There are times in life we look at as milestone events. Graduation from any post-secondary education has to rank as one of the top 10 milestones in anyone’s life. Andre from North of Toronto had recently graduated from police foundations program is about to embark on a career in Law enforcement. To add to the successful completion of schooling, his Granfather Margarito was up to Canada from Mexico to share in his celebration and to share time with Andre since he was free from his attention to the text books.
Margarito was nothing short of a man of much experience fishing and hunting. Travels to many places around the world had provided him many different fishing experiences. This was to be his second fishing trip on Lake Ontario fishing for Salmon. His first trip was out on a charter departing from Port Credit and he was happily welcomed to Canada with a 30 lbs Chinook Salmon, but no other fish were caught but it was enough to suggest to his grandson to try Salmon fishing and was treated for his efforts in school.
We left the dock at 5:00 pm from Foran’s Marine and the lake was with a light chop and overcast skys. We aimed North until sitting down in about 130 FOW just west of the Grimsby Weather Marker. Fishing up to this point was slow with only the odd salmon caught and Lake Trout were on the line more than they were off the line on most recent days.
Immediately into our troll the SONAR screen provided a display of the best picture we had seen since last year. Bait was “balled-up” at various levels of the water column and the fish were all over them on the graph. Lines of fish weaved up and down through the downrigger lines and through schools of bait. Activity seemed to be bursting with excitement and we stayed on our toes, arms out waiting to spring into action when a rod fires. But it didn’t occur on cue. Over and over again in our minds we said here we go, and the moment would pass as we stared focused on any movement on the rods. I was jumpy and knew the opportunity to trick a fish to bite would come sooner rather than later.
Then it happened 1 hour into our troll when we were in front of Fifty Point hump in 140 FOW. The downrigger was set to 95 feet and a 30 ft lead with a White Killer SpinDoctor with a Hammer Fly bounced and sprung. I grabbed the rod and took up the slack and tightened up on the line where I handed the rod over to Andre. I first thought – “another Lake Trout” as I turned to work on another line when I hear the reel peel and I jerked to look over my shoulder at Andre and the rigger rod maxed out. “Ahhh that’s no Lake trout, Happy Graduation Andre!”
The fish pulled some line and then turned to the boat and we managed to net the fish without much trouble. We brought it on board and it weighed about 14 ½ lbs but was as silver as a spring time Chinook with black fins and a pot belly. Andre’s biggest fish to date and his Grandfather said in Spanish, “Felicidades” meaning congratulations.
The deep set was a cue to move a wire diver down to those same depths. On a 2 setting I let out 270 feet of 30 lbs wire line to manage the diver towing a Mountain Dew/B-fly combo down to 85 feet. An hour later the wire rod pounded with a furry. In your mind you image a big king swaying it’s head back and forth with all its strength, then the rod was handed to Margarito at the same instant the rod buckled over and a constant pull of wire line peel the drag and rolled out over the guides at an alarming rate. Margarito smiled with his two gold capped teeth as he muscled the fish towards the boat. Clipping the net under the fish it was clear the night was another successful trip on Lake Ontario. Amoungst a few other smaller fish for the night Margarito’s fish was the biggest measuring 22 lbs.
Before pulling all the lines we had Andre and Margarito hold there catches as the sun dipped below the horizon.
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| From Photo_Gallery12 |
Shane Thombs
www.FINtasticSportfishing.com
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