Lake Ontario Fishing Forum Trout Salmon Sport Fishing Charter

Some people think the Troller that goes after salmon solo on the Big-O is a little “nut-zoid”. Indeed some are, especially those that go way out there in very small boats; those that have no respect for the lake and the weather; and those that plain old don’t have a clue as to what they’re doing.

I enjoy solo fishing for salmon and some people probably considered me a member of that “nutzoid” club. I fish for relaxation and like getting away from it all. I find it very challenging to hook into a decent salmon & landing him all by myself. There’s no one to blame if I lose him as I’m not only the fisherman, but also the helmsman, the net-man the photographer and the coffee drinking banana eater. I writing this in hopes that it may help any of the soloists out there.

First a word on safety: Always tell or leave a note for somebody as to where you’re going and about what time you expect to be back. Secondly, you’re required to have the same safety gear (life jackets, distress kits, etc) as all the other boaters. It is a benefit to have a VHF. You can raise help if you have boat problems as well as find out how others are doing out there. (Kind of nice to catch a big one and be able to brag about it immediately rather than have to wait till the end of your trip.) I’m not going to dwell on this topic other than to say you have to be much more safety conscious as a soloist than if you’re out with a couple other guys. If you get a hook in your finger, there’s not going to be anyone else in the boat to offer you a Band-Aid. If you fall overboard, nobody’s going to circle around & pick you up.

Anyways, solo fishing, for me, starts at least the night before I hook my trailer up to the truck. Lines are inspected, cut as necessary, fresh knots and swivels are tied on the 3 rods that I’m going to take with me. Yep, I said three rods. I always take 3 but only fish with two. The third is a spare, because if I have some kind of rod/reel failure, I’ve got plenty of other things to do on the water besides trying to straighten out major messes such as respooling, bird nests etc. The only knot I’ll tie out on the water is the Palomar knot because it takes virtually no concentration at all and it’s pretty strong.

On the morning of the trip, as my coffee water is warming up, I always check a bunch of weather sites. I don’t rely on one site as that one site may have a bad report. I pay particular attention to wind speed & direction. After you’ve become familiar with an area, you’ll get a good knowledge of what the lake is like under certain wind and temperature conditions. A south-southwest wind at 20 mph at the Genny may produce fishable water but that same wind hitting the Salmon River will keep all but the “big-guys” back in port. You have to accept that after you launch, the lake might be a little too rough and you’ll have to fish the river or bay. If it’s any consolation, I’ve seen guys in 30 ft boats that shouldn’t be out there in 4 ft waves and neither should the soloist

I like fishing the Genny because if it’s too rough out on the lake then I can head up river and believe me there is some good fishing up there. The same with I-Bay, Sodus and in just about all the bays. You can always fish the bays, if the lake’s too rough. Solo fishing out on the Big-O is quite a bit different than solo fishing the bays for Bass, stream fishing or pier fishing. You have to be more safety conscious and know yours and your boats limitations. (Some people don’t realize that even if you’re only in 35 FOW on Big-O, that’s an awful long way for anyone to swim and the lake does have under currents & will always be colder than any embayment, especially during an upwelling.) You have to be able to get the wind and the boat to help and not hinder you while you’re out there and possibly fighting that big fish.

Well, at the launch, there are some tricks that will help the soloist get a good start on the day. First let me say my boat is 18 ft with a 75 Hp outboard. It’s a little over 7 ft wide and the bulkheads come up 28″ along my leg at the lowest point. I think width & depth are what makes a good lake boat rather than length. Most soloists that I’ve seen, run 16 to 20 foot trailerable “run-abouts” out there. These guys can pick up fast and scoot back to port at 30-35 mph if the weather abruptly changes.

Anyways, when you unstrap you boat and put the drain plug in, straighten you motor. When your boat comes off the trailer, your motor will steer your boat and you really don’t want it heading off and hitting the wrong pier or worse, someone else’s boat.

The second launch tip is to have a good bow line about 5-10 ft longer than your boat with one of those hooks (not an s-hook) on one end and a braided loop on the other. Mine is a 7/16″ braided synthetic that, out of habit and not wear, I replace about every two-three years. What I do is back the trailer in, set my emergency brake, and then put it in park. I stop just so I have enough room to unhook the trailer-to-boat safety chain and hook the bowline to that bow eyelet without getting my feet wet. (Note: not the front cleat on the boat deck).

I then take the loop end and tie it securely to a cleat on the dock with a bit of slack in it, after I’ve assured myself that it is a solid cleat. I then unclip the trailer winch cable and back the trailer in a little further. After I’ve rolled back about 6-8 feet I hit the brake pedal. The boat will slide off all by it self and if the motor is straight, it will drift back parallel to the dock. I watch the rope and when I’m sure it is clear of the rollers on the trailer I pull the truck forward, set the brake the walk briskly out the dock to the boat (not run). I then untie the bow line from the dock cleat, loop it around that cleat and then run the line around a cleat further out the dock and tie the loop around the boats rear cleat.

I know I’m slowing down in my old age but I can get that boat safely secured to the dock in only a couple minutes from when I put the drain plug in. Please remember that it is very important to give the boat some time to drift backwards and for the bowline to clear the trailer before you pull out. If you pull out too fast, and the bowline catches on the trailer, you’ll pull the boat right up the ramp. Also remember don’t give you vehicle any gas when your backing up & sliding the boat off the trailer. You don’t want your boat sailing backwards at 15 mph & taking the dock cleat with it.

Well, out on the water we go. I generally have it in my mind where I want to go before I go out, however sometimes other guys have had the same idea I had and there’s a pack out there. I may still go to that general area but as a soloist I will not ever setup my program in a pack of boats. You’re asking for problems if you do. You’ll have enough to concentrate on without having to be constantly on the lookout to avoid collisions. (although you do have to always keep an eye out, for others always have a way of sneaking up on you.)

If there’s a wind that I think may present some problems to controlling the boat, then I’ll go upwind, set up & then troll with or at some angle with the wind. (not into it)

I’ll get my lures out then, close the tackle box and make sure everything is out of the way. You don’t want to trip over things like the net, tackle box or anything else. Then I’ll attach lures & set the lines.

I use manual swivel base riggers and when attaching lines, I swivel them towards the bow & parallel to the boat. I keep the weight a couple inches under the surface of the water. This keeps them from swinging & smashing into the hull. When I attach the line, I never bend over the side of the boat with my knees locked and never with my butt up in the air. (That’s a good way to fall overboard.) Rather I turn my body, bend my knees and usually brace myself against the bulkhead. (which is why I’m a firm believer in deep boats) You need to remember that reaching out too far can have serious consequences. I.e. over you go.

I use Black’s releases that are permanently attached to the cable a couple inches up from the weight. I’ve found that I can pop the lure from these releases with only one hand on the rod. This comes in handy if I decide I need to clear the second rod while fighting a big slob on the first rod.

When at the wheel and a reel starts screaming, the 1st thing I do is look at the rod and which way the fish is going, then I secure the wheel. Some guys have autopilots but I’m too cheap so I use a bungee cord. The cord was previously looped thru the largest opening/space on the steering wheel so that both end hooks can be hooked onto an eyebolt. Don’t know what you call the knot but you make a loop in the center of the cord then pass both hook ends thru it. (looks like 2 half hitches but its loose) I adjusted my steering wheel so the big space is at the bottom with my engine straight. Seeing which way the fish is going, I turn the wheel in that general direction that the fish is swimming but never directly at the fish.

When I hook into a decent sized fish on a rigger, that rigger comes up before the fish is landed. I do not put a rod with a fish on it back in a rod holder. It is very important not to panic at this point thinking that the rigger must come all the way up before you start playing the fish. I get the boat to help me as it’s always kept in gear. With that rod controlled with one arm and braced against my body, my other hand will crank that rigger up while keeping that rod tip high and bent. I may alternate cranking the rigger and the rod in my hand, depending upon what the fish does. I may also turn the steering wheel the other way. Steelhead & Atlantics are a lot of fun and when they start jumping you do not want that rod tip high, rather get it low to the water but keep a good bend in it. Again when the rigger is up, the weight is kept just a couple inches below the water line.

When the rigger(s) is cleared, I will then adjust my course so that I’m turning in a large arc keeping the fish to the outboard side of the arc.

A lot of guys like to land their fish on the stern of their boat. This is very difficult for the soloist to do. Remember that the soloist is the fisherman and the net-man at the same time. If you have a 20-25 Lb’r on, you have to hold him with one hand on the rod and then manipulate the net with the other in order to land him. This is no easy task if you have to reach very far or have a really long handled net. I shortened my net to an overall 5 ft length and all my fish are netted along the side my boat. What I do is when I’m absolutely sure the fish has made his last run, is that I’ll turn the steering wheel such that the fish is on the inboard side of the boat path arc. I lead the fish up close to the boat, rod tip towards the bow and with the net braced the length of my arm, put the hoop below the fish and let him dive into it.

After the hook has been removed, rod placed in a holder, fish photographed & generally released, net put away, possibly retie the line/swivel, the next thing to do is sit down, pour yourself a cup of something and just plain old relax for a couple minutes or at least until your knees stop shaking.

After you’re all set up again, then you can call someone on the VHF for some bragging. After that and you’re waiting for another strike, you can start thinking about what you’ll do if you happen to get a double.

Being a soloist is not for everybody. You must have a healthy respect for the lake & be safety conscious. It takes patience, a lot of effort & pre-thought to develop a methodology and you have to accept the fact that you will lose some fish. However, it’s a freaking awesome feeling to land some of those big slobs flying solo.

Good Luck & be safe out there.

Tom B.
(LongLine)

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