Summer Lake Trout Trolling

Going Deep for Lakers: Mastering Mid-Summer Lake Trout Trolling

While other sportfish slow down in August, Ontario’s deep-water lake trout fishery enters its absolute prime. Lake trout prefer a highly specific, cold water column environment—ideally holding right around 53 F. By late summer, that temperature band sits way down in the depths, typically between 60 and 100 feet deep over central lake plateaus.

To catch them, you have to play the deep-water trolling game. This requires specialized gear designed to deliver your lures down into the abyss without letting the water drag your line straight back to the surface.

1. The Heavy Steel Solution: Wire and Lead Core Lines

If you do not own expensive downriggers, you can achieve deep-water dominance by spooling your line up with Lead Core Line or heavy Braided Stainless Steel Wire Line.

• Lead Core: This weighted nylon line sinks at a predictable rate of roughly 5 feet of depth for every 30 feet of line deployed at a trolling speed of 1.5 mph. Running “10 colors” out puts your lure exactly at the 50-foot mark.
• Steel Wire: Wire sinks fast and slices clean through water resistance, allowing you to reach deep basins with far less line out back behind the boat.

2. The Presentation: Lazy Wobbles and Flashers

Lakers down in the dark depths are highly visual predators. You need a setup that combines massive light reflection with a slow, wide swimming action.

• The Attractor: Run a massive 8-inch chrome or chartreuse lake troll flasher string.
• The Bait: Behind the flasher, attach a 3-foot fluorocarbon leader tied to a lazy-action lure like a Luhr-Jensen Flatfish or an original Williams Wabler spoon. Trolled slowly at 1.2 to 1.8 mph, this combo creates a massive pulsing vibration that draws lakers in from fifty feet away.
• LUHR-JENSEN FLATFISH LURES