Dipsy Diver
4.6(3,800)4.6 out of 5 stars, 3,800 reviews, on Amazon at the time this was writtenA directional diving disc that takes a bait down and out to the side — the cheapest way to widen a trolling spread.
Trout · Salmo trutta
Brown Trout
The shallow-water prize. Browns hold tight to the beach in cold water, which puts genuine 15-pound fish inside 20 feet of water within sight of shore in early spring.
Typical
4–10 lb
Trophy
20 lb+
Best lake
Ontario
Season
Spring · Fall · Winter
Through the ice
No
Where to go
Brown Trout lake by lake
Ranked by how good the fishing actually is, not alphabetically. If a lake is not on this list, it is because the fish is not worth targeting there.
- 01Full guide
Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario is the best brown trout water in the Great Lakes and it is not particularly close. Spring browns hold inside 20 feet of water along the south shore and on the Niagara Bar, which means genuine 15-pound trout are catchable from a small boat within sight of the beach.
- 02Full guide
Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan brown trout are a shallow-water, cold-weather fishery and the Wisconsin shore from Racine to Algoma is the heart of it. From ice-out through May, browns hold inside 20 feet along the harbors and river mouths, catchable from a small boat or a pier.
- 03Full guide
Lake Huron
Lake Huron brown trout are the most overlooked cold-water fish on the sunrise side of Michigan. From ice-out through May they hold in 8 to 20 feet along the Saginaw Bay shoreline and near the harbors from Port Austin to Alpena, and you will usually have the water to yourself.
- 04Full guide
Lake Superior
Brown trout are a niche fish on Lake Superior, concentrated in the few places warm enough to suit them: Chequamegon Bay, the Duluth and Superior harbor entries, and the water off a handful of tributaries. Where they do exist they are catchable from shore and from a small boat in shallow water.
How to catch them
Techniques that work
- 01shallow trolling with stickbaits
- 02planer boards
- 03pier casting
- 04tributary drifting
Ordered by how much of the annual catch each one accounts for across the chain. The lake-specific pages above tell you which one to lead with, and when.
Tackle
Gear for brown trout
Classic Pro GLT Trolling Rod
4.5(3,100)4.5 out of 5 stars, 3,100 reviews, on Amazon at the time this was writtenThe rod most Great Lakes charter boats actually have in the holders, at a price that lets you buy six of them.
Cold Water Line Counter Reel
4.5(2,100)4.5 out of 5 stars, 2,100 reviews, on Amazon at the time this was writtenThe line counter that put repeatable trolling depths within reach of everyone with a boat and eight rod holders.
TX-44 Planer Board
4.7(2,200)4.7 out of 5 stars, 2,200 reviews, on Amazon at the time this was writtenThe in-line board that walleye trolling on Erie is essentially built around — it tracks hard, releases clean, and shows a bite.
RV Series Trolling Spoon
4.7(900)4.7 out of 5 stars, 900 reviews, on Amazon at the time this was writtenA thin, high-action trolling spoon with genuinely long-lasting glow — the standard early-morning king spoon on Michigan and Ontario.
Husky Jerk
4.6(5,200)4.6 out of 5 stars, 5,200 reviews, on Amazon at the time this was writtenA suspending jerkbait that hangs motionless between twitches — the cold-water bait for walleye, smallmouth and browns.
Little Cleo Casting Spoon
4.6(4,700)4.6 out of 5 stars, 4,700 reviews, on Amazon at the time this was writtenThe pier spoon. A heavy, wobbling casting spoon that has caught fall salmon and spring steelhead off Great Lakes breakwalls for sixty years.
OR12 Side Planer
4.6(1,700)4.6 out of 5 stars, 1,700 reviews, on Amazon at the time this was writtenThe other standard in-line board — slightly larger, pulls heavier loads, and handles copper and lead core better than most.
Read next
Brown Trout guides
Fishing the Tributaries: Fall and Spring Runs Without Crowding Anybody
How Great Lakes steelhead and salmon runs work, what water conditions turn them on, and the river etiquette that keeps a crowded hole fishable.
Before you go
Seasons, size limits, and daily bags for brown trout are set by each state and change year to year. Read the current rulebook for the water you are fishing before you keep a fish — every state agency is linked here.