Caught the Lake Trout bug! Now what?

So my group and i traveled 3hr North from where we live in SW MI (Allegan Co.) to target a species of fish we have never caught through the ice… …the LAKE TROUT!!! Long story short, we drove up to Higgins lake, caught some lakers and now we are all hooked! (pun intended) The lake trout, to me, is like no other fish under the ice. After hooking into my first fish i knew i had found something that would plague my mind for the rest of my life. Now i sit at work in my office watching lake trout vids and reading article upon article in my free time. I cannot express to you all how freaking excited i am to get back out on a lake that holds lakers. The problem is that where we live there are very few places to target lake trout. If the local lakes do hold lakers they are sparse. I am up for the challenge but I am seriously contemplating looking for work in MN/WI area so i can hook into more of these bad boys. Am i out of my mind??? please give me reassurance here. My wife and i have great jobs/home and a baby boy on the way. Please tel me one of those Higgins lake Lakers gave me a disease that will eventually wear off before i make a nomadic decision. lol.

In MN, lake trout are closed from Oct 1-Dec 31 and from April 1-mid May… They will be the worst 4 1/2 months every year, and you just have to be content catching something else in the mean time.

Like offering a drink to an alcoholic.

Heading up lake trout fishing this weekend. I live in the north metro and still have to drive a min of two hours to find lakers.

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Go to Saginaw Bay. They are in there pretty thick.

Don’t worry Andrew, it does wear off, slightly. For the first two years after I caught my first laker through the ice, I said the same thing. “I’m only gonna fish for lakers from now on. Nothing else compares” And, while that may be true, it will change as time goes on like anything. This year, I’ve actually only laker fished once. Been focusing on learning new inland stuff when I have the time…

Lakers are an amazing fish to chase through the ice, and I know exactly where your coming from. Once you’ve really dove into it, caught a bunch, and kind of figured out what they’re all about, I bet you’ll find yourself migrating back to some other species.

I could be wrong though, you see guys that ONLY fish for panfish, or walleyes, or pike, so I imagine lakers have such a following as well. Like Ben said though, most places have some sort of closed season, so you may not always be able to chase them when you want. And some years, I know around here, we don’t get safe ice for it.

Best of luck to you with your decision, but IMO, yes, you would be nuts to move just to fish lakers…. Make a couple trips a year for them, and they will remain that special to you for a long time.

Great insight guys! And awesome pics!!! I was only kidding about uprooting my family lol, but in all seriousness these fish are cool! I enjoy the diversity of fishimg multiple species and i think it is going to make lakers special, like Nathan said, because of how rare they are in my area. Those 4.5 months have to be hard! Lol Just seems in my area walleye and some of the other fish you guys get further north are hard to come by without driving a great length. I plan to hit Saginaw soon, just need to get with some guys who know the safe routes out and where to go. We do a lot of water fowling out that way in the fall. Thanks for great replies guys! Love seeing those pics and hearing I’m not alone. Yes, its like giving a stiff one to an alcoholic!

I know what you mean, Andrew. And, I’ve never caught a lake trout, lol. I read a couple of forums on ice fishing for lake trout a few weeks ago and I got the fever by proxy.
I live in the Twin Cities and am thinking about going up to the Ely area to give it a try. I read several posts on those forums about the “Burntside Bash”, a laker get together up there and am trying to find more info on it, as well as other suggestions on lakes to try up there or closer to the Cities, if they exist.
Al

Sorry to get back to this post so late, but since the season is down i found my self sifting through the forum.

Al Case wrote:

I know what you mean, Andrew. And, I’ve never caught a lake trout, lol. I read a couple of forums on ice fishing for lake trout a few weeks ago and I got the fever by proxy.
I live in the Twin Cities and am thinking about going up to the Ely area to give it a try. I read several posts on those forums about the “Burntside Bash”, a laker get together up there and am trying to find more info on it, as well as other suggestions on lakes to try up there or closer to the Cities, if they exist.
Al

let us know when you lay into your first laker!

Andrew,
You are not the only one with an ice fishing addiction. I have a similar one when it comes to Lake Winnipeg walleyes. I visit this site daily thinking about my next trip this winter. Also searching the clist classifieds for my new 2-up this year. Was in the attic the other day looking at rod and tackle assortment. Started the auger to run some gas through it after mowing the lawn. My wife thinks I am crazy to even be thinking about ice fishing when its 85 degrees out. Only 5 months to go

The bug never wears off, I catch myself looking over last year’s laker pics constantly! I will keep you all posted on the bite and events in Ely as ice time gets nearer and I will try to keep the updates rolling through the season.

gonehunting wrote:

Andrew,
You are not the only one with an ice fishing addiction. I have a similar one when it comes to Lake Winnipeg walleyes. I visit this site daily thinking about my next trip this winter. Also searching the clist classifieds for my new 2-up this year. Was in the attic the other day looking at rod and tackle assortment. Started the auger to run some gas through it after mowing the lawn. My wife thinks I am crazy to even be thinking about ice fishing when its 85 degrees out. Only 5 months to go

hahaha, i feel you man!

Ben Putnam wrote:

The bug never wears off, I catch myself looking over last year’s laker pics constantly! I will keep you all posted on the bite and events in Ely as ice time gets nearer and I will try to keep the updates rolling through the season.

The day the bug wears off is the day i allow my butt to get dragged to a retirement home.