Lake Fishing
Spring is here. You head out
early in the morning, your fishing gear packed into the
back of your SUV. You're looking forward to a day on the
lakeshore and are hoping to catch a pickerel or perch.
When you arrive, you pack your gear to the rocky shore
and decide, for the fun of it, to use a nightcrawler for
bait. You slide it onto your hook and cast. The bait
sinks below the surface. Bang! A fish strikes. It is a
good sized catch and a fighter. You can see it flipping
and thrashing in the cool water, trying to free itself
of the hook. You play the fish until it tires, bring it
into shore and scoop it into your net. Much to your
surprise, you've landed a northern pike.
Lake fishing is any type of fishing that is done on a
lake. It can be shore fishing from a pier or marina or
from a rocky shoreline. It can also be boat fishing,
trolling or fly fishing. There are a wide variety of
fish species found in lakes around the world. Lake
species include bass, trout, catfish, perch, pickerel,
northern pike, muskellunge, sturgeon, walleye and
salmon.
If you plan to fish from a boat, you will need to own
one, rent one, or go lake fishing with someone who has
one. To fish from a boat, you will need a rod, reel,
tackle, trolling equipment and a lake or fish map. If
you are a beginner, use a basic lake fishing kit. This
includes a six to eight foot graphite or fiberglass rod
with a basic closed or open faced reel. Fishing line
should be 8 to 15 pound-test, depending on the fish
species you are targeting and the depth. Fishing near
the surface requires 8 pound-test, while fishing the
middle or bottom requires 15 pound test. The larger the
fish species, the higher pound-test line you will need.
You will also need a variety of different sized hooks,
ranging from medium to large. Split shot sinkers are
best. If you are planning on fishing the bottom, larger
weights will be necessary. Remember, when buying
sinkers, be sure they are lead free in order to protect
the environment. Floats can vary from cork to plastic to
foam. Torpedo floats work great as well. Floats of
various sizes can be used, but remember, smaller is
always better. You don't want the fish to see your
float.
A variety of bait, both live and artificial is used for
different species of lake fish.
Trout
Live bait for trout includes worms, insects, insect
larvae and crayfish. Artificial bait includes streamers,
spoons, spinners and dry and wet flies.
Bass
Live bait includes worms, shad, insects, insect larvae,
frogs, crayfish and minnows. Artificial bait includes
spinners, streamers, Mepps, spoons, jigs, crankbaits and
clousers.
 Walleye
Live bait includes nightcrawlers, crayfish, minnows,
chubs and leaches. Artificial trolling bait that is best
is jointed minnows and spinner rigs. Salmon
Live bait includes worms, prawns, crustaceans, insects
and insect larvae. Artificial bait includes lures,
flies, plugs, streamers and spinners. Prepared bait such
as egg sacs and scents also work well. Catfish
Catfish in a lake are usually channel cat. They are
attracted to cut bait, worms, crayfish or peeled
crayfish tails, mollusks, minnows, cheeseballs,
breadballs, shrimp, chicken entrails and liver.
Pickerel
Pickerel feed on aquatic insects and invertebrates. Use
nightcrawlers, minnows, crayfish, insects and frogs.
Artificial bait includes worms, spinners, spoons,
streamers and Mepps.
Perch
Perch feed on minnows, insects, insect larvae, crayfish,
snails, nightcrawlers, grubs and maggots. Artificial
bait includes worms, lures, spinners, streamers and
jigs. Use small lures when fishing for perch, as they
have small mouths. Northern Pike
Pike are predators. They will take nightcrawlers,
minnows and smelt. Pike, especially females heavy with
eggs, prefer dead bait because it provides an easy meal.
Artificial bait includes wobbling spoons, spinners,
split minnows and red and white spoons. If you are
removing a hook from a northern pike, use needle nose
pliers to avoid injury.
Muskellunge
ive bait for Musky includes live fish bait that is 10
to 12 inches. Suckers work well, as do leeches, frogs,
insects and sunfish. Artificial bait includes spoons, bucktails and large plugs. Muskies are fighters and will
strip reels, break rods, mutilate bait and bend hooks.
Sturgeon
Sturgeon like fresh bait and are bottom feeders. They
are attracted to clams, eel, crayfish, smelt, salmon
eggs, shad, nightcrawlers and fish
 heads.
Lake Trolling
Trolling is the use of either large or artificial bait
pulled through the water behind a moving boat. It is
used on lakes, especially for trout and walleye. The
boat can be powered by a motor or oars. The bait can be
trolled at any depth and is intended to resemble live
fish. Trolled plugs, spoons and flies can be fished deep
by adding weights or using leadcore line. Live bait is
fished below a sliding float when trolling.
If you wish to take up lake fishing and have concerns
over equipment or bait that you should use, ask an
experienced lake angler to give you some tips, or invite
them to come along on a lake fishing trip. Any
experienced lake angler will be able to help you with
equipment, bait, casting and trolling issues. This could
be a family member, friend, neighbor or a staff member
at a bait and tackle shop that specializes in lake
fishing. |
