DirtyBirdNJ t1_j3m61w5 wrote
I moved to Vermont a few years ago to escape the NYC / NJ commute and ski more.
What I did not expect to fall in love with is Lake Trout fishing. They fight hard, they are exceptionally exciting and fun to catch (when you can find em) and you can target them all year round as long as you have the right gear.
This past year I caught em from kayaks and also had an AMAZING day on the ice. I can try to tell stories but my YouTube videos do a much better job! Search for VT2U if you wanna see me pull a huge fish out of the ice by its tail, don't believe me just watch 😎
Ruggervt14 t1_j3mexjk wrote
Also from NJ originally, and have found that lakers are my favorite species to catch up here by far! I love how they fight, and the challenge of figuring out what lures that will be effective for catching them.
DirtyBirdNJ t1_j3mpox0 wrote
Vertical tube jig is my not so secret weapon. Few videos on my channel show what they look like if you haven't rigged one before.
I want to eat one this season but I'm a bitch about killing fish, I like letting them go. I feel like I failed as a fisherman if one dies while I'm unhooking. Makes me respect the fish I do harvest.
nomadicbohunk t1_j3nkn8k wrote
I hunt and fish a lot and all over the place. A lot... I love to cook and will eat anything. I'll cook suckers...they're tasty. I know how to cook carp so it's delicious. Lake trout are just not that good. You're not missing out on much. The best way to eat them is when they're very little and steam them Chinese style or do a MN style lake boil. Even then they're meh.
DirtyBirdNJ t1_j3nl6wp wrote
Haha I don't have high hopes for the taste of Lakers, it's a desire to better understand the fish, say that I've tried it etc. I just wanna try once.
I've heard really good things about the landlocked salmon and also whitefish are supposed to be tasty... those and walleye are high up on my harvest goals list
nomadicbohunk t1_j3nmsd4 wrote
Whitefish are really good. People love walleye, but it's just really mild. I like northerns more. Along the same lines, I prefer haddock to cod. If that makes sense it's a good comparison. I haven't had land locked salmon.
I have to eat everything once. Whatever you do, don't grill the lake trout. I thought I had a really bad fish or something, so I did it again. Not good. I eat a lot of small panfish and usually catch and release anything else. But I try and eat things first just to see how they are.
I really, really, really want to catch a whitefish on champlain. I don't know if it will happen sans 4 wheeler. It sounds like you have to get far out there and get lucky.
-PineMarten OP t1_j3syjqq wrote
I’ll give it a watch!! Sounds like some solid fun
DirtyBirdNJ t1_j3szotz wrote
Thank you! I appreciate all the views I can get
somedudevt t1_j3oquy0 wrote
Lakers are fun. And they are incredibly easy to catch on Champlain. It’s a bad thing for them honestly. Popularity of fishing them there has skyrocketed, and with it average size has dropped.
The inland lakes are more challenging for catching lakers. Much more rewarding getting a 20lb laker on a small lake than 100 10lb champ fish. It’s incredible seeing a 40 inch trout come out of a pond under 100 acres.
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