Lake Trout Fishing on Lake of the Woods

Lake Trout do not leap, but instead wage a strong, determined underwater battle. Most are taken by trolling with spoons or minnow-like plugs attached to wire-line rigs or downriggers. They can also be taken by bottom-fishing with whole or cut fish.

Lake Trout require, cold, clear, well oxygenated water, so they are found almost exclusively in oligotropic lakes. In summer they often move to depths of 50 to 100 feet, but in spring and fall you can find them at depths of 20 feet or less. They prefer water from 40 to 52 degrees F.

In most waters, lake trout rely heavily on small fish like ciscoes, smelt, or sculpins. But in some lakes, they feed almost exclusively on plankton, insects, or crustaceans. In this situation, lake trout never reach the size of those in fish-eating populations. Fortunately, here at Lake of the Woods, we have an abundance of small bait-type fish for the Lake Trout to feed on—and we’ve got some big ones to prove it!

Lake trout are slow-growing and long-lived, sometimes reaching an age of 40 years. In the far North, it may take 15 years for a laker to reach 2 pounds.

In 1991, a 66 pounds, 8 ounces Lake Trout was caught in Great Bear Lake, Northwest Territories. Now that’s a good size dinner!

Early season reservations equal great early season fishing! Check out our Walleye page for some more fishing action.