Flaming Gorge; Lake trout.

      When you start your internet research on the best way to catch Lake Trout and where to go, Flaming Gorge will almost certainly be on the top of the search list.  What you will not find is detailed ways to catch them, but you will see guide service after guide service vying for your cash.

      Now I am not about to start bashing guides, they know their stuff and they know the area along with the seasonal changes that effect Lake Trout, but if you’re like me spending $400 of my hard earned money for four hours of fishing is a bitter pill to swallow.

      First off, I will only be talking about fishing from a boat. The marinas I use the most are, Lucerne and Buckboard. I did however launch from Anvil this year and I have to say, it put me right in the middle of the hot spots.

       To fish in Flaming Gorge as a Utah resident you will need 1) A Utah fishing license 2) A reciprocal stamp from Wyoming to be able to fish the Wyoming side of the reservoir and 3) A quagga mussle stamp for your boat. This year the reciprocal stamp was $10, and another $30 for the Mussle decal. They can both be purchased at any store that sells sporting goods. You will need to bring in the registration for the boat and your Utah fishing license to speed up the process, but its actually quite easy and automated.  If you cross over the Wyoming border, you will have to stop at the Wyoming state port of entry (weigh station) for an Inspection. Once there, they will inspect and attach the seal on your boat.  The inspection process never takes more than a few minutes, so long as you have followed the simple process of drain, clean, dry.

      The fishing gear I prefer is a medium action rod with a fast tip at about 7’.  I also like a high quality bait casting reel loaded with 10-14 lb Fluorocarbon line. I use ½-1 oz. wide gap jig hooks, with a large 3-4” tube jig in white, glow, pumpkin or anything motor oil in color. You will need to tip your jigs with a piece of either sucker or chub minnow. I also use smelly jelly in 'salmon feast' or 'crawfish.'  I suggest that you sharpen the jig hook to a needle or even razor sharpness, even if the hooks are right out of the bag.  I also suggest that you tie directly to the jig using a quality leader and place a good swivel about four feet from the jig, or you will encounter some serious line twist after jigging in as little as a ½ hour.

     I use fluorocarbon line because monofilament line stretches too much for a good hook up, simply because you will be fishing in 100+feet of water.  I like the medium heavy rods with a fast tip for sensitivity, again 100+ feet of water. The medium heavy rod gives me the ability to set the hook hard. I use the bait cast (level wind) reels so if the boat drifts a little into deeper water, I can simply push a button and feed more line, as well as when I am fighting the fish I can thumb more drag if need be.    

      From Lucerne you have a few areas to target the Lakers.  Just south of the marina in Linwood Bay there are a few humps that almost constantly hold Lakers. These areas are manmade remnants from the gravel recovery that was used in the making of the dam.  Depending on the water levels, you should be fishing in approximately 105’ +/- of water with a drop off that goes to more the 150’ of water. (Most of the time, you can see the boats that are jigging over the humps, as you leave the marina.)

      If you head north you will see a rocky cliff projecting out to the pipe line area from the swim beach area, this area is known as 'The Wall.'  Along that shore are several ledges that also hold the Lakers as well as a few areas within the pipe line area itself.

      Antelope flats, eastward across from Lucerne, is also a good area.  

      East of Anvil, there are a few shelves that drop off from 85’ to over 100’.  These are located just inside the main channel and before the old river bed.  On those shelves you will usually find Lakers stacked and waiting for a Kokanee to swim close enough to make a meal out of.

      Out of Buckboard and north, just along the first set of cliffs, you will find a few shelves and suspended Lakers as well as south of buckboard in the Big bend area, over the edges of the river channel. 

      If you haven't noticed, most of the areas I have told you about have a few things in common: ledges/humps that are adjacent to deep water, and the availability of food. Did the light just go on?

      Lake trout are lazy by nature and they will only follow a trolled bait for so long before they lose interest and go back to waiting for a Kokanee/Rainbow or a chub minnow to come within striking distance.  Jigging is the most productive method I have found to catch them. There are several maps made that show you exactly where the fish hold from season to season.  The better maps will show  the same seasonal areas, but will even include the marked areas with GPS coordinates.  They may even portray highlighted areas for consideration.  I would highly suggest the purchase of a good map.

      Once you find a spot that’s marked on the map, or you happen accross a good spot by simply searching, you then use your sonar and zoom in on the bottom. Once you find a few fish on or within three feet of the bottom, you can either go up wind a short distance and drop your jig to the bottom and drift back, or use an electric trolling motor and stay right on top of them, just like in ice fishing.

      Once your jig hits bottom, start out jigging slowly with short lifts, maybe 6 to 12”.  Watch your screen on your fish finder; see what the fish’s reaction is. If they follow and stay up to the depth your lure is fished, continue what you’re doing. If they follow, and the fish does a look-see and then moves away, lift higher and faster to see if that gets their attention again. You need to vary your jigging presentation depending on the mood of the fish.  Sometimes they even like it bounced off the bottom, but either way you need to keep them interested. On a personal note, I will not fish a single or a double unless I am having a hard time finding the fish; I need to have multiple targets to drop a jig to.  These fish that are on the ledges are actively feeding or in an ambush position, let your jig be the prey.

      You will also need to pay attention to your line and the feel of the jigs weight, if anything changes you need to strike hard and fast. Lakers will pick up a jig on the fall and spit it out before you even knew they were there unless you're not totally focused.  Watching your line for a tell-tale tick, or a pause when it should be dropping, is an indicator that the jig has been taken.  Either way you need to hit them hard.  Considering both the distance you are from them, and the toughness of their mouths, this calls for a very hard hook set.

      If you are trolling for these beasts, I use an 8’ ugly stick with a medium sized level wind reel capable of holding a lot of line. You will need a downrigger and between an 8-10 lb cannon ball.  I fish with a J-13 Rapala in black over white and a few other brands in blue over silver, all 6” in length. I will also use the biggest Quickfish/Flatfish I can find in the same colors as well as glow.

     The areas to work are the same as in jigging, stay over the ledges; I fish in the same areas as I would jig.  I present the lures at no more than 5’ above the suspended fish. Don’t get discouraged when you continue to pass over fish after fish, just be patient.  As I have described with Kokanee in previous articles, do a circle and go back over them from a different direction, or with a different speed. Lake trout take time to impress as well as catch, but once you follow a few simple rules (find the Kokanee and the ledges and the availability of deeper colder water) the rest is presentation and speed.       

      The reason I fish for the Lakers, besides the obvious size of the fish, is because I will describe it like hooking into a parked racecar that immediately takes off from the starting line. They are a blast to catch.

      A word of caution concerning Flaming gorge; storms will come up quickly and with them some serious winds.  Pay attention to the skyline and act accordingly. I would also warn you about staying out in lightning.  A fish is not worth your life or the lives of your friends and/or family.  If you see lightning, get off the lake.  Most of the time it will pass over quickly and you can resume after a lunch or dinner break.

Good luck, and good fishing!