If the idea of trolling for lakers makes you want to take a nap, you’re not alone. Lake trout are predators and because they are predators, you can get them to pounce on baits presented in the right spots all throughout the day.

We have landed over 25 lakers so far this summer and all of them have come on some sort of vertical presentation. We like to fish spoons, jig and plastics, blades, and hair jigs - and all of them have experienced success throughout the years.

Here are the keys to catching lake trout on Lake George:

1. You can’t catch fish if they aren’t there: LOCATION is the number one detail when it comes to fishing.

2. Best locations are off shore humps, underwater points, ambush spots, neck down areas, or anywhere you mark lake trout.

3. Presentation. After finding them, you need to trigger them to bite. Sometimes they just fly in and crush your offering. But often, with good electronics, you’ll see them come up and explore and reject what you have on the end of your line. This is where you need to get creative. Think about how a smelt would react fi a predator came in to eat it. It wouldn’t stick around, it would get out of dodge. So one effective way to trigger fussy fish is to take the bait away from the fish.

4. Triggering fussy fish: Play the cat and mouse game. Rip your bait up and away from the fish. Get that fish to chase and your odds of hooking him go way up. You can either just straight retrieve the bait away or do a rip, reel, pause, repeat motion.

5. Come and learn from us. We do lake trout trips and will teach you baits, locations, and cadences that have helped us catch more fish.

We say this all the time…as you become a better fisherman, it’s huge for us to grow as people who have a conservation mindset. If you choose to harvest, don’t be greedy. Catching limits don’t define a good fishing trip and they don’t define you as a fisherman. Until next time - tight lines!