Apple Island 5/12

[keithm87]

Headed to the lake with a buddy I haven’t seen in almost 2 years. It was his first time trolling with me. We arrived at the launch at 6:50 and put the boat in. Smooth sailing for the first time of the year, no trailer or boat issues!
We headed north for keeler. Set gear south of the bay and trolled in. There were half dozen other boats already trolling. We chatted with some Canadians who were 0/0, and a gentleman in a Lund also 0/0. We trolled into the inner part of the bay, and having no bites I decided to try switching some gear. As I got a planer line next to the boat our rigger at 10 fires. Fish on! Hand the rod to my buddy, and he reels in a pickerel. We reset gear and kept working, around 9:00 we decide to move, and as we pull gear find a salmon on the other rigger at 12. Only 14 inches but it was the target. That changed our move plan and we tried to catch more. After 40 more minutes with nothing we pulled gear and headed toward malletts we found chocolate milk, logs and 49.7 degree water. We tried to find the mud line, but it was not distinct, and the whole bay was between 48.4-49.7. We set along the north shore and trolled toward the cut. Soon we had our first fish, A 19 inch smallie on a pin minnow. We stayed hunting, but nothing else was happening in the bay. We trolled through the cut and found 42 degree water, and not much for fish. Ran along the bike path with no luck. At this point I got frustrated and decided not to let the fish and weather dictate the gear. I decided to do what I know. I moved to the outside of the drop off, and put on my trusty dodger spin n glo and sent it down 75ft. Trolling south between hogback and colchester reefs we found our first cooperative fish, on the sonar I saw him rise and follow. Bumped speed quickly and dropped back, and boom rod fires fish on! My buddy brings in his first ever laker! Only mid 20’s but still a thrill for him.

Reset gear and keep south, water temps rise as we get closer to the winooski up to 48.7, and chocolate milk water makes a comeback. In the warm water we had a hit on a cheater (sausage gravy milkshake) running 15 down. I grab the rod and completely forget there is a cheater. Reel for a second and say “bump n run” then I reel a little more and I feel a fish, but not expecting it I don’t react right, and the fish pops off.
We turn north and get another hit on the spin n glo. Another laker 28 inch tube, with 5 yeah FIVE fresh blessing lamprey wounds. Reset and no sooner was it in the water than it fired again, and my buddy gets a nice fat mid 20s laker.
We kept trying to hammer them, but that was our last real fish. But one interesting thing did happen. 30’minutss later I pulled the spin n glo up, only to find a lip hooked alewife on it, with some big ol tooth marks in it. No clue how he got there, but def smallest fish over ever caught trolling!

We covered a lot of ground and nothing really worked today. Heading back we hatted with the guys fishing the break in the causeway, they had each gotten salmon, and said they had been watching them streaming through into malletts so if you’ve made it this far in the post that’s the intel that matters, they said it was a steady flow of nice salmon going from the IS to outer bay.

[fishy1]

nice report a frreind got into the lakers yesterday also and he said they were down 80 to 90 feet feeding on big alewifes. a little early for that i would think. how have you done with the spin n glows on the lakers have you caught any salmon on them. the one in your pic i have had good success but the tournament gambler white and green produced the biggest lakers. i will be using them more than likely in the rotary

[keithm87]

Never caught a salmon with one but they are my go to for lakers. I don’t run the gambler rigs with the cowbells because they just have too much drag u can’t feel the fish. The Dodger works well with not a whole lot of drag.

[Butcher]

good report, thanks!

Would have liked to hear a little better result in the catching department....

Heading up to fish Friday and Saturday.

[Skylander]

Thanks for the intel Keith! I've started to search for them in here a bit and no luck yet. I'll be sure to report once it gets going! On the contrary, lots of pig smallmouth are interrupting my search!