First Ice-Out Lakers

One of my favourite spring activities is without a doubt, fishing for lake trout at first ice-out. If fishing in Ontario, you do need to pay attention to the zone fishing regulations as there some areas with limitations for when you can go. However, if you choose the right zone and water body, you can target them as soon as the ice disbands.

What I find particularly appealing about first ice-out fishing is that you don’t need to get your lure deep to find the fish. In general, I tend to target lake depths in the 20-40 ft range and at those depths there is absolutely no need for a big trolling boat, expensive downriggers or complicated diver tools. At bare minimum all you really need is 1 fishing rod, a reel (preferably a line counter or larger casting style reel) a couple of your favourite spoon lures and any type of boat where you can keep a consistent trolling speed. Without putting the lure in the mouth of the trout for you, here is my formula for catching these beautiful fish;

1. The Plan: Do a little bit of research before heading to the lake that you ‘heard’ has lake trout. Identify the lake that you would like to fish and review the zone fishing regulations that it is in. Once you choose the lake and where you are planning to launch, either visit the www.navionics.com – char