For lake trout, a 1/2 oz jighead is the best all-around starting point, moving to 3/4 oz and 1 oz as you fish deeper. Weight is what gets your bait down to fish suspended over 40, 60 or 100-plus feet of water — but hook size should still match the forage, and most of what lake trout eat is surprisingly modest in size.
Quick Answer: Jighead Size Chart for Lake Trout
Lake trout live in a completely different world than most freshwater fish. While largemouth spend much of their lives around cover, lake trout spend much of theirs suspended over deep water, constantly following schools of bait. That means your jighead has one primary job: reach the fish while maintaining the correct fall rate.
| Situation | Recommended weight | Typical hook size |
|---|---|---|
| Shallow spring shorelines | 1/8 oz | 2/0–3/0 |
| Suspended fish and forward-facing sonar | 1/4 oz | 3/0–4/0 |
| Moderate depth | 3/8 oz | 3/0–4/0 |
| Everyday fishing — start here | 1/2 oz | 4/0, or 2/0–3/0 for smaller forage |
| Deep vertical jigging | 3/4 oz | 5/0, or 2/0–3/0 |
| Deep reservoirs | 1 oz | 7/0, or 2/0–3/0 for smelt and juvenile ciscoes |
| Heavy current | 1½ oz | 8/0 |
| Extreme depth | 2 oz | 10/0 |
Those hook sizes reflect what the deep-water market generally offers. Our own Upgrade Multi-Purpose Jigheads currently top out at 1 oz with a 7/0, so the two heaviest rows sit outside our lineup — we would rather give you the complete reference than stop the chart where our catalogue does. Within the range we do make, the pairings are 1/8 oz with a 2/0, 1/4 oz and 3/8 oz with a 3/0, 1/2 oz with a 4/0, 3/4 oz with a 5/0 and 1 oz with a 7/0.
Many anglers assume that because lake trout live deep, every presentation needs a giant hook. Not true. Weight gets your bait down. Hook size should still match the forage — and most of what lake trout eat is far smaller than the fish themselves.
Why Are Lake Trout Built for Open Water?
Unlike bass, lake trout rarely relate to shoreline cover once summer arrives. Instead they roam deep humps, rock reefs, underwater points, basin edges, thermoclines and suspended bait schools. If your bait does not reach their level, you probably will not get bit.
What Do Lake Trout Actually Eat?
Lake trout are incredibly efficient predators. Across North America they commonly feed on ciscoes, smelt, whitefish, alewives, kokanee, juvenile trout, yellow perch and sculpins.
Notice something? Most of those are not exceptionally large. That is why we often fish smaller hook sizes than people expect, even when targeting trophy fish.
Why Does Fall Rate Matter So Much?
One mistake we see repeatedly is anglers fishing as heavy as possible. Sometimes that is necessary. Often it is not.
Lake trout frequently follow a jig for several feet before committing. A bait that falls too quickly can leave the strike zone before the fish decides to eat. Sometimes simply dropping from 1 oz to 3/4 oz is enough to trigger more bites. Other days they want the faster presentation. That is exactly why experimenting with fall rate matters.
How Does the Season Change Your Choice?
| Spring | Summer | |
|---|---|---|
| Where the fish are | Surprisingly shallow — rocky shorelines, wind-blown banks, shoals and points | Offshore humps, deep points, suspended bait and basin edges |
| Everyday weights | 1/8, 1/4 and 3/8 oz | 1/2, 3/4 and 1 oz |
| Why | Cold water pushes fish up, and lighter heads keep the bait in a shallow strike zone | Rising surface temperatures push fish down, so weight becomes about reaching them at all |
Why Is Vertical Jigging So Effective?
Few freshwater fish are better suited to vertical jigging than lake trout. Modern electronics let you watch bait schools, see individual fish, follow your lure and adjust instantly.
Some days aggressive upward snaps trigger reaction bites. Other days a slow lift followed by a controlled fall gets crushed. The fish decide.
What Are the Best Lake Trout Presentations?
Lake trout are not complicated. They simply want something that resembles the forage they are already eating. Our confidence baits include paddle tails, flukes, straight-tail minnows, tube baits, curly-tail grubs and bucktail jigs. White, silver, pearl and natural baitfish colors consistently produce.
Bucktail Jigs Still Catch Giants
Long before forward-facing sonar, bucktail jigs were quietly catching giant lake trout. They still do.
One of our favorite combinations pairs an Upgrade Multi-Purpose Jighead with a hand-tied white bucktail and a white curly-tail grub or fluke trailer. The bucktail keeps breathing during pauses while the trailer adds subtle swimming action. Few presentations look more natural.
Which Jighead Style Should You Choose?
| Style | Reach for it when |
|---|---|
| Upgrade Multi-Purpose Jighead | Our first choice, especially in 1/2, 3/4 and 1 oz — the streamlined head cuts cleanly through the water column while the belly-weighted keeper locks plastics in place, including TPE and ElaZtech baits that slide down traditional keepers |
| Upgrade A.T.V. Weedless Swing Head | Not the first choice for open water, but excellent around sunken timber, rock piles, standing trees and submerged brush where snag resistance matters |
Should You Be Afraid of Smaller Hooks?
This surprises many anglers. One of the biggest lake trout we ever saw was caught while feeding on juvenile ciscoes barely four inches long.
Do not size your hook to the fish. Size it to the bait. A 1-ounce jighead carrying a 2/0 or 3/0 hook can be absolutely deadly when you are matching smaller forage. Weight and hook size do not always have to increase together.
What Mistakes Should You Avoid?
| Mistake | The fix |
|---|---|
| Fishing too heavy | A slower fall often keeps fish interested longer — drop a size before changing anything else |
| Matching the fish instead of the forage | Hook size should fit the bait, not the trophy you are hoping for |
| Fishing only the bottom | Lake trout frequently suspend well above bottom. Fish where they actually are |
| Ignoring electronics | Modern sonar dramatically shortens the search on open-water fish |
| Never throwing bucktails | Bucktail jigs have caught giant lake trout for decades. Do not overlook them |
Final Thoughts
Lake trout are one of freshwater’s ultimate open-water predators, built to chase bait over deep structure, suspended basins and offshore humps.
Success does not come from simply fishing heavier jigheads. It comes from choosing a presentation that reaches the fish while still looking natural. For us that usually means 1/2, 3/4 and 1 oz Upgrade Multi-Purpose Jigheads paired with paddle tails, flukes or hand-tied bucktails that imitate the ciscoes, smelt and whitefish lake trout hunt every day.
As with nearly every species in this series, the same two principles hold: weight controls presentation, and hook size matches the forage. Master those, experiment with fall rate, and you will consistently put more lake trout in the boat — whether you are jigging a deep Canadian shield lake, a western reservoir or one of the Great Lakes.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best jighead weight for lake trout?
A 1/2-ounce jighead is an excellent starting point, while 3/4 ounce and 1 ounce become the go-to choices in deeper water.
Can lake trout be caught on soft plastics?
Absolutely. Paddle tails, flukes, tubes, straight-tail minnows and grubs are all outstanding lake trout producers.
Should I always fish heavy jigheads?
No. Choose the lightest jighead that still allows you to maintain depth and control. Sometimes a slower fall catches considerably more fish.
Are bucktail jigs still effective?
Very. Bucktail continues moving during pauses and imitates many of the baitfish lake trout feed on.
Is hook size or weight more important?
Neither. They serve different purposes. Weight controls presentation and hook size matches the forage.
Reach them deep, but match what they are eating. Shop the Ebb N Flow Outdoors Upgrade Series →