Superior Lake Trout Deep-Jigging Kit

What this kit does

Most people fish Superior lake trout by trolling: cowbells and spoons dragged deep behind a downrigger. It works, it is how the charter fleet operates, and it requires a boat rigged for it.

Vertical jigging is the other way, and it is better suited to a visiting angler in a modest boat. You find a reef or a hump on the sonar, hold over it, and drop. When it works it out-catches trolling because you are putting a bait directly in front of a located fish rather than hoping to cross one. It also works in spring and fall when lakers come up onto shallower rock, which is exactly when a smaller boat can safely be out there.

The Garmin ECHOMAP UHD2 93sv is listed first in importance even though it sits in the middle of the rod list, because on this lake the electronics are the fishing. Superior’s productive structure is scattered reefs, humps and drop-offs that are invisible from the surface and often unmarked on paper. You need decent charting to find them and decent sonar to see fish holding on them. Buy the screen before you buy the second rod.

The St. Croix Eyecon is nominally a walleye rod and it is exactly right here: enough tip to work a jigging spoon with a sharp snap, enough backbone to move a ten-pound fish up through sixty feet of water. A heavy jigging rod kills the action of the lure; a soft rod cannot set the hook at depth.

Stradic FL in a 3000 or 4000 for the drag, spooled with PowerPro braid. Braid is mandatory here, not preferred. At 80 to 150 feet, monofilament stretch means your jig does not move when your rod does and you cannot feel a fish eat on the fall. Add a short InvizX fluorocarbon leader for abrasion resistance over rock.

Two lures. The Rapala Jigging Rap in the larger sizes darts horizontally on the snap and is the best searching bait in deep water. The Little Cleo flutters on the fall and covers the slower, colder presentation; lakers frequently eat a spoon on the drop, so watch your line.

The Mustang float coat is in the kit because it is a Superior kit. Forty-degree water and a boat small enough to jig from is a combination that demands worn flotation, and the coat is a coat you will wear anyway.

What it deliberately leaves out

No downriggers, no trolling rods, no cowbells. That is the other approach and it is a complete separate investment. If you are going to troll Superior, do it from a charter first.

No ice gear. Superior lakers through the ice are excellent in the protected bays and it is a different rod, a different reel and a different shelter.

No VHF or PLB. Only because they are in the safety kit, where they belong. Fishing Superior offshore without a handheld VHF is a bad idea and this kit assumes you already own one.

No net. Boat-specific, and honestly a lot of jigged lakers get lipped and released.

Lake trout on Superior are managed in zones with different rules by state and by management unit, and the regulations change. Check the current Minnesota DNR, Wisconsin DNR or Michigan DNR guide for the specific unit you are fishing before you keep a fish.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use a less expensive sonar than the Garmin ECHOMAP to reduce the cost?

A budget fishfinder in the $200-300 range shows depth, bottom structure, and fish returns well enough to find and fish a reef. The tradeoff versus the ECHOMAP is screen size, side-scan capability, and chart quality. On a lake where the structure you are looking for is often unmarked on most charts, a good chart card and a decent-size screen are doing real work. If you already own functional sonar from another boat, use it; if you are buying from scratch, the screen is where not to cut corners on Superior.

What skill level is this kit for?

Vertical jigging is learnable quickly once you are on fish. The harder prerequisite is navigating to productive structure safely on a large, often cold, often rough lake. Superior offshore jigging in a small boat is appropriate for experienced Great Lakes anglers who can read weather, run and return within their boat’s capability, and wear flotation. Running to a reef 8 miles offshore on Superior is a different commitment than fishing Saginaw Bay.

What else will I need that is not in this kit?

A handheld VHF radio and a personal locator beacon, both of which are in the big-water safety kit and are not optional on Superior. A net or lip grip for handling fish. Current regulations for the specific management zone you are fishing: Superior lake trout rules vary by zone between Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan, and bag limits change from year to year.

Does this jigging setup work on Lake Huron or Lake Michigan for lake trout?

Yes. The same rod, reel, braid, and jig selection works on Huron’s northern basin and on Michigan’s deep offshore structure. The fish behavior is similar: lakers hold on deep reefs and humps, come up to investigate a jigging bait, and often eat on the fall. The main difference is chart quality (Huron and Michigan have better-charted structure in most areas) and weather window. Neither lake is easy in a small boat, but Superior’s combination of depth, remoteness, and weather is in a category by itself.

How long will the electronics hold up?

Marine sonar units with reasonable care (rinsed after each trip, stored dry, cable connectors kept clean and sealed) last seven to ten years or more before performance degrades noticeably. The most common failure points are the transducer cable connection and the mount, not the unit itself. Firmware updates extend capability over time. The rods and reels, if maintained, will long outlast any electronics on the boat.