# Flaming Gorge; Lake trout



## troller (Jun 27, 2013)

I'm Going to Flaming Gorge to fish for Lake Trout for the first time. for 5 days stating Sept 25.
The first time I was their fishing for kokanee. we did good. Thanks to what 
Dodger Told me. It would have been a bust without Dodgers help.
This is what I fond on the internet. what do you think?
also what is a good map and does any one use a Navionics Gold and Hot Maps add on for a Humminbird 597 fishfinder.
http://efishnsea.blogspot.com/2013/08/flaming-gorge-lake-trout.html
Thursday, August 15, 2013
Flaming Gorge; Lake trout. 
When you start your internet research on the best way to catch Lake 
Trout and where to go, Flaming Gorge will almost certainly be on the 
top of the search list. What you will not find is detailed ways to 
catch them, but you will see guide service after guide service vying 
for your cash.
Now I am not about to start bashing guides, they know their stuff 
and they know the area along with the seasonal changes that effect Lake 
Trout, but if you're like me spending $400 of my hard earned money for 
four hours of fishing is a bitter pill to swallow.
First off, I will only be talking about fishing from a boat. The 
marinas I use the most are, Lucerne and Buckboard. I did however launch 
from Anvil this year and I have to say, it put me right in the middle 
of the hot spots.
To fish in Flaming Gorge as a Utah resident you will need 1) A 
Utah fishing license 2) A reciprocal stamp from Wyoming to be able to 
fish the Wyoming side of the reservoir and 3) A quagga mussle stamp for 
your boat. This year the reciprocal stamp was $10, and another $30 for 
the Mussle decal. They can both be purchased at any store that sells 
sporting goods. You will need to bring in the registration for the boat 
and your Utah fishing license to speed up the process, but its actually 
quite easy and automated. If you cross over the Wyoming border, you 
will have to stop at the Wyoming state port of entry (weigh station) 
for an Inspection. Once there, they will inspect and attach the seal on 
your boat. The inspection process never takes more than a few minutes, 
so long as you have followed the simple process of drain, clean, dry. 
The fishing gear I prefer is a medium action rod with a fast tip 
at about 7'. I also like a high quality bait casting reel loaded with 
10-14 lb Fluorocarbon line. I use ½-1 oz. wide gap jig hooks, with a 
large 3-4" tube jig in white, glow, pumpkin or anything motor oil in 
color. You will need to tip your jigs with a piece of either sucker or 
chub minnow. I also use smelly jelly in 'salmon feast' or 'crawfish.' 
I suggest that you sharpen the jig hook to a needle or even razor 
sharpness, even if the hooks are right out of the bag. I also suggest 
that you tie directly to the jig using a quality leader and place a 
good swivel about four feet from the jig, or you will encounter some 
serious line twist after jigging in as little as a ½ hour. 
I use fluorocarbon line because monofilament line stretches too 
much for a good hook up, simply because you will be fishing in 100+feet 
of water. I like the medium heavy rods with a fast tip for 
sensitivity, again 100+ feet of water. The medium heavy rod gives me 
the ability to set the hook hard. I use the bait cast (level wind) 
reels so if the boat drifts a little into deeper water, I can simply 
push a button and feed more line, as well as when I am fighting the 
fish I can thumb more drag if need be. 
From Lucerne you have a few areas to target the Lakers. Just 
south of the marina in Linwood Bay there are a few humps that almost 
constantly hold Lakers. These areas are manmade remnants from the 
gravel recovery that was used in the making of the dam. Depending on 
the water levels, you should be fishing in approximately 105' +/- of 
water with a drop off that goes to more the 150' of water. (Most of the 
time, you can see the boats that are jigging over the humps, as you 
leave the marina.) 
If you head north you will see a rocky cliff projecting out to 
the pipe line area from the swim beach area, this area is known as 'The 
Wall.' Along that shore are several ledges that also hold the Lakers 
as well as a few areas within the pipe line area itself.
Antelope flats, eastward across from Lucerne, is also a good 
area. 
East of Anvil, there are a few shelves that drop off from 85' to 
over 100'. These are located just inside the main channel and before 
the old river bed. On those shelves you will usually find Lakers 
stacked and waiting for a Kokanee to swim close enough to make a meal 
out of. 
Out of Buckboard and north, just along the first set of cliffs, 
you will find a few shelves and suspended Lakers as well as south of 
buckboard in the Big bend area, over the edges of the river channel. 
If you haven't noticed, most of the areas I have told you about 
have a few things in common: ledges/humps that are adjacent to deep 
water, and the availability of food. Did the light just go on? 
Lake trout are lazy by nature and they will only follow a trolled 
bait for so long before they lose interest and go back to waiting for a 
Kokanee/Rainbow or a chub minnow to come within striking distance. 
Jigging is the most productive method I have found to catch them. There 
are several maps made that show you exactly where the fish hold from 
season to season. The better maps will show the same seasonal areas, 
but will even include the marked areas with GPS coordinates. They may 
even portray highlighted areas for consideration. I would highly 
suggest the* purchase of a good map*.

Once you find a spot that's marked on the map, or you happen 
accross a good spot by simply searching, you then use your sonar and 
zoom in on the bottom. Once you find a few fish on or within three feet 
of the bottom, you can either go up wind a short distance and drop your 
jig to the bottom and drift back, or use an electric trolling motor and 
stay right on top of them, just like in ice fishing. 
Once your jig hits bottom, start out jigging slowly with short 
lifts, maybe 6 to 12". Watch your screen on your fish finder; see what 
the fish's reaction is. If they follow and stay up to the depth your 
lure is fished, continue what you're doing. If they follow, and the 
fish does a look-see and then moves away, lift higher and faster to see 
if that gets their attention again. You need to vary your jigging 
presentation depending on the mood of the fish. Sometimes they even 
like it bounced off the bottom, but either way you need to keep them 
interested. On a personal note, I will not fish a single or a double 
unless I am having a hard time finding the fish; I need to have 
multiple targets to drop a jig to. These fish that are on the ledges 
are actively feeding or in an ambush position, let your jig be the 
prey. 
You will also need to pay attention to your line and the feel of 
the jigs weight, if anything changes you need to strike hard and fast. 
Lakers will pick up a jig on the fall and spit it out before you even 
knew they were there unless you're not totally focused. Watching your 
line for a tell-tale tick, or a pause when it should be dropping, is an 
indicator that the jig has been taken. Either way you need to hit them 
hard. Considering both the distance you are from them, and the 
toughness of their mouths, this calls for a very hard hook set.
If you are trolling for these beasts, I use an 8' ugly stick with 
a medium sized level wind reel capable of holding a lot of line. You 
will need a downrigger and between an 8-10 lb cannon ball. I fish with 
a J-13 Rapala in black over white and a few other brands in blue over 
silver, all 6" in length. I will also use the biggest 
Quickfish/Flatfish I can find in the same colors as well as glow. 
The areas to work are the same as in jigging, stay over the 
ledges; I fish in the same areas as I would jig. I present the lures 
at no more than 5' above the suspended fish. Don't get discouraged when 
you continue to pass over fish after fish, just be patient. As I have 
described with Kokanee in previous articles, do a circle and go back 
over them from a different direction, or with a different speed. Lake 
trout take time to impress as well as catch, but once you follow a few 
simple rules (find the Kokanee and the ledges and the availability of 
deeper colder water) the rest is presentation and speed. 
The reason I fish for the Lakers, besides the obvious size of the 
fish, is because I will describe it like hooking into a parked racecar 
that immediately takes off from the starting line. They are a blast to 
catch. 
A word of caution concerning Flaming gorge; storms will come up 
quickly and with them some serious winds. Pay attention to the skyline 
and act accordingly. I would also warn you about staying out in 
lightning. A fish is not worth your life or the lives of your friends 
and/or family. If you see lightning, get off the lake. Most of the 
time it will pass over quickly and you can resume after a lunch or 
dinner break. 
Good luck, and good fishing!


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## Dodger (Oct 20, 2009)

I can get you into the lake trout. Probably not a giant one but all the pups you want.

PM me with where you are staying and a little about your boat. I'll hook you up.


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