3 Proven Lake Trout Fishing Techniques and the Best Lures for Each

Whether you vertical jig, troll or cast, these lures will help you catch more big lake trout.

The author holds an early spring lake trout caught while trolling a crankbait just a few feet below the surface of Lake Superior. | Joe Shead

There are lots of different ways to catch lake trout, but the key to consistency is knowing the best techniques and lures to use based on the current conditions and the fish’s patterns and preferences. These large powerful predators are a bucket list species for some and a favorite for many anglers. Keep your lures in the cool, deep, clean water they prefer in the Great Lakes and throughout the northern U.S., Canada and Alaska, and you’ll find the lake trout you seek.

Technique #1: Vertical Jigging for Pinpoint Precision

Vertical jigging has always been the go-to method for ice anglers, but with recent advancements in live sonar, it’s suddenly become a top presentation for open water as well. Whereas anglers mostly trolled on lake trout strongholds like Lake Superior, improved technology not only helps anglers locate reefs, but also allows them to drop lures directly on specific fish and watch them react to their lures.

Best lures for vertical jigging lake trout:

• Tube jigs -A popular classic for deep-water lake trout.
• Airplane jigs -Flies through the water with a tantalizing action.
• Bondy Bait -An oversized bait for oversized lake trout.

Tube Jig

Some of the best lake trout lures are tube jigs, preferably white. Pictured is a Northland Level-Head Predator Tube. | Joe Shead

Tube jigs are some of the most popular jigging choices, and white is usually the preferred color. Ideal size varies depending on the depth you'll be fishing, presence of current, and the size of the quarry you expect to catch. In shallow, calm water, you could get by with a 1/2 ounce tube. In deep water or for extra big lakers, you might bump it up to 3 ounces. You can fish a tube plain, shoot it up with your favorite scent or even tip it with a smelt or cisco.

Airplane Jig

The Northland Air Plane Jig is a staple among lake trout ice anglers. | Joe Shead

Airplane jigs are the favorite choice of many ice anglers. The wings on the side of the jig help the lure to fly through the water, giving it a tantalizing action. Although the hair on an airplane jig has some action of its own, most anglers tip their airplane jig with meat, whether it's whole or cut bait.

Bondy Bait

The Original Bondy Bait, designed for muskie, but big lake trout love it too. | Bass Pro Shop

If you've really got your sights set on a lunker laker, the Bondy Bait, a large, heavy soft-plastic bait with a spinner tail, originally developed for vertically jigging muskies, tempts giant lake trout like candy! You'll need a stiff, stout rod to handle these oversized baits (the original Bondy Bait weighs 7 ounces).

Pro tip: Always match your tackle and especially your line weight to the weight of the lure and depth of your presentation to maximize the action of the lure.

Technique #2: Trolling to Cover More Water & Find Active Fish

Trolling is the most efficient way to find scattered fish. | Kurt Mazurek

Trolling is the most efficient way to cover huge amounts of water—literally miles in a day—presenting multiple baits at precisely controlled depth and speed. When trying to locate scattered lake trout, it’s hard to beat trolling.

Best lures for trolling lake trout:

• Crankbaits -Great when surface temps are cool and lake trout are high in the water column.
• Spoons -Versatile, flashy, proven to catch lakers, and available in a limitless array of sizes and colors.
• Flasher/Fly -Flash and vibration plus the erratic path of the fly looks like an easy meal to a hungry lake trout.
• Flasher/Spin-N-Glo -Similar to the flasher/fly but the lure’s wings cause it to spin adding a new level of attraction.

Crankbaits

Crankbaits for lake trout trolling include a Reef Runner Little Ripper, Storm ThunderStick and Rapala Scatter Rap Deep Husky Jerk. | Joe Shead

When surface temperatures are cool and lakers are riding high in the water column, crankbaits get results. In spring, when the surface temperature of massive Lake Superior hits about 50 degrees, lake trout come to the surface to feed on baitfish. At that time it's not unusual to catch fish just 5 feet below the surface, where both predator and prey enjoy the sun-warmed surface water. Bombers, Rapalas and other crankbaits catch plenty of fish. As the water warms, lakers move deeper to find 45 to 50 degree water, but deep-diving cranks like Reef Runners can keep you on fish.

Spoons

Spoons are among the best lake trout lures. Pictured are a Pro King, Jim's Flashback, Mepps Syclops and a Bay de Noc Laker Taker. | Joe Shead

The incredibly versatile spoon is the bread and butter of many Great Lakes trollers. While heavy models like the Luhr-Jensen Krocodile can be cast for lakers in shallow, cold water, the thinner spoons like the Bay de Noc Laker Taker or the Williams Wabler troll well behind downriggers. This allows you to present your spoons at the precise depth where fish are holding, based on temperature breaks or the presence of baitfish.

Flasher/Fly

A lake trout caught on a flasher/fly combination. | Joe Shead

Although flasher/fly combinations are probably thought of as salmon rigs, lake trout didn't get the message. The flash and vibration of a flasher, dodger or rotator calls 'em in while the fly being whipped around by the attractor gives the vibe of an easy meal. You can fish flies plain or with meat.

Flasher/Spin-N-Glo

Spin-N-Glos consist of a soft body with wings, which make the lure spin in the water. They are fished in a similar manner to a fly: behind a dodger, flasher or cowbell, which serve as attractors.

Pro tip: Vary trolling speed frequently (but by very small amounts) until you dial in what works best in current conditions.

Technique #3: Casting to Target Lakers in the Shallows

A big healthy lake trout about to be released back to the deep. | 10861270 | Lake Trout © David Webb | Dreamstime.com

Casting techniques excel during the seasons when lake trout can be found in relatively shallow water. Plus, there’s something about that direct connection between the cast the retrieve and the bite that makes it a very satisfying fishing experience.

Best lures for casting lake trout:

• Spoons -Easy to cast and provide tons of flash and fish attraction.
• Deep-Diving Crankbaits -Great prey fish imitator with a built-in swimming, diving, rolling action.
• Dead Bait -Easy and effective.

Spoons

The Luhr-Jensen Krocodile spoon. | Rapala | Luhr-Jensen

When the water surface temps are 50 degrees or less and fish are relatively shallow, you can catch lake trout while casting a spoon. As mentioned, heavy spoons like the Luhr Jensen Krocodile cast like a bullet and sink rapidly, getting you down to the fish.

Crankbaits

The Salmo Freediver crankbait | tackledirect.com

Deep-diving crankbaits are good bets when targeting reefs, points or anywhere shallow water gives way to deep. A Salmo Freediver plunges down about 20 feet, calling in the big trout.

Dead Bait

Of course, this classic technique for fishing the Boundary Waters early or late in the season is a single cast followed by a long, long pause, but casting nonetheless. Pitch out a dead smelt or cisco weighted by a sinker off your campsite. Prop up your rod, then sit around a campfire while you wait for a bite. It doesn't get any easier.

Pro tip: When casting spoons or crankbaits, try occasional erratic starts and stops, as well as speeding up and slowing down the retrieve to trigger strikes.

Lake Trout Fishing Techniques and Best Lures Summary

TECHNIQUE	BEST LURES	CONDITIONS	PRO TIP
Vertical Jigging	Tube Jigs, Airplane Jigs, Bondy Bait	Fish are deep and/or suspended over structure	Match gear and line weight for best jig action
Trolling	Crankbaits, Spoons, Flasher/Fly, Flasher/Spin-N-Glo	Scattered fish holding at specific depths	Vary speeds to dial in the bite
Casting	Spoons, Crankbaits, Dead Bait	Early and late season, cool surface temps	Stop-and-go retrieve turns followers into biters