Field Notes

Finding steelhead and brown trout in the Great Lakes

Browns hug the shore and the warm water. Steelhead roam offshore under the scum lines. Both are chasing a temperature, not a spot.

The easiest way to know your trolling depth on the Great Lakes

Leadcore colors, diver settings, downrigger counters. Every method gives you an estimate. Here is how good each one is, and how to stop estimating.

Where to find lake trout in the Great Lakes, season by season

Lake trout live by one number: about 48-50 °F. Find where that water is today, and you have found the fish.

What depth are pike at in the fall?

Autumn is when big pike become findable. They follow the food, and the food follows the temperature.

What depth are pike at in spring?

Shallow. Then a little less shallow. Then it depends on the water temperature, which is the whole point.

Braid vs mono: how your line changes lure depth

Same lure, same speed, same line out. Different line, different depth. Physics doesn't negotiate.

How deep does your lure really run? (It's not what the box says)

The number on the package was measured under one set of conditions. Yours are different.

How to use PROBE to find the right depth

Seven grams on your line. One cast. A full picture of the water column, and a record of exactly where the fish hit.

What is a thermocline, and how do you find it?

An invisible floor in the lake. Above it: warm water, oxygen, bait. Below it, often: not much. Worth knowing where it is.

How do you know what depth to fish?

Quick answer There is no fixed depth for any fish species. Fish hold where three things line up: the water temperature they prefer, the light level they hunt best in, and their food. In summer, ...