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Lake Fishing Tips And TechniquesIf you are planning on spending some time away on a lake fishing trip or vacation, this guide shares tips and ideas to help you get the most out of your next trip away. We look at lake fishing bait and tackle requirements for the most common types of fish to help you select the best gear for your needs. 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 of lake fishing 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's a good sized catch and it sure is 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. 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. 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 fibreglass rod with a basic closed or open faced reel. Your 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. 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. 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, molluscs, minnows, cheese balls, bread balls, 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 - Live 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 TrollingTrolling 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 and 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
lead core line. Live bait is fished below a sliding float when trolling. 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. We hope this guide to lake fishing has given you the basics you need to tackle your next fishing adventure...To read more about fishing, click here to return to the Fishing Home Page
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