Lake Trout: Every trout fisherman’s dream. These trophy fish are the envy of every angler, and many will spend countless hours searching for the well-known Mackinaw. But if you’re in Colorado, where should you go to find these beautiful fish? When should you try to catch them? What bait should you use? In this article, we’ll go over all of this and more! We’ll give you everything you need to know about how to catch lake trout in Colorado, so you’ll be able to impress your friends with your amazing catches for the rest of your life!
How to Catch Lake Trout: Best Fishing Season
Without a doubt, the best time to catch Mackinaws in Colorado is in the spring and the fall. The temperature of the surface water is cooler and encourages the mackinaw to stay shallow and stay active. Especially when the ice has just melted, the next week or two is prime mackinaw fishing. Mackinaw can be caught at any other time, but this is prime time for Lake Trout fishing.
How to Catch Lake Trout: Where to Catch Them
1. Grand Lake
Grand Lake is Colorado’s largest natural lake, and is nestled in the midst of stunning scenes of mountains. With picturesque water, this Mackinaw hotspot is best fished in the spring immediately after ice out. Fall and summer evenings are two other productive times to fish this lake.
2. Granby Dam
Granby Dam is well known for it’s Mackinaw. During the Spring and Fall, it’s no rare occurrence to see fish caught there that weigh well over 25 pounds. Located in a deep, narrow canyon, this Dam is a perfect place to find the trophy fish that you’ve been searching for!
How to Catch Lake Trout: What to Use
What to use for catching Lake Trout heavily depends on the time of year.
In those prime weeks of mackinaw fishing, almost anything can be used. Trolling, floating, or rapalas all work very well at this time. Mackinaws, however, have a particular affinity to Nightcrawlers and especially sucker meat. You can catch suckers on worms by simply fishing the bottom of a lake. This method works in the fall as well when the temperature cools again.
But in the long, hot summer months, Mackinaw retreat to the cooler, deeper depths of the lake. For this time of year, Mackinaw are best caught trolling with deep lead-core lines rigged with bait or a deep running lure.
How to Rig Your Bait
Nightcrawlers
For Nightcrawlers, it’s recommended to use a #4 or #6 hook. For a guide on how to rig nightcrawlers, click here!
Sucker Meat
For sucker meat, there’s 2 different options you can use.
Option 1: Pretty straightforward — you’ll want to weave the hook and line into the fillet.
Option 2: A more complicated but far better option involves knowing how to tie a hook onto a leader that will slide freely. This method is similar to our snell hooking process that we outlined in this article here. With a couple more steps, you have a very well-rigged piece of sucker meat ready to catch any lake trout that come its way.
- Take a pre-snelled hook and place a second, unsnelled hook on that first hook’s leader.
- Proceed as if you were snelling a hook.
- Overlap the leader and wrap around both the hook and the leader.
- Now the hook will slide on the leader.
- Take the first hook and weave it through a 4–6 inch strip of filet. Anchor it back onto the meat once you reach the end.
- Finally, take your 2nd, sliding hook and anchor it into the other end of the fillet. And just like that, your meat is ready to go.
Knots to Use
You’ll need to use a barrel swivel for where the leader attaches to the fishing line. 2 knots that are effective for this are the clench knot or the trilene knot. You can find guides for these 2 knots here.
What to Do When You've Got a Bite
Mackinaw are the biggest of trout you’ll find in Colorado, but they don’t always make it obvious when they first bite. Often, Mackinaws will be incredibly timid with their bite, and a small tug might in fact be a Mackinaw 20 pounds or more mouthing the bait before it really goes for it.
Be Patient
Patience is key with these guys. Don’t start reeling at the first hit. Instead, you have to wait for the Mackinaw to swallow the bait.
Use Light Drag and Set the Hook
A helpful tip is to use a light drag, this will help you to avoid dreaded breakoffs. You’ll want to set the hook as well. Mackinaw have boney mouths that make it good to set the hook in, and it can help avoid gut hooking or other deadly complications for your mackinaw.
Reel him in, take plenty of pictures, and tell your friends about your new trophy fish!
Final Thoughts: Knowing How to Catch Lake Trout
We’ve covered everything you’ll ever need to know about Mackinaw Fishing in Colorado in this comprehensive guide. We’ve discussed the what, when, where, why, and how of Mackinaw fishing, and provided guides and suggestions for every step.
Now, you’re ready to get out there and find the trophy fish you’ve been dreaming of! So get out there and find the Mackinaw you’ve been waiting for!
