February 2014 | Outdoor Forum 3

February 2014 | Outdoor Forum 3
T
he drag on my small ice reel squealed, and the rod
thumped as the fish shook its defiant head. I thought the fight was
over the second time the laker neared the bottom of the hole, but it
slid past and dove again.
From the first pass the fish made, I knew it wasn’t a giant. Still,
my heart was pounding as I slowed down its final run and got it
turned back toward the hole for the third time. With some care and a little patience, I was eventually able to slide
the fish up through the hole and on top of the ice. After a quick measurement and photo, the 32-inch, 11-pound lake trout swam away to
fight another day.
12 Outdoor Forum | February 2014
The lake trout craze has set in and is working its way across South
Dakota. Pactola Reservoir in the Black Hills is home to the only fishable population of lake trout in the state. Anglers have chased the elusive lake trout for many years, but the
recent success with larger fish has generated a lot of interest. The
new state-record lake trout, weighing in at 30.0 pounds, was pulled
through the ice by Aaron Jones early in 2013, and it caught the attention of many anglers and has added to the craze.
If you want some heart-pounding, arm-tiring action on the ice, I
highly recommend giving lakers on Pactola a try. Here is some background information along with a few tips to get you started.
Lake Trout Facts
insects. The population of rainbow smelt in Pactola
has increased in the last couple years, making it more
common to find lake trout cruising high in the open
water as they chase the smelt.
Initially, it was believed that the only lake trout in
Pactola were those that were stocked. Fish stocked in
2003 and 2005 have unique fin clippings allowing for
identification and growth tracking. Recent studies,
however, have discovered juvenile lake trout without
clipped fins are swimming around Pactola’s waters, indicating natural reproduction is occurring within the
lake.
Although Pactola is the largest reservoir in the
Black Hills, it is still small enough to learn intimately if you put in some time. Lake trout roam all areas
of the lake from the back bays to the deep holes, so
just pick a spot and start exploring. I have caught lake
trout in as little as 6 feet of water and as deep as 120
feet. To start, focus on depths between 50 and 70 feet.
Once you get a feel for the area you are fishing, don’t
be afraid to try deeper or more shallow.
The lake trout is a non-native species first stocked
in Pactola Reservoir in 1978 and 1979. Since then, additional stockings were made in 2003 and 2005. Compared to other fish species, lake trout have
very slow growth rates. In fact, the South Dakota
Game Fish and Parks Department has tracked Pactola’s stocked lakers since 2003 and have found that
their average growth rate is less than 1 inch per year.
The fish’s ability to live a long life is what allows them
to reach such a large size.
Currently, harvest regulations on Pactola allow one
lake trout over 24 inches to be kept per day. Because
of their slow growth rate, catch and release of the big
fish is encouraged in order to let these fish become
trophies. Most of the lake trout in Pactola are in that
18- to 22-inch range. Fish of this size offer a fun fight in deep water.
There are a lot of bigger fish in the lake, though, and
there is a great chance to tangle with a hefty laker.
Where to Look
Most trout species are opportunistic feeders, and
lakers are no exception. Pactola lakers spend most
of their time near the reservoir’s bottom feeding on
rock bass, blue gills, suckers, crustaceans and small
Structure is the key to finding concentrated numbers of lake trout. Structure does not necessarily mean
rock piles, weeds or timber. It can be depth itself and,
more specifically, change of depth. Find a lake map and concentrate your efforts on
areas with steep drop-offs, humps, points and edges.
Any change in depth will act as a funnel or pinch point
the trout will use as travel routes.
Another one of my favorite places to find big lake
trout is the deep water next to weed lines. Weeds
grow deep in Pactola, thanks to its crystal-clear waters. It’s common to find weeds growing in as deep as
40 feet of water.
These weeds hold plenty of dining opportunities
for a big lake trout. The lakers lounge in the deep water and slide up to the shallower weeds when a meal
is needed.
If you are a more stationary fisherman, position
yourself in one of these good spots where you can wait
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Lake trout are opportunistic feeders, spending most of
their time near the bottom feeding on rock bass, blue gills,
suckers, crustaceans and small insects. The population of
rainbow smelt in Pactola has increased in the last couple
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February 2014 | Outdoor Forum 13
for the lakers to come through. During peak times of
the day, often first and last light, lake trout are more
aggressive and on the move, meaning that a lot more
fish will see your baits.
During slower periods, lakers will often bury themselves near the bottom. Catch rates can go down if you
stick to the same few holes, so times like this is when
it pays to hole hop and cover ground. Even during the
off periods, dropping a jig right above a burrowed laker will wake it right up.
Tactics
When it comes to methods, most anglers prefer a
mix of jigging and set lines. Tip-ups can be a great
way to spread out lines and cover depths. When chasing trout, I tend to go overboard when
it comes to covering water. Because I like to spread
out so much, I prefer to use the Polar Therm Extreme
tip-ups made by HT Enterprises. These tip-ups have
highly visible and extendable flags, making them easy
to see a bite right away.
For tip-up rigging, I prefer to keep it simple. Spool
the tip-up full with 20-pound dacron line and then
splice in 6 feet of 20-pound fluorocarbon. A size No.
6 treble hook will do the work for almost any size of
bait. In the deep water it is nice to have a little extra
weight to get the bait down. I prefer to use 3/8 -ounce
rubber-core weights that allow for an easy change in
length between the weight and hook without damaging the leader. Heavier weights will get the bait down
faster but may also be felt by the trout.
As for bait, any kind of minnow will do. Big golden
Photo by Tyler French
As a general rule, lake trout are often found in deep water, and Pactola’s lakers are no exception.
The author suggests starting in 50-70 feet and trusting your electronics to mark fish. shiners and medium-sized sucker minnows are good
choices when the lake trout are active. a good distance off the bottom, usually 4 to 6 feet, so
that trout can see them from a farther distance.
On most days, lakers like a challenge. Slide your
weight 2 to 3 feet above your minnow to give it more
room to “escape” from the trout. Keep your baits set
On tougher days, the less aggressive lake trout will
prefer a shorter leash on the big baits, and it may even
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14 Outdoor Forum | February 2014
restricting their movement. On these days, fatheads
will often out-produce bigger baits. Frozen smelt laid
right on the bottom can also tempt the big lake trout.
Jigging is my favorite way to target big lake trout.
For this type of ice fishing, a flasher lends a huge advantage. Traditional flashers work just fine, but today’s new digital flashers offer some huge advantages. For example, the Marcum LX-6 and LX-7 models
allow a custom setup including up to three different
views at a time. They can show the round flasher in
the middle, a vertical bottom zoom on the right, and
on the left a scrolling “history” similar to traditional boat sonar. I love the history option when chasing
lakers because they can come in and out of the sonar
cone at a blink of an eye. The history allows you to see
what you missed while you were glancing at tip-ups.
Drill a string of holes from shallow to deep and zigzag them along the edges or across points. Jig aggressively to call the curious fish in from a distance. Once
you spot them on your flasher, try to work them up.
This is when they will usually bite. Stay away from a
“finesse” attitude, as the best way to get them to bite
is by trying to let them not bite it. I call it keep away!
With most fish being less than 24 inches, I prefer
to use lighter tackle. I spool up with 8-pound monofilament when fishing lighter lures. With the chance
for big fish, it never hurts to use a super braid with
very little stretch that can help with hookups in deeper water.
Rods and reels are more of a personal preference.
Baitcast setups work well when jigging the heavier
baits used to fish deep. Spinning reels work plenty
fine as well. Photo by Tyler French Black Hills angler Nick Marnach, a friend of the author, holds up a 24-pound, 38-inch Pactola lake trout. Marnach caught the giant on 4-pound-test line on a jigging rod after battling it for more than 45 minutes. Fish
of this size are creating a craze on Pactola, drawing the interest of anglers from across the Dakotas.
The most important thing to have is a good, smooth drag to handle the long and
sporadic runs of the bigger fish. A medium-heavy rod provides enough backbone
for hook-setting power and also absorbs the constant head shaking for which lakers
are famous.
Longer ice rods help with hook sets as well. Many rods designed specifically for
lakers through the ice are in that 34- to 46-inch range. Although long rods have distinct advantages, they aren’t an absolute necessity. I have seen plenty of big lakers
landed using walleye gear and light line. Just be ready for a long, long battle.
When it comes to jigging lures, just about anything will catch an aggressive laker. Heavy lures are nice because they drop to the depths fast. Big spoons such as
Swedish Pimples and PK spoons in the ½- to 1½-ounce size will fish fast. Tip the
spoons with chunks of sucker meat, fatheads or even preserved shiners.
Different styles of jigs work great when lakers shy away from biting the flashy
metal. Bass-style tube jigs get a lot of attention from lake trout. Tube-style lead jigs
inserted into 3- to 5-inch rubber tubes fall slowly with a dancing action. Other styles of horizontal jigs work, as well. I always carry with me a few hair
jigs and even simple leadheads with twister tails. These jigs can be fished plain or
tipped with strips of sucker meat or fathead minnows for flavor.
Fancier lures have also been good producers. Airplane jigs offer a wide swimming glide and can be tipped with strips of sucker or larger shiners. Swimming
minnow jigs such as jigging raps or chubby darters offer actions that work perfectly for playing keep away, too.
Get out there and start probing the depths of Pactola. I believe it will only take
one head-shaking, drag-peeling run of a good laker to reveal what the lake trout
craze is all about. And remember, take care to preserve the resource by snapping a
picture of the big ones and letting them go to fight another day.
About the Author: Tyler French is a freelance outdoor writer who grew up fishing and hunting in eastern South Dakota but has called the Black Hills home
since 2007. For more information, check out dakotadreamoutdoors.com or Dakota
Dream Outdoors on Facebook.
February 2014 | Outdoor Forum 15