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As most of the experienced fishermen know that lake trout may be line shy many times. It has been felt by many regular fishermen many times when the fish feels it in the water they never get close to it. Which makes the selection of a suitable fishing line so important. We explain the best lake trout fishing lines in this article for all situations.
Having a good line is always preferred for any kind of fish even if it is not shy in any situation. In all inland lakes the fish is most likely to be careful of a possible predator. In our case an artificial lure, a rubber or a bait is enough to scare away the fish if you have not hooked in the right way.
I have seen lakes loaded with giant fish but lower chances of bite when there are a lot of people casting lines. Of course it depends on the season and time of the day. But a fair chance of bite is always common when the place is full of fish. And the only reason why less catches is “The fish becomes cautious” when so many people are fishing.
As the fish has a great variety in its size predicting the right pound test line is also hard. The size for lake trout ranges from 8-10 lb all the way up to 40-50 lb. It is confusing right?
Well there are several ways of fishing for lake trout. Ways like ice fishing, trolling, vertical jigging etc. And the size and type varies among all of these types.
In this article we will go through all ways of fishing for lake trout fishing and the best lines for each type.
Lake trout fishing line for open water
In the lengthy season of the year except when lakes are frozen in open water. There are several ways that are the most popular for fishing. Vertical jigging, trolling and casting from the shoreline are the most common.
Each of these ways require special line to be successful. And depending on your situation, things you are using could vary largely. As the size of fish is also hard to expect anglers should be even more careful.
We will discuss all the situations anglers could run into.
Lake trout fishing line for trolling
Guessing the average size of fish you can expect in your spot. You can easily have get an idea of what fishing gear you are going to use in that spot.
As the line during trolling is in constant motion which becomes more visible for the fish. Try to go for a line that is thinner than your usual one so it disappears in the waters. And the lake trout can’t see it easily see it. Using a visible color is also not a clever choice to use while trolling.
Here is what experienced anglers use as their trolling lake trout line.
1. Lead core line
Lead core are a peace of mind for many anglers including me. These aren’t only strong enough to bear the weight but they are also heavy. If you are rigging for lake trout in a speed when the line and your bait comes near the surface.
Then anglers are going to use weights and jig heads to sink it while trolling. While the lead core line saves time and effort and has enough weight to sink in normal conditions.
The only thing anglers should be careful of while picking a lead core line is its color. Depending on the water color you should pick the right color that is not too visible in the water.
You can either use the line as your main or use it as leader at the end of your main one. And of course the size of depending op the size of fish in you the lake. Normally it is between 15 to 20 pound test but if the fish is larger you can increase the size. Same way with smaller fish, anglers even use 8-10 lb line if the fish is smaller than usual.
2. Braided line for fishing lake trout
Braide comes as the second choice if you want the line to go deep. Braids are strong and chances of breaks are low. Again they are heavier than the usual monofilament so they are great to use for deep fish.
Very similar to the previously discussed for lake trout fishing braided lines are also having several color options. You can choose the color you prefer for the water color you are fishing in.
Braids are usually the main line for trolling, you will enjoy using it as your main one. These can also be used for fishing from bank.
3. Monofilament for lake trout
Monofilaments are the most widely used lines as they are the simplest to understand. Mono are transparent and usually colorless which makes it less visible in even in clear water.
If you are using weights to or jig heads then it is all about what you prefer among mono and braids. As braid is great if you want strength for unexpectedly large fish and monofilament disappears in the water.
In the range of 15-20 pound test, suffix lead core are the best trolling lines for lake trout. It provides the strength which is always required for larger fish like lake trout. Using it you will no more be in need of weights with your lure.
And all the trolling lines are also great for vertical rigging as well.
Bank fishing lake trout line
Fishing at the shoreline, kayak or a boat is totally something different comparing with trolling. Unlike trolling here your line remains stationary for most of time. Or just moving a bit at the same place after you cast your bait for lake trout.
And in such situation you probably need something different than the line you were using for trolling. You can go for something larger pound test as the stationary line is unlikely to be seen.
Here is what experienced lake trout fishermen use when they are at the bank.
Before going in details here are some great lakes for trout fishing.
Spiderwire stealth braid is the most commonly used line for lake trout fishing. It has great strength and remains invisible deep in the water and often brings huge size of fish. You can choose a color depending up on the water color and surroundings.
1. Power pro
Power pro provides great quality and variety of lines with different properties. All have special characteristics for different situations.
If you are expecting the fish to be lower in the depths you can go for depth hunter. It is incredible line for fish living in the deep. It works great with artificial shining lures at the depth of lakes.
Our recommendation is to go for while casting from shore, kayak or boat is to use power pro Maxcuatro which is way thinner than other lines but still has the strength.
The thin nature of the line matches exactly with the behavior of lake trout and results in bringing great sized fish. I personally have used the Maxcuatro for years fishing in different situations. And it always proves its ability to remain invisible and trick large size fish.
2. Spider-wire stealth braid
Spider wires are very famous line used for many types of fish especially lake trout. It has great line quality which is very smooth and silent while casting. This is a type of line which provides great strength and thinner diameter.
The best part is that the line comes in large variety of colors you can pick from. There might be hardly a water color that is missing in the color combination of spider wire. It is also very suitable with the line shy behavior of lake trout.
Anglers who have used the line are unlikely to stop using it in the future.
Lake trout ice fishing line
While ice fishing for there are several types of lines you can give a try. As anglers on the ice want to be informed what’s happening down with their lure. They want a line that has extreme sensitivity in which case the stretch property will go away. Anglers love to have a sensitive line, sensitive line is beneficial in all ways.
To keep an eye on the lure you have thrown for the predators a line several types of instruments will work. But keep things simple a good line is enough to keep the angler aware of the situation.
To know the depth of your fish you have to find out the recent catches. Or observe at what depth you get bites or chance to get bite. When you get an idea of how deep the fish is. Depending on the size of the fish you can then choose the size of line which is usually lower than 20 lbs in case of lake trout.
Usually monofilaments or braids are the most suitable. You can find the lowest stretch and zero memory line among the braids. Keep in mind that lower diameter lines are always better for line shy fish species.
15 Pound power test pro ice-tec will work great with a fluorocarbon leader with the length of up 3 feet. You can also use other lines if you find them lower memory and higher sensitivity.
Check out our post about best lake trout fishing rods.
