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What a busy summer! I am fortunate that I was able to get out fishing as much as I did but I feel like I missed out on many of the Western Canada Kayak Fishing Trail (WCKFT) fun this year because the Cold Lake Classic is the first and only event I was able to attend. That’s okay because, in my opinion, this is the most enjoyable event the WCKFT hosts all year!
Cold lake isn’t just great lake trout fishing, it’s among the best fishing in the province! This year’s tournament didn’t disappoint either. It had everything: challenging weather, big swells, and a tough bite – but still tons of fish!
The tournament starts at 6am and after a quick check in I was on the water. It poured rain the day before and well into the night so it was no surprise that it was still raining off and on throughout the day. As I made my way east into the bay I could start to see bait balls on my Lowrance sonar.
Mid-summer Lake Trout fishing is all about sharp-shooting. My strategy for finding lake trout is to cruise around utilizing my 2D sonar and the pedal drive of my Old Town Bigwater PDL to find large balls of bait and, ideally, a small pod of lake trout chasing them. Once I’ve located a school I will drop down my lure and hope to trigger a bite. Just like walleye, I typically start my search around structure. Weaving my way around drop-offs, underwater humps or soft-to-hard bottom transitions usually nets me at least a few spots to try out. If the wind has been blowing consistently from one direction for a few days, the wind-blown side of structure is also a great place to target. Cold Lake has no shortage of structure or wind so finding pods of bait and hungry lake trout usually isn’t challenging!
My go-to lures for lake trout are typically jigs, anywhere from the ½ oz to 1.5 oz is perfect. I usually prefer lighter jigs because the slower fall rate feels more natural but it also takes much longer to get the lure down. In my experience, a ½ oz tube jig can take over a minute to fall 100 feet and if you are battling wind and waves in the kayak, staying above your lure for that long is difficult. Staying above your lure is critical because that will keep the lure and the fish within the cone of your fish finder, meaning you will be able to watch the action on your sonar – it’s as close to playing a video game as you can find on the water!
I started out the day with my favorite lake trout lure tied on, a 3/4 oz Freedom Lures Hydra jig head paired with a 4″ paddletail bait, but after dropping down to a few pods of lake trout without any bites I quickly switched out my lure. After a frustrating morning of cycling out lure after lure I finally found a jig that was at least getting chased and hit, but not necessarily bit very often – a white 4 inch Berkley Max Scent tube jig paired with a ½ oz tube jig head. Although I was getting hits, I was only hooking up with roughly 1 in 10 lake trout and I was getting even less than that to the net. It was frustrating to say the least! Next time I will plan on picking up a few more sized of tube jig heads, particularly in 3/4 and 1 oz weights, as well as tying on some circle or octopus hooks as stingers. Lessons were definitely learned.
The fishing was tough and I was soaked from the wind and the rain but I managed to get three quality trout on the board. The efforts were enough for a sixth place finish and a new Blackwater paddle generously donated by Western Canoe and Kayak!
We were also treated so hot sandwiches and snacks after!
Pound for pound, lake trout are one of the most exciting species to catch from a kayak. They fight hard and are aggressive predators, often eating nearly anything you throw in front of them. If you only get a chance to fish one of the WCKT kayak fishing tournaments next year, I strongly suggest you add Cold Lake to your list!
