by: James Smedley, Fish Ontario

Complaining about lakes loaded with eager pan-sized brook trout seems odd, unless you're one of the smitten who crave the powerful thrust of a giant squaretail. For us, lakes that cough up the occasional monster and then shut down for long periods are the most intriguing. They kick us in the teeth time and time again, but we always return knowing that the right tactics and a healthy dose of luck will eventually ice a watermelon-sized brookie.

Such stubborn lakes can be frustrating, but they're essential for the production and preservation of large brook trout. Considering the inherent beauty of the species, a brook trout of any size is a worthy catch, but the vast speckled acreage of specimens approaching the 5-pound (2.27 kg) mark have "trophy" written all over them in vermiculated script. While stubborn lakes hold the curvaceous models for replicas, mounts, and photographs, they also possess a mysterious combination of factors that keep trout out of our creels to amass length and girth. Even stubborn lakes, however, have their weak moments.

I've caught trophy brookies from more than a dozen lakes peppered across a wide swath of northern Ontario. Many were over 5 pounds and one was so large I was tempted to make a snowmobile tarp from its speckled hide. While some lakes are remote or shrouded in secrecy, a surprising number are easily accessible and well known by area anglers as producers of big fish. Yet, a vexing similarity prevails: their corpulent inhabitants are rarely hooked. So what is it about lakes that produce such big fish, yet render them so hard to catch? Delving into the mysteries of trophy brook trout and the waters they call home provides clues as to how to hook these elusive creatures.

The first ingredient in the recipe for big brook trout is fish genetically predisposed to large growth. There are wild brookies across the province capable of attaining pumpkin-like proportions, but most noted is the Nipigon strain. It's fame stems from its home waters of Lake Nipigon and its river that runs into Lake Superior. The river is where the 14.5-pound (6.58 kg) world record was plucked in 1916. Thanks to Ontario's stocking programme, Nipigon-strain brookies now occur throughout the province.

Big speckled trout, wild or stocked, have to eat a lot to maintain their buxom figures. While brookies will thrive on a diet of insects, snails, and crustaceans, a fish course helps them lay on the beef. In addition to an abundance of minnows, it also helps if brookies are the top predators and don't have to compete with perch, suckers, or rock bass for the same forage.

Competition is further reduced if a lake has a low density of trout, but even in a cold, clean lake with lots of feed and little competition, brookies need time to grow.

Why trout rarely bite in stubborn trophy lakes is related closely to why they grow so large. The availability of abundant food and a low density of fish equals large trout with the luxury of picking and choosing between real food and our lures. Many trophy lakes are above average in size, with fairly clear water. Size means more places for fish to hide and clear water allows trout to easily detect the treachery of anglers. Add to the equation that big fish are generally smart fish, and catching a trophy is a tall order. In fact, low catch rates on particularly stubborn lakes discourage anglers, and many waters end up thriving under very little pressure.

Not only does a sheet of ice eliminate a brookie's clear-water advantage, it also provides a convenient platform for stealthy anglers to access the fish's shallow feeding areas. While winter is the best season to coerce a speckled football into the open air, exactly when and under what weather conditions is difficult to pin-point. Brookies are binge feeders, eating in spurts when the spirit moves them. Being on the ice at the right time is largely a matter of luck. Conditions might affect feeding habits, but there are few set patterns. I've iced big fish from January to April, in weather ranging from hot and sunny to bitterly cold and overcast. I have taken big specks in settled weather and during the onset of storms. Targeting big brookies on stubborn lakes is a bit of a gamble.

Luck is an inordinate component of catching trophy trout, but using the right winter tactics places us squarely on the threshold of speckled glory. Go early. While a sheet of ice minimizes light penetration, the low light and stillness of early morning remains the most consistent feeding time. Narrows, inflows and outflows, extended points, shoals, islands, and wide bays indicate areas of interesting shallow-water structure. Quickly sinking at least six holes per angler gets all the noise over with at once. Testing water depth at each hole ensures we cover a wide range of depths. Concentrate on water less than 10 feet (3 m) deep.

The movement and scent of a live minnow in distress is tough to beat. Target big fish with big bait. Minnows 4 inches and longer are only attractive to fish big enough to eat them. Sucker minnows are the occasional preference of weighty squaretails, but shiners or dace are more consistent temptations. Hooking through the back, just behind the dorsal fin, allows them to swim naturally. A split-shot sinker 12 inches up the line keeps a minnow near bottom, yet allows it some mobility. A minnow on a long lead attracts aggressive fish, but tentative biters respond better to a more stationary meal. Reduce movement by adding a smaller split-shot between the main sinker and the minnow or by simply sliding the main split-shot closer to the minnow. When specks are lazy, replacing hook and split-shot with a 1/8- to 1/4-ounce jig head anchors the minnow in place.

In lakes with lots of feed, artificial lures are often the undoing of wily trout. When inundated with eating options, flashy 1/4- to 1/2-ounce spoons pique their curiosity. On high-pressure fisheries a jigged spoon stands out amongst the barrage of hooked minnows, which educated trout shy away from. Use a medium-light-action jigging rod spooled with 10-pound-test monofilament. A Cross-lock snap at the lure and a barrel swivel tied 16 inches up the line reduce terminal tackle and minimize line twist.

I've had more trout smash a 1/3-ounce Little Cleo in silver/blue than any other spoon. While it remains my confidence lure, other spoons like the Crippled Herring, Acme Kastmaster, and EGB Blinker, worked aggressively, also elicit savage strikes. Silver and gold are proven colours, but experiment with a variety of spoons in combinations of white, pink, red, bronze, and yellow.

To determine the best jigging rhythm, watch the lure's action just below the ice. While spoons do a fair job of imitating minnows, they also badger fish into making a move. A glance down the hole in clear, shallow water reveals that elderly trout will often watch a lure cavort in front of them for several minutes before being provoked into making the ultimate mistake. A jigging presentation is highly mobile, so move from hole to hole through a range of depths. Move live-bait rigs periodically too, and always ensure holes are slushed out so bites register.

If one area is dead after a few hours, pack up and try another. A location change can pay in lakes with low numbers of fish. However, once you've tried several spots, impaled several sizes and species of minnow, and dangled every spoon from proven to weird, it's time to acknowledge defeat. It happens. In fact, when dealing with mammoth brookies, getting skunked is a reality more than half the time. This is good. If stubborn lakes consistently gave up their trophies, there would be none left.

This article is printed with permission by Fish Ontario. Visit their website, http://www.fishontario.com, for more Ontario fishing information.