Finding salmon

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tamiron
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Re: Finding salmon

Post by tamiron »

jusgrinnin wrote: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."(
Jusgrinnin

Check the post just above yours. It's really important this time of year to create a mental image of the water column, the temp, and the natural tendency of predators to flair to the side of oncoming boats, if they are near the surface. Based on wind, high and low pressure systems and even changing pressure can cause temperature inversions. If the temp is "right" on the surface then you really should try to work it instead of depth, especially in lower light conditions.
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the_doctor
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Re: Finding salmon

Post by the_doctor »

Wow, awesome thread! I am going to have to challenge myself to catch a salmon this fall.

Let me throw a question to the experts:
So, I see that salmon come up higher in the fall, maybe even right to the surface as Tamiron says.
Do they prefer to stay over deeper water, even when up high? Or will they chase bait right up into the shallows?
Trying to think of some spots I can fish from shore or easily access with a smaller boat.
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tamiron
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Re: Finding salmon

Post by tamiron »

the_doctor wrote:Wow, awesome thread! I am going to have to challenge myself to catch a salmon this fall.

Let me throw a question to the experts:
So, I see that salmon come up higher in the fall, maybe even right to the surface as Tamiron says.
Do they prefer to stay over deeper water, even when up high? Or will they chase bait right up into the shallows?
Trying to think of some spots I can fish from shore or easily access with a smaller boat.
One of the "experts" on this topic, ( fishing from shore) is FISHY1. He fishes on the NY side. Quite a few posts from the Vermont side using Flies from shore. Check the search function. The colder the water gets (and heavier it gets), it will sink. What's left is the warmest water on top, until near freeze out. 39 degree water is the most dense, until ice forms.

Type in salmon or trout from shore and it returns 2262 threads !!!!!
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the_doctor
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Re: Finding salmon

Post by the_doctor »

Yes Fishy1 is the man! To be clear, I am not looking for specific spots...just general locations. For example, all things being equal, I'm thinking a shoreline with a steep drop into deeper water is better for salmon than a more gradual slope, right?
I guess I will have to study old posts and try to figure it out for myself! Hope to be back in this thread soon with a salmon pic. Or at least a trout!
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tamiron
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Re: Finding salmon

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the_doctor wrote:Yes Fishy1 is the man! To be clear, I am not looking for specific spots...just general locations. For example, all things being equal, I'm thinking a shoreline with a steep drop into deeper water is better for salmon than a more gradual slope, right?
I guess I will have to study old posts and try to figure it out for myself! Hope to be back in this thread soon with a salmon pic. Or at least a trout!
I wish I could help you more, but unless it's live bait (smelt/alewives in NY Finger Lakes) I have zero experience. But I remember some of the threads on this forum definitely talked about piers in the Burlington area with flies.
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Chris Like 2 Fish
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Re: Finding salmon

Post by Chris Like 2 Fish »

Hey Chris here. I’m new to lake Champlain but I can tell you that I have caught a couple salmon from shore in Colchester mixed with a Laker. As the water gets colder they come closer to shore. People look at me strange but I use 10’ pole with a spoon or white soft bait launch it out as far as I can and slow retrieve it. I also stop reeling and raise my rod tip to let my lure drop and rise back up as I retrieve it. The causeway being closed has hurt me cuz that was the fastest way for me to be able to fish my side and the south hero side of the lake
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tamiron
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Re: Finding salmon

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Chris Like 2 Fish wrote:Hey Chris here. I’m new to lake Champlain but I can tell you that I have caught a couple salmon from shore in Colchester mixed with a Laker. As the water gets colder they come closer to shore. People look at me strange but I use 10’ pole with a spoon or white soft bait launch it out as far as I can and slow retrieve it. I also stop reeling and raise my rod tip to let my lure drop and rise back up as I retrieve it. The causeway being closed has hurt me cuz that was the fastest way for me to be able to fish my side and the south hero side of the lake
Chris:
Thanks for sharing.
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tamiron
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Re: Finding salmon

Post by tamiron »

I know that some of you forum members are catching salmon trolling. How about sharing some of your results?? Remember no specific locations. But numbers or general approach might be nice. My idea for "hijacking" this thread was to get people to share or to complain about doing something and not getting the results they were looking for. Please don't prove all the naysayers right with your silence. :(
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Dwayne
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Re: Finding salmon

Post by Dwayne »

i saw salmon yesterday jumping to get out of my way on the surface as i was schooting along at 27 mph i stop and tossed out 2 deep diving crank baits and made a look and hooked up on one fish in 200 feet of water between indian point and bonnet river out in the middle of know where. lost the fish at the boat, could not get another hit
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tamiron
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Re: Finding salmon

Post by tamiron »

Thanks Dwayne! Good to know about the salmon being on the top of the water column in the "middle of nowhere" !! ;)
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tamiron
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Re: Finding salmon

Post by tamiron »

TIME TO MOVE TO THE FISHING REPORTS FORUM UNDER A NEW THREAD (SAME AS THIS ONE)
FINDING SALMON
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jusgrinnin
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Re: Finding salmon

Post by jusgrinnin »

OK let me throw this out there for discussion, for salmon this time of year running blades off riggers helpful or hurtful?
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tamiron
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Re: Finding salmon

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jusgrinnin wrote:OK let me throw this out there for discussion, for salmon this time of year running blades off riggers helpful or hurtful?
I waited for a couple of days in the hope that someone would respond that had first hand knowledge. But I guess in my dreams will be the only way that happens.

Instead let me give you some ideas for you to try (not based on Atlantics).

In my experience they either work or they don't but they are seldom neutral. That means if you try them and it's the right day, you should easily be able to see the difference. Often times it is one of the more remote spoons in your pattern that will fire. But take off the blades and nothing will work.

First of all, what are you trying to do with the blades? The answer should be to draw fish into your presentation. A single large dodger or spinner blade attached to the ball could mimic a predator slamming into bait. A set of vertical or horizontal blades can mimic schools of forage. The size of the blades should "match the hatch" ... be approximately the same size as the forage in the vicinity of where you are trolling. Gutting a fish you intend to keep will tell you more about the specific forage. A Turkey Baster filled with lake water and gently inserted into the mouth of the fish that you intend to keep will do the same thing and fly anglers have a similar tool to examine stomach contents.

Different color blades on different days can also be significant.

IMHO, they work pretty well most of the time, but better sometimes than others. Try them and keep notes. Duplication of successful patterns and presentations with or without attractors is very important. Don't confuse more with better!
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Reelax
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Re: Finding salmon

Post by Reelax »

tamiron wrote:
jusgrinnin wrote:OK let me throw this out there for discussion, for salmon this time of year running blades off riggers helpful or hurtful?
I waited for a couple of days in the hope that someone would respond that had first hand knowledge. But I guess in my dreams will be the only way that happens.

Instead let me give you some ideas for you to try (not based on Atlantics).

In my experience they either work or they don't but they are seldom neutral. That means if you try them and it's the right day, you should easily be able to see the difference. Often times it is one of the more remote spoons in your pattern that will fire. But take off the blades and nothing will work.

First of all, what are you trying to do with the blades? The answer should be to draw fish into your presentation. A single large dodger or spinner blade attached to the ball could mimic a predator slamming into bait. A set of vertical or horizontal blades can mimic schools of forage. The size of the blades should "match the hatch" ... be approximately the same size as the forage in the vicinity of where you are trolling. Gutting a fish you intend to keep will tell you more about the specific forage. A Turkey Baster filled with lake water and gently inserted into the mouth of the fish that you intend to keep will do the same thing and fly anglers have a similar tool to examine stomach contents.

Different color blades on different days can also be significant.

IMHO, they work pretty well most of the time, but better sometimes than others. Try them and keep notes. Duplication of successful patterns and presentations with or without attractors is very important. Don't confuse more with better!


Blades attract fish, use the right ones and they ALWAYS work. The only time I take them off is at the end of the day. They attract fish, some days better than others, but they always work. If your not confident in your blades you can run spoons far away, but the spoons that fire in my spread are always closest to the blades... Some days I run one set, some days I run 3 sets, depends on how big of a bait ball I want to look like...
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ReelInvestment
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Re: Finding salmon

Post by ReelInvestment »

Another blade question. I usually only use blades when bouncing bottom for lakers in the middle of summer, but have been messing with vertical blades for salmon lately. Anyways, when I fish for lakers using blades (usually horizontal) I try to match the spoon or spin n glow color to the color of the blades. So my question is, is it as important to match spoon color to blade color for salmon?
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