Fishing 411 with Mark Romanack JIGGING FOR STANNARD ROCK LAKERS FISHING 411 EPISODE 4               Lake trout are one of those fish species most anglers know little about. The name is even misleading as lake trout aren’t even trout. This species is actually a member of the char family closely related to the brook trout. In fact, in some areas of the North America lake trout and brook trout cross breed to form a natural hybrid called the splake.            
Getting back to lake trout, the majority of these fish are caught in deep water and using heavy lines and trolling gear. That’s cool, but catching a big lake trout on lightweight jigging gear is perhaps one of the greatest thrills a freshwater angler can hope for.            
Very few places can an angler find lake trout in good numbers in and in trophy sizes that provide any hope of jig fishing success. The stand out exception is Lake Superior’s Stannard Rock, located 50 odd miles from Marquette, Michigan. Literally this mile long and five mile wide reef lays in the middle of Lake Superior. Only the fearless make the trek to Stannard Rock because there is no safe harbor should the weather turn ugly.            
Those who get to Stannard Rock are treated to jigging conditions second to none. The trout can be as shallow as 20 or 30 feet or as deep as a 100 to 150 feet, but with the right gear jigging up a denison of the deep is no problem.            
 Lake trout jigging is a game best played with super braid lines that are thin in diameter and have nearly zero stretch. On my recent trip to Stannard Rock I equipped my guests with medium/heavy action Okuma Citrix rods and Trio spinning reels loaded with 15 pound test Vicious braided line. Attached to the braid I added a 15 pound leader of Vicious Pro Elite Fluorocarbon line tied directly to the jig.            
Jigs suitable for lake trout fishing vary depending on water depth. For casting applications and fishing in water less than 30 feet deep, a 3/8 to 1/2  ounce jig dressed with a white soft body swimbait tail is tough to beat. For deeper water jigging, I recommend Bait Rigs Esox Cobra jigs which are available in sizes from 3/4 to 2 ounces. These jigs have heavy wire hooks suitable for doing battle with lake trout in the 20 to 40 pound range! Stannard Rock harbors fish this big and one any given trip an angler has a good chance at catching fish this big or even bigger.            
Big soft body swimbait tails like those produced by Berkley and other companies are the ideal dressing for jigs. It’s also not a bad idea to top dress this rig with a small chunk of fresh or frozen sucker meat as a little extra enticement.            
The Stannard Rock adventure treated the Fishing 411 crew exceptionally well. All on board caught master angler sized lake trout. In the span of two days filming, the group landed a whopping 40 trout and in the end the biggest was a massive 30 pounder caught by Dan LaFond of Okuma.            
Dan’s laker was not only his personal best, but it ended up being the biggest lake trout caught in Michigan that year. Stannard Rock is a place that can make fishing dreams come true. It’s not easy to get to, but when the weather God’s allow, the fishing available is something north of amazing.
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