We were set about a decade ago to fly into one of the famous lake trout fisheries of the far north. The lodge on this lake set up the trip, we would go to film TV footage, and they hoped the rest of the world would be intrigued by the prospect of jigging for huge fish through the ice. We announced the planned trip in an In-Fisherman “Adventures” column. Surprisingly, no one responded; so the trip would have been a financial bust and had to be cancelled.

A market for the far north still hasn’t developed. Apparently, it’s perceived as too far, too cold, too expensive, and a little too dangerous. Lake trout closer to home, however, are a popular option in winter. Flaming Gorge (Utah), Fort Peck Reservoir (Montana), and a variety of other lakes across the West get a fair amount of winter pressure. Meanwhile, famous Yellowstone Lake (Wyoming) has a population of illicitly introduced lake trout that are damaging a native cuthroat fishery.

Lake trout also have a following in the northeast, particularly in Maine, New Hampshire, and parts of New York. Lake Simcoe in southern Ontario is the most famous of the laker lakes in that region. Where portions of bays freeze on the Great Lakes, lakers are targeted. The north shore of Lake Superior, especially in the Thunder Bay area, is a fine area for trout. A few fisheries also are scattered across the north-central states. We have, for example, a few stocked lakes near our office in Brainerd, Minnesota, about two hours north of the Twin Cities.

We do most of our fishing just across the border in northwest Ontario, where bevies of Canadian Shield waters host laker populations. These are fragile fisheries. Lake trout can live a long time, and over many years, are vulnerable to overharvest. Still, the fishing on top waters can be good—certainly exciting—with a good shot at catching bigger fish each day on the ice.

This is especially true during the earliest part of the season, which begins January 1. The fish haven’t been bothered in a while and it isn’t unusual to have days where a group of anglers will catch 3 to 5 or more fish a day per angler over a three-day trip. On waters like portions of Whitefish Bay (Lake of the Woods), some of the those fish weigh 10 to 15 pounds. Occasionally, someone will latch onto one over 20.

Lake trout approaching 40 pounds (and probably larger) are swimming in a few waters in this region. In over 20 years of winter fishing for lake trout, I’ve had one fish that I really couldn’t move on the hookset, couldn’t move after a minute. Then the fish just started to swim away, and for some reason, the hook just pulled out. I’ve caught 30-pound fish in open water, and I believe this one surely was larger than that. That’s the ever-present potential, part of the excitement, of lake trout fishing.

When they’re active and haven’t been pressured, lakers can be super aggressive and easy to catch, seemingly biting on just about anything you might drop down there. Overall, though, a lot of misconceptions remain about lakers and how best to catch them. Huge lures fished aggressively may, over the long haul, result in some big fish. We’ve tried a lot of that, though, and it doesn’t seem to produce well in most situations. The truth is that conditions aren’t always right, and fish smarten up fast.

Big lures are easier for fish to scrutinize, and big fish have had lots of experience with stuff that’s just not quite right hanging on an angler’s line. Super aggressive jigging also doesn’t work well most of the time. Fish will come in and have a look, but usually won’t bite, especially on a super-sized lure. Even bigger trout spend a lot of time eating small baitfish. Smaller lures trigger trout more effectively than larger lures. You can also jig a smaller lure a lot more aggressively (attracting maneuver) than a large lure and not offend the trout’s often somewhat delicate feeding sensibilities.

We’ve often written about the effectiveness of smaller bass-style plastics like a 3/8-ounce jighead dressed with a 4-inch plastic tube lure, fished on clear 8- or 10-pound-test monofilament, presented with a medium-action jigging rod about 36 inches long. Drop the bait to the level of the fish—almost always in water between about 20 and 50 feet deep. Lift it easily a couple feet and let it fall. Jiggle the bait a little. Add another twitch or two. Then lift-fall again. Switch depths freely, because trout can see a long ways in most of these waters. The idea’s to get their attention, then trigger them when they come in close for a look. A lot of our biggest fish are caught about 20 feet down, over or along the edge of drop-offs or along the face of steep rock shorelines. Twenty feet down, though, also is a key depth for fish over deeper water.

Plastic tactics have been deadly everywhere I’ve fished, almost always outproducing traditional lures in the areas we’re fishing. In waters where bait can be used, you might tip this affair with a small minnow or minnow head, just something to slightly sweeten the bait. But don’t get carried away with the tipping thing. Again, too big most often is counterproductive.

When conditions get really difficult, lighten up even more. Ice with no snow cover usually pushes fish deeper and gives them an even better look at a lure when they get close. When fish get really tentative, when they get in close, try 6-pound line, a 1/4-ounce jighead, and a 3-inch tube. Sometimes 3-inch curlytail plastics work, too.

A note about monofilament lines, which differ a lot these days. The best monofilaments for these conditions are classic tough lines like Berkley XT, Stren High Impact, or Ande Premium. These lines have slightly more diameter and test slightly higher in break strength than comparative limp lines of the same test (like Berkley XL, for example).

Is it possible to land huge fish on light lines? Of course. I have no doubt that if the hook hadn’t popped free from the huge fish I mentioned earlier, I would have had a great shot at landing that fish. (The toughest part of the ordeal is controlling a big fish at the hole, especially if the ice is thick.) Granted, it might have taken awhile, but if you keep the pressure on, they’ll give. This kind of confidence comes with experience. Get a good drag set right—just enough to give grudgingly as the fish surges off, and even big trout wear down.

While you’re busy fighting that huge fish, take time to note your surroundings. Lake trout live in spectacular country.