Finding salmon

The River Rat
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Re: Finding salmon

Post by The River Rat »

Great gig going here. I'm relatively green to the lake and have yet to set sail on my own vessel, that said I have had the opportunity to fish with some "arguably" great fisherman on theirs! A few of my best experience have been, heading to said fishermans "confidence" grounds, finding bait, and hounding them thru out the day. Some times follwing them from 35 fow down to almost 100' in the course of an hour. Not always a ringer but have had great days do so. Having bait on the screen always keeps my attention and confidence up. As well as the fact that even if the salmon aren't bitting you might have a shot at a cisscoe! :mrgreen:
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tamiron
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Re: Finding salmon

Post by tamiron »

The River Rat wrote: .... finding bait, and hounding them thru out the day. Some times follwing them from 35 fow down to almost 100' in the course of an hour. Not always a ringer but have had great days do so. Having bait on the screen always keeps my attention and confidence up. As well as the fact that even if the salmon aren't bitting you might have a shot at a cisscoe! :mrgreen:
There are "screens", graphs, fish finders, etc that will allow you to travel at higher speeds and still be able to "see" bait. Maybe Digitrol or Wallyandre or one or more the Charter Captains, might recommend one. This would keep you from doing the death troll to find bait. Here is an article on LOU
https://www.lakeontariounited.com/fishi ... -at-speed/.

If nobody will recommend a unit, try Garmin, Lowrance, Hummingbird, etc. Call them and ask for a unit that will record bait at 10-20mph. You will be absolutely amazed at how much bait you don't see if you aren't set up properly. You can mark a couple of bait balls with GPS and the troll back and forth through them for instance.


While I understand the ease of using another angler's hotspots, I recommend to each of you, that you learn how to find bait on your own. Seagulls help, good "screens" definitely help, and remember if wind or current is pushing the zoo-plankton, the bait will follow wherever it goes ... they have to eat too and don't go on a diet until their food somehow manages to come back to them!! And if you do find your own bait balls, the results can be, potentially the best day you can have, since the predators probably have not seen many lures or been worked over very much.

Anybody having any luck and willing to share yet?? Lures, depth of water , etc. ?
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dry net
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Re: Finding salmon

Post by dry net »

OK here goes, gold backed Ivans at first light esp. buzzy and bomb pop but have had luck with others. Once the sun gets up silver bomb pop and the silver backed buzzy, sausage biscuit and gravy anytime along with purple brown trout. Had good luck on blue and silver uv spoon with alittle chartreuse mid day bright sun. In stained water still fished gold backed but with flo orange or yellow mixed in the spoon. That's not much but that's all I got. Good luck to all, Matt
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tamiron
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Re: Finding salmon

Post by tamiron »

Thanks dry net!

Check them out!

http://www.crazyivanlures.com/Photo-Gallery.html
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dry net
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Re: Finding salmon

Post by dry net »

Wasn't trying to be a jerk, very nice of you!
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ReelInvestment
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Re: Finding salmon

Post by ReelInvestment »

I’ve been reading along with this post since it started and already there is so much knowledge being thrown around and shared here. I’m fairly new to the salmon game on lake Champlain as I’ve been targeting lakers most of the years I’ve fished there. The salmon are starting to peak my interest more and more as the years pass. I don’t have a ton of knowledge on salmon fishing but I do know that good electronics help a lot. For me they are at least a confidence booster. I have only landed 2 Atlantic’s this season but plan to continue fishing into the fall. I struggle with finding salmon just like everyone else does and I also struggle the the “death troll”. I need to stop doing that as much as I do, but it’s seemed to me that I can’t catch fish without lines in the water, if I’m constantly picking up and running from place to place. BUT now I’ve been approaching things differently by running to common salmon grounds and checking for bait BEFORE I even set lines. That has saved me a significant amount of time and helped me get on the fish quicker. For me time is everything because I only make it up to Champlain about once a week. The biggest thing I’ve realized in this salmon fishing is BE PATIENT! I’ll continue to share as I learn, let’s keep this post going, it’s going to inspire and help a lot of people!
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tamiron
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Re: Finding salmon

Post by tamiron »

dry net wrote:Wasn't trying to be a jerk, very nice of you!
You don't know me very well if you think that I thought you were a jerk! That's not my style! When I commit to something, I have every intention of doing what I say.

Also, I don't learn an awful lot about people talking only about products that I already offer. It is true of every good manufacturer that he/she has an open mind when it comes to the competition's products. That's how we improve what we have to offer.

Please everyone, share .... I am serious!

I have been stuck on COPPER for a long time. In the days pre-ZEBRAs, the tanic acid stained the water and Gold wasn't much competition to copper. But the water is now clearer and gold seems to be here to stay .... so we will also offer Gold next year. Some SKUs we will imitate and others we will innovate, but gold will be a new menu staple item.
Last edited by tamiron on Thu Oct 03, 2019 5:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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tamiron
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Re: Finding salmon

Post by tamiron »

ReelInvestment wrote: I struggle with finding salmon just like everyone else does and I also struggle the “death troll”. I need to stop doing that as much as I do, but it’s seemed to me that I can’t catch fish without lines in the water, if I’m constantly picking up and running from place to place. BUT now I’ve been approaching things differently by running to common salmon grounds and checking for bait BEFORE I even set lines. That has saved me a significant amount of time and helped me get on the fish quicker. For me time is everything because I only make it up to Champlain about once a week. The biggest thing I’ve realized in this salmon fishing is BE PATIENT! I’ll continue to share as I learn, let’s keep this post going, it’s going to inspire and help a lot of people!
There is a lot more info to get you fish than just bait. I am too old to write a book but not to old to answer some questions and get help from others. Some of the books I mentioned above will also help. If the fish aren't there, and the bait is not there, then THINK how can I make the fish come to me?

Sound, smell, light/flash, comfort zone, stealth, aggravation, directional change, match-the-hatch, outlandish irritation, .... get the drift? If you can't find bait, try something else. Think about why people (others??) are catching fish.

A long time ago, I told people on this forum to keep a journal of their day fishing and include whatever anybody else experienced on that same day. Either on the forum, at the launch, at a diner afterwards. Compare and learn and retain!
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mudchuck
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Re: Finding salmon

Post by mudchuck »

Agree, you don't need to invest in a 2nd mortgage to enjoy cold water trolling...I for one have a simple very old 14' aluminum with a 2-stroke equipped with a trolling motor and 1 manual downrigger setup for 2 poles and use the other side with a lead core rig & can run a dipsy too so 4 lines out total when I have someone out with me, which is more than adequate for my small boat.
A handful of spoons, pins and other lures work fine with the fishfinder & phone navionics app, I may not light to the world on fire with the amount of salmon or lakers I can bring into the boat but I catch enough to keep me content but searching to land more of course.
I have about $3,600 in cost cost for refurbish/renovation to the boat/motor & trailer and all the fishing gear/GPS fishfinder/chartplotter, and it doesn't break the bank, or tick off the better half!
I buy a little of what's needed every year to keep thing in budget and so far in the 4 years since the initial boat purchase I feel like I'm finally getting the hang of it.


tamiron wrote:Before we go any further, you don’t need any trolling equipment or boat or much sophistication to catch trout and salmon at specific times under specific conditions like casting from shore in colder weather.

But if you want to be able to go out and troll and pick the times you fish than you better be resigned to begin investing in equipment that will radically improve your success rate. There are many other anglers on this forum that are more current with knowledge of available techniques, presentations and equipment.

For one, Digitrol is certainly equipped much better than I to provide this knowledge.

There are other great fishermen out there who don’t like to share in the open forum but can be contacted other ways. I’m hoping that this thread will provide an alternative to those who are not able to reach those people. Everybody please feel free to offer whatever knowledge you have to make us all better anglers
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tamiron
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Re: Finding salmon

Post by tamiron »

Mudchuck:

Thanks for the input! Money sometimes shortens the learning curve. But not always. The better way is to learn as you go, adding additional gear slowly and learn it as well as you can before you go to the next up. Confusion and frustration with initial set ups and changes in gear can totally dampen your enthusiasm and lead you to more empty fish boxes and wasted time.

Basic rule of thumb, add it, learn it, master it, and then move on to the next trick.

Seriously, lead core is a great example. Read and learn everything you can about it there's lots of help available and it is a great addition to any presentation or boat at many times. It's versatile enough to add many options to your presentation, down the chute, off boards, off downrigger's for stealth, etc. I believe I mentioned this before but this is a great place to try the search button.

I typed in lead core in the search box and up came 357 matches. Try it. You will like it!
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BottomDollar
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Re: Finding salmon

Post by BottomDollar »

tamiron wrote:I mentioned this before but this is a great place to try the search button
There's a ton of great archived data if you use the search function. A bunch of folks who don't show up here anymore for whatever reasons have contributed a whole lot of information if you're willing to look; just because a question doesn't get answered doesn't mean the answer isn't out there.

Time on the water is another big factor. Learning what doesn't work is almost as important as knowing what does. I still consider myself a novice but I learn something every time I get out there.

Looking forward to fall fishing!
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C-Hawk
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Re: Finding salmon

Post by C-Hawk »

The biggest thing about finding salmon is, do it yourself. The forum is fine, and a great place to brag and tell stories, but much more gratifying when hook your first 5 pounder on your own hunch.
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tamiron
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Re: Finding salmon

Post by tamiron »

C-Hawk wrote:The biggest thing about finding salmon is, do it yourself.
There comes a time when you have "paid your dues", that C-Hawk is absolutely right. But the more you learn, the better that chance will be. Also, my definition of perfection is repetition.

When you can learn enough to catch fish that you are targeting most of the times that you launch, then you have become truly successful. That's what separates the very good from everyone else. Luck has more to do with trophies than catching a lot of fish.
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tamiron
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Re: Finding salmon

Post by tamiron »


from another thread


postby ChessieMan » Sat Oct 05, 2019 5:23 pm

There's no such thing as a "Bad day of Fishing", but today left a lot of room for improvement - launched at 7:30 trolled 'til 12:30 and all I had to show for it was an 11" white perch - not sure what's going on with the lake, but really couldn't find much of a thermocline, surface 58F, lowest I found was 55F at 80 FoW - tried 30-80 feet down, 6 different colors, speed 2.0-3.0 - really didn't mark much of anything either - a couple small bait balls.

So, I chalking this one up to experience and "pay-forward" - I know it's gonna get better!


I am going to play "MONDAY MORING QB" on this one and say that The deepest that I would have fished on this day is 5-10 feet down, and as far away from the boat as I could get. Boards long lining, cannon balls at 10 feet, disks and divers at shallowest setting, one-color lead core setup, etc. You probably wouldn't mark anything, but possibly bait. You can't afford to pass up that water temperature up so high IN THE WATER COLUMN using whatever stealth you have learned.

Now talk is cheap when you aren't there but please don't ignore this thought of good temp high in the water column ;) , it may have made the difference.
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jusgrinnin
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Re: Finding salmon

Post by jusgrinnin »

Here's my saturday report, out of Westport @0630 ran out to 100 fow dropped the Fishhawk probe let it soak for a few min while picking lures. retrived the probe to read it 57* from surface to 100'(not much help). so we made a plan trolled south for an hour riggers stacked @40 and 30 and 45 an 35 where the bait seemed to be turned around after an hour went over to the VT side and trolled north to Scotch Bonnet crossed back to Snakes den and all the way to Split rock turned around headed back south. fished till 4pm 1short silver 3 lake trout 2 yellow 1 white perch. Long day with not much to show for it. Hope this help someone."(
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