Shallow Water Lake Trout

[PaulGarth]

Hey everyone,
I live on Lake Michigan and was wondering if anyone could shed some light on the habits of Lake trout for me. I know they come in and haunt the shallows around the fall till the water cools down. I was wondering if they come in shallow enough to sight fish for. I would like to be able to cast for them from the beach or if i have to wade in a little ways if needed. It seems like you need to be deep or in a boat to find any kind of fish in this lake. I know few people do catch browns during the season from shore and some catch carp during the summer. But that is a different story. Any info and help is much appreciated, Paul Garth Gray

[dahlberg]

Hi PG

Lake Trout in the shallows are pretty spooky, and surprisingly hard to see on rocky bottom, but can be seen in the shallows when the water temps are around 48 degrees. Beyond 52 and they are usually out of there. An old friend of mine, now long dead, used to purposely sight fish for huge specimens on Great Bear, Great Slave and Athabasca. In his lifetime he'd boated 40 lakers over 50 pounds, mostly sight fishing shallower sandy bays with temps from 48-52 degrees while ice was still covering the main lakes.
I've not fished them in Lake Mich, but used to positively slay the dickens out of them (often 100 fish days) fishing out of float tubes at the mouths of Lake Superior tributaries. The key was that the wind had to be blowing on shore and the trib needed to have a good fresh flow of rain. The main lake would be somewhere in the mid to high thirties and the tribs would be running in the high 50's or low 60's.
To keep from freezing my ____ off I'd wear super heavy nylon pile and neoprenes I got from a survival suit company.
What's interesting is that if I had a pod where I was catching one every cast from the float tube, if small boat or canoe got within 100 feet of them they would spook off.
At that time size wise they were in the 8 to 10 lb range.
That's about all the insight I've got. Wish I could be of more help.
good luck!
L

[PaulGarth]

Exactly the knowledge I was looking for. Again, Appreciated! Paul Garth Gray