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Lake Temperatures

Posted: Sat Sep 14, 2019 7:39 pm
by Dilly Worm
Lake Champlain looks very interesting this week with the weather getting cool and all the high winds today... I've been watching the buoys on-line, and temperatures in the south lake have plunged down to 47 F at 46 feet, that's about a 20-degree drop in a day !
https://leibensperger.github.io/buoy.html

I will be back there tomorrow hoping for better luck than last week when I just caught a bunch of perch down deep !

Meanwhile the VT Fish & Wildlife Fishing Report this week says to look for salmon near the spawning rivers, which sounds a few weeks early to me, but maybe that's worth a look too...

Wondering what others are thinking for lakers and salmon with the changes in the lake going on... and if anyone ventured out in the big waves today ?

Re: Lake Temperatures

Posted: Mon Sep 16, 2019 3:48 pm
by TUnamas
Big waves? I was racing in the Macdonough Race on Saturday. We had a deferred start under the heavy conditions hoping they'd abate, but still left Shelburne Bay at 1pm. We rounded Shelburne Point and sailed south to round Diamond Island in 40+ kts and a 5-7 foot sea state. I've never been on the lake in those conditions. We didn't see any anglers out, and I wouldn't want to be there fishing in my own boat. Rounding Diamond we set a northern course for Valcour Island. The only other boats we saw out were the Essex Ferries and a sunfish in Town Farm Bay seeking the lee. Rounding Valcour in the dark, my captain jokingly suggested I should have brought a rod, but then we rounded and headed back to Shelburne into the wind. It had shifted slightly west but was still blowing 20+ kts at Colchester Reef. At least we had a full moon, as we split the Reef and the Shoal with good visibility. We crossed the finish line deep in Shelburne Bay just before midnight, after covering almost 60 miles of water, but we never saw any anglers. We were beaten and tired, Second overall to a larger, faster boat.

Our downwind to Valcour was the first time I've ever unwillingly left the deck of a boat. It happened fast and our crew were all seriously experienced sailers/watermen, dressed well for the conditions, including sealed water bibs and water gear, and wearing life jackets. We blew a jibe in a heavy gust and broached as the spinnaker blew out and the jib went up. I was caught between two other crew and the oncoming boom and I went over the safety lines. I grabbed a stanchion and a safety line and held my breath as I went over and held firm. I hit the deck outside the safety lines as much as the water, but I was then low railed and pulling through/under the water at 14 kts as they restored boat control. Two other crew held my legs firm outside the safety lines and I was able to self rescue as the reefed main and jib were doused and the shredded spinnaker was retrieved. MOB would have been a wild experience, but that's as close as I want to get, especially in those conditions. Glad to have been wearing the gear I had on, including my usual solo life jacket with a whistle and a strobe light, over a sealed dinghy smock over my bibs. Fortunate to have had a great Captain and crew with me, as I get to live another day! For those who don't think it may happen to them, IT WILL. Stay safe out there!

Re: Lake Temperatures

Posted: Mon Sep 16, 2019 6:30 pm
by Reelax
Wow that is a nautical story!! No wonder you didn’t want to go fishing... :shock:

Re: Lake Temperatures

Posted: Tue Sep 17, 2019 5:41 pm
by fishfarmer
Dilly Worm wrote:

Meanwhile the VT Fish & Wildlife Fishing Report this week says to look for salmon near the spawning rivers, which sounds a few weeks early to me, but maybe that's worth a look too...

I've been known to catch salmon in the tribs late September, just need some rain.

Once a salmon buddy of mine and I went down striper fishing mid September. We came back to hearing that we missed an awesome run of salmon up the Saranac where they were eating big mayflies in every pool.

Usually the early fish are bright and sassy.