Network turns into more Net Work in August

It feels like yesterday when the internet became our biggest tool to expanding our network of anglers. It instantly expanded from those you chat with at your home Marina to those you talk to from Marinas around the lake. We often talk at length about how the ecology of the Great Lakes has changed dramatically and how that has played for or against our success in catching fish. What we tend not to discuss is how as anglers, we have made adjustments in order to continue to catch fish. The evolution of the most successful Great Lakes trollers can be hinged on the Network of anglers they are associated with and build knowledge and experiences with. Technology changed the way we communicate about fishing and the means of using it to stay on top of where the fish are, and how to catch them. We have gone from the 1980s and 90s where dockside conversations and VHF and/or CB radios were all you needed, to internet reports in the 2000’s from around the lake and now it’s all about the Cell phone era of txting and private messaging with a refined group in a circle of friends.

The Network has gone from small and social, to extremely large and unsocial, and then back down to a small and social but from a more refined group of individuals from various locations around the lake in an anglers “Contact List”.

The Dockside Dets

In the 80’s and 90’s the network of anglers in a single marina would be all you need in your network. In the 80’s the fish were plentiful and easily available with a short boat ride from your home port during the majority of the season. If you hadn’t been out in a week or so, a few simple questions around the dock, was enough info to put fish in the boat. Those in the marina worked together to find fish and the VHF radio chatter would help steer you in the right direction or bring others to steer towards you. There were plenty of fish to share and the info was something to share as well. Anyone with “Their ears on” can hear over the radio who is catching them and on what. This network was perfect for the scenario of the day, but something changed. Yes technology advanced but so too did fish location and fish behaviour.

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Zebra mussels and reduced nutrient loading in the Great Lakes caused Lake Ontario to clear up dramatically in the late 90’s. Where fish were at home in slightly coloured water back in the 80’s were then exposed to the sun, the sounds of passing boats and more aware of the hardware that trollers in the 80’s could “get away with” because back then, the fish would barely see all the gear in the water and if they did, it was interesting to them.

In the late 90’s fish behaviour changed about face. The saying “Here today and gone tomorrow” was a 90’s term between salmon fisherman and if you thought you had those salmon figured out, all too soon you will be challenged once again. Sometimes change was daily, and it was evident that hourly adjustments on technique and location would also be necessary. This era was an adjustment for all anglers to deal with on the lake. The change spurred on “new-age” techniques like Directional divers and Leadcore line then followed by copper line. Boats seemed to expand range and run miles from their home port or for those with trailered boats would consider no Port a home port. This was the “New-Age in Salmon Trolling on Lake Ontario”.

Much of one’s success is about being at the right place at the right time, maybe even lucky. Salmon move dramatically in a short period of time. They will move across the lake, moving with the currents and the waves, following the bait in and out, up and down and then sideways. Fish found in front of your port, may be in front of the next port the next day. Move, Move, Move. Being there at the right time would consider fish in clear water would bite better based on environmental conditions such as during dawn and dusk, choppy or coloured water conditions or move up or down in depth and on structure.

The Internet Knowledge Base

The 2000’s brought on the internet and we developed a Network that was very large expanding to ports around the Lake. The knowledge base grew rapidly as we learnt together in the New-age of Salmon trolling techniques. You contributed your information and knowledge widely. You helped many catch more fish, find more fish and at times discovered you shared a bit too much with too many. That era of anglers developed skills together and we grew appreciation and respect for one-another over the internet. While on the water we used a VHF radio at times and carried a cell phone. We learned towards using the cell phones more and more and soon conversations were cut back from a massive internet audience to a one-to-one conversation. The Internet was a knowledge base but also daily reports helped give the perspective of where fish are being caught. Are they in Toronto, any closer to home caught yesterday, how deep, who was catching them and how deep. This helped as a starting point and after you get off the water you share your experience to the massive network of anglers so they can use your contribution. This was really useful for the weekenders, but a handful of charter and tournament anglers also filled in reports after a successful trip or tournament outcome.

Now-a-days newer trollers come to the internet to help speed up the learning curve on new-age trolling techniques since the knowledge base is easy to query and pull valuable information from. But here comes a divide and the reason why websites like “Spoonpullers” have been regarded by many as an internet chat board that has lost its appeal.

The Cellular Contact List

Experienced anglers already understanding the basics and rarely use the knowledge base of info on a website like Spoonpoullers. It’s a nice to have, but it’s not a necessity or something that will draw you back in on a daily basis to find out the latest and greatest fishing conditions. Experienced Salmon trollers find those types of websites taxing on your time sifting through messages of useless information and small talk. Filtering through so much text from unknown sources leaves much to be desired. Often the new guys to the sport are posting and the experienced guys are not. It’s a double edged sword that has lost its appeal for many.

Most successful anglers in the 2000’s up to today, are mobile, they are agile in use of tactics and location, they are confident in what they have will get bit, but know they are still subject to luck and the need to stumble upon something. Stumbling upon something can be overlooked if you are not paying attention to every detail and successful Great Lakes Trollers, are in my opinion, the most “situation aware” type of fisherman next to fly fisherman. Yes more than the bass guys, there I said it.

From Photo_Gallery18

If you put a situation aware angler in amoungst a refined network of other like-minded “situation aware” anglers then quality information is gathered. No more sifting through superfluous internet chat board messages.

Much of the pioneers that helped develop the internet chat boards are also the founders of the content in the knowledge-base contained in those websites like Spoonpullers. Many of those contributors cut back on communicating on the website chat boards, if they do, it’s more about posting a few pictures and telling funny experiences and not necessarily sharing details and info. If too little info is shared then often a few comments are added on the board to call you out. Give that a time or two and those highly experienced and knowledgeable anglers will instead post on a place like Facebook. Less negative feedback and if there is any, guess what, you are blocked from the Social network of that angler.

Today a cellular list of contacts are a circle of quality anglers that are instead interested in learning just a little bit more with attention to details, and looking for the little thing that counts. This pursuit is not found on the internet chat boards anymore. It is within a refined group of like-minded highly capable, highly respected anglers that are “situation aware”. Details are contained inside the network circle and are not meant to be shared widely. Good information will leak out in time, but let’s hold on to it just a little longer. Keep one step ahead if at all possible. This desire for a good network means you better share useful information as much as you ask for information. Loyalty, comradery, openness, out fishing regularly in similar waters and sharing similar styles of fishing will help find your place in a network. You get out what you put into it. You share more, you get more back. One sided conversations are a full stop to future conversations. Unlike a chat board, where you are called out and look bad if you don’t respond, in an informal Network, you are out, cold turkey. Not a secret society, not a code, just guys willing to share details with one another and manage who is in that circle.

I will admit that this promotes exclusivity, and is not the best environment for newcomers into the sport. I remain adamant that information will be shared on a one to one basis. Call me and I’ll be happy to share what I have experienced. No BS, Ill share details. One caveat though, report back with your results and share what you learnt on the water when you are out. Call on VHF radio, txt, private message or email and the Network grows with another individual.

I blame most fish we catch as a result of what information gathered through communicating. Yes you still have to trick the fish you have under the boat into biting, but it’s true that information sharing is the catalyst to catching more fish.

During the first week of August my family and I were staying at Port Bruce, North Erie Marina. This is a location that I discovered 4 years before through two generations of anglers. Marshman lives in St Thomas and Port Bruce and Port Stanley is his home waters. My other contact was Mike from Catch One Sportfishing a long time friend since back in the late 80’s from Fifty Point Marina. He settled in with a trailer and his 35ft SeaRay at Port Bruce. Information on where walleye were being caught was limited to a few willing to travel further to find fish. Marshman found walleye off Port Stanley near the weather buoy and a few other reports around the dock explained fish coming from 19 miles straight out of Port Bruce.

From Photo_Gallery17

The first half of the week was a constant southwest blow that kept me and my kids from getting out on the lake as well as hosting others to come out with us for a few booked charters. Finally by Tuesday the winds slowed first thing in the morning and my son and I headed in the direction of the Port Stanley weather buoy. As we motored out the wind went from nil to at least 15 km/hr. By the time we stopped 2 miles short of the buoy, the winds were gusting and the white caps were forming already. My 10 year old son Aidan has seen his share of rough water in the past and he was good with it. We fished 4 rods and managed 3 walleyes before calling it quits early in the rough stuff.

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Wednesday morning the leaves at the top of the trees were still, the kids were yanked out of bed and we set off with my daughter Myra and Aidan with me. We ran out to where we were the day before and the marks on the screen were plentiful. We set lines and got into fish right away, but this time it was sheephead after sheephead. We did pull in a few walleye but knew we needed to move out before the junk fish drive us nuts. So we moved out to 65 FOW and soon we were into a better walleye bite. We stopped at 11 am with 9 in the boat. LiveTarget deep diving smelt was good on 7 colour Leadcore.

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Thursday morning was going to be a special trip. We were invited by Mike and Lois of Catch One Sportfishing to join them for a fish on their 35 foot SeaRay.

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Shari and the kids would join me for the first time together in a number of years.

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We fished the same areas I left the day before and the cooler held 10 walleyes before we headed back in. 8 colour Leadcores with LiveTarget shallow Banana Baits in Green were best by far.

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Picture of some fish,

Big thanks to Mike and Lois for the hospitality.

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Mike and Lois are long-time friends and the very first members of my network of salmon fisherpersons. When I cut my teeth in charter fishing in the early 90’s working as a deck hand on Reel Pleasure Charters out of Fifty Point Marina, Mike and Lois had their charter boat 4 slips down from us. In those days there were a dozen other charter boats in Fifty Point and we worked together to find fish. By the mid 90’s Mike and Lois in Catch One Sportfishing and us in Reel Pleasure Charters, were all that were left.

One pivotal moment occurred during the last year of Reel Pleasure Sportfishing that had shaped my take on my own approach to charter fishing from that point on. The last year of Reel Pleasure Charters, Captain Larry O’Conner got a very inviting phone call from a friend and fellow charter captain Yvan of Get-it-Wet Sportfishing. Yvan had heard we were without fish and our success rate was dismal at the time, meanwhile the charter boats out of St Catharines were smashing fish. A dozen coho each trip, kings and lots of Lakers. Larry first came to me and asked if it would be a good idea to move the boat. I said yes, Larry agreed, but since our 30 booked charters were through Stelco, we had to run it by them first. This is where the “buck stops”. This kept Reel Pleasure on the dock in Fifty Point for its last dismal season.

The fishing out of Fifty Point was on a downward tailspin and the results of empty coolers were enough to eradicate the charter industry from Fifty Point. Soon Mike an Lois were left to themselves as the lone charter operator out of the marina and although Reel Pleasure Charters folded, I continued to fish nearly 3 times a week on the Lake mostly out of Fifty Point and continued to communicate with Mike and help out others out of Fifty Point. I was fishing mostly out of the “Grey Ghost” with the late Ken Fisher. We worked with other boats such as “Double Dutch”, “Bears Den”, “Class Act Sportfishing”, and “The Norseman”.

Those days we spent nearly as much time chatting on the dock as we did fishing. The network was truly a social interaction, but you often were unaware of how the fishing was from other ports. That was until the Internet happened.

I developed a website for our fishing club the Strait Line Anglers. We had a messageboard and I would post my results nearly every trip, and soon others added to it as well. One of my posts was about the great comradery between Lake Ontario Trollers. I nicked named them “Spoonpullers”. That was the start of the new Networking website for Lake Ontario and Jason Cuipak picked up the name Spoonpullers and the rest is as you have seen it unfold.

On my return to Lake Ontario the salmon fishing slowed dramatically once more. They were far East and it often meant our attention to fill the boat with Lake Trout. Cowbells and Spin-N-Glows ran on the downriggers bumping along the bottom claimed one Lake trout after another. Every trip we targeted Lakers it was a complete smashing. Anyone who thinks you need to go North to catch lots of Lake Trout- give your head a shake. There were many over 15 lbs. As much as 19 lbs and 4 in the 18 lbs bracket. Most trips were split in half. Try to fish salmon and rainbows for the first half of the trip (if it’s a morning trip) and then Lakers to finish off the trip. The reverse for afternoon trips.

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Still a few Salmon were making it to the boat and it still remained a cutbait bite whenever the fish were in range. Young Samual caught a nice one weighing in at 20 lbs 4 oz and enough to win the Junior derby division with his fish caught on the last day of the derby.

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Rainbows were normally an August fish to target, but they still remain at large for the month. At this point it seems we might not have rainbows to target this year.

The odd rainbow that did find our spoons appealing was large bows. Here`s 3 bows that were 11 and 12 lbs.

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From Photo_Gallery17

Since the bows were less than dependable, Tom booked his trip that intended to fish for August bows. I let him know it wasn`t happening like he had seen in the past. I asked him if Walleye action on Lake Erie fit the bill. He agreed that catching fish for his buddy Clay would be best and to have some walleye to bring home to eat would be another bonus. So Port Maitland bound we went. Last trip to Port Maitland was the last week of July and there was a fender bender that set us off the dock a little late. Not unlike that time, Tom ran into some frustration driving down to Port Maitland. The highway was a mess with an accident slowing traffic. To make matters worse, Tom was pulled over for speeding and of course that set the start time back 45 minutes.

While we waited for Tom and Clay, as boats arrived after a morning full of walleye fishing, we gathered in some great information. Friend Rob Leblanc came in as well and thrown us a worm harness he had luck with and gave us a waypoint to plug into the GPS and set a starting point.

The Lake was calm and Tom and Clay were ready to see what Lake Erie gold looks like. We pulled walleye from deep water. 80 to 90 feet of water and we were pulling them off the bottom. Downriggers in the mud or 15 feet up off the bottom with a 3 colour Secret Weapon Rig took most of the bites along with Wire and braid 107 sized divers on 3 setting and out 220 to 250 to start the trip. Cores and higher sets on the divers worked in the last hour as the walleye started to rise off the bottom to the 60 foot zone. 8 colour leadcore and 10 colour leadcore managed a few bites. 8 walleye with a number of them coming off would be the final count.

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August ended on a high note for Lake Ontario. The last weekend of the month the staging mature salmon showed up in front of Port Dalhousie. We unleashed a season`s worth of frustration with full on efforts for making up for lost time.

On Saturday morning I fished the Catch the Fry Salmon Tournament with Ed from Meaford, Ontario and Rob Leblanc that fishes the event with me every year. We fished our skinny water stager program and boated 8 mature salmon for 14 we had on in 37 FOW. Cutbait on 11 inch Hotspot from downriggers and Echip ProTroll and SpinDoctors with A-TOM-MIK trolling flies on the divers and 5 and 7 colour leadcores. We didn`t box the best fish we had on and we landed 5th.

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The afternoon trip was also very good. We started out in 260 FOW and we had a few shaker salmon and trolled our way into Port Weller. We hooked a big Lake Trout at 19 lbs and then when we approached 40 FOW we hit a 22 lbs king.

Picture .

Then we hooked another moments after netting that one and by the end of that fight we were busy with fish after fish for the next 3 hours. We boated two 24 lbs kings and many in the mid and high teens and low 20`s.

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The next morning Ed joined us for a morning fish. We first worked stager Salmon for 3 hours boating another 6 for 10 hooked. Then we ran out looking for Rainbows and losing 2 nice ones on jumps behind the boat. The Sunday afternoon trip was with Hockey friends Dave and his two boys and his brother Scott and his son Brad. The bite slowed slightly but they still landed 3 salmon out of 5 hook-ups and the biggest was 25 lbs plus. Biggest of the season on the boat.

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The weekend count was an astonishing 21 for 39. Many lost fish but it was so much fun.

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Wish we had those salmon sprinkled more throughout the season.

During the month of August the boat moved from Port Bruce, to Foran`s Marina in Grimsby, to Port Maitland to Port Dalhousie all in the same month. Move, Move, Move being flexible, and in the loop of what is happening through a network of great fisherman made the network put the net to work in August.

Shane Thombs
FINtastic Sportfishing

Lake Erie Gold over Lake Ontario Silver during July 2015

Lake Erie has a way of working in contrast from Lake Ontario. When Lake Erie is angry with monster waves, Lake Ontario’s surface is often more subdue. Where warm water abounds on Lake Erie, Lake Ontario would yank a toe test out of the water in flash. Two years in a row we have observed the most comparable contrast to affect FINtastic Sportfishing and that is in fish catching productivity.

This summer, maybe even more then the summer of 2014, Lake Ontario fishing remains “hung-over” from the preceding cold winter. It continues to sleep in, slow to get up, and not as compliant to stay on a predictable schedule. Lake Erie on the other hand, is boasting the best summer Walleye fishing in many years, maybe even decades.

Current summer fishing status on Lake Erie is nothing short of awesome, but that’s not the only good news story for Lake Erie walleye. In 2014 the walleye hatch was reported to reach the numbers not unlike of the last peak in 2003 due to a cold winter and cool spring in 2014. Although formal reports of the hatch rate in 2015 hasn’t been announced, one can only assume that with a similar cold winter and cool spring in 2015 should be the catalyst to another bumper crop of walleye.

My son is 10 and if his interest continues in the trend of enjoying fishing, he might follow in his dad’s footsteps and might want to have a boat before he has a car at the age of 16. 6 years from now Lake Erie may not only continue to be world class walleye fishing, but it might tower with productivity and shadow all other walleye water destinations if the 2014, and potentially the 2015, crop of Erie walleye fuel the fishery. Aidan might be coming into his own, into the sport, at the perfect time.

This summer we turned focus more on Lake Erie than Lake Ontario, offering booked Lake Ontario Charters the opportunity to instead fish Lake Erie, if the winds would allow. That proved to be very well received and I enjoyed hosting folks more familiar with holding up Lake Ontario silver to instead hold up Lake Erie gold.

My Lake Erie focus began on Canada Day July 1st. That Wednesday the winds were up, rain came down and my clients Paul and wife Anita were at the Crystal Beach boat launch from London with their boat ready to have me onboard for a “On-The-Water Clinic” a package I offer for those who like to have more instruction and show how to utilize the equipment they have on their own boat. The waves were 1 ½ foot to start and we launched and began to run upwind towards Point Abino. His motor began giving Paul problems so we instead changed tactics and turned into the bay to fish for bass. We caught around 6 bass, when I suggested they use the time with me to show how to troll for walleye even though we were many miles from typical walleye waters. The motor ran fine at idle, but we weren’t going to run out and fish off shore so we set up in 25 FOW and trolled with the waves on our stern.

I told Paul and Anita that we will set out a spread not unlike we do for shallow walleye and spring time brown trout on Lake Ontario. 12 lbs test mono main line, deep diving tight action crank baits, and short leads to keep them from grinding into the bottom. I let out the first bait 60 feet back then attached the inline planer board and set it out on the starboard deeper side. I set the next board out on that side of the boat and inside the other board with 50 feet of line out to the bait behind the board. Before I can put out the third rod the first board pulls back. I hand it over to Paul and I watch behind the board waiting to see a smallmouth bass leap out of the water, but it didn’t happen, the fight was typical steady resistance not unlike a walleye. With the net in hand the glossy eyes and mouth rimmed with teeth showed we had a skinny water walleye. This was directly in front of the Crystal Beach Boat Ramp in 22 FOW.

Minutes later the Port side outside board pulled back with a shorter 40 foot lead and Anita cranked another walleye! WOW this is cool. We managed two smallmouth bass and a sheephead trolling for the next 20 minutes and then just before the reef at Windmill Point in 19 FOW the Port side outside board pulls back again but this time the board is heavy, steady pressure and no leaping bronze to the surface 40 feet behind the board. It was a walleye- a good one at that. At about half way to the boat the hooks pulled free and the fish came off. We fished for another 10 minutes when we called it quits as the waves started to build in excess of 3 ft. When we returned to the launch we talked to friends that are hardcore walleye fisherman that fished the 60 foot of water off Point Abino and they were skunked.

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The weekend of July 5th was a holiday south of the border but for Ontario Canada Day was in the middle of the week. This time I launched out of Port Colborne with a 5 person group that was about to experience a very interesting charter package experience. Brent Bochek of Fish NV was to help with accommodating the larger group like we do on other times, but the unique scenario this time is that a full 8 hours of fishing for the 5 guys, 2 boats and two styles of fishing at 4 hours a piece. 4 hours walleye fishing with me and 4 hours bass fishing with Brent. In the morning I took 3 guys and Brent took 2 and then at 10:30 we met up and changed crews so I had 2 in the afternoon and Brent had the other 3. Bass fishing was slow for Brent, but he managed a few for the afternoon guys. Walleye fishing was also slower with the East winds likely having something to do with the soft bite. The morning crew managed 4 walleye with one coming in at just over 9 lbs. The afternoon trip managed 5 walleye and a few that slipped the hook. Great opportunity to have the two different experiences for the 5 guys. I have never heard of this arrangement in the charter business so we might be on to something here.

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The second weekend in July was the CanAm Budwieser Shootout walleye tournament out of Port Colborne. I was stoked since I’ve been out of the walleye tournament scene for a number of years and hearing more positive reports of walleye catch counts intrigued me to enter the tournament with my friends Dave and Rob and our youngest member at 13 years old, Griffin.

Dave and Rob fished a number of times that week off Port Maitland and reported great catches. So I got a GPS coordinate from Dave and at Blast-off we were heading 23 miles west. The day started off with our biggest walleye of the day on a 3 colour Secret Weapon Rig off the Rigger down 15. That fish was our money fish for the tournament and on the official scale marked in at 9.23 lbs. Good enough for 3rd biggest walleye in the tournament and $500 cheque. We caught 11 walleye that day and didn’t lose a single fish, what a great crew. We landed 24th in a 55 boat field with our total weight of 6 fish falling short of being competitive. We needed another 8 lbs fish to swap out our 3.5 lbs walleye and we would have been top three. It’s so interesting to see how close you can be to winning in an event like this.

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Had a trip on the Sunday after the tournament out of Port Colborne and fished off of Mohawk Island in 70-80 FOW. Here’s the biggest of 5 walleye for the short evening trip with Jeff

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Salmon fishing was slow but we managed some good ones on the weekend of July 18 and 19th. Cutbait running deep and slow managed a few bites, but the bulk of the salmon caught were coming from the central and eastern end of the lake with Toronto having the furthest western swing of fish to make a few days with good numbers of mature salmon. Here are a few we managed to scrap up on our side of the lake.

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A few other trips out of Port Maitland, Lake Erie brought in Lake Erie gold. Leadcore on the boards in 5 – 8 colour leadcore lengths worked well. Also 40 Tripz Divers out 275 ft to reach those depths of 50-55 feet down worked well. The best rod by far on the boat all Summer long (July and August) had to be the 3 colour Secret Weapon Rig (SWR) on the rigger. Set the rigger 15 feet above your target depth and keep an eye on the rod tip. A little twitch, grab it, pop it off and let it swing up. It would often buckle over with a walleye using this stealthy set-up.

PANAM Games were in town for nearly the entire month of July. Working for the City of Hamilton (the host city for the Soccer events for the games) meant vacation time would not be available for some staff on standby for emergency planning. In my work field of Geographic Information Sysytems, mapping and information is a tool to emergency operations. I was on standby for the month, but that wasn’t entirely bad. The games ended on the weekend of the July 25th and it meant I can finally take 2 weeks of vacation after the games. The two weeks were planned as an opportunity to fish Lake Ontario during the first week as a “stay-cation” and second week on Lake Erie while we rent a cottage at Port Bruce, for the second week.

The first week of my vacation was the last week of July and I managed a few trips on Lake Ontario and caught a pile of Lake Trout. Many in excess of 15 lbs. Each trip we managed one over 18 lbs.

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The salmon had “checked out” for the week in waters off Grimsby. Some smaller shakers around, but little in the way of sizable salmon to catch. My Wednesday Afternoon Trip was planned to go on Lake Ontario, but I suggested to Harry, let’s go out on Lake Erie instead. Our 2 pm departure out of Port Maitland was delayed slightly. Harry was rear-ended in Dunnville while on route. Damage was extensive, but the car was drivable still so they met up at the ramp after exchanging insurance info and shrugged off the stress off the situation as they stepped on board. I felt bad for them and I knew I had to try extra hard to make the afternoon/eve an enjoyable trip. Our cruise out was smooth as silk and the entire evening was beautiful with calm conditions and biting walleye. Harry’s daughter Faith managed the largest of the night at just over 8 lbs and 9 other decent sized walleye made it to the cooler for them to take home with them. The trunk was still able to pop open on the car and with a few parts to move out of the way and back in their place, the trunk latched with a bit of effort.

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Then it was time to trailer the boat down to Port Bruce on the Friday before the Civic Long Weekend in August. From that Friday on through to Wednesday the winds blew and we enjoyed the first half of our trip doing family day excursions in the area of Alymer and Port Stanley. It wasn’t until the middle of the first week of August that Lake Erie’s Central Basin was about to see the hull of the Key Largo.

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Canada placed a second in the PANAM games medal count a “Silver” rating. Lake Ontario was also given a Silver rating, falling behind the Lake Erie walleye “Gold”.

Shane Thombs
www.FINtasticSportfishing.com

June transition period; when an empty cooler is still something

Finding active fish can be done in two ways, cover lots of water and use a fast presentation. A bass fisherman will fish a spinnerbait along a stretch of bank to find active fish, before pitching a texas rigged worm. A walleye fisherman may troll crankbaits in open water to find active walleyes before slowing down the troll with a worm harness. A salmon fisherman will troll spoons in excess of 3 mph high in the water column to find active salmon and trout, but slowdown to 2 mph with Flasher/cutbait to entice a lazy King.

June 2015 didn’t provide much fish activity on Lake Ontario in the Western Basin. Temperatures were still very cold, but on top of that the weather consistently changed and the wind direction was ever changing. Inconsistent weather and water conditions rec havoc on Salmon and Trout trying to find comfort and food.

In the 90’s we would block out the month of June from booking trips, as we wait for the transition water conditions and weather conditions go from Spring into Summer. That time off was usually well planned as the fishing was also very difficult. Since the 90’s Great Lake Salmon fisherman have learnt a great deal, added new techniques and tackle that has lessen the effects of the “transition period” on fishing success. Our techniques in the 90’s was all about finding active fish running 3 mph with spoons and rarely ever fishing below 100 feet down. The recent 2 decades brought on slower trolling techniques using Flashers/Cutbait, Flasher/Fly, fishing deeper with our downriggers, magnum directional divers and using stealthy Leadcore and Copper line.

”Low and slow” is without a doubt the most effect means to catch kings in June. Water temps are not setup that deep, but post spawn alewife start an instant migration from spawning locations along the beaches of the southshore to open water. We often refer to this behaviour with Rainbow trout when they drop out of spawning streams and instantly shoot right out into the open waters of the main lake to recover and find comfort. Water temps are still not to the Alewife’s liking and they live the early part of June in water temps colder than they like. Sometimes the temps are seldom different from near the surface down to the bottom in 200 plus feet of water. So why ride near the surface when you can escape predators easier at greater depths.

A little understanding of fish biology and the interaction of Salmon and their primary forage fish called alewife can be good starting point. Differences in Alewife location is entirely about what they prey upon. Understand “newage Alewife habits” can go along way to help unlock the mysteries of finding Salmon willing to bite during the changing and unpredictability of the June transition.

Alewife have also changed their diet in the past 20 years. Where zooplankton was flourishing in the lake high in the water column and near shore areas, now is much less with our reduced nutrient loading in the Great Lakes and the invasive introduction of Zebra mussels in the 90’s, the plankton counts for those species of phytoplankton, and subsequently zooplankton, have diminished. The prolific nature of plankton requires shallow warmer water with nutrients; June is not conducive to that environment

Where food is not near the surface in June, the only alternative is to seek a food chain substitution that live at greater depths and are more prevalent with or without the need for warm fertile nutrient rich surface water. Mysis is a shrimp like inhabitant of Lake Ontario’s depths and are becoming the replacement diet for Alewife in June. (T.J. Stewart, W.G. Sprules, and R. O’Gorman, 2009) https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/70034738

The weather in June was rainy, lots of East winds that continued to throw a curveball for those fishing the far Western basin of Lake Ontario. In May the Niagara Bar on the New York side was hot, but come early June that scenario watered down as the fish migrated North and East of the Niagara River Plume. Every time the winds kicked up out of the East, the fish scattered and thinned throughout the Western half of Lake Ontario. Reports of good fishing one day were flipped on its head the next as the fish again moved. Reports literally meant nothing as you started from scratch each and every day.

Early through to mid-June had to be the toughest fishing of the year. Despite vigorous effort, three trips in a row the boat did not land a salmon. Lake Trout saved a few of those trips as we turned to run Cowbells and Peanuts or Cowbells and large Spin-n-Glows with trimmed used A-TOM-MIK flies to gain a few fish in the trip catch count. Even the Lake Trout at times were shy to bite, but in one trip where our focus was entirely on catching a derby contenting Salmon, wound up leaving us with an empty box for the trip.

From Photo_Gallery16

From Photo_Gallery16

The Veteran’s Day Derby was held on June 13th, 2015 and the derby asks charter boats and recreational boats to participate in taking out a Veteran on the lake for a fishing derby. Biggest Salmon was the goal, so Paul and I boated back to Grimsby/50 Point waters with hopes of finding a salmon sizable enough to make it to the derby scales.

Paul has served our Country and continues to be involved with Royal Hamilton’s Light Infantry. He is a Hamilton with kids that have grown. He described that fishing wasn’t a common thing to do recreationally. Instead fishing was a means of survival. He recalls working in the Artic and Icefishing for something to eat, jigging a line using his bare hands in brutally cold winds and not catching much. No wonder fishing wasn’t a favourite past time.

The day for Paul was about as fruitful as his Icefishing experience as we had only one strike the entire day and returned to Bronte Inner Harbour with nothing to show for. We were not alone, 35 boats in the Derby. Over 75 anglers and only 7 fish caught on 5 boats. Might be marked as the lowest fishing count day of the year.

During the BBQ and Weighin and many presentations an announcements, my emotions for those who serve made the empty cooler in the boat seem such a small concern. It struck me that my freedom to fish is far more important than the catch. The people who make it possible for me to fish are our Veterans. People around me were mingling like any other group function and without actually addressing their importance to Canada, we might not even recognize what they had been through.

The Poppy Memorial Cup was shown to remember those who have fallen, those who were lucky enough to get back up, and those who continue to battle the aftermath of the conflict in Afghanistan.

From Photo_Gallery16

I had to hold my composure when listening to the moving stories from WO Renay Groves told with her Newfoundlander accent. How the Cup was made, what transpired as she took on the project to put together the cup that made it so special, so important. One of the veterans leaned over to me and said, “she kept it real”, meaning the story could be related to those who have served and not softened for civilian ears. For more info on the cup see this link. http://www.qor-east.com/Bringing%20The%20Poppy%20Home%20Project.htm

I thought about how the conflict in Afghanistan was in my lifetime, but how generations before lived the times of both World Wars, where friends and family were torn apart in an effort to hold up our nation’s freedom. A freedom that I don’t ever want to take for granted.

An empty cooler on the boat is still something, it means we were privileged to go fishing when so many sacrificed to give us the freedom to fish

Shane Thombs
www.FINtasticSportfishing.com

May fishing can be described as on the Outside, Looking In

Salmon roam the waters of Lake Ontario at will. They know no international boundaries and unlike the common thinking that New York stocks more salmon then the province of Ontario, therefore would see more salmon on the New York side, but that is not true either. When we say they are nomad, is an understatement, considering studies that show that even during a very short window of time, Salmon and trout in Lake Ontario will swim from one end of the lake to the other. We still don’t understand how far and how frequent Lake crossing occurs during a typical 4 year life span of a Lake Ontario Chinook Salmon, only to say that home for a salmon is not just the waypoint you saved in your GPS.

During spring the lake is without warm surface temperatures to cap the main lake and allow thermal stratification of the water column. Even after weeks of warm calm water (like we seen throughout the month of May this year) the warmer surface water is too thin to allow salmon to sneak up on prey. Think of it like how during the winter you go inside the house, site in the living room beside the wood stove where it’s warm. In our warmer months the temperatures are more comfortable outside and you can roam anywhere you wish and remain comfortable.

Salmon need the thermocline to setup deeper to provide the fish a comfortable depth from the bright sun and anglers passing by in our fishing machines. Instead of having a comfortable depth and horizontal temperatures to coincide, we instead have the lake that contains an overwhelming amount of water volume that hovers around the 39’F- 42’F degrees and only a small amount of water warmer then the “Core of the lake”. Where the warmest water is in the lake is subject to change. Point source for warmer water like Creeks and rivers is one contributor of location based warmer water, but that is all subject to the lake currents and whatever way the wind blows.

With merely the natural lake current, areas of warmer water temperatures are subject to being gently pushed around in a plume of warmer areas to form vertical temperature structure. Too much wind can cause mixing with the cold lake core and chill the water down again by the wind and waves.

Here today and gone tomorrow is the fitting description of spring time salmon location unless you find the perfect situation of warm water, comfortable water conditions via depth or stained water colour from sun and angling pressure, and baitfish. The location of warm pockets of water will also be where salmon and most of the baitfish will be located. Spring batfishes seek warmer waters and coloured water to make them feel less visible to hungry salmon. If that environment can match that with close proximity to spawning habitat, like sand beaches or river outlets, they will relate to those areas in May.

In 2015 May’s weather pattern was calm and warm for many days in a row. It helped warm up Lake Ontario’s surface water, but more so it warmed Lake Erie’s Eastern basin surface water that is drawn down the Niagara River and into Lake Ontario. Like a light switch, the Niagara River’s plume flowing out into Lake Ontario was too cold to hold fish in April and was not much warmer than the Core of Lake Ontario but by the first week of May, the plume warmed above the Lake Core temperature and in came Baitfish and hungry salmon.

Since the Niagara Bar drops out into very deep water off the ledge, it also provides salmon ample comfort to ambush prey and abate angling pressure from above. The plume of the river became the perfect storm as these elements collide. The only thing that could change the scenario would be a strong wind to move the plume or mix it with the cold lake core.

Naturally and without the influence of wind events, the Niagara plume comes out of the river mouth and turns east to run along the New York shoreline. Since we were weeks without any winds or changing currents the Niagara Plume never crossed over to the west in Ontario waters. If you were outside the plume in New York waters your fishing success was dramatically different. Without a New York fishing license, you were simply on the “Outside, Looking In”.

How May unfolded

Thursday April 30th I was establishing plans to fish with my long-time friend Ron for the Friday before fishing the King of the Lake Salmon Tournament out of St Catharines Marina at Port Weller for Saturday and Sunday. Ron is a conservation officer for the Ministry of Natural Resources and was out checking licenses earlier in the week and observed many Salmon coming to the boats along the Canadian Side of the Bar but noted the vast majority of boats on the New York side of the border off the Niagara Bar. Some he recognized as Canadian boats and plenty of the larger vessels that were surely to be fishing the King of the Lake Tournament.

Lake Erie was at the tipping point of warming up faster than Lake Ontario and therefore flowing water into Lake Ontario a few degrees warmer. This phenomenon is often the case second or third week of May, but the sunny calm waters for two weeks straight has the situation fast forwarded a week. This situation also would never had been considered a month before as guys were still icefishing on Lake Erie around Point Abino on Easter Weekend.

Thursday night I consulted with my tournament team and good friends over Friday’s prefish game plan and I relayed the information I gathered. The interest was to find our own fish and make the best of it on Canadian waters. Dave and Bruno were to scope out the waters between Grimsby and Weller and Ron and I to scope out from Port Weller to the border.

Friday Morning Ron and I launched from Dalhousie and when coming out noticed that the water coming out of the pier heads was flowing well, was green and was 44’f! I scanned for a short while with the SONAR, but didn’t see much so we set off to start fishing at the Pier Heads at Port Weller. The colour was a tint of Green but nothing like the week before. In fact looking at the water inside of the canal at the mouth of the pier heads showed that the lake water was pushing inward slightly and not much current coming out like you would hope.

Point source for coloured and warmer water has important roles as to how the weekend would unfold. 20/20 hind sight as they say but documenting it here will surely help me in the future to be observant of these things.

Ron and I fished tight to the break wall East of the plume of water and trolled East to the Greenhouses following the canal plume and trolling with the light west wind on our stern. We manage two small kings on the first pass and turned to roll back west to make another pass when we hit this ugly looking Brown Trout.

From Photo_Gallery16

From Photo_Gallery16

The next past didn’t produce a bite, so we angled out a little deeper and trolled west in 45 FOW. 5 colour leadcore and 6 colour leadcore with magnum Proking spoon in Pearl Necklace colour and a Michigan Stinger Reg size NBK took two quality kings where one came to the boat and the other slipped the hook. The late April producer, a LiveTarget Deep Diving Banana was also set out on 12 lbs test mono and behind the inline board where it hooked up into our third good king of the day. We boated that one and then called it a morning to head in. Meanwhile at this same time Dave and Bruno in the other boat trolled their way down from Jordan Harbour to Port Dalhousie and stumbled upon the plume of green water with plenty of Kings. Soon they were steady on the rods and they had 4 for 6 in the boat while we were putting out boat on the trailer and heading home. For the next two hours before the 2 pm weighin for big fish Friday they manage 6 more kings that were all over the 10 lbs mark.

This flurry of action Dave and Bruno found was to be our game plan for the morning. We had this as a Plan A and a much weaker plan B at Weller where Ron and I fished.

From Photo_Gallery16

Tournament morning we lined up and blasted off at 6 am rounding the corner to the west, well in front of everyone going the same way. Dave’s boat is a 22 Grady White with a 225 Yamaha. We sat down in the water depth that Dave found them Friday afternoon and we trolled the first pass with nothing, but Yankee Troller and ThrillSeeker both reputable New York boats, worked their way inside us and fished the 25 foot to 35 foot drop. We watched them net one each and then Yankee Troller left, Thrillseeker stuck it out for another hour. We hooked 3 good kings and that was it. 5 colour leadcore with reg sized ProKing using a colour that was with oil slick looking tape on one half and glow on the other with a black ladderback tape down the centre. We didn’t fare well with many big boxes showed up to the scales and everyone who did them came from New York waters.

Sunday morning we had no plan B we were just out to go fishing and if we got lucky it still wouldn’t be enough to be competitive. We elected not to waste our money purchasing a NY license since we were so far out of it, so all we could do is turn to the west but this time with only one other tournament boat. Miles Ahead. We managed 2 kings and one coho that would measure, but all our kings were smaller and we had no Plan B. So we trolled a straight line all the way past Port Weller on to the ledge at the bar all the way to the border line. We were all alone on the Canadian side except for the odd weekender recreational boat in much closer to shore. But when you looked to the East side of the border line that would be New York waters there was a sea of black dots of boats thick as the bugs that coated the boat. It was like we were on one side looking into where we should have been, but just couldn’t get there.

Mother’s Day weekend I was out only on Saturday afternoon on Lake Erie for some Perch. We launched from Crystal Beach and were met with calm conditions and very hot conditions for early May. The trip was scheduled for 6 hours but it latterly took 4 hours to find a school of Perch and over 4 different spots. The last 1 ½ hrs of the trip the guys were pulling in perch as fast as we can hook them and bring them on board. I was busy baiting hooks and unhooking perch and they managed a bunch of excellent sized perch. A perch fry for Mother’s Day was made possible.

From Photo_Gallery16

The long weekend of May was a continuation of exceptional weather to get out on the lake. Calm water and sunny warm conditions was very inviting. Throughout the week leading up to the long weekend the reports of salmon in New York waters off the Niagara River continued to overwhelm. Trouble is, as a charter operator clients may not be fond of having to purchase a New York fishing license on short notice and without a guarantee that both the weather and fishing would make the added expense worthwhile.

However, there was light at the end of the tunnel, even though it may have been dim in compared to the bright light on the New York side. A few reports of Chinook salmon were being caught off of Bronte on the Wednesday through to Friday before the Long weekend. Baitfish was there and in comfortable deep water close by along the North Shore, even with Gin clear water.

The Saturday John and his grandson Carson joined us dockside at Foran’s Marine in Grimsby where we boated across a flat lake to Bronte and sat down in 170 FOW.

It was instantaneous to see the marks of fish deep in the water column and immediately we set lines to range from 50 feet down to 150 feet and in no time rods started popping. Lyman down 70 on a short lead off the rigger fired first and the drag started singing. 14 lbs King. Magnum Diver on 3 setting out 300 with Glow Green Dot and A-TOM-MIK Glow ProAm fly takes the next black jaws and it hits the deck in the low teens. Frog MC Rocket Mag size with 11” Hotspot flasher in Frog takes the next 3 shots and manages our largest of the day at 15 lbs to weigh in at the 3x3 Salmon Tournament that lasts all weekend long. We ended the day with 6 kings between 10 lbs to 15 lbs and 3 Lake Trout and 1 coho.

From Photo_Gallery16

Sunday I was off the water, but heard the leading weights in the 3x3 were pulled from New York waters.

Come Monday John and his other Grandson were ready to tangle with some more kings off Bronte. Again, beautiful calm seas and overcast skies for us to motor across from Grimsby. We sat down in 140 FOW and trolled East. We weren’t marking as much. Water appeared clearer still and the baitfish were non-existent. We continued our search East past Bronte and still nothing. We pulled lines at 10:30 am and nothing to show for. Ran back to Grimsby but by then the shallow water bite was done and our time on the water fell short. – Marked as my First skunked trip in 5 years of chartering.

My wife was in for surgery after the Long weekend which meant I was off the water for the rest of the month.

This also was the beginning of the transition in the lake. More on this in my June summary, None-the-less two consecutive winters was about to show its effects on a very cold Lake core and the lack of heat energy stored in the Lake as a result. May was calm and warm which was a help for Lake Ontario, but the transition to summer temperature stratification will require a lot of the same warm and calm conditions. You never can truly tell when you are on the Outside, Looking in.

Shane Thombs
www.FINtasticSportfishing.com

LIVE april TARGETs

The record cold winter we had instilled memories of the 2014 spring and summer fishing that was, in general, tough fishing. Like starting an old outboard motor on a cold spring day, it might take a few pulls of the cord and full choke, before it runs smoothly. It was assumed this spring we would follow the same pattern of tough fishing as seen in 2014. It was not the same at all. Calm seas, warm sunny temperatures played in our favour as the month of April unfolded.

Easter fell on the first weekend in April this year and it was this that also marked the first boats on the lake trying for shallow water brown trout. On Good Friday only two boat ramps were free of ice, Port Dalhousie’s St Catharines Game and Fish ramp and Hamilton Harbour’s Fisherman’s Pier ramp. Reports from boats that had their boats ready to fish over the long 4 day weekend witnessed excellent Brown Trout fishing. Over 10 fish per boat trolling shallow in parts close to the old Charles Daily Park and Jordan Harbour. Also on the internet a picture of a giant brown caught in front of the Lake House at Jordan Harbour went viral as the massive brown trout drooped a belly between cradling hands of a very happy angler. To this day the anglers describe the catch with estimates of its size ranging from 20 to 36 lbs. Big fish indeed and plenty of browns around to get the adrenaline flowing spurring me on to get FINtastic Sportfishing.

The boat was pulled out of the barn on Good Friday and cleaned up, batteries in while my phone beeped with reports from the lake. Frustrating to say the least, but working on the boat is better than wishing to see the boat again. It would be ready to splash down the following weekend.

Easter fell on weekend between 14 and week 15 of the epoch week calendar. I use week numbers to aggregate my fishing notes and look for weather and fishing patterns that follow week numbers. It makes it easier looking at my records that would otherwise be kept using individual days of a month. Week 15 (after Easter) we saw 3 days of high East winds that pounded waves onto the Southwestern shoreline from Niagara to Hamilton and heavy rain that swelled the creeks to overrun their banks. Warm water from the outlets of those creeks would be warmer than the main lake, but the rest of the shoreline that had water temperatures in the 42 deg f dropped to 37 to 39 along most parts of the shoreline due to the mixing effect of the large waves rolling in from the icy core main lake waters.

Often a little colour to the water can help brown trout fishing along the shore, but these conditions come the next weekend meant we would need to find water that allowed the fish to see our baits but also was warm enough to make them comfortable staying there and to feed.

From Photo_Gallery15

Linda, Paul and Brian planned to see what fishing shallow would be like on Lake Ontario. We departed from the recently cleared of ice boat ramp at Foran’s Marina in Grimsby. Unknown to where to start fishing since this was literately the first few boats to launch from this part of the lake with no reports to feed information from. Like breaking the ice, but not really as the channel was clear of ice out to the lake even though other parts of the marina had plenty of ice in the corners and in boat slips.

Before setting off I coordinated with a friend Rob to go separate directions out of the harbour. We would go West and he would go East. Coming out of the harbour the creek was flowing brown water in the 47 deg temps and although the temps were right the visibility was less than 4 inches and simply not fishable. So we set lines and trolled west around past Murrey Park with water temps around 37 degrees F until where we noticed the water colour improved to a point where I can just begin to see the shadow of outboard motor’s cavitation plate.

Our selections of baits were big and were with bright colours. A firetiger coloured J 13 setback 35 feet behind the inline planerboard on mono line was pulled back by a fish merely minutes after setting it out and it produced our first 2015 FINtastic Sportfishing fish in the boat. Paul brought in the fish and we had a snap shot before he put it in the cooler.

From Photo_Gallery15

The fishing was slow and we worked hard to figure out what might be the better water and what baits can be seen or heard by the illusive brown water brown Trout. Once we trolled all the way to Fifty Point we turned to troll back when we caught our first coho salmon. Another bite followed, but we were closing in on the end of our trip. Then Rob phoned us and said he found the fish. Q. Where? A. Vineland. Too far and too late to make a move. The first trip of the year is always a success when the boat runs nice and the weather cooperates but the water was too Brown even for Brown Trout.

After dropping off Linda, Paul and Brian I wanted to run the big motor for a bit and it also gave me an excuse to see what the water looked like East of the Marina. I ran the boat down to Beamsville and noticed the water colour was much better. I was finally able to see the prop and the water temperature was up to 42 degrees. Rob said he found it go up to 43 in a spot along the shoreline at Vineland as well. Although I didn’t have time to fish much, I set 2 flat lines for 30 minutes and managed one coho and lost another fish minutes later.

That Sunday we had rough water and I had to cancel my trip. For the rest of Week 16 the weather was with strong winds from the south (off shore) but it warm and sunny and for those that managed to get out during the work week, they started seeing Chinook salmon show up around the old Charles Dailey Park and Jordan Harbour. On Friday evening after work I launched the boat from Grimsby and noticed right away that the brown water was blown out away from the shoreline and the water clarity showed the bottom easily down to 16 feet. We trolled around Beamsville and managed a small brown trout, and we decided to run to Jordan Harbour and take a look for the last hour to fish. As we powered down another friend was coming into Jordan Harbour and yelled out he caught kings just west of Dalhousie around the Greenhouses. It was too late to fish for them so we called it an evening and I knew what my game plan would be in the morning.

Saturday morning John, his son Johnny and his grandson Mitchell boarded the boat at Port Dalhousie. We literately only motored out at 11 mph as I watched the temperature of the water climb from 39’F to 45’F and then I pulled the throttle back and started fishing. We had hits right away but they were short. Then we hooked up on our first fish. Johnny reeled in this beauty Brown Trout that came on a Shallow Banana Rainbow Smelt coloured LiveTarget.

From Photo_Gallery15

I set the line and minutes later the same bait hits another fish but this time the fish pulls drag swooshes the water violently 80 feet behind the board and pulls drag. My call out “KINGER” as it was typical salmon behaviour, but about 5 minutes into the fight the hooks pull out. Not bent, not broken, just came out. We trolled in shallower when the boat traffic seemed to get a lttle too busy in the same stretch of water we were fishing. As soon as we did, we came into coho and brown trout on a jointed smelt jerkbait from LiveTarget and a few other stick baits like the Ripplin Redfin and Bomber long A.

They managed a number of fish to bring home and John was happy to see Mitchell and Johnny get into some early spring salmon and trout action.

Week 17 was met with more warm sunny skies and calm water for the entire week. The water in the main lake was extremely clear and you can see bottom in 60 FOW looking over the side of the boat. Additionally the shoreline waters cleared right up as well and our approach to catching Brown Trout would no longer materialize since we haven’t seen rain to fill our creeks with warm coloured water as a point source. Instead, the only point source to add coloured water into the clear main lake would be Port Dalhousie and Port Weller (Welland Canal). When we launched from Port Dalhousie the water temperature was 39’F and still too cold. John and his brother Bill joins us as we motored to Port Weller and noticed that the temperature on the surface, went up to 42’F and later 44’F on the east side of the plume of coloured water coming out of the canal.

We set lines in 27 FOW off the Pierhead and trolled across Weller with boards and stickbaits and short 2 and 3 colour leadcores with stickbaits and spoons. Remembering a similar situation many years ago, I trolled flatlined deep diving body baits and caught kings that way. So I wanted to try that again. 12 lbs test mono with DeepDiving Banana Baits Green/silver LiveTarget on one and Smelt coloured on the other side of the boat.

From Photo_Gallery15

Out of the package the baits ran perfectly straight and when let out 120 feet on one side and 140 feet on the other, they never tracked off to the side and collect other lines. In short order they began taking strikes on frisky spring chinook salmon. Over the course of the day these two rods accounted for 3 for 5 of quality chinook salmon we hooked up on.

From Photo_Gallery15

Only one other salmon we caught came on another rod set in the rigger down 20 with a Yeck 88 spoon only 10 feet back off the ball. We mixed in a number of coho and smaller kings on the stickbaits and spoons on short cores off the planerboards.

From Photo_Gallery15

On the Sunday I decided to scope out new water by fishing Grimsby for salmon with the oncoming King of the Lake Tournament planned for the first weekend of May. I launched from Grimsby with Rob and my son Aidan for a fish close to home. The water was green out front but quickly went clear as you trolled any distance from the outlet of Forty Mile Creek. Temperatures were 44 ‘F on the surface. We ran similar fatlines of a Deep Diving Banana bait in rainbow smelt colour LiveTarget, but to keep from diving too deep, the lead was set out to 100 feet of the mono 12 lbs test line. We trolled East first and the water temperature dropped to 41’F and we began turning back to the west when the flat lined bait takes a strike and Aidan is handed the rod. The fish clears the water three times and pulls a bit of drag. After the initial few moments in the fight the fish was relaxed and I thought it might be a 5 or 6 lbs coho. When the fish came to the back of the boat my jaw dropped while I scooped it and brought it aboard. Aidan caught his first Atlantic Salmon.

From Photo_Gallery15

We set the bait out again and a few trolling passes infront of Forty Mile Creek in 27 feet of water produced a Lake Trout and then at 9:30 am the same flatlined DeepDiving Banana Bait from LiveTarget gets crushed and the reel sings. Aidan was put to the task again and he cracks away like a champ on this king salmon.

From Photo_Gallery15

April started off with Brown Trout in brown water, then for the rest of the month we were looking for coloured water to find fish. It started out with coloured water caused by onshore winds. Then run-off water from the local point source of local creeks like 40 Mile Creek, 15 and 16 mile creek with warmer outflows of coloured water and when we didn’t see rain for an extended time we found Lake Erie water effluent from the Welland canal out of Port Weller be the point source to attract the fish.

April required many changes in locations, running the right baits – Thanks to LiveTarget -using techniques that were tried and true in the past. The results were nothing short of fabulous fishing throughout the month. April was a month of LiveTargets. Targeting the right location for Lively biting fish, and running the right LiveTarget Baits to get bit. The cold winter was a distant memory, and May was looking like it was going to start out better than May in 2014.