Grimsby skinny water, May 6, 2011

John wasn’t available to get out early on the Friday Morning so we left Foran’s ramp in Grimsby at 9:00 am. Knowing our game plan was to roll out past the rocks and start fishing, we warmed up the kicker in the marina and followed out past the muddy water coming out of Forty Mile Creek. We started in 25 FOW and trolled out to about 45 FOW. Winds were Southwest on our stern and the heavy overcast let go some light showers periodically throughout the morning. We started with two spoons and two Fastrak body baits fishing from bottom to flatlines off the boards up top.

Once breaking past 25 feet of water we were in clearer water. It was evident that the southwesterly winds and calm seas for over the past week was started to work against us in keeping expansive coloured water out to any reasonable depth. The SONAR showed very little in the clearer water with the odd fish extremely high in the water column.

Surface temperatures were 44’F and in the muddy water close to shore it was 46’F. Very little bait on the SONAR as it was thought that is too high in the water column for us to see them.

With two hours gone by without a sniff we decided to turn in shallow and put the stick baits and shallow sets a real go. We trolled to inside 22 FOW in front of Grimsby Beach and just reaching the faint coloured water provided by the plume from Forty Mile Creek roughly 1 km west of our location when our first fish of the day started to move the rigger rod on the starboard side. The rigger set 11 ft down and a Michigan Stinger Stingray NBK set back 75 feet takes a coho. While reeling it in the Starboard inline planer board gets heavy in the water and then starts pulling back. John is on that rod to begin a double.

The coho comes to the boat easily and was recorded and released before bringing the fish on the board to the net. The fish come in to the net and the first king went 12 lbs at 10:40 am. Tag number 1626 and released.

From

Bomber Long A Red Back with Yellow Belly and black dots. 150 feet back flatlined on Mono.

We trolled west back to in front of Foran’s and then turned and went East again to stay in the 20 FOW and troll with the noted .7 mph currents that were moving east along the shoreline. Our down speed was 1.8-2.1 mph and GPS was 2.3 mph going east and nearly 3 mph trolling west.

Trolling just past the rocks at Forans in 20 FOW the port side in line board gets slammed. It is peeling backwards at an alarming rate and the board in like a highspeed water skier and the reel sounds like the whining of the ski boat’s motor! It was humming along and then off in the distance the king clears the water and instantly the line goes slack. Broke off the only Yellow top white belly Bomber Long A that was set on a flatline on Mono 130 feet behind the board.

On the same troll to in front of Grimsby Beach, we turn out and it slows the port side board to nearly a crawl, and then it jerks back and starts going in reverse. Fish on! The king was sluggish this time and throughout the fight Johns thinks it’s a lake Trout. Then at the back of the boat the fish wakes up and starts short runs and weaves back and forth. The fish comes to the boat and weighs 11 lbs. Given tag number 1628 and released.

This was a Bomber Long A 130 feet back and was another discontinued Bomber Colour. Silver with orange head, yellow top and belly.

Time ran out and we needed to head in at 1:00 pm. 3 for 4, but wish we clued in on the shallow fish earlier. That’s fishing.

Shane Thombs
www.fintasticsportfishing.com