One lure for lakers

[jacksonlaker]

You guys have fished the Gorge for years, I have just started. If you only had one lure to troll for Big Macks, what would it be???? I am an experienced troller, having fished lake Ontario for a while, but things are different out here. Any suggestions?
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[polokid]

I am personally a fan of Flatfish! T-50's in various colors. Troll them with steel or lead line, or off a downrigger.
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[lunkerhunter2]

Kokanee! Every huge mack i have seen mounted from 10 or so years ago were caught on kokanee. I will warn you though, it is illegal. I don't know why people would outright tell me without asking, but they did. Good luck.
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Go back through our archives on the Gorge and look for posts that mention trolling. You should find some good info there.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I would bet that some of the stuff you used in the big ponds will work here too. Macks is macks. They hit big spoons, big plugs and many of the same colors that appeal to them everywhere...whites, yellows, blue back, black back and a few oddballs.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The big flatfish are favorites in many spots in the west. They have a great action that really appeals to many species of trout. Jointed Rapalas are good also.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]You can't use live bait or game fish in Utah, but you can troll with big dead chubs. There are a lot of heavy macks that are taken on a big chub dragged behind pop gear (spinner chain) or flashers, on a downrigger or steel line. Chubs used to be the mainstay of both macks and big browns. Now it is mostly kokanee, but the predators still respond to chubs.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]You can also add a strip of chub or sucker meat to the lures you jig or troll with. Sometimes a little "sweetener" helps seal the deal.[/#0000ff]
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[jacksonlaker]

Thanks for the info. It's funny we never used flatfish back east. The charter captains never did either. When you run them, how far behind the ball? And what is the best speed? I think no one used them is because fishing for Kings and Coho you troll much faster than for Macks. I use alot of Dodger/squid or Dodger/spoon combos with great sucess on small fish, is this something bigger Macks dont bother with? Another lure we would catch a lot of Lakers on was J-plugs or Canadian plugs. Have you ever used these on the Gorge??
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]It really is interesting how styles and preferences change in different parts of the country and on different waters. Of course, a lot of that has to do with the habitat and the forage of the fish. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]As you no doubt expect, distance behind the ball is going to depend on how high off the bottom you are running and how spooky the fish are. On some days you can get by with only a few feet. At other times you might wanna run it farther back.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]One of the interesting things about Gorge fish, and I suspect it is the same for the Great Lakes lakers, is that they will sometimes come quite a ways up from the bottom to investigate a trolled lure. You can prevent a lot of snagged downriggers and still get active fish by running about 20 feet up. It is a hoot to watch the fish on sonar when they come up to smack a jig or a trolled lure well off the bottom. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The dodger and squid or spoon rigs are used mostly for kokanee at the Gorge, but if you get them down a ways you pick up lots of "pup" macks too. Occasionally larger fish will grab a smaller lure but the real hogs seem to prefer bigger baits or lures. The big fatties don't like to expend more calories getting a meal than they get out of it. Use big lures for trolling and great big tubes for jigging.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I don't know anyone who claims to use J-plugs on the Gorge, but I would be willing to bet you could find some in the tackle boxes of a few mack-addicts. Like the flatfish, these plugs are designed to have a wide wobble at slower trolling speeds. That has always been the appeal of the flatfish.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Trolling speed is also a matter of personal preference and daily pattern. Some days it takes something around 1 - 1.5 mph. Other days between 2 and 3 mph. As always, you need to balance out the type and size of lure, the action, water clarity, fish mode and your own best guess. If they want a faster speed, then troll a spoon or big Rapala. If it is a slow troll day, put on a wobbling plug.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]As we all know, conditions can change from day to day, or even hour to hour. The more time you spend on any given water, the better you get to know the moods and the preferences of the local fishies. But, as a lot of our resident Gorge fans will attest, just when you start thinking you have it figured out, you can get humbled.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]One of my favorite expressions is "I not only don't know all the answers...I don't even know all the questions."[/#0000ff]
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[UintaIce]

I like an Osprey spoon about 4 feet behind a dodger.
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