Trolling
>>Tips
For
Ice-Out
Take a crack at
these denizens of
the deep for the
brief period they
move shallow
each spring.
story and photos By Ben Beattie
A
s winter loses its icy
grip on Ontario,
eager anglers
dream about
spring fishing.
For some, it’s the sight of a float going
under on their favourite steelhead
stream. For others, it’s watching the
swirl from a big pike as it chases their
bait in shallow water. For me, it’s
watching a planer board slice through
the cold water, waiting for it to drop
back under the weight of a lake trout.
Ice-out lake trout fishing is a timehonoured tradition in many areas of
Ontario. We’re fortunate to be home
to one-quarter of all the world’s
lake trout lakes, offering abundant
opportunities to target this species.
The weeks following ice-out provide
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ONTARIO OUT OF DOORS | Fishing Annual 2011
Ice-Out Whereabouts
Lakers are aggressive predators,
and locating them usually leads to
catching them. To narrow your search,
focus on areas where basins meet
mainland shorelines. Fast access to
at least 40-foot depths is a common
connection between productive ice-out
areas. Prominent points, rock walls,
and reefs close to shore are all good
bets. Sand flats outside of bays, creek
outlets, and adjacent to beaches also
hold fish at this time of year. Also pay
close attention to bottleneck areas
where basins narrow down between
islands and the mainland. These
funnels are hot spots.
Making use of on-board electronics
is the best way to locate
and stay on fish. Watch
The author admires a
your sonar for baitfish
spring laker caught by
and trout to let you know
using a planer board and
jointed minnowbait.
when you’re in the right
area. This will also help
determine which depths
should be targeted. Keep
in mind that the right
depth can change from
one day to the next and
from spot to spot.
Marking waypoints
with a GPS unit helps
to isolate structure and
locations where fish have
been caught. Successful
trolling passes can be
repeated by following
GPS trails and matching
productive speeds.
some of the best fishing of the season
for those who know how to do it. Truth
is, it’s not difficult.
Being a cold-water species, during
summer lakers spend most of their
time in deep water, where targeting
them is more challenging. However,
in the weeks following ice-out,
temperatures in the upper portion of
the water column are within the laker’s
comfort zone. This creates a window
of angling opportunity. Ice-out lakers
concentrate predictably in a small
portion of the water column, the upper
portion, where catching them is easiest.
Covering water by trolling is the best
way to search for them.
Field Tip
Replace trebles with single Siwash
hooks. They’re much easier to
remove, making catch and release
more successful. Also, hooking
percentages remain high.
feeding aggressively on a smorgasbord
of forage, ranging from dainty mayfly
nymphs to nutritious smelt and cisco.
When conditions like these occur,
there’s no need to get baits deeper than
they dive on their own.
Cover the Waterfront
When trout are feeding high in the
water, planer boards add another
dimension to long-line trolling
tactics. They effectively spread out
presentations, allowing for covering a
larger area of water. Running both port
and starboard boards, with a long-line
rod in the middle, is a classic ice-out
laker pattern for a group of anglers.
Another benefit of planer boards is
their ability to run a line close to shore
without spooking fish with the boat.
Up High
At its simplest, ice-out
lakers can caught by
clipping on your favourite
spoon or minnowbait,
letting out 100 feet or
more of line, and trolling
around the lake. In fact,
the biggest lake trout I’ve
seen was caught by doing
this.
The ice had been out for
a couple of weeks and the
spring sun had given life
to all levels of the aquatic
food chain in the warming
shallows. Lakers were
Fine-tune your trolling spread by
experimenting with different baits,
lead lengths, and trolling speeds. In
general, 100 to 200 feet of line from a
long-line rod or behind a planer board
is sufficient. Shorter leads make baits
run shallower, which can be desirable
for inside lines. Deeper-diving baits
can also be run on shorter leads and
still be effective. I’ve had success with
as little as 50 feet of line out on diving
crankbaits. Conversely, clear water or
spooky fish might call for longer leads
with shallower-diving baits.
Fishing Annual 2011 | WWW.ONTARIOOUTOFDOORS.COM 69
Trolling
Tips For
Ice-Out
Also experiment with trolling speeds
ranging from 1.5 to 3 mph. Varying
speed can help trigger hits and will
reveal what the fish are looking for.
Speed also influences how deep baits
run. Speeding up causes crankbaits
to dive, but pulls spoons and in-line
spinners higher in the water. Conversely,
slowing down causes crankbaits to rise,
while spoons and spinners sink lower.
An effective search strategy is to run a
planer board in shallow and a diver over the
transom in 20 to 40 feet of water.
40 feet down and suggested we use
diving planers to take our baits deeper.
During our first pass with the divers,
the outside rod was hit and a feisty lake
Diving Deeper
trout made its way to the net.
Not all ice-out lake trout
“ D i v e r s ,” B u s h e y
fishing scenarios call for
joked. “Never leave home
a shallow-water bite. On a
without them.”
To take baits a little
trip a few years ago with J.
Diving planers, such
deeper, but more
P. Bushey, outdoor writer
as
Dipsey Divers, Jet
importantly stop
and ice-out lake trout
Divers, and Diver Disks,
debris from sliding
specialist from Barrie, we
down the line and
quickly and easily take
fouling baits, add a
struggled to put fish in the
baits deeper. When icesmall split shot a few
boat with long lines and
out lakers are holding in
feet up the line when
planer boards. We had
deeper water, these handy
trolling planer boards
virtually followed the ice
trolling devices are lessand long-lining.
off the lake, even breaking
expensive substitutes
it with the boat to get to
for downriggers. Using
open water. Surface temperatures were multiple rods with divers is an easy way
barely above freezing, and the shallow to cover different depths. However, they
bite was nonexistent. Often it takes a can also be used with shallow trolling
few warming days for lakers to move up. methods. An effective search strategy
As we trolled around in search is to run a planer in shallow and a diver
mode, Bushey marked fish on the sonar over the transom in 20 to 40 feet of water.
Field Tip
Bushey offers the following advice
for trolling with diving planers: “If
the fish won’t bite or suddenly stop
biting, never make the same pass
twice. Change the angle you attack
from. Change depth. Change lure style,
size, or colour. Move through slowly
or power through quickly. Sweep
lures through on tight turns. These
are proven tricks for making fish hit.
Don’t be afraid to tick bottom with the
divers; this triggers strikes.”
To protect your setup when it bangs
bottom, Bushey recommends running a
3-foot leader of 40-pound fluorocarbon
from your main line to the diving planer.
From the diving planer to your bait,
run a 4- to 6-foot leader of 20-pound
fluorocarbon.
Searching for and catching iceout lake trout is an exercise in trial
and error. Be prepared to cover a lot
of water, while experimenting with
different trolling techniques.
J.P. Bushey releases an ice-out laker he caught while
trolling with a Dipsey Diver and spoon.
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ONTARIO OUT OF DOORS | Fishing Annual 2011
>> Essential Equipment
Be ready to cover any lake trout ice-out challenge.
Planer Boards
In-line planer boards
suitable for ice-out lake
trout trolling clip directly to
your line, making them easy
to use. Once attached, the
planer floats in the water
and pulls itself and your line
out to the side.
A common setup has the
planer 60 to 100 feet out
to the side, with the bait an
additional 150 feet behind
the board. Some models
are bidirectional, while
others are either left or right
planers. When a fish hits,
the board will drop back or
struggle to make forward
progress in the water. Some
models have spring-loaded
flags that alert you when
fish hit. With a fish on, reel
the planer board to the
boat and have your partner
remove it while keeping
tension on the line.
Diving Planers
These disk-shaped in-line
devices attach directly to
the end of your line and
a short leader runs from
the diver to your bait. The
more line you let out, the
deeper the lure dives.
Most models feature a trip
mechanism that makes
them dive when engaged
and disengages when
fish hit, which minimizes
the resistance from the
diver while fighting the
fish. Some models are
multidirectional and, in
addition to running straight
down, can be set to run
down and out to the left
or right. This option helps
spread out lines and cover
a wider area of water on
each trolling pass.
Rods, Reels, and Line
For long-line trolling, gear
can be basic. A spinning
or casting outfit suitable
for pike, loaded with 10- to
12-pound monofilament, will
do the trick.
Baitcasting outfits are
best suited for running
planer boards, although a
medium-heavy spinning rod
in the 7- to 9-foot range
will also get the job done.
Overall, a heavier rod is
better to handle the pull
from a planer board slicing
through the water. Spool
up with 10- to 14-pound
monofilament.
For diving planers, use
7- to 10-foot medium or
medium-heavy baitcasting
rods. Those designed for
downrigging also work
with diving planers. Spool
up with 17- to 20-pound
monofilament. Its stretch is
helpful for all ice-out lake
trout trolling applications,
as it acts as a shock
absorber and helps keep
fish hooked.
Reels with line counters
are ideal. Knowing exactly
how much line you have
out allows for better depth
control and repetition once
a pattern is established. It
also gives you the ability to
follow dive charts for diving
planers and crankbaits.
Lures
When ice-out lake trout are
feeding on baitfish such as
smelt and cisco, spoons
and minnowbaits in the
2- to 5-inch range are
hard to beat. Little Cleos,
Williams Wablers, and
jointed Rapalas are
consistent producers.
Wobbling plugs like Kwikfish
and Flatfish also work.
When aquatic insects are
on the menu, downsize to
small in-line spinners.
Productive colours for all
styles of baits range from
natural gold and silvers
to hot colours such as
chartreuse and orange, and
don’t discount blue. Colour
patterns vary widely from
day to day and lake to lake,
so experiment until you find
something productive.
Check out Planer Boards at:
www.bigjon.com
www.churchtackle.com
www.offshoretackle.com
www.planerboard.com
www.yellowbirdproducts.com
Check out Diving Planers at:
www.walkerdownriggers.com
www.bigjon.com
www.luhrjensen.com
www.seastriker.com
www.slidediver.com
Contacts
Green Power
Canadian Tire, www.canadiantire.ca
or your local store
EfstonScience, 416-787-4581,
www.eScience.ca,Texas
[email protected]
rigged beaver-tail,
crayfish plastics, and texas
Composting Toilets
rigged senko
Envirolet, 1-800-387-5245,
www.envirolet.ca
Grey-Water Recycling
Brac systems - Project Innovations,
705-734-6258,
www.projectinnovations.ca
Fishing Annual 2011 | WWW.ONTARIOOUTOFDOORS.COM 71