In late September of 2023, I was driving over to Nipigon to meet a client to take him Lake Trout fishing. And just as I was passing by Red Rock, I got a phone call saying there had been a death in the family and he would have to cancel.
After extending my sincere condolences, I decided I wouldn’t waste the drive over from Thunder Bay, but rather I would take myself Lake Trout fishing as a treat for a long summer of guiding others to some beautiful fish.
The summer had yielded a lot of nice Lakers in the 15 to 25 pound range… and one exceptional 42 inch long by 21 inch girth / 35+ pound fish for my friend & client Adam.
After handling and releasing that giant, I think my personal goal of catching a 40 pound Lake Nipigon Laker was born.
The weather and water temperature had been particularly warm that fall, and the fish certainly weren’t to be found on the shallow reefs where I would normally target them. So, I set out to work my downrigger in the deep water adjacent to the known spawning reefs. I caught and released several nice fish, but nothing even near my goal.
But then while watching my graph & fish finder, I noticed a big fish mark at 60 feet – the same depth as my downrigger was set – and when my rod thumped and the drag started screaming, I saw the fish dive right down to the bottom in 85 feet of water… and the battle was on!!
I was fortunate that I had a stand in the boat that holds my cell phone, and I was able to record the 28 minute tug of war that ensued.
And it was a tug of war!! I would leverage the fish with the rod towards the surface, and then it would steal back all the line I had gained (and sometimes more) as it continued to fight its way back into the depths.
So I knew from the drag stealing runs this fish was making that it was a big fish… but little did I know just HOW big a fish it was.
As the battle wore on, my worry started to set in… an 8 foot medium light fishing rod; 17 pound test fishing line; nobody with me to net the fish… how could this possibly work out?
But it did. After a few final runs when the fish saw the boat, I somehow managed to get it to surface; hold the 8 foot rod in the air with one hand, and slip the landing net under the fish with the other. I got it!!
It was an exhausting 28 minutes for the fish, and for me!! But after a quick – but cramped – dip in my livewell followed by some length, girth and weight measurements, I was able to safely live-release this massive fish back to the depths of Lake Nipigon.
So how big was the fish you’re asking?? It measured 46 inches long by 25 inches girth… and it weighed a whopping 42 pounds!!
So… my 40 pound Lake Trout dream is now “mission accomplished”… and the hunt for a 50 pound Laker is on!!
If you’re a Lake Trout fanatic like I am, check out what Lake Nipigon has to offer…. and I hope to see you “On the Water”!
