3 must-have lures when ice-fishing for big lake trout—anywhere in Canada

There’s a reason New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge (inset above) bats first. His on-base plus slugging percentage is outrageous. This past season, he secured his place in baseball history by hitting 62 home runs and breaking Roger Maris’ 61-year-old, single-season home run record in the American League. And if you’re the opposing team manager and think you can get away with intentionally walking Judge, you still have to deal with Anthony Rizzo, Oswaldo Cabrera and Giancarlo Stanton, the second, third and cleanup hitters, respectively.

I like to compare ice-fishing lures for lake trout to the Yankees lineup. For years, a four-inch white tube stuffed with a quarter- to 3/8-ounce jig has been the lead-off batter for most anglers. But what’s on deck if the tube strikes out? For me, it’s a spoon, swimbait and lipless crankbait.