Old-timer tactics
A veteran angler’s time-tested techniques for catching plenty of early-season brook trout
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#2 START SHALLOW
When the surface temperature of a frozen lake reaches 4ºC, the ice sinks and disappears into the water column. The water temperature surrounding the sinking ice becomes much cooler than what brook trout prefer, which is between 10 and 20ºC, so they head close to shore where the shallow water warms up faster. During the first few days of the season, then, focus your efforts in approximately six feet of water. With the sand and rocks on the bottom storing heat generated by the sun, the warmer water near shore will also have a healthy supply of terrestrial food, such as worms and insects, to attract the fish. On our trip years ago, Laforest trolled as close to the shore as possible, but casting out from the bank or toward shore from a boat are also effective methods.
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