With summer nearing its end, I decided to take advantage of some nice weather to take my two younger sons trout fishing. With a lake well stocked with both speckled and rainbow trout, Coin Lavigne was a good option, as I haven't been fishing there in a few years.
At only 140 km from Montreal, I figured a short few hours would be enough time to get a shot at catching a 10 trout quota, provided we were able to pattern the trout.
I arrived at the main lodge around 9:30 am, checked in, and headed to Lac en Coeur, their main lake for daily fishing. With one other boat just getting off the water after a slow morning bite for them, we had the entire lake to ourselves. With wind gusts up to 30 km/h, I decided to scrap any plans I have for casting or jigging.
After installing my electric motor, portable sonar and rod holders, we got to trolling using my favorite setup for that lake, namely a Lucky Strike Silver Lake spoon, followed by a 3-4 foot, 8 lbs test fluorocarbon leader, ending in a Gamakatsu $4 baitholder hook tipped with 1/2 a live earthworm.
Knowing that this setup has outdone most others, I knew that it was a matter of time until we found the trout. Sure enough, first pass landed Zev his first rainbow trout of the day, good size too for Coin Lavigne.
After a few more passes, we figured out that the rainbow trout were tightly schooled in suspension, at 9-13 feet over 16-19 feet of water. From there, it was basically child's play, and the pattern held true all around the lake.
We managed to land our 10 trout quota within roughly 3 hours, with Zev and Eli taking turns on the fish.
I hadn't planned to catch any myself, but just as Eli was unhooking one of the catches, the other rod went off, and with Zev being up front, I landed the rainbow trout myself. Just as well, it turned out to be the biggest one of the day!
Heading home early, I had enough time to fillet the haul before dinner time, and 4 of us feasted on the fresh catch of the day.
Simply delicious, the rest of them won't last long either. Surprisingly enough, we didn't catch any speckled trout, which are usually the dominant stockies in that lake. Just as well, the rainbows are generally bigger, as I find they adapt better and grow faster in that lake, feeding mainly on crayfish and flies in various stages.
At $70 for a 10 trout quota, which also includes the boat (without motor), Coin Lavigne can make for a great day trip provided you have the proper equipment. As it's a "put and take" style fishery, releasing trout is strictly forbidden.
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