Snowbank Lake is probably the most accessible lake trout water in the Arrowhead region. With hefty populations of lake trout spread across 4,273 acres of fishable ice, it could be the best overall lake trout water in the state. But Snowbank is an entry point to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area, so snowmobiles and power augers are not allowed on the northeast half of the lake.

Dennis Schmitt, one of the owner’s of Smitty’s on Snowbank resort and an avid lake trout angler, said he’s found lakers in water as shallow as 6 feet and as deep as 100 feet.

“Lake trout like cold water and it’s all cold that time of the year, so you have to be willing to move all over the place,” he said.

The shallow-running trout are most likely chasing perch, while the deeper swimming ones are after ciscoes, so adjust your colors accordingly, he said.

“We set our ice houses up on the dropoffs where lake trout feed on schools of forage fish. They usually come in a few times throughout the day,” he said.

Because anglers are allowed to fish two lines, Schmitt usually has one tipped with a frozen cisco that he sits on the bottom, while the other line is a jig, spoon or tube. “Sometimes I’ll tip it with a minnow head, but usually I don’t — airplane jigs work good, too, if nobody else is around you,” he said.

For more information on Snowbank Lake, contact Smitty’s on Snowbank at (800) 950-8310 or online at www.smittys-snowbank.com./”

http://www.minnesotasportsmanmag.com/fishing/trout-fishing/MN_0108_01/

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