  Lying at the base of the Tetons, Jackson Lake is deep, cold and glacial. It is an excellent habitat for trophy lake trout, cutthroat, brook trout and some brown trout.
The current state record lake trout is 50 pounds out of Jackson Lake, caught in the early 1980's. This 50-pounder is a world-class fish that's hard to imagine seeing mounted on a wall, let alone coming through a hole in the ice!
FISHING AFTER ICE OUTExcellent fishing starts right after ice out, usually early-to-mid-May, but sometimes as late as early June. This is when fish are in the shallows searching for baitfish, which makes them especially vulnerable to bank fishermen. As the water starts to warm the fish move to deeper structure and shore fishing becomes more difficult. The experienced fisherman starts trolling the depths with steel lines and downriggers, concentrating on the deep bars.
In mid-September the water temperatures start to drop, triggering the spawning urge of the lake trout. The Mackinaw spawn on deep wind-swept points in 20-90 feet of water with gravel and boulder strewn bottoms. The fish become the most active at sunset and at night. Midday action can be incredible if a big storm rolls through. But be careful at this time of year; the water is cold and the waves can swamp a small boat in no time.
Note that Jackson Lake is closed in October to protect the spawning Mackinaws.
ICE FISHING JACKSON LAKEJanuary starts the ice fishing season, a favorite for many fishermen because the big fish are extremely accessible at this time. You can position yourself at a good bar and not worry about your boat being blown all over. The best action is at sunrise until about noon, and then again in the evening.
Although ice fishing is recognized as the stupidest and most boring sport by the fishermen themselves, it is an addiction! Consider a dedicated fisherman spending ten hours on a frozen lake at below zero temperatures, not get a strike all day, and then getting up at 4:00 am the next morning to do it all over again!
FLY FISHING JACKSON LAKEFly fishing lakes is generally not easy, but it can be done in some areas. Using a canoe or float tube is a great help when fishing a lake, and primary action will occur in June through July. |