Targeting the sweet spot for big Champlain salmon

[digitroll (ron)]

After reviewing the data for 10 years for most of the large salmon 24" and up I have reached some common conclusions between June-December.

1) These fish are commonly caught between 40-60 feet down.

2) Use of two riggers only.

3) Light Bites target this zone effectively set at 150 feet and 180 feet on the counters port / starboard sides. Running at 50 and 60 feet on a 4 setting as determined by a Fish Hawk TD.


A simple program utilizing 2 riggers and 2 Lite Bites for 2 anglers is a stripped down simple approach that works.

For March to early June the fish are in the warmer water beginning 2 feet down early in the season to 15 feet typically before the warmer temps setup by early June.

I remember once Ernie Langtiene "Fish Doctor" telling me about if a deep water King in cold water wanted to come up and hit a dipsy running at 50-70 feet down they will. Well that thought has never left me. I also remember reading in GLA magazine that most of the kings in Lake Ontario are caught on average around 50-60 feet during the same months. Coincidence?

I know I don't always catch the numbers others report or some of my peers with 8 hour trips beginning at first light with 8 rods out including 4 riggers and cheaters. I am ok with that as I fish 4-5 hours with two licenses and a 4 rod cheater less program in my boat.

However, if one is targeting large salmon a simple program with two riggers and two Lite Bites will increase the odds.

The other thing we target is the top of the thermocline at 60 degrees with our Fish Hawk X4-D. That is our top rod for example at 55 feet at 60 F on a July day the other 3 rods in that thermocline down to the bottom rod at 50 degrees.

I am not a big advocate of cheaters. I think they sometimes get in the way when fighting a big fish caught on the main line. Well thats me! I also run my stuff quiet without flash running down below.

Scent is a must! I use alewife scent on my spoons.

Something Capt. Ernie taught me was "keep it simple". I am not in a contest anymore to catch the most fish during our 4-5 hour outings just the challenge of enticing a large salmon to hit our targeted simple program is a win-win for me.

[C-Hawk]

I am a big fan of Ron's tactics with a few differences. I fish solo a lot and the rougher it is, the more apt I am to be solo. I find it easiest to run 2 riggers most of the time, but what I like is one set back 150 feet and the other with blades with the bait set close. If one side outfihes the other, then I adapt. When I have company, I run a third rigger deep. I only run 4 lines in the spring, usually lead. Keep it simple .

[jimbow]

Ron, that was a great amount of details in this post...that's what this section of the forum is all about For those who are new to the lake or even some of the more seasoned anglers, it would have taken them years to figured out what you shared... People who don't check this section out (and post) are missing the boat (yes..it's a pun too ) Thanks for sharing and posting your other informational videos....KUDOS!

[BottomDollar]

Great post, thanks for taking the time.

[grandpa2h]

I AM 88 AND I FIND THAT YOU ARE NEVER TO OLD TO LEARN.GREAT LESSON.AS I SAID BEFORE RON IS A GREAT FISHERMAN, AND NOW A GREAT TEACHER.

[Reelax]

You describe my 2 man spread almost perfectly. Only I always run sliding cheaters. 6 spoons in water work.

It has put 5 fish over 7 lbs in my boat in 2 years. Including one over 9 and one over 11!

Slide divers are key to big fish setups. Stealth and long set backs with the divers work on big fish, especially when following 2-4 rigger spoons as the riggers get the attention and the divers get the strike!

Fish on!

[digitroll (ron)]

The "Sweet Spot" is a starting point for me and there is always exceptions to the rules which we try different approaches after a slow bite. One question I always ask someone that catches a big fish was how deep? And you would be surprised how many fish in the last 10 years fall into this 40-60 foot window between late June and early December. Some large fish will always be taken higher and lower than the sweet spot, but statistically this is where I place my bets. Running two Lite Bite slide divers replacing the 3rd and 4th rigger running far back plus out behind the spread like Matt pointed out is deadly on big fish that don't hit the riggers and have a second chance out and away from the turbulence of the boat. 70% of our larger fish came off Lite Bites within the last 10 years. The same thing can be achieved with 7-8-10 colors of lead, but I like the easy to use Lite Bites as they are easier to take in and out of the water to change lures and the boat can make tighter turns than lead off boards. Lite Bites are multi versatile and can be adjusted quickly to change depth. When it's really rough I will go to a 4 rigger program only due to the rough water and don't feel the fish are as rigger shy as other calmer conditions. Much easier to navigate under these conditions.

I do run fixed cheaters at times on my two riggers...but not always. Not excited about them. Others do very well with them.

[BottomDollar]

Continuing on a theme here, we have a clean setup with no blades or sliders and divers, one with blades on one rigger with a shorter leader, and one with cheaters on both riggers and divers. And they all work, so it might depend on the fish and conditions on any given day. I'm not an expert compared to many of the posters here, but I'll ad my $0.02, which is about what it's worth. My setup is similar to C-Hawk's, with blades on the deeper rigger and a short 5'-10' leader. The shallow rigger, which has the fish hawk probe,is usually 10'-15' higher and with a much longer leader, maybe 50'-100' depending on depth. More shallow = longer leader on both to get it away from the boat's turbulence.

Sliding cheaters I use sometimes, it just depends on whether or not I feel like dealing with potential tangles on that day. If I have another license on the boat I'll run a slide diver out 150' and another rod with 7 colors of lead, sometimes with a clip weight. It all works, just some things do better on some days. I'm usually solo so two riggers with or without sliders is my go-to setup.

I had some decent days this year on the broad lake up until July, then it really dropped off all the way into December. I'll likely be seeing some of you down south a lot more in 2018.

[tamiron]

Great stuff. But print it off and put in a three ring notebook. You will develop your own "SPREAD" with confidence and support and soon be happier with the results that YOU are looking for.

As you learn, keep sharing. I guarantee you that NOT ONE forum member who has already shared on this sub-forum will catch one less salmon for sharing, but there will be a whole lot of forum members who WILL catch a lot more fish because others did share!!!

[Captain Paul]

I would have to agree with Ron on everything he said. Slide divers seem to catch big Salmon very well

[fishy1]

like your data ron and also liked what others said on your post. i have kept data on my fishing since 2005 soon after i retired and look back on it . i have been suprised on how close everything is and i fish multiple species year round. this post on the sweet spot has really perked me up and going to print it for my log. dont have much of a log for trolling for salmon. thanks lcu for this post.

[digitroll (ron)]

Many of these observations are a direct result of fishing with some of the best fishermen on this lake in the past 10 years and speaking with Capt. Ernie / attending a Keating Seminar / Fish Doctor school 2 day weekend school / 4 trips on Ernie's boat with one being a teaching class / observing and collecting information on big fish taken on the forum and from friends.

If we were still in the 1980's and 1990's there would only be a half dozen people sharing information amongst themselves. Sad but true. I lived thru those decades making the same mistakes over and over again wondering what the secrets were to consistently catching big landlocks for those first 20 years on this lake.

Create your own program that fits your boat and licenses aboard most of the time. Having a trailer and traveling to those key spots really opens up opportunities. Being on a dock or mooring has it's limitations. Most of us it's a two license trip. 2 Lite Bites and 2 Riggers June-December can be very deadly with 2 rods per person on both sides of the lake.

We never stop experimenting.

[troutcrazy]

Thank you! I can't wait to get back out there, armed with this information!

[TUnamas]

Ron - Good stuff! You state that you always run Alewife scent. Are you using Pro Cure, Mike's or another? I've been utilizing scents more and more frequently, especially this past season as I spent a lot of time trying to develop a soft plastics/ swimbait trolling pattern. I like Pro Cure scents and generally have a few on the boat for options, but for several bucks less and an added UV enhancement which I like in deeper water, I've had great luck with Mike's. You?

[digitroll (ron)]

Scott,

I use Ridge Runner scents locally here. They make Smeltrite and the Alewife scent. The Alewife scent has to be ordered from them from their website as it's not available at retail outlets. I think any alewife scent is fine. Dr. Juice / Pro-Cure / or Mikes. They are all great products.

Link:


http://www.ridgerunnerscents.com/products.html


Hope this helps.