SLA Wind, Waves, Walleye from Bay of Quinte, November 11-12, 2011

The Strait Line Anglers Club arrived in Picton Friday morning and was ready to do battle with some Bay of Quinte Walleye. But that wasn’t all we had to do battle against! The winds were less then favourable. The forecast was 30- 35 km hour winds. Yes Strong! But they were sustained at that with gusts over 50 km! Standing at the back of the boat on Saturday I had to lean into the wind to prevent from tipping over when it gusted. YIKES!

Not only did the winds blow, they blew in a direction that was no help to fish the Adolphus Reach from Keith’s shoal out to the Gap.

On Friday we started by the tower on the north shore and trolled with the North west blow across to Pryner’s Cove. The North Shore had bait and fish, then nothing in the middle and then some on the South shore just before the point (west of) Pryner’s Cove. Then a clear screen until we were closer to the North shore again in front of the Power Generating station in Bath. That was where my dad picked up our first walleye of the trip around 7 lbs. 240 ft lead with Rapala TD11 in Purpledecent on the board using mono. Now we have our fish fry.

With the winds we decided to look for lee side water and ran back to Picton Bay and fished in front of the Cement Plant and trolled south. The Bay was packed with bait inside 35 FOW. Few hooks, but didn’t move a rod.

On Saturday I woke up with a major Migraine. Nope- not hung over- didn’t drink but a few brown pops the night before. Had a late start setting lines at 10:00 am. This was our SLA tournament and it was to weigh 4 fish two over and two under the 25” mark per team/boat.

My dad and I fished the south shore and set up west of Pryner’s Cove and well east of the Bat Cave where Dave Viles managed two walleye on Friday and where we marked plenty of fish. Our first fish of the day came one hour into the first troll. 200 ft lead Rapala TD11 in Purpledecent on the board using mono. 7 lbs.

Then there was a two hour weight and a few trolling passes before we got in line from the Bat Cave to troll with the wind and waves down the south shore. We were being pushed in by the other boats and soon we seen our depths creep up on us from 130 to 100 to 80-70 – 60 then Oh NO the Full cores will soon be on bottom. I start watching the boards behave as they ran up and down four and five ft waves. The inside board’s tail starts to twitch. There’s bottom I said to dad as I picked up the rod and started bringing the board to the boat and watching the other board for something the same. It didn’t and the board I pulled in I took off and held the rod for a second only to feel a mushy Thump- Thump rather then tick tick. How do you explain how it feels- work with me J. I said Dad – your up. “What?” Yah it’s a fish!

Dad brought in the fish after cranking a way at 500 feet of line (Leadcore 10 colours) and brought the fish to the net. “NICE fish dad!” On the scale it went 10.1 lbs. Perfect that’s our two over 25”.

From Photo_Gallery6

The winds were strong, the rod holders made the whistling sound like over top of a beer bottle, and it was always a show watching the boats ride back up hill against them to make another pass. You would be entertained, but at the same time knowing you to will undergo the agonizing ride over 5 and 6 ft waves and whitecaps on every wave across the Reach. Luckily, dad and I didn’t get wet in the Key Largo, but Dave Mergerison “Fish Tales” speared more waves then he wished for and worked the bilge pump in his 18 ft Lund. NOT FUN but he was on fish. His three man crew pulled 9 walleyes on 13 hook-ups. Variety of sets worked for them, but 8 of the 9 fish were on Leadcores from 3 colour down to Fullcore and even Fullcores with Manns Stretch 20 Wonderbread. Firetiger Renosky, TD11 Purpledecent were some of their successful lures. The other fish was off the downrigger down 60 and out 150’.

Dad and I tried right to 4:15 pm and didn’t move another rod and ran back in, with the waves starting to subside. We followed up with our weigh-in and Dave Mergerison’s boat pulled away with two fish over and two fish under 25” with 21 lbs to win the tournament. Wet- but smiling!

Dad and I managed second with just over 17 lbs and Dave Viles took third with 16 lbs and change. Biggest fish of the group over the weekend was from Brian Ludwig with one at 11.1 lbs.

On Sunday we looked at the wind forecast and decided to pull the boat out and head home with our tails between our legs.

Wind, Waves and Walleye were a battle this weekend, but it was fun to get out with the group on the Bay again.

Shane Thombs
www.FINtasticSportfishing.com

Thanksgiving Monday Erie Perch, October 10, 2011

What a great Thanksgiving weekend of weather and fishing. Four full days of flat calm water and today the sun is shinning again and it’s warm enough to be out in a T-Shirt. Brian Blainey, that docks beside me at Lake Court marina in Grimsby, was on a job in the morning but wanted to try for a bucket full of Erie Perch in the afternoon. That provided Aidan and I enough time to scout out a spot to net some minnows in the morning. We caught a few but they were really small.

When Brian got back from his window repair job, we hooked up my boat and Brian was fast on the phone to call Erie Tracker for Minnows- they were closed. The word on the website messageboards were that minnows were hard to get. So Brian called Fishmaster Tackle shop in Dunnville and luckily he had minnows available. It was a little out of our way, but we pulled the boat to Dunnville, picked up minnows and then turned east to Port Colborne to launch at noon hour.

There had to be 100 boats anchored in two packs, one pack at Point Abino and the other directly in front of Port Colborne in 65 FOW. We cruised straight out and then slowed when we got to the pack. It was flat calm and the last thing you want to do is run the boat fast and create a wake that will upset a lot of guys.

We merely were at idle scanning the area for fish and any structure to anchor on. There wasn’t much to make us stop and finally we seen a few hooks on the bottom and then dropped the anchor. Drop the minnows down and bang Brian brings up a perch. Then Aidan pulls up his first Erie Perch. But then it was tough to hook another for a while. We pulled the anchor and drifted for a bit until we seen more fish on the graph and then drop it again. That worked to catch a few more, but still not enough to be content with the spot. We moved around a bit more and moved back to an area where we seen a few boats catch a bunch when we were watching them.

Aidan Perch

From Photo_Gallery5

We then seen schools of bait on the SONAR and we decided to try it. It was a good decision. For the next two hours of fishing until 4:00p when we pulled our lines and ran in, we caught perch one after another. There were no Jumbos in our catches, but we managed 50 perch to keep that were all over 9 inches.

Shane Thombs
www.FINtasticSportfishing.com

Bill's Hunt for Silvers, October 7, 2011

It was well over a year when my friend Bill and I were hoping to make a fishing trip happen. He had fished with me for walleye and bass on Lake Erie last year and both times we hit one fish the entire day- sometimes it is true when the say it is called “Fishing not Catching”. Although we try, the results were simply not good enough so I promised Bill a better Lake Ontario trip and explained that we will work around each others schedule and set off when convenient.

With Aidan bundled up with a coat, the chill in the morning air was a sure sign we were near the end of the Lake Ontario trolling Season. This far into the season very few fisherman have been out, so information sharing was non-existent. We knew that our trip would mean a “hunt for silvers”.

We motored our way out from Foran’s Marine in Grimsby and scanned the shallows first then ran for a short distance and scanned 60 FOW and then 80, then 120 and then 150. It wasn’t until we got to 200 FOW that there were some signs of life on the SONAR. But the bait and fish were marking on the graph were deep. 80 to 130 feet down. We still scanned for some time until there were enough marks to decide we would slow to a troll. We were in 250 FOW and the screen filled with bait and hooks.

I came ill prepared to fish effectively in those types of depths with all lines. So I made the best of it with two downriggers and long stretches from 107 divers. I also only had Leadcore on board and that meant the best I could do was put out a 10 colour Leadcore and add 4 oz of weight to get it down a little further.

Only a few times in the season are you forced to fish 100 feet down. But when I do, there are a few things that have proven to be successful techniques to catch fish from those depths. One is running downrigger lines with short leads. Flashers in glow colours are also good and running cutbait or cutbait imitations like MC Rockets are the go to sets.

Today I ran both riggers with one 10” Spindoctor with cutbait and the other with a number 1 MC Rocket. Consistent was glow colours in all parts of the baits.

Bill and Aidan

From Photo_Gallery5

It was a short trip fishing until 11 am and at the end I had a few waypoints ready for tomorrows charter. Bill had 4 salmon to bring home with the biggest at 11 lbs. Aidan was also smiling after having the opportunity to drive the boat with the water being flat calm.

Shane Thombs
www.FINtasticSportfishing.com

Pete Maki and son have a Bear of a good time on Lake Ontario, August 27, 2011

Pete Maki of Sudbury is a Bear hunting guide. Also his son is with the Ontario Provincial Police working around the Owen Sound area but was previously an employee of a tackle shop in Sudbury and continues his passion for fishing. It was Pete that arranged this trip to get together with his son for a fishing trip in Lake Ontario. They were no stranger to trolling the Great Lakes with some salmon and trout fishing in Lake Huron/Georgian Bay and around Manitoulin Island.

The stories on the boat were entertaining with some incredible Bear hunting experiences shared, fish catches reminisced and a fond appreciation for guiding in the outdoors. A labour of love, not a labour as a means for wealth. Pete has been a guide for many years and it I had to ask how the Liberals cancelled the Spring Bear hunt affected his business. We were on the same page with our displeasure of how this came about. It decimated the tourism industry in the north during a time frame where there are no other tourism attractions to draw in dollars. Instead the wait to open lodges (those that stayed in operation) months later and now only rely on summer tourists to make ends meet. Prices of stay at lodges also had to go up to cover the spring loss of revenue. Guides for Bear hunting also fell off the map with the loss of this most important time. Now only a few stayed in business like Pete.

Also the Spring Bear hunt has changed the behaviour of the bears in the north. Bears are now encroaching on urban (town) areas looking for food. Bear attacks on people are talked about in the media, but the true cause to the increased Bear/people exposures are not described in the media as related to taking away the Spring Bear hunt. Media in the south is even more left wing on the topic and describes the hunting season cancelation as a good news story.

We left from the launch at port Dalhousie and set off to fish for staging fish in tight and out front for the first few hours. We didn’t even power up and the kicker motor was started and our troll began as we cleared 20 FOW. The King of the Lake Salmon Tournament was scheduled for the next weekend and a few boats were in the area to start a prefish practice. The bite was slow all around only seeing one other boat net a small salmon. We had two fish on, but they were off before the fight began. Two loops in the 30-60 FOW levels and we decided to go a little deeper. We broke 75 FOW and then 85 FOW and the screen lit up with hooks on the bottom. I figured Lake Trout, but wanted to be sure they weren’t salmon staging a little deeper. Bait was also prevalent in the area at both bottom and mid depths. I dropped the flasher/MC Rocket and Flasher Fly on two riggers down to the bottom and it was only moments later on a zig zag turn that had our first fish take. It was a Lake Trout and it came in with ease weighing around 5 lbs. Then after a picture the other rigger rod moved and the stark bend was released slightly and then doubled over. Pete was on it, this time a better fish. Drag came off the reel, not quickly, but made us think it might be a salmon. It was a heavy fish. Barely any line could be made and we needed to circle the fish to help the retrieve of line. The grey backed Lake Trout came up to the surface behind the boat with it’s big mouth wide open and the net slipped under it’s belly to bring it aboard.
Pete lifted the brute from the net and he was impressed by its size. We put it on the scale and it read 14.4 lbs! Nice.

From Photo_Gallery6

One more loop in the area and the Full core leadcore takes another strike. This time a small salmon comes on board.

I decided we should vacate the area and go to the Blue Zone for some silvers. We picked up and ran out 7 miles to around 290 FOW to the are of our waypoints from last week. It was only a short time and the program of spoons on short leads, wire diver/spoon and 10 colour Leadcore starts firing. Not fast and furious, but a steady pick and we managed a good number of rainbows/ one salmon and one pelagic Brown Trout to the boat. Here are a few to show.

From Photo_Gallery6

From Photo_Gallery6

From Photo_Gallery6

Great fishing with a few guys as passionate about the outdoors of fishing and hunting.

Shane Thombs
www.FINtasticSportfishing.com

Jack and Isaac from Connecticut make the connection on Steelhead, Friday evening August 19, 2011.

I got a call from Jack while he was in a Niagara Falls Hotel with his family on summer vacation from Connecticut. He would like to show his son Isaac what fishing in Canada can amount to. Fishing is fishing, but with a lake that was flat calm and sunny skies, there was more then biting fish to make a memorable outdoor connection for this Father and Son team.

We departed from Port Dalhousie and made our way to the waters where we had success the previous weekend in 290- 310 FOW straight out from Port. When we came off plane the SONAR screen revealed a picture that looked very promising.

From Photo_Gallery5

What to put out was clear before even getting the first line wet with three riggers two divers and two leadcores of 10 colour and 7 colour sets. The riggers were managed in an inverted V with middle rigger running higher then the port and starboard riggers. Spoons were on everything, but the middle rigger was the decoy. Off the downrigger weight was a 5 foot segment of line with a 8“ Spin Doctor in Green Dolphin and a stacker clip set above it 4 feet and with a 15 ft lead. Port and Starboard riggers were set 10 or 15 ft below it with leads stretched out 25-35 feet back. Then the divers on 3 setting out 130 and 150 feet.

Isaac was busy during the four hour trip with numerous fish coming to the boat. Mostly rainbows but the odd smaller Chinook came in as well. Where time between fish allowed, Jack, Isaac and I talked about his schooling and had some pep talks on things that were meaningful for his age. Keeping a positive attitude and taking every opportunity to learn from his teachers even if he doesn’t like them. We talked about how fishing is not about catching but valuable time with friends or family. This night was a true connection between father and son, available by a fishing trip.

Shane Thombs
www.FINtasticSportfishing.com

East Coaster enjoys an evening on our inland ocean, Lake Ontario. August 14, 2011

Weeks before, I had John, our newest head of the Ministry of Natural Resources Law enforcement, out with his step son Luke and they had a great day on the water with warm, calm season and plenty of fish. This time John was looking to entertain his son Jonah while he was in town.

Jonah had flown in from the east coast where he was in Law School. John and subsequently Jonah are originally from Prince Edward Island and were accustomed to rough ocean seas and nasty weather.

Today was not a day I would normally take clients out in, the wind was moderate out of the east and the rain and thick low level cloud filtered out much of the daylight. It was as dark as dusk in the middle of the afternoon. The wind from the east also made a four foot chop and it would prove to be a great opportunity to run the boat in some nasty chop to see how it handles. John and Jonah were adamant about going out and laughed at the conditions after many experiences in much more adverse conditions on the ocean. I was happy to oblige and look forward to see where and how the fish reacted to these type of conditions.

We motored out heading directly into the waves and with the 21 degree dead rise and Carolina style bow on the Key Largo, the vessel sliced through the waves like a hot knife through butter. Running into them at 23 MPH and not taking a single slap or jolt. The boat truly performed up to my expectations.

We stopped in 230 FOW east of Jordon Harbour which put us in front of Port Dalhousie. Instead of turing the boat and rolling with the waves, as we normally would, I decided we better keep the bow pointed into the waves so we can move deeper still. Ron was busy keeping a straight line while I deployed a 7 rod spread. I was looking for the fish to be high in the water column considering the low light and chop. Many of the sets concentrated on the top 50 feet with temperatures pointing out that at 50 feet was the thermocline. It wasn’t long before we started catching fish and while we went Ron marked the location on the GPS as a Waypoint.

When we reached 290 FOW there as a distinct change in the picture on the sonar graph. We were marking pods of bait and many fish. Almost instantly seeing this, we were into fish. Shots were regular. Jonah and John took turns and many times had to grab one rod after another as I was busy netting, removing hooks, and releasing fish after fish. It was fast a furious action and I was happy to have Ron on the wheel to keep us from spinning around in the waves and messing up the 7 lines.

The Downriggers were hot with the centre rigger set the highest in the water column at 28 feet and the Port and starboard riggers beneath it staggered at 35 and 45 feet. I was targeting Rainbows and keeping the riggers above the thermocline was the ticket for the fast catching.

In the middle of catching rainbows John also managed to catch this great looking Coho John (right) is holding up along side Jonah (left)and his biggest Steelhead of the day.

From Photo_Gallery5

7 and 10 colour leadcores were also towed by small inline boards and wire divers on either side of the boat were set with 107 divers with spoons and made to run out to the sides on 3 settings with 110- 140 feet of line to focus on the 30-40 foot level.

We were scheduled to fish until 8:00 pm and as that time approached the already dark skies reduced the amount of dusk low light almost dark. We pulled lines and motored back and this time running 28 -30 mph running with the waves. By the time we got to dock it was dark and it wasn’t long after the boat was on the trailer that I was in complete blackness. The rain was only spitting through the entire trip so rain gear was worn but managed to stay dry.

Jonah was impressed by the fishing in Lake Ontario and managed his biggest Steelhead at 10 lbs. We shared some stories and sent Jonah off with good luck with his schooling and a safe flight back. Clients with true sea legs are hard to find, but John and Jonah were not your average guest on board, they were steady and sure in the less steady Lake Ontario conditions.

Shane Thombs
www.FINtasticSportfishing.com

Robert and grandson Daniel from West Virginia, go fishing on the Canadian Civic Holiday, Aug 1st, 2011

The world wide web has extended my business once more. Robert found me through a website designed to provide a search for charter fishing businesses and I registered with the site in the late spring. Come late July I had a phone call from Robert looking to book two days on Lake Ontario while they are here to enjoy a vacation with family in Hamilton.

The Sunday charter had to be cancelled due to Thunderstorms that rolled through only 1 hour before departure. The weather had been rocky to say the least over the last few days and Tstorms seemed to blow through once a day.

Our Monday departure conditions were much more favourable. Light winds from the west and the threat of Tstorms in the afternoon.

We motored out to 100 FOW in front of the Microwave tower that stands at the top of the escarpment beside Woverton Road in Grimsby. It was merely minutes after the first rod was set and only having two others engaged in the troll that the first rod went off on the Port side downrigger. Daniel reeled in the first fish of the trip a small salmon; But as soon as the fish was in the net the middle rigger fired and this fish was a much bigger salmon. It started to pull line of the reel when the starboard downrigger popped up and followed suit. At that moment Daniel’s line broke. But with a fish on the other rod, it was a quick swap out and he was back into fighting another muscular fish.

The fight lasted for minutes and we managed to bring the fish into the net only to our amazement. Firstly, Daniel had just caught the biggest fish of his life, a fish that was big enough to eat his previous personal best. But I was amazed of this fish not for his size, but that we managed to get the fish in the boat. The rod that had hooked up moments before and broke the line was a Green Dolphin SpinDoctor and Atommik Tournament Hammer Fly. That fly was in his mouth, and the larger sized snap swivel a the front of the Spin doctor was caught on the hook of the spoon that was on the downrigger rod that fired a sort time after this fish hit and broke the line. A miracle we caught this fish and Daniel lifted his 22 lbs Salmon for this picture.

From Photo_Gallery5

For the rest of the trip we caught numerous other salmon, had great conversations over the differences in politics from Canada and the US and other matters of the economy and employment. We had the world’s problems solved between the gunnels of my boat in 6 hours.

The Sky was turning dark to the North and moving fast across the lake towards us. It was already the end of our trip and the rods were in with little time to spare. We got to the dock and the thunder was cracking. Daniel and Robert managed to get to there car before the rain came pouring down and I managed to take the boat back to the slip and get the gear off before the rain came down in buckets. Talk about timing.

Days after out trip Daniel, Robert, and his sister and grandmother stopped at the house to pick up there fish. During the rush I offered to clean them instead of pulling them out in the rain.

Daniel was excited to boat such a great fish and Robert was happy to treat his grandson to the experience and find quality time together.

Shane Thombs
www.fintasticsportfishing.com