Lake Ontario Salmon Fishing…, in the Depths!

This Lake Ontario salmon hit one of my favorite deep water spoons, the NK28 Spook.

If you fish the east end of Lake Ontario where prevailing westerly summer winds push cold water deep, you know all about fishing the depths for trout and salmon. 

Fishing deep water has been a way of life out of Oswego lately, with temps in 200 feet of water, 60 degrees at 100′ , 50 degrees at 160′, and 43 degrees at well over 200 feet, give or take 20 to 50 feet depending on which day we’re talking about in the last seven days or so.  Throw in an increase in the number of water fleas we’re seeing lately, plus some serious subsurface currents, and this deep water  fishing can be tough. 

Nobody wants to fish a standard size Dipsy on the #1 setting with 400 feet of wire to just barely get to temp 120 feet down.  Riggers take that much  longer to set and retrieve, if they’re down  over 200′, and major snarls using multiple riggers are common.  With copper, better get out your 500′ and 600′ sections, and keep some spare spools on the boat because tangles with Dipsys are not uncommon. 

These challenging conditions discourage lots of anglers, but there are some simple way to cope with them and enjoy some great fishing.

My approach is to go back to basics and keep it as simple as possible.   Here are a few things that help keep me in fish when they’re deep, the fleas are nasty, and the currents severe;

1. Use only two riggers, and use at least a 12 lb. rigger weight that is tunable to make the weights swim away from each other slightly, avoiding tangles.

2.  Use a good speed/temp probe to monitor temp and maintain optimum trolling speed.

3. Use stout releases like the Capt. Jax to handle the extra pull on the line caused by the added resistance caused by all the line in the water, plus fleas.

4.  Use mag Dipsys with 7′ roller rods.  These Dipsys will get you down to 120 feet or more with as little as 250 feet of wire, depending on currents.

5.  Fish copper off boards, 400, 500, and 600′ sections.  Even though the 400-footer will only get you down about 90 feet deep, kings and steelhead will come up out of temp to chase bait and attack a lure.  Also, on sharp turns, a 400′ section will drop as deep as 120 feet or deeper.  When you’re fishing copper off the boards, don’t be afraid to fish a zig zag trolling pattern.

6.  You’re not going to be able to speed troll at 200′ because of swayback, so fish lures and flashers that work well at speeds of 2.1 to 2.5 mph.  Spoons like the NK in the size 28 and mag or Stingers in the Stingray or Mag are excellent.  You can’t fish a better 8″ flasher in the depths than the ProChip.   

7.  The deeper I fish, the more effective I find whole bait and Sushi Flies.

8.  Perhaps most important…, remember that the further west you fish and the  further you fish from shore, the higher the cold water.  If you can find fish there, you won’t have to fish deep!!!

Don’t let deep water trolling discourage you.   Keep it simple, use the right gear,  use your head, and you’ll catch fish.

Lake Ontario Salmon Fishing…, for Atlantics!!!

Biologists estimate this 23 1/2" Atlantic boated on 4/30/10 is 2-3 years old.

In a recent Atlantic salmon blog,  I said I would be back with more info when and if I received further details on any management changes that might have resulted in the recent increase in the number of Atlantic salmon we’ve been catching in Lake Ontario this spring.  Those very interesting details are now available.

A little background…, In 1983, the NYSDEC stocked 45,000 landlocked salmon in three different L.O. tributaries and these fish, along with others stoced the next few years produced some surprisingly good salmon fishing , with some fish in the double digit weights.  Unfortunately, this fishery declined, despite additional stockings in following years of a variety of different strains and sizes of landlocked and Atlantics. 

After 2001, despite various landlocked and Atlantic salmon stockings by New York State and the Province of Ontario, the catch of landlocks dropped off to close to zero, and on my charter boat we saw an average of about one per season, , sometimes sublegal, sometimes larger than the 25” size limit, the largest 13.5 lbs.

 I had heard that not much had changed with the landlocked salmon or what biologists are calling Atlantic salmon management program in New York State, but major changes had been made by the Province of Ontario.  When I received the information I asked for about Ontario’s salmon management program, it became very clear why we’re seeing more Atlantics.  Canada’s stocking increased from  199,062 fry and fall fingerlings in 2005 to 836,898 fry, fall fingerling, yearling, and even 698 adult  salmon in 2009, all so-called “LaHave/Harwood” strain Atlantics, a major change in the program. In contrast, the NYSDEC stocked 74,000 Atlantics in 2009.

Although New York and Ontario biologists don’t yet know if the increased number of landlocks is a result of Ontario’s intensified management program, that certainly(emphasis) appears to be the case. 

My guess is also that we may be seeing the beginning of a spectacular Lake Ontario fishery for Atlantic salmon, and, hopefully,  the successful restoration of this once native species in Lake Ontario.  Historic written accounts tell about native landlocked Atlantic salmon in Lake Ontario up to 47 lbs.  Adult fish in the fall were so abundant in tributary streams that spawning salmon in gravelly river fords spooked horses pulling wagons.  Spawning Atlantics were even speared onto wagons for use as food, and even fertilizer for gardens. 

If it happens, hats off to Ontario’s fishery biologists and their historic accomplishment.

Lake Ontario Brown Trout Fishing Tips from the Fish Doctor

Here’s a simple lure color selector  that will help you catch more spring browns, and it probably won’t cost you more than 10 cents, if you happen to have a spray can of fluorescent paint around.

Fishing Lake Ontario for spring brown trout can be a challenge at times, especially when it comes to lure color selection.   Variable water color and turbidity complicate the matter even more.  Your favorite spoon or stickbait may be deadly, but if you don’t have the right color in the water, you’ll probably end up going home with a nice clean cooler.

There are some basic recipes for lure color selection based on water clarity, which generally revolve around the rule of thumb…, natural colors like silver, black/silver, black/gray, Tenessee shad, and others in clear water, and lures with more color, with some chartreuse, green, or fluorescent orange in the color pattern, in more turbid the water.  The more turbidity and less visibility, the more color, until you reach near solid chartreuse or orange colors.

That’s fine, if you can figure out exactly what the turbidity is.  If you’re fishing the mouth of a large river like the Oswego, where I do much of my brown trout fishing, the water is commonly turbid or colored most of the time.  If it has been dry and river flow is low, the water in the plume of the river mouth is fairly clear.  If it has been rainy or there is a lot of snow melt, flow is high and the water color can be quite muddy.

Look over the side of the boat on a clear, sunny day with a slight ripple on the lake surface, and the color of the water on an average day might not seem too turbid.   An hour later on the same day, with no actual change in the water color, under overcast skies and a glassy surface, the water will probably look more turbid to you.  Sometimes, it’s just difficult to eyeball this and figure out exactly what the conditions are.

To make life easier(MLE) for myself, and make my lure color selection more effective when I’m fishing spring brown trout, I paint one of the five 6 lb. cannonballs I use on my riggers in the spring fluorescent red.  This give me a water turbidity indicator when I lower it down in the water and check my depth indicator on the rigger when the brightly colored ball disappears from sight.  I call it my COLOR-SEELECTOR.

I have my favorite color patterns, just like you do, and have developed my spring brown trout color selection formula around a combination of what I see with my COLOR-SEELECTOR, overhead light conditions, and what the fish tell me after I put lures in the water.  If my COLOR-SEELECTOR READS(fl. ball disappears) 6-8 feet, and it’s moderately overcast,  I’m going to fish my favorite silver/blue Flutterdevle.  If it reads 3-5 feet, I’m going to fish a silver/blue/green Two-Tone Flutterdevle. 

It works for me, and for 10 cents, how can you go wrong?  The bonus…, if there are any cohos around, they love to snuggle right up close to that red ball and hammer a brightly colored spoon or plug 3 or 4 feet behind it!

A fluorescent red 6 lb. cannon ball, the perfect Color-Seelector for spring Ontario brown trout

Lake Ontario Salmon Fishing Report, August 12, 2009.

Lake Ontario salmon fishing has had it’s ups and downs in the past week since August, 6, 2009.

If you had been onboard the Fish Doctor on August 6 with the Huttner party, you would have thought you were in salmon heaven.  With kings scattering in the 140t0 160 foot area west of Oswego where Capt. Ernie had been fishing the previous three days, it was time to do something different.  Shortly after departing the dock at 5:00 AM, the Fish

This Lake Ontario salmon made Ron work up a sweat when it hit a Prochip flasher and fly on 500 feet of copper

Doctor was on plane headed northwest of Oswego Harbor to deep water in search of bait, kings, and steelhead.  With the fish finder basically void of any fish marks after a 20 minute ride, the Huttner crew was on the verge of mutiny.  But as we approached 500 feet of water, the 10″color Sitex lit up with the marks of alewife schools, kings, and steelhead.  A few hours later, with a limit catch of kings and steelhead in the coolers, the Fish Doctor was headed back to Port. 

After three days of good fishing in deep water, the bait and kings scattered and it was back to hunting mode.  On August 11, the Norris party from Maine found themselves in king salmon heaven once again, with good numbers of kings in 130 feet of water.  Jessica, Ron, and Jeremy caught some dandies that day.  Anxious to return to the same area, the crew was surprised that the fish were gone, with a tally for the first couple hours of fishing of 0 for 2.  A catch of browns up to 9 lbs. and a 14 lb. laker saved the day.

The king salmon fishing the past week?  Definitely a riches or rags deal.  When will the mother lode show up???

Lake Ontario Fishing Charters for Families

Family salmon fishing charters on Lake Ontario can be a blast!

On the afternoon of July 25 and morning of July 26,  2009, three generations of Morfords fished aboard the Fish Doctor for trout and salmon…, ages from 5 years old to 65 years old.  Everyone had a great time because they prepared properly for the trip.

First, the Mom, who has fished aboard the Fish Doctor  with her Dad, Rick, from way back as a child and knows her children better than anyone else, recognized that they were ready for their first charter trip.  It’s not a question of age, but behavior and maturity.  Secondly, she and her Dad knew how to prepare the children for the trip, making sure they had been fitted with proper PFDs and had taken Dramamine well before the trip. Despite a slight chop, none of the children got queasy.

Second, our charter boat,  the Fish Doctor is seaworthy and comfortable, with a walk-in head and enough bunk space top side so children and even an adult can take a nap, if they get sleepy.  With the Mom and marine-sargeant grandpa Rick maintaining order and discipline to make sure everyone was safe and well behaved, all the kids had a great time and caught some nice fish including a monster sheepshead and chinooks up to 18 lbs.

Lake Ontario Salmon Fishing Revs up in July

A double on salmon and brown trout

There’s no question about it, July is our favorite month to fish Lake Ontario.  Why?  Well, because it’s the easiest month of the year to locate kings, steelhead, browns, and lakers, all concentrated in an below the thermocline, usually deeper than 70 feet.  Remove the top 70 feet of 10,000 square mile L.Ontario, and cold water loving trout and salmon definitely are more concentrated.

Add to this the fact that trout and salmon in midsummer are feeding actively…, gorging on alewives and smelt.  Later, by midAugust, both browns and adult king salmon start thinking about spawning, and it’s not unusual to see fish with rock hard stomachs that haven’t fed in some time.

Add to this beautiful midsummer weather and you’ve got a winner!

July, 2009, is no exception.  In late June, alewives that had just finished spawning were moving back offshore and concentrated in 60 to 90 feet of water.  With a thermocline starting  to form about 75 feet down, king salmon were starting to bunch up just outside the alewife schools in 90 to 180 feet of water.  On June 29 and 30, Rudy Heirling, Beau Roskow, and their fishing buddies George and Bruce, got a taste of the fishing to come in July, boating some nice lakers, and kings.  On July 2nd, kings up to 18 lbs. a steelhead, a coho, and some browns, all made up a nice multispecies catch, typical of the month of July.

Lake Ontario Salmon Fishing - Meat and Mylar

Fishing salmon with baited flies

An hour into their afternoon trip, Mike Ducross and his buddies from Cornwall, Canada, were not quite as optimistic as they had been after watching my morning charter carry heavy coolers of 20–30 lb. Lake Ontario kings off the dock.  They had heard the war stories about how we had them dialed in all morning with whole alewives and big flashers, and knew we were returning to the very same “X” on my chart plotter.  The Sitex fish finder showed the kings were still there, but they were turning their noses up at our 2-rigger spread of 13” Slashers and whole alewives down 120 and 130 feet.

With unwavering confidence in the big  silver and gold prism taped golden retriever flashers in bright midday light for staged kings,  I had opted for changes in leader length and bait head color, to no avail, before deciding on one last change before doing something drastic. 

Still firm in my belief that when a big king bellies up to the sushi bar he’s looking for one thing, alewives, I reached into my bait cooler for a freshly salted alewife strip and  replaced the whole bait with a baited fly.  Minutes after dropping the rigger back to same depth of 120’ with the same 15’ setback, the rod fired.  Immediately I reset it the second time, and it fired again.  Meanwhile, the whole bait, 10’ deeper at 130’and 25’ back was just a slug.  While fighting the second fish, Mike  pulled the deep rigger, while I baited another Mirage fly, and we reset the rigger exactly as before,  130’ down and 25’ back.  Before we could untangle the second king from the net, the deep rigger fired.

Four hours later, as the sun angled toward the horizon and light intensity at the riggers dropped, you guessed it, the program changed and the kings decided they absolutely loved whole alewives in a glow green bait head 60” behind a glow green splatterback HotChip 11.  

Why a king salmon, with a brain the size of a pea,  would select a baited fly over a whole alewife one time and do the reverse the next,  I cannot imagine.  What I can say is it’s not the first time I’ve seen it happen, and I’ll be ready when it happens again. 

Baited flies and, before that, baited hoochies or squids, in combination with flashers have been a go-to rig for me aboard my charter boat, ever since my first trip to Alaska  in 1990.   Fortunate to  be invited aboard several commercial salmon trolling boats,  the first thing I noticed on deck was  buckets of 11” plastic flashers, mostly white, green, chartreuse, and red.   Hanging on the rear of the cabins were rows and rows of  3 ½” hoochies(squids) in a myriad of colors, some for kings, some for cohos.  Closer inspection of the hoochies showed a piece of light brass wire, inside each hoochie, attached to the eye of a 6/0 single hook.

The wire on these hooks was for attaching 3”- 4” herring strips inside the hoochie, which rarely go in the water for Alaskan kings without bait.

The  trollers also showed me how they rigged whole herring, herring filets, and cut plugs, all of which they carry onboard, along with spoons and plugs, during an king salmon opening. To a man, they were adamant about how fussy king salmon were and how important it was to master a variety of techniques to consistently catch fish in all conditions. 

I never forgot that lesson, and returned to Lake Ontario with  a new perspective on fishing bait for kings and  a conviction to do my utmost to become as versatile as possible in fishing for them .   

Today, my favorite flashers with baited flies include, 8” ProChips, 11” ProChips and HotChips, and 13” Kingston Tackle Slashers in a variety of colors and finishes.  I use 36”- 48” leaders on 11”- 13” flashers and 19”- 30” leaders on 8” flashers.  Flasher/fly color combos are the same as for clean flies.

Rather than the single hook used by commercial trollers, I prefer a tournament tie with a 5/0 beak hook and a #2 bronze treble.  The same tournament tie used with clean flies can be used with bait, but I prefer to extend the leader length between the beak and treble hooks about 1 ½” so the treble trails at the tail of the bait.  Although, the alewife bait strip can be hooked on the leading beak hook, even a properly prepped alewife bait strip softens quickly in fresh water and seldom will stay on a hook very long. 

The secret to keeping an alewife bait strip secured inside the fly is to wrap it on the beak hook just behind the hook eye using soft .020” diam. brass wire.  Although the brass wire can be attached to the beak hook on a pretied Tournament Tie, I like to attach it before I snell the hook, by simply placing a 3” length of wire midway through the eye of the hook, pulling the brass wire down along the shank of the hook, and tying the snell, leaving about 1 ½ inches of each end of the wire extending to each side of the hook. 

The head end of a correctly shaped bait strip,  tapered to about 3/8”,  is then laid skin down against the hook shank, and the brass wire is wrapped from opposite directions around the bait with enough tension to slightly bury the wire into the meat on the bait strip.  It is not necessary to twist the ends of the wire together to hold the strip.  The wired bait will remain in the fly as long as you fish it.  I prefer lightly dressed flies for use with bait strips. 

From 18 years of experience fishing what have now become know on my charter boat as sushi flies, I’ve found that elongated diamond shaped bait strips about 3” in length and ½” to 1” wide, tapered to 3/8” at the head and ½” at the tail are about right.  The later in the season, the larger the bait strip, including strips with tails as wide as ¾”.  Bait strips are filleted from both sides of an alewife and trimmed to shape. The better the quality of a bait strip, the better it catches fish. 

Availability of alewives to use as whole bait or bait strips has always limited the use of alewives for Great Lakes trout and salmon.  The Familiar Bite Co., which harvests, brines, and vacuum packs fresh alewives in 8-packs,  has now solved this problem.   To properly prep quality bait strips, filet alewives when fresh or immediately after removing partially thawed bait from a vacuum pack, trim them to shape, and place them in a ziplock bag of noniodized salt.  They will keep indefinitely refrigerated.  I carry  ziplocks of preshaped bait strips in a small bait cooler along with a brine jar of whole alewives and an ice pack.

Years of experience and millions of Great Lakes king salmon have proven clean flies catch fish.  When it comes to inactive kings, though, especially staged fish or big, lazy fish, I’ve found that sushi flies are just what the doctor ordered