Published by: Jack Specht

The Mackinaw. A voracious predator that is known for scouring the deep in search of prey. Lake trout will eat a variety of offerings; however, we will go over a few of my favorites here today.

Jake’s Tubes with Trix Tube Jig Heads

When it comes to ice fishing for lakers in Colorado, my favorite bait has to be a good ole tube. Depending on how you fish it, a tube can be representative of so many different types of forage. It can be a craw, a small trout, a baitfish, sculpin, sucker…the possibilities go on. My favorite tubes for targeting big lakers are Jake’s Lure Joint 4” tubes & Jake’s Lure Joint 2.75” tiny tubes in just about every color. I will say I have a love for the Bleeding white, Blaze orange/white, & glow colors. Another thing I love about tubes is being able to tailor my sink rate by using different weight tube jig heads. Always make sure to get jig heads with strong hooks. Without them, you will have a hard time pinning fish at depth. Strong fish pinning hooks are Trix tube jig heads…2x strong Mustad Ultrapoint with a level sitting head…enough said. 

Dynamic HD Ice Jigs

My second favorite lure to run for icy Macks has to be the Dynamic HD Ice. I really like to run these when fishing two holes or when the fish are very active. On one rod I run a HD and on the other I run a tube. I may not catch as many fish on the HD as I do the tube, but I 100%  believe that it “calls in the fish” with its rattle and vibration. The fish come in to check out the HD and then tend to eat the more subtle tube. However, when the fish are chasey, you can have a wild day on the HD Ice.

Home Tied Hair Jigs

Number three definitely has to be home tied hair jigs. Well, I guess you can buy them from the store but that's not nearly as cool. It is hard to beat the action of some Bucktail and Flashabou tied onto an VMC moon eye jig or Ahrex 90 Degree with a Spawn’s tungsten bead. The thing I like the most about tying hair jigs is the endless combinations of materials you can use to create something unique the fish have never seen before. Getting creative can seriously pay off sometimes. Not to mention it's beyond satisfying to catch a big fish on something you created. 

Munks Tube Jigs

Ever get in that big fish or nothing mood? I sure do…. When I do, I tie on a Munk’s tube jig. These tremendous offerings will not only call in the big fish but they will look incredible while doing it. I really like the 6” or 8” version in natural color schemes paired with heavier Trix Tube jig heads. You will probably get more lookers than eaters. But when you do find that one dumb enough to eat…it's usually big. 

Spoons