After a year of planning the week is finally here. My first full week ontario trip! We lucked into some terrible conditions due to tropical weather patterns. We arrived Saturday forecast was 5-9 waves, we decided no point in rushing to get here. Half way out we get a report that the lake is fishable, and they are chomping. Kicking ourselves we sped toward the lake. We hit salmon country at 12:30, just in time for a snap video with the caption “guess it’s time to go in” and our buddies boat bobbing in 4ft waves. Calling it a blow day, we headed to camp, and grabbed some booze.
Settled in we did what one does when they can’t fish, and drank. Following the boozing we awoke to what seemed like calmed winds. I drove to KOA Henderson to check the trench and it looked fishable. Came back and launched the boat. North winds were 18knts and within 30 seconds we realized it was a bad idea, in Henderson harbor we were spearing 2ft chop and couldn’t see out of the window.
We returned to camp, called our buddies and made plans for breakfast. The forecast had calming throughout the day. We ran to paulaski for breakfast. On the way back we checked koa and it was still rough, but a bit better. We loaded the boat with gear and headed for the harbor launch to avoid crossing the harbor in the north wind. We arrived there to calm waters, and set out for the passage to the trench. We got to the trench and found temps down 110. Gear in the water we head follow the wall toward the fingers. Within 30 minutes a diver fires! I grab it and fish on! It takes a couple runs and then comes to the boat. My buddy grabs the net, and proceeds to use the net as a hook puller. We had the fish in the net 2 times and it still swam free. Resetting gear we make another pass, the same diver fires! Zing, then limp, within 2 seconds, I grab the rod to no weight, slide diver, flasher and fly gone!
We get to the end of that pass back toward the harbor, and I start to make a turn, while we work to switch some gear. We bring a rigger up and leave it 2ft under the surface while we tie a new lure, all the sudden a few larger than normal waves come through, just the right timing they rock the boat such that the rigger ball comes out of the water 3-4ft then free falls before the cable tension. I see it all happen in slow motion and jump from my seat, but before I can get there the rigger breaks completely off the boat and falls in the lake I try to grab the power cord but can’t in time.
Down to the bottom goes a big jon captain pack, and a fishhawk probe. What’s most frustrating is that the probe NEVER goes on that rigger it was only there because the techs at FH recommended trying it on a different rigger as I am having issues with my fishhawk picking up the probe, it was the first time I have aver put the probe on the rigger.
Frustrated I swear a bunch, and then act like a child for 20 minutes saying the trip is ruined and I want to go home. After the tantrum we come up with plans for different gear, by this time we are closing on dusk, we switch all lures to glow, and within 5 minutes of the change a rod fires. FISH ON! My buddy grabs it and brings it to the boat. We net the girl and the trip changed in that instant! The first fish of the trip just under 20lb king. We stay out till dark and have one more release but no one home.
Monday we launched and headed for the trench again. Calm winds and no waves, sunshine, conditions were prone for a tough bite, we were joined by 50+ other vessels. We set gear and head out of the trench. At around 7:30 a diver fires. I grab it and it’s BIG with no brakes it takes drag from 200 to over 450 over the course of 5 runs. I have the fish on for around 5-6 minutes and never gained a single inch. All the sudden I feel a pop in the line and the fish is gone. We get the line in to find a tournament tied atomic fly with straightened hooks. We get one more chance and blow that too before my buddy needed to head back home.
Tuesday a different buddy came out, we got on the water at 8:30, and were met by 6 boats returning to the harbor, all of them said it was too rough, thinking they were wimps, we pushed on, we set in the trench in 2ft waves and worked out, by the point they were 4-6. After 2 passes and 2 hrs we called it. Decided to try plan b and head to Mexico. In the Henderson launch lot we met a boat coming in, advised it was really rough, and they said they just came from Mexico where it was also very rough. I decide to delay plan b, and we head to camp, set my buddy up, and then head to paulaski for some replacement gear and a bigger net!
We get to mex pt and are met with a local who said it was real rough but he has gotten fish by the nuke. We hug shore and head that way. We find no good water, but some marks, so we set gear. The really rough was much less rough than Henderson had been. We trolled around from 115-170fow in front of the plant, and get a hit around 3pm on the 450 copper. We land the fish, and get gear reset, within 20 minutes we have another hit, this time on a diver, I grab that and bring it in, then it died at 7:15 we call it, while reeling the copper in we get a hit, and fight it for a couple minutes before it came off. 2/3 for the day
This morning we headed to Mexico launching around 7. We head to the plant and put lines in, before we put a second line in the first line goes off, my buddy who is setting gear gives me an angry look as if it’s a false release due to our speed, and I say “there is a fish there moron”. He fights the fish for a few seconds, and then it’s gone. He brings the line in, and we find a mystery, the lure is gone, a moonshine spoon Gone BUT the duo snap it was direct connected to is there and closed, we spent the next bit trying to understand if we had just been unwilling participants in a fish’s magic show. The wind was roaring 15-20 or more and a west wave was being built by south chop. We kept the same troll path and had another release bump and run, then another and the time I grab the rod and fish on, a super far but small king about 26 inches. I decide to double down on spoons as all 3 hits to that point we’re spoon hits, I send down a green glow spoon, and within 10 minutes it fires, buddy grabs it and FISH ON! He fights it to the boat and into the net it goes.. we switch directions and can’t keep speed, by this point the wind had picked up and it was borderline sketchy, and definitely not fun, but they were still biting, we kept at it till 11:30 with 7 total bites, but only landed 2, and fought 2 others.
Now it’s windy and raining but tomorrow looks like a winner.
We have seen a few locals on the big lake including fishing by instagator today... from the radio sounds like vermont was representing and catching fish today interesting that 68 is pretty much silent until the LCU guys start talking!
Here are some picture:
Lake Ontario Mid Trip Report
Lake Ontario Mid Trip Report
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- Reelax
- Site Admin
- Posts: 5752
- Joined: Sun Aug 28, 2011 7:27 pm
- Species: Salmon, steelhead, brown trout
- Location: Fletcher, Vt
Re: Lake Ontario Mid Trip Report
Great read Keith.. I felt your pain when the rigger went plop.... not a good occurrence on the water....
Matt B
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- Posts: 4462
- Joined: Mon Aug 29, 2011 12:26 pm
- Species: whatever crazy enough to bite
Re: Lake Ontario Mid Trip Report
WOW Keith, looks like you have some very intense times. Nice read. Glad you were able to bring some in the boat.
Gecha (Gerry North of the Border)
Re: Lake Ontario Mid Trip Report
Sometimes your better off just doing 2-3 charters , catching more fish. Or not. And you’ll save money in the end.
Right now. Touch north off the salmon river. 39 line. 110-130 FOW has plenty of fish
Try a red pro troll with a green Krinkle fly or a white green dot early with glow hammer
Marvs fattie with ultra green glow early or overcast
Pig pen in the bright sun with a b-fly
Carbon 14 mag spoon
Tighten your releases. Tighter than you would think. They can pull it free.
Tight lines
Right now. Touch north off the salmon river. 39 line. 110-130 FOW has plenty of fish
Try a red pro troll with a green Krinkle fly or a white green dot early with glow hammer
Marvs fattie with ultra green glow early or overcast
Pig pen in the bright sun with a b-fly
Carbon 14 mag spoon
Tighten your releases. Tighter than you would think. They can pull it free.
Tight lines
Re: Lake Ontario Mid Trip Report
Not to discount the value of charters but there is something to catching your own fish. I don’t own a boat and 6k in gear to pay someone to take me fishing and hook the fish for me. Sometimes crap goes sideways and it’s not cheap, but my total cost for 5 days fishing was around 1300 that’s with the gear I lost that my insurance will cover, gas, food, and lodging (doesn’t include my trips to tackle shops for gear I didn’t need but thought was pretty). Charters are for people who can’t catch fish, or are too lazy to put in the effort and money. The conditions were TERRIBLE 4/6 days we were out, we were out when charters were canceling on clients, 3 days with small craft advisories. but we fished 5/6 days. We caught fish 4 of those 5 days and limited the last day.bigfish wrote: ↑Thu Sep 03, 2020 10:03 pm Sometimes your better off just doing 2-3 charters , catching more fish. Or not. And you’ll save money in the end.
Right now. Touch north off the salmon river. 39 line. 110-130 FOW has plenty of fish
Try a red pro troll with a green Krinkle fly or a white green dot early with glow hammer
Marvs fattie with ultra green glow early or overcast
Pig pen in the bright sun with a b-fly
Carbon 14 mag spoon
Tighten your releases. Tighter than you would think. They can pull it free.
Tight lines
We were out 2 weeks back from salmon country, came in with 3 fish (no monsters brown and 2 salmon) and a charter came in with a single fish with 4 clients, it was a nice salmon in the 20lb range, but I can’t see the value equation where that makes sense.
I’m not going to pay someone 800-1000 to fish 8 hours. (Now I have taken a charter with hardknox from this forum, he does an educational charter where he captains but you can help set gear he shows you what he is doing etc, that has value, but I’m not going to have some first mate hooking the fish for me haha)
As for releases my chamberlains were maxed, and my big board releases were so tight I actually broke a fish off on Thursday when it wouldn’t release (clipped weighted steel into the release which had worked all week but that one time it wouldn’t pop)