Sokero, who stays put once he finds fish, prefers to fish from a shanty, while we rarely use them, relying on today’s great clothing to stay warm and mobile. Part of the difference in preference is a matter of the fishing depth. I usually use a monofilament line of 10-pound test, preferably Berkley Big Game, an extremely reliable and tough line. It’s a stretchy line, perfect for hard-charging lakers in water depth no more than 60 feet deep or so, where I would otherwise worry about bending a hook out on the hook-set or in fighting a fish.

At times Sokero is fishing deeper than 100 feet, the reason he prefers 6-pound Berkley FireLine, which doesn’t stretch. It’s tough to “get hooks” when fishing monofilament that deep. He adds a Berkley fluorocarbon leader about 5 feet long, testing 10 or 12 pounds, to the end of the FireLine. This adds abrasion-resistance via increased line diameter.

Sokero’s rod preference is for a medium-action 32-inch St. Croix Premier. I use one of several custom rods made for me years ago by Thorne Brothers in Minneapolis, Minnesota. My rods vary in length from 36 to 46 inches. Especially in extremely cold weather, when an angler is fishing a long line, it’s helpful to fish from a shack because FireLine tends to freeze to the spool, whereas monofilament doesn’t.

Of course a good spinning rod with a smooth drag is vital to the process. Meanwhile, a ball-bearing swivel is tied into the leader line about 2 feet above the lure, to reduce the line twist that results from constant vertical jigging. I imagine Sokero worries about bending hooks out when he fishes shallow water, with his preference for FireLine, which is why he replaces factory hooks with heavier models and he replaces factory split rings with heavier split rings, too.

Harvest lake trout selectively. The bigger fish, especially on Canadian Shield lakes, are always very old and limited in number. They can’t stand any harvest. Once a trip, we usually keep a 3- or 4-pound fish for a shorelunch of chowder—maybe a fish or two for a fish fry back at camp.

Lake trout are as good as it gets on ice. They grow large and fight harder than just about anything else. They’re often supremely aggressive. I’ve had fish start up from 40 feet down, charging toward my lure after I’ve just dropped it down the hole. Those are memorable moments that don’t happen with other fish, one of many reasons trout have become so popular.