Laker Action: Trying Some Place New

Bad weather up by my hometown kept my wife and I from heading up north to visit my folks and get some walleye fishing in, so I got in touch with friend on Facebook and asked him if he was going out for some Lake Trout fishing the next morning and if he wouldn't mind taking me out.

He said he was heading to Pactola and that I was more than welcome to come out with him and a couple others, including one first timer to the ice. Pactola has always been a lake that has been tough for me to fish for Lake Trout on and I'm always wanting to learn something new or try a new spot with friends who know the lake better than I do. It is always important to want to learn more and not get set in our ways and avoid trying new spots or techniques.

I met up with Pete and Adam that morning as we caught a ride on the back of Adam's wheeler to a spot I'd never fished before, but had been producing Lakers for Pete over the last week. MJ met us there a couple of hours later.

It was also the first trip where I got to test out the new lithium battery from Dakota Lithium Outdoors in my FLX-28. What a difference in weight it made! The Arctic Warriors and other tip-ups saw a majority of the action throughout the morning though Pete started catching a few on a Clam Outdoors Pro Tackle Rattlin' Blade spoon later in the morning.

MJ got to reel in his first iced Laker on a tip-up and it was fun to watch him fight the fish. Nothing caught was huge, but at least there was some action and even small Lakers fight like nobody's business.

While I had several lookers while trying out the new Super Leech and regular Leech Flutter spoons as well as some Rattlin' Blade spoons, nothing would grab the lure. So Pactola foiled me again, but I learned a few new tricks and a new spot and will be back to try it again. [if !supportLineBreakNewLine] [endif]

Persistence usually pays off in the end and I like to think I'm nothing if not persistent in trying to catch fish. Some days that's about all you have going for you, but as a fellow co-worker of mine once said, “that's why it's called fishing and not catching”.

So, keep on trying new spots and lures and don't be too frustrated if you get skunked. It happens to all of us. Every trip is a chance to learn something new that might work next time out.