Coming from Maine

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SebagoTroller
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Joined: Mon Jan 14, 2019 8:32 pm
Species: Togue

Coming from Maine

Post by SebagoTroller »

Hey everyone. My name’s Jim and my wife and I are avid trollers on Sebago Lake in Maine. We target lakers almost exclusively although the landlocked salmon are here as well. We have fished in the LCI derby in June twice recently and seem to do well. We’ve put up to 17 lakers in the boat in a day and a handful over 10lbs. We’re just looking for some info that might get us over the hump. Those 14 pounders are what we’re after. We use big shiners and big spoons tight to the bottom with our riggers and leadcore/copper setups. We troll about 1.4-1.8mph... all the usual stuff. We stay in a condo in mallets bay and drive out to the other side of stave island almost exclusively and do ok. I hear near valcour island is a good area and also see that many of the big togue weighed in at shelburne shipyard or thompsons point. We try to find large flat areas of 90-120’. But I’m wondering if I should be going more shallow. We have a brand new 25’ robalo with radar and autopilot. I see a lot of you use ch68 on the VHF. Boat’s name is the HoneyBadger. I’d love to hear any pointers anyone might have about other areas or other teqniques.
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C-Hawk
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Species: salmon,lake trout

Re: Coming from Maine

Post by C-Hawk »

Welcome aboard. I fish that area almost exclusively that time of year, but last year I think the Laker bite might have been better off Burlington. Especially LCI time. Not too bad of a run from Mallets, maybe a half hour or 45 minutes. Look at Juniper Island. We are all on 68, but might be tight lipped during the derby. I didn't get many at Valcour last year, I think the bite over there was a bit north, and also into Platsburg Bay. Salmon was very poor north of Burlington, however there are a few spots where we found them very localized.
Nice boat!
Gecha (Gerry)
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Re: Coming from Maine

Post by Gecha (Gerry) »

Welcome to the forum Jim.
Putting 17 lakers in the boat definitely means you have the right stuff to attract them.
I am not much of a laker chaser, but many members of this forum will be happy to share their good spots.
Gecha (Gerry North of the Border)
SebagoTroller
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Joined: Mon Jan 14, 2019 8:32 pm
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Re: Coming from Maine

Post by SebagoTroller »

Gecha (Gerry) wrote:Welcome to the forum Jim.
Putting 17 lakers in the boat definitely means you have the right stuff to attract them.
I am not much of a laker chaser, but many members of this forum will be happy to share their good spots.
I’m not interested in specific spots. I guess more like general areas. Or different depths.
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drachma
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Re: Coming from Maine

Post by drachma »

Jim,

I moved to Alfred, ME in York County last summer, but, lived and fished Lake Champlain for over 25 years. I hope to fish Sebago this spring with my boat for salmon and lake trout. Give me a call at 802-249-7720 and we can share knowledge.

Michael
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keithm87
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Location: Central VT

Re: Coming from Maine

Post by keithm87 »

I am no expert laker fisherman, but I can say that fishing Champ for lakers can be a bit of a struggle if you are trying to target size. While I don't have experience on other lakes fishing lakers outside of vermont, I can say that it doesnt seem like size of bait matters in terms of laker size on champ. Champlain is going to make you put in your time for the big ones. clearing 10lb is pretty easy, but once you push past that marker they get much harder. In my 3 years of fishing champlain hard, I have topped out at 12.7 LB on lakers.
I have put in hundreds of hours and boated hundreds and hundreds of lakers, 20 fish in a day laker fishing is my line of a good day on the water on champ, but the average no matter what I send down is 5-7lb and 25-27 inches. Whether I send down a Mp6 honey bee, or a magnum stinger, cowbells etc, they all land the same fish sizes, my biggest fish there actually came on the smallest size michigan stinger. The bigger fish IMO hang out in the deeper water, and targeting them in 120+FOW is not only harder on gear and less fun, but also increases mortality rates. I think the chance of getting that 14-16lb fish increase later in the year as the females get fat for the spawn and move up to shallower water. That is not to say you can't get one in may or june, but from may-late august I average 1 30+ inch fish every 3 or so trips, and sept-oct get one per trip at least.
As others have said the area in front of Burlington holds a lot of lakers, but most are the 5-7lb fish. Navionics is the best tool to have. Every hump that comes up from deep water and peaks in the 60-80FOW range holds lakers. find those humps and catching 20 fish is easy, but then its just time, luck, and sorting through small ones.
SebagoTroller
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Joined: Mon Jan 14, 2019 8:32 pm
Species: Togue

Re: Coming from Maine

Post by SebagoTroller »

Some great info so far. It seems most videos i see on youtube show guides almost exclusively using hardware (spoons) and cowbells but our first time there we used big shiners on slip rigs and sent em as far down in 100’ as we could with the copper and the riggers and we got a good creel. 3 over 10 lbs. last year the action on the live bait slowed down a bit and we caught 6 on shiners and 6 on spoons, with only 2 above 10lbs. Sebago has togue everywhere the water temp is 40 degrees, whether its in 100’ or 40’ or 140’. I just have spots where I do well, so i can guide and put 20 in the boat and have my guests be exhausted at the dnd of the trip. Do any of you use flatfish? The monsters in Sebago are always on flatfish bumping the mud.
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C-Hawk
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Re: Coming from Maine

Post by C-Hawk »

Champlain is mostly hardware and my boats biggest, 16 lbs came off a Crazy Ivan 2" salmon spoon, no bling, bumping bottom with the ball.

What is a big Sebago togue nowadays? I have caught them east of Frye Island, but 6 lbs was my biggest, years ago.
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fishy1
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Re: Coming from Maine

Post by fishy1 »

down here on the south end of the lake there are big ones taken every rotary classic derby and fathers day derby and the bigger ones are caught on spin n glows and dead bait on bottom dead sticking . one family wins mostly with 14 and 15 lbers but they did win with a 17 lber and they bounce bottom with spin n glows with hammerhead blades in front.
SebagoTroller
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Re: Coming from Maine

Post by SebagoTroller »

How far south?
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fishy1
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Re: Coming from Maine

Post by fishy1 »

SebagoTroller wrote:How far south?
westport area
SebagoTroller
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Re: Coming from Maine

Post by SebagoTroller »

About 40 miles from the dock at the condo Ive rented on mallets bay. Thank god my boat has 135 gallon gas tank. Better bring my wallet!
SebagoTroller
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Re: Coming from Maine

Post by SebagoTroller »

And I just bought a bunch if spin n glows... what? Like 18” from your lure?
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fishy1
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Re: Coming from Maine

Post by fishy1 »

the ones i have are pre made by the gambler out near lake ontario tournament series that normally wins the loc laker divison out there. if i remember tight i think that family also ordered them from the gambler ill check with a freind today im fishing with. only se mine 4 times and they produced lost a couple of giants on them in lci fathers day derby trolling .
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