Guest Comments

Charles Friesz - Bethany, Missouri

Tom Robertson - Frankfort, Illinois

Targeting Trophy Trout - Brothers Catch Big Sisters

To Catch A (World Record) Trout

Amazing Lake Trout Just 2-Pounds Off World Record! - from Saskatchewan Secrets.

Charles Friesz - Bethany, Missouri

Thank you for posting our picture. It bought back great memories. The service and accomodations were fantastic. We enjoyed the trip immensely. I don't know it it is common to have a double with two walleyes over 26 inches but it was exciting. We had 10 doubles that day but the picture of the two over 26 inches bought back great memories and a opportunity to re-live the excitement. Thank you for the wonderful treatment and the exciting fishing.

Tom Robertson Frankfort, Illinois

“We met Sean on our first trip to Saskatchewan over ten years ago. Our trip to Tazin was an opportunity to fish a terrific lake while renewing an old friendship. We caught more fish over 40 inches in our four days at Tazin than we had caught in all of our previous trips to Canada combined, but the fishing was only part of what made the trip so enjoyable. The people at Tazin Lake Lodge make you feel like you’re coming home, whether this is your tenth trip to Saskatchewan or your first trip to Canada. From the guides to the shore staff, your enjoyment is their top concern. The bottom line on any Canadian fishing trip is, of course, the fishing. Pike bays abound only short distances from the lodge and lake trout can be caught within sight of the dock. It’s always hard to leave northern Canada behind when a trip comes to an end, and as our float plane left the dock, I looked back and waved goodbye to an old friend…I hope it won’t be long before we meet again.” -- Tom Robertson Frankfort, Il

Targeting Trophy Trout - Brothers Catch Big Sisters

By Larry Ladowski

The hum of the boat motor dropped pitch as we slowed down and neared the spot. Our destination, a reef called Trout Rock on the north side of Tazin Lake in Northwest Saskatchewan. We grabbed our rods and began rigging for a troll. A quick glance at our Lowrance Electronics showed us moving from 300-foot depths to 150-foot depths just off the reef. It was time to lower our lures in hopes of catching a monster. My 846C All Star heavy action rod has the perfect rigidity with an extremely fast tip for a great feel and would be my rod of choice. It was matched with a Pflueger 6600 round baitcast reel rigged with 50-pound power pro line. A 6-ounce, in-line “banana” weight was tied to the end of the power pro and off the other end of the banana weight was approximately 7 feet of Yo-Zuri 50-pound Flourocarbon leader. The choice lures were 1-ounce Daredevils in pink, blue and white colors with silver backing. After letting out a tremendous amount of line, the soft tip of the rod offered a fantastic feel of the lure fluttering below as we motored along looking for arcs on the Lowrance unit.

Electronics are extremely important for finding Lake Trout. Lake Trout congregate around reefs. Liking cold water, they are found roaming the shallows in early spring and late fall, but go primarily deep in summer haunts as the water warms on the surface. Therefore finding them is almost impossible without depth gauges and fish finders. They will suspend in open water and move to the reefs when feeding. How shallow they will move, depends primarily on water temperature.

The first arcs we spotted were located in 120 feet near the bottom, obviously big trout. We punched in our GPS and began tracking our troll, trying to find “the spot on the spot” as one of our guides, Trevor Montgomery, described it. Finding fish was one thing—locating The Spot out of the general area would be our goal.

Tazin Lake is located in the far northwest corner of Saskatchewan Canada, just south of the Northwest Territories. It’s a secluded area of pristine natural beauty with only one lodge on the lake—Tazin Lake Lodge (tazinlakelodge.com) owned and operated by Sean Coleman. The lake is part of a Special Management Area and is protected from any new development. There is no commercial fishing and the last net was pulled from the lake in 1958. Tazin is home to some of the best northern pike and lake trout fishing in all of Canada. The lake is 40 miles long, 10-12 miles wide offering many islands and secluded bays. The area also includes three rivers and several adjoining lakes totaling over 250 miles of shoreline for excellent trophy fishing all season long.

We trolled the reef, “zig-zagging” between 120 feet and 70 feet off the main lake basin side of the reef. The “zig-zagging” motion not only helped vary the lure speed, but it also helped us cover the widest range of water. Every inside turn would slow our troll and drop the lure a couple feet, while outside turns were meant to increase lure speed and raise the lure allowing the greatest coverage of the water table.

Finally two gigantic marks appeared on the screen. Our guide dropped the motor in neutral to give my lure a chance to saunter to the bottom where the big fish waited. Upon feeling the lure hit the bottom I mentioned to our guide to shift the motor forward again and almost immediately upon doing so, my line stopped dead. I could tell instantly that I wasn’t snagged on the bottom, but was caught off-guard by the feeling of dead weight. I quickly set the rod as hard as I could and felt the awesome weight of the fish. The fight was unlike any fish I’ve caught before. The fish was clearly using its weight to its advantage, and every time I would gain line, just as quickly the spool would reverse directions and I’d be losing the battle.

Our party was fishing from two boats—my dad and I in one, and my brother and Brian Brach, MidWest Outdoors TV producer, in the other. We were trolling relatively close in the same area. During the fight we yelled to the other boat that we had a big one on, but quickly learned that they were fighting a sizeable fish of their own. As the tussle continued I began making progress and whatever I had was finally coming to the surface. I was immediately shocked by the size of the fish on the surface, and with no landing net, our guide John Marckoski grabbed the exhausted, inert laker’s tail and began hoisting the fish into the boat.

I had landed the largest Lake Trout of my life, a trophy 47-inch, 26–inch girth fish weighing an estimated 40 pounds. As my brother’s boat motored its way to our boat hollering about a big fish of their own, we were equally amazed at seeing his almost twin trophy at 48-inches, 24-inch girth and weighing an estimated 37 pounds. We photographed both fish and quickly released them into the cold Saskatchewan water in hopes that someone would catch them again when they are even larger trophies.

My dad, not to be outdone, wound up catching his own trophy shortly after with a 40-inch, 26-inch, 35-pound fish. Three trophy lake trout caught within an hour. We definitely had found the “spot on the spot” at Tazin Lake Lodge. Spending the time, being patient, and having the right equipment all leads to success on the water. Watch for the Tazin Trophy Lake Trout TV show this coming spring on MidWest Outdoors. For more information on Tazin’s Trophies call 866-498-2946.

To Catch A (World Record) Trout

BY STEVE RYAN

Luck? Actually, luck has relatively little to do with catching a record lake trout, and since luck can’t be controlled, it’s hardly worth mentioning. Location, timing, presentation, equipment and persistence are among the key components to targeting world record lake trout. Location is the key criteria, since you can’t catch them if they’re not there. Ask Sean Coleman, the owner of Tazin Lake Lodge, as he recently guided one of this guests, John Geiger, to a record size lake trout. A fish that stretched the tape at 50" in length and possessed an incredible girth of 33.5 inches. For perspective, the fish was roughly the size of three compact microwaves, with more power than a sub-compact car. A fish that by most estimates weighed over seventy pounds and which in actuality may have been the largest lake trout ever caught on rod and reel. The current IGFA All Tackle Record stands at 72 pounds.

This incredible fish was the result of careful planning and consideration - not merely a product of luck. Sean Coleman looked long and hard before acquiring Tazin Lake Lodge last year. Sean selected Tazin Lake due to its remote location in northwest Saskatchewan; its lack of any significant fishing pressure, and its total absence of and prohibition against commercial fishing. Since the lake stretches more than 40 miles long, by nearly 15 miles wide, with depths of several hundred feet, it’s no surprise that Tazin Lake had a quiet history of producing record size trout and pike. That ‘quiet’ history has been loudly shattered by John Geiger’s monster laker.

Upon buying the camp, Sean knew it was merely a matter of time. Time to learn the seasonal migrations and patterns of the huge lake trout that roam Tazin Lake and the persistence to target these big fish with the necessary equipment.

The plan came together on July 11, 2006, when Sean and John were trolling a silver and blue Worden’s T-55 Flatfish in 50 foot of water. As John’s rod doubled over and the line crackled under the heavy drag pressure on the reel, there was no doubt that the quest for a record trout had paid off.

Sean had been working on a big fish pattern for the prior two weeks by targeting deep water humps with access to the main lake basin. During that time guests at Tazin Lake Lodge had successfully caught and released numerous big trout including multiple fish from 40-50 pounds. Sean knew it wouldn’t be long before a 60, 70 or 80 pound fish was landed.

After a momentous battle that lasted more than half an hour, John was able to coax the monster laker within reach of the waiting landing net. After a short celebration and photo session, there was only one thing left to do - let the big girl go back to haunt the depths of Tazin Lake. Upon releasing the fish, Sean had one thought - not if someone else would catch the same fish next year, but how soon before the next guest of Tazin Lake Lodge caught an even bigger lake trout.

To target these huge fish, several key pieces of equipment are necessary. Start with a top quality locator with GPS and plotting capacity like Lowrance’s LMS-332C. By adjusting the sensitivity on this Lowrance unit, one can mark a big lake trout resting ten inches off the bottom in a hundred foot of water. Pay attention to changes in the bottom content/hardness as indicated by a narrower or thicker band indicating bottom. Mark key structural elements with waypoints on the Lowrance and repeat successful trolling passes both going into and with the wind. Lakers can be extremely speed sensitive. A bait running slightly too slow may go completely ignored; however, by repeating the trolling pass with the wind at one’s back/stern, the increased speed can be just the right thing to trigger strikes.

The next necessary piece of equipment is an appropriate rod and reel combination. Most pike/muskie rods are too stiff and lack the finesse to handle big lakers at the boat. Leave the pool cue style rods at home as they are ineffective for detecting subtle hits while whimpy rods lack the power to muscle big lakers off the bottom. Select a relatively stout rod with a soft tip and a long rear grip like Shakespeare’s Custom Ugly Stik (#1170-MH). The soft tip on this Ugly Stik rod helps to transmit the action of the lure and allows one to artfully play a big fish at boatside without pulling the hooks. Match this rod with a high capacity line-counter reel. Reels like the Tidewater 20LCL can hold over 200 yards of 30 pound test line. Plus, the line counter on the Tidewater allows one to precisely replicate how much line is needed to maintain bottom contact with a particular lure. Using 30 pound monofilament, 8 ounces of weight and a large spoon, don’t be surprised if 300-350 feet of line is required to maintain bottom contact in 90 foot of water - hence the need for a large capacity reel.

Lure selection for giant lakers is relatively easy. Lakers crave large slow-moving, wide-wobbling lures. Lures like Worden’s Flatfish and Daredevil Husky Spoons have proven track records for producing trophy fish. For better hook-up percentages and easier release of fish, modify these lures by swapping out the stock hooks with 4x strong size 5/0 Gamakatsu barbless treble hooks. These Gamakatsu hooks are the finest available of their kind and provide quick penetration and incredible holding power.

Since trout spend a good percent of their time feeding close to the bottom, start by fishing lures within a few feet of the bottom use a keel weight placed 5-6 feet in front of the lure to achieve greater depth. Keep constant contact with the bottom and occasionally pump the rod to change the pace of the lure. Lake trout are notorious for following baits but not reacting until a change occurs.

Catching truly big fish is rarely a numbers game. Persistence is a key element to success. Adjust the depth the lure is running until fish are located. Trust your electronics. When ‘big arcs’ constantly show up on the Lowrance, fish these spots with a concerted effort. Switch up lure color, size and style every half hour. Even a hot lure can grow cold, while something different may provoke a strike from the next world record lake trout.

To get a further education on catching big lakers and to learn more about the top quality lake trout, pike and untapped walleye fishing at Tazin Lake, contact Sean Coleman at 1-866-498-2946.

An incredible 70-pound laker from Tazin Lake—How every battle with a giant lake trout should end! Be sure to check out the photo gallery and video of this monumental catch.

Amazing Lake Trout Just 2-Pounds Off World Record!
from Saskatchewan Secrets.

2006 proved to be an extremely exciting summer for anglers in Saskatchewan. A lake trout weighing just over 70-pounds (only 2 pounds off the World Record!) was caught and released at Tazin Lake Lodge by John Geiger from Rockton, Illinois, on July 11. Sean Colman, the owner of Tazin Lake Lodge, was the guide.

"It was a fish of a lifetime but I'm confident that the new world record will be caught this summer or next at Tazin. The lake trout fishery has been beyond my expectations. This summer we have averaged a laker over 40lbs every four days!” said Colman.

The specifics on the fish were: 50 inches long, 33.5 inches girth. The lure used to catch the fish was a silver and blue T-55 Flatfish. Tazin Lake Lodge is located in the far northwest corner of Saskatchewan, just south of the North West Territories.