Sunset Country Lakers

With some warmer weather finally arriving in Sunset Country, Tom Batiuk and I decided to seize the opportunity and chase some remote Lake Trout.

Upon arriving to the final portage trail to the lake, Mother Nature greeted us with a bit of a surprise. The trail was blown in worse than anything I’ve ever seen. The trees were covered with thick ice that was too much to bear and the only remedy was chainsaw and plenty of elbow grease...oh the lengths we’ll go for the chance to let the drag sing.

2 hours later, we found ourselves standing at the lakes edge. The lake was void of slush which made for an easy ride to our fishing destination.

The K-drill made short order of the 18 inches of solid clear ice and the Vexilar FLX-28 confirmed we were in 65 feet of water which turned out to be perfect. In fact, a fish was marked 35 feet below the

ice the first hole checked.

We immediately went to jigging, hoping to take advantage of active fish in the area. Within 15 minutes, a mark showed up on the Vexilar. I quickly reeled up to the fish, which immediately inhaled a red and white tube which was custom poured by Jason Tait from Kenora, Ontario.

Lake Trout are known for hard runs and this fish did not disappoint. After several screaming runs, a beautiful 5 pounder was topside and we were on the board.

With the skunk off, we decided to set up the Clam Outdoors X400. Even though the weather was nice, the saw work left us soaked which doesn’t mix well with winter. Once inside the shelter, there was no way we were leaving the warmth and comfort. The X400 offers a staggering 68 square feet of fishable area, allowing plenty of room for up to 4 anglers.

We ended up icing several Lakers with the hot lure being Jason’s white and red tube. The fish came throughout the water column from 20 feet below the ice to 60 feet below the ice. The Vexilar certainly earned its keep today, revealing the location of the suspended fish.

The day was capped off with brats and tea on an open fire, a perfect way to end an awesome day in sunset country!