Fishing was good, the catching was slow. Fished from 3′-125′ of water. Riggers, boards, lead, dipsys, flashers, flies, spoons, sticks, you name it. There was no hot bait. Water was cool, only around 35.9 degrees.
I believe that’s called “straining the water column.” Cool pics. 
When in your opinion is the best time to hit Superior for above average sized lakers?
That’s one serious trolling rig.
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I believe that’s called “straining the water column.” Cool pics.
When in your opinion is the best time to hit Superior for above average sized lakers?
James, for me it is whenever I can hit the water. However once the water warms up, and pushes the fish deeper, they are more predictable. July and August can be some great fishing, throw in a couple of high lines for kings and the ocassional bow.
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That’s one serious trolling rig.
We’ve brought our share of Trout, Salmon, and Walleys over those gunnels! When the King bite takes off in another few weeks, we will run up to 14 lines off it, pretty well. Sometimes them crazy rainbows, will mess up a couple lines, but all in all it is a good system.
You can see the Folbe rod holders attached to the rails. I have heard people question polymer style rod holders, holding up to the abuse of big fish. Well I am here to tell you these Folbes will handle the big 10.5′ rods with 50# power pro, pulling magnum dipsy divers with rings, and take the abuse of 20+ pound king salmon smashes. It sure is neat to see them big rods bent over pulling the dipsy, then see them start surging/pounding back more than you think possible when those big Kings latch on! If you need them, give dean a ring, he will hook you up!
Sweet setup – Where was that out of? Fun running a big spread like that, no?? 
Ever get over and fish Michigan, or is it mostly Superior??
Thanks for posting the pics,
Mike
My brother
a good friend of mine from high school
Here’s us running a 2 man spread (6 lines). 2 riggers, 2 dipsys, 2 boards. I have run twelve lines before (4 man spread), but no more… Have never tried to salmon fish 5 people out of my boat!
20 lb’er??
James, this is actually my favorite time to fish them. Winter. Go deep, with big baits. You wouldn’t believe what this fish actually bit. Prior to catching this one, I released a 34″‘er that had a 16″ herring stuck in its gullet, and still managed to eat my bait. Sorry for the blood, this is a siskowet strain, and ended up going on my wall. I had just over 300’ of line out when it bit, and it took about 20 minutes on a Abu-Garcia 5500, with a custom graphite from Thorne bros.
That is what I am talking about….a fish like that through the ice would be incredible…..awesome fish…
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Sweet setup – Where was that out of? Fun running a big spread like that, no??
Ever get over and fish Michigan, or is it mostly Superior??
Thanks for posting the pics,
Mike
Mike, sorry, your reply came up, between my posts.
We have a cabin north of Bayfield, so we fish out of there a lot. I prefer to fish Michigan though, as the fish are bigger and more of them. I love big Kings! I have standing reservations at a campground in Algoma for the 4th of July every year, and I usually make about 4-5 other trips each year over there. It is addicting!
That King was 19# and some change-good guess.
I love running a big spread, problem is I usually can’t find enough people interested in going out, to keep me busy setting lines. Most of my fishing on my 4th of July trip this year, will be solo. 3 lines=BORING! Generally I don’t even reel any fish in, I like figuring them out, once they bite someone else gets to have fun!
I had one 2 years ago, that was also 19 and change, he hit the starboard rigger, right behind me. I was at the wheel. I grabbed it, and thought, ah what the heck I’ll take this one. About 10 seconds later, he buzzed off 530′ of 50# Power Pro, I was giggling like a school girl. 
WTA:
Great stuff!!! If you ever need anyone to help you get some more lines in the water (either direction)…
Mark
Wow, that laker is awesome!
Last year was a little slow in Mich. I think it was so for a lot of guys, at least compared to the years prior. We did ok sunup/down, but not much during the day.
2 and 3 years ago were amazing. triples and quads all over the place pre-dawn, what a firedrill. 2 and 3 man limits in 2 or 3 hours. Unreal!
Hoping that things get back to “friggin’ awesome” this summer.
A few more pics just for fun. A little bit of a mixed bag… Browns, kings, and steelies… The photo of all the fish in the bottom of the boat was a “grand slam day” with a 3 man limit. A few lakers, steelies, kings, cohos, and a brown all in one morning.
I’d be more than happy to cover fuel and bait over the 4th, I couldn’t think of anything better to do, I have always wanted to get into fishing the big guys. So far its only been d-rigging on LOW. Seriousley I’ll pay.
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James, this is actually my favorite time to fish them. Winter. Go deep, with big baits. You wouldn’t believe what this fish actually bit. Prior to catching this one, I released a 34″‘er that had a 16″ herring stuck in its gullet, and still managed to eat my bait. Sorry for the blood, this is a siskowet strain, and ended up going on my wall. I had just over 300’ of line out when it bit, and it took about 20 minutes on a Abu-Garcia 5500, with a custom graphite from Thorne bros.
whitetailaddict
Oh yeah! Now you’ve got my attention!
What can you tell me about the different “strains” of lakers and how do you tell them apart?
“this is a siskowet strain”
Winter time is your favorite time, eh? Hmmmmm… mine too. Lakers through the ice is a ridiculous amount of fun. What do you see for an average size on those fish?
Thanks in advance.
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What can you tell me about the different “strains” of lakers and how do you tell them apart?
“this is a siskowet strain”
The white leading edges of the fins while lacking any red color is one way to help determine the differences between the siskowet and the red fin. The red fin strain will show fin coloring very similar to a brook trout quite a bit of the time. The Siskowets I have taken seem to be a little lighter across the back as far as base color goes and the mottling is muted, but then I’ve never taken one from that deep of water so I may be wrong on that observation.
Siskowets live deep….note that he was fishing at around 300 feet when the fish hit….this is Siskowet territory.
Because of their deeper digs, they tend to be oilier than red fins and the table quality can get to be marginal with size. Siskotwets tend to spawn at much deeper depths.
Once a fish is opened up you can see and feel the differences between the two strains. The Siskotwet will have meat that ranges in color from whitish to yellowish, while the red fin’s meat will be considerably oranger. Siskowet meat will feel oily regardless of size.
The Isle Royal area produces some big Siskowets and so does the area around Bayfield. I see Siskowets in the Two Harbors area occasionally.
The fish shown is an outstanding example of Lake Superior’s large-trout potential. Its a beautiful fish, blood or no.
James, ct is correct in his statements. Another way that helps identify them is different “nose” profiles. The siskowet, or fats as they are often called, will have a blunt/squared off nose, whereas the redfin (lean) will have a more pointed profile to the nose. There is also a third, although much less common strain, in Lake Superior, called the “paperbelly”. Lake Trout and Brook trout also cross-breed, resulting in splake. A truely wonderful fish to catch, eat, and look at it. These fish are generally sterile.
Splake are commonly produced in hatcheries and then planted into lakes to provide sport fishing opportunities. The Lake Trout is the largest of the char species. The record weighing lake trout was 102 pounds. 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.
Of all the fish I have taken over the years, nothing I have caught can come close to the sheer strength of the laker. Once these fish hit the 10 pound marker, they are nothing but “determined” and the amount of strength they exhibit is just flat out extraordinary. The largest I’ve taken thru ice is a teensie 6 pounds, but that sucker felt like a 15 pound pike.
WTA….my hat’s off to you on that fish….a true trophy.
A couple more notes on the Siscowet:
They are only found in Lake Superior and make up as much as 60% of the total bio-mass of the entire lake.
They typically live in water from 300 to 900′ and spawn in 100′. Being they are that deep they have a great spawning success rate because of the lack of predators.
Up to 80% of their total body weight is in fat, making it one of the the only fish in the world you don’t need oil to fry. Problem is you start with a 4lb fillet and end up with an 8oz meal.
At the turn of the century they were harvested to make low grade lamp oil.
Last thing, pound for pound, I don’t think they fight near as hard as the leans, which rarely in Lake Superior get over 12lbs. But any 20lb fish, regardless of species or strain, is going to give a good fight. I think they’re so used to being so deep and so cold, they’re just lathargic.
This thread really got me interested in learning more about the two strains in Superior. The siscowet is incredibly adapted to their environment. Call me intrigued.
Over the years I’ve taken some large ones [siskowets] from Superior and the one thing that stands out to me is how they just seem to not feel the hook, but just don’t want to be tethered either. They can swim away at a slow, steady rate and just about clean a spool of line without making a serious run. About the time you think you have them turned and coming your way, they’ll get a glimpse of daylight and then they run like a freight-train. The ones I’ve caught that were in the 20 pound range seemed to have stamina like no other fish.
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