Lake Champlain United - Forums

Launched from Apple island again

Started inside of keelers today north side by launch 40-41 degrees, swamp was 38.5-39 we looped around and around and all over probably to much and should have moved but still no salmon. ledges was 37+/- degrees. Picked one pike 10.5-11 scale wouldn’t settle decent fight.
Need to try new ground. Thinking of heading south or maybe outside of the fill.

Kyle are you using sticks or spoons? How long is your setback? Needs to be at least 100 ft, preferably 150 or so....Are you using fluorocarbon leaders at least 4’ long? How big is the hardware your using... try just a small barrel swivel to 5’ of 8lb fluorocarbon, to a duo snap that is as small as you can find...
( I run 100% Seagar flourocarbon from spool seat to bait. It is expensive, but with salmon I think it makes a difference...)

Dont use braid, it’s too visible in the skinny water... and use big otter boards cause in the skinny water inline boards will scare fish away in the line your pulling your baits...

The bite for salmon is in The details... these are all key points in the spring.. there are others, but if you do all this I think you will land a salmon on your next trip.. your in a good location..

Tieing some of the small stick baits direct with a loop knot will help the action....

Hope this helps.....

P.s. smeltrite is working great right now!

Good luck!!!

Reelax wrote:Kyle are you using sticks or spoons? How long is your setback? Needs to be at least 100 ft, preferably 150 or so....Are you using fluorocarbon leaders at least 4’ long? How big is the hardware your using... try just a small barrel swivel to 5’ of 8lb fluorocarbon, to a duo snap that is as small as you can find...
( I run 100% Seagar flourocarbon from spool seat to bait. It is expensive, but with salmon I think it makes a difference...)

Dont use braid, it’s too visible in the skinny water... and use big otter boards cause in the skinny water inline boards will scare fish away in the line your pulling your baits...

The bite for salmon is in The details... these are all key points in the spring.. there are others, but if you do all this I think you will land a salmon on your next trip.. your in a good location..

Tieing some of the small stick baits direct with a loop knot will help the action....

Hope this helps.....

P.s. smeltrite is working great right now!

Good luck!!!

It just seems odd, I figured I would have picked one up at least. I usually have good luck with getting a them from sand bar or keelers.

Both sicks and spoon.

My rods set up
is 12# mono (solar green) because of the bright green (use double uni) I run 25+ feet of 10# clear and then i think number 6 vmc barrel (its small) with 7 feet 10# seagar fluro and a small black snap.
I run this for 2 years, With adding the 25 feet of clear i have had no issues. Caught tons of salmon last year with this set up. But maybe ill have to switch to full clear.

Honestly about the Small boards i have only caught one salmon off one ever. I have a super ski mast and set out boards not sure how to attach to the boat yet.

Thanks for the info and tips! Truly appreciate it.

Kyle... the spring bite in Keelers has always been flatlining Yozuri pin minnows for me. I usually add a couple split shot a couple feet up and a barrel swivel to get down a little deeper and to keep off the spring time debris. This set up has always done well for me there. I have done ok with the inline boards. Just have to let out a lot of line before hooking up the boards. I have done the best with the silver/pink with green back Yuzuri pin minnows there in the spring. Silver and black have done well there too for me. Hope to see you out there soon. Boat is almost ready. I also herd they were picking away at the lakers at the fill as well if you want a change of scenery.

meangreen1 wrote:Kyle... the spring bite in Keelers has always been flatlining Yozuri pin minnows for me. I usually add a couple split shot a couple feet up and a barrel swivel to get down a little deeper and to keep off the spring time debris. This set up has always done well for me there. I have done ok with the inline boards. Just have to let out a lot of line before hooking up the boards. I have done the best with the silver/pink with green back Yuzuri pin minnows there in the spring. Silver and black have done well there too for me. Hope to see you out there soon. Boat is almost ready. I also herd they were picking away at the lakers at the fill as well if you want a change of scenery.

Took a spin to the fill today definitely some lakers out there.

Let me know, always welcome to hop in with me.

Flatlining the smallest pins minnow available, rainbow trout color, has produced the two biggest Champlain salmon I've picked up, 9 lbs and 5.5 lbs., lead core with 10' of 8 lb fluorocarbon (not this year). Same lure has also produced an incredible small stream brown recently. They don't seem to have crazy action but they must look good to the fish.

Reelax wrote: ( I run 100% Seagar flourocarbon from spool seat to bait. It is expensive, but with salmon I think it makes a difference...)

Dont use braid, it’s too visible in the skinny water... and use big otter boards cause in the skinny water inline boards will scare fish away in the line your pulling your baits...

The bite for salmon is in The details...

This is inspiring me to take my presentation up a notch, in terms of stealth. I'm using braid, and I've been getting lazy with my leaders. 10lb fluoro leaders that start long but get shorter after a while. I'm gonna try skipping the braid and going with straight 6lb mono for a while.

kyle i use trilene solar green mono on all my rods with no leaders and no snaps i tie direct also to lures. been using it for 20 years and it produces whether casting trolling fishing on bottom. right now i would be flat lining when trolling in skinny water

fishy1 wrote:kyle i use trilene solar green mono on all my rods with no leaders and no snaps i tie direct also to lures. been using it for 20 years and it produces whether casting trolling fishing on bottom. right now i would be flat lining when trolling in skinny water

Amazing how many old school fisherman tie direct with no leaders ..

Can’t beat what works .

I've got 6 trolling rods, two set up with leadcore. Can't do much about the visibility of those two. But, you guys have me wondering about the other 4. I've got 65lb braid backer, with whatever lb flouro leader I happen to be using, usually 20' tied on with a fg knot, then stuff tied onto the flouro. We did pretty good last year, but, all this stealth presentation talk has got me wondering.

I think I'm going to switch over two of the braid rods to mono, and the usual flouro leader. I did order some tiny swivels that I think can go right up through my rod guides. The only reason I wouldn't switch over 4 of them, is lots of the time we run dipsys out the sides, and do pretty well. The only way we've ever got a dipsy to trip, is to tie the braid directly to the dipsy trip loop. Anything else stretches too much, and we can't get it to release.

Does this mean we need to buy more trolling rods? Or should I just stick a couple bait casters in the riggers? I imagine it would make our little fish feel much bigger!

Jack

You never have too much rods.
If you don't want to spend more money on new rods and reels, bait casters will certainly run with the riggers, just adjust your release accordingly.