, points and islands are good bets, especially if they are rocky. A look at the shoreline is often a good indication of how the lake bottom appears. Find a rocky hill along a lake and there’s a good chance the drop-off continues below the ice. Other good lake trout locations are deep humps and narrows in between two humps or shorelines.

Andy Arens hoists a lake trout he caught while ice fishing in northern Minnesota. | Joe Shead

Pro Tips for Targeting Lake Trout This Winter

Begin fishing on bottom. That’s where you’ll find the warmest water in winter. Although lakers like cold water, when water temps are in the 30s, warmer is preferable.

Many fish are caught on bottom, but don’t limit your fishing to the bottom. Cold water is everywhere. More importantly, however, is forage location. Lake trout eat a variety of pelagic fish. Depending on available forage, they may eat ciscoes, whitefish, herring, smelt or other prey. Prey location dictates lake trout movements. As such, a flasher is an invaluable tool to locate both predators and prey in the water column.

Tips for Using a Flasher to Locate and Trigger Lake Trout

A flasher is also a great resource after a fish spots your bait. Lakers are notorious for examining baits without biting. Sometimes you have to rile them up to draw a strike. If you see a fish come in without hitting, crank the bait up a few feet. Monitor the fish’s reaction on your flasher. If the fish gives chase but doesn’t hit, crank it up some more. Raising your bait 20 feet isn’t out of the question. If the fish still doesn’t strike, plunge the bait back down to the original depth. Continue messing with the fish until it strikes or swims off. This method is a great way to elicit strikes. It also demonstrates the importance of a flasher. Without it you don’t know if fish are present or if they are reacting to your jigging.

The author holds a Lake Superior lake trout, caught while jigging a heavy lure tipped with smelt. | Joe Shead

Top Lures and Baits for Lake Trout Fishing Under the Ice

A mackinaw angler, someone who fishes for mackinaw trout, also known as lake trout or lake char, packs a tackle box that need not contain too many baits.

The Northland Level-Head Predator and Air-Plane jigs are both excellent choices for jigging lake trout through the ice. | Northland

• Tube Jig -A white tube jig probably catches more lakers than anything else. The Northland Level-Head Predator Tube is a top choice.
• Airplane Jig -A Northland Air-Plane jig tipped with a smelt, sucker or chub fillet is another classic. White is a preferred color, but other hues may produce.
• Stinger Hook -No matter what lure you choose, attaching a stinger hook is a good idea if you’re fishing with cut bait.
• Blade Baits and Spoons -Other laker takers include blade baits and spoons when extra flash and vibration is needed to call fish in.
• Smaller Ice Jigs -On some waters where small fish are the norm, using a tiny ice jig tipped with a waxworm isn’t out of the question. Jig size is determined by water depth and size of the fish.
• Lure Size -I have caught lakers on 1/32-ounce jigs while sight fishing in clear water and 3-ounce jigs while fighting current in over 100 feet of water on Lake Superior. For average-size trout, a ¼- to ½-ounce bait will be adequate in most situations.
• Tip-ups -Tip-up anglers take fish on dead smelt or chubs set on bottom. Tip-ups can be used to cover a wider area while you’re jigging for lake trout.

Choose the Right Gear for Ice Fishing Trophy Lake Trout

The medium or medium-heavy Fenwick Elite Tech Ice combo will provide plenty of backbone for setting the hook on potentially large fish in deeper water. | Fenwick

A rod with some backbone is necessary to set the hook on potentially large fish in deep water. The Fenwick Elite Tech spinning combo, either in the 28” medium power or 30” medium-heavy, fits the bill.

I like to use braided line like Sufix Performance Ice braid with a mono leader to cut down on line stretch. Lake trout aren’t line shy, so you can use fairly heavy line to handle nice fish.

Baitcasting and spinning reels work, however, I’ve had better luck with spinning reels because bait-casters tend to freeze up more in cold weather, although fishing inside a heated shanty prevents that problem. A good all-around choice is a smooth spinning reel with a dependable drag like the Shimano Nasci FC to tame the blistering runs of lake trout.

Lake trout fishing isn’t for everyone. Like muskie fishing, there are many fishless days and a lot of down time between bites. But once you tangle with a winter mackinaw, you’ll never look at ice fishing the same way.

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