Yankee Troller

Hahahahahaha

29 is still a great fish!

August 24th - We left the dock about 5:30 and headed for the staging kings we heard were awaiting us. The set-up was pretty simple as my brother was running without me. So, he ran our three Cannon Downriggers, two wires, and a 300 copper down the chute. We would work 50-100fow right out front most of the day. There was a good early morning bite, and then it turned to a slow pick. The 300 copper with a Moonshine Shelly Snack was a hot set-up. A Stinger UV Frog E-Chip/A-TOM-MIK UV 190 was also a great combo on the deep rigger. We picked a few Browns on our Dreamweaver Sea Sick Waddlers as well. August 25th Morning - No need to go find fish when we had a decent pick the morning before. We headed to the same waters, and the fish were still there which is to be expected at this time of the year. My brother says he ran the same program as the day before. Our three Cannon downriggers went down with flasher/fly combos on the corners, Dreamweaver Sea Sick Waddlers on the center rigger, flasher/fly combos on the divers and a Moonshine Shelly Snack on the 300 copper. The Moonshine Shelly Snack, available at Captains Cove, remained a top producer. Especially early in the morning. The Dreamweaver Livewire Spin Doctor/A-TOM-MIK Hammer was a decent combo as well as the Stinger UV Frog E-Chip/A-TOM-MIK UV190. A few steelies came to play today as well. The bite was decent in the morning, but slowed quickly. It was a tougher day for most out there, but we were able to grab a few fish for our guys. One was a nice upper twenties Chinook (King) Salmon. August 25th Afternoon - We left the dock around 4pm, headed out front, and pointed the boat East. We fished the Flats to the Glass house most of the afternoon, and we hit fish instantly. The action wasn’t fast and furious, but is was a nice slow pick on fish the entire afternoon. We would start off going 3 for 3 before dropping the next 4 matures, but we would end on a good note. Another simple program consisting of our three Cannon downriggers, two wires, and a 300 copper. We got some big paddles going too which were almost dead for us the last few outings. The stinger 11†Hammertime E-Chip was good with an A-TOM-MIK Mirage fly behind it. The Dreamweaver Livewire Spin Doctor/A-TOM-MIK Hammer fly was good as well. We fished 50-80fow and had most of the gear within 30’ of the bottom. The east troll was our best, because coming back west we couldn’t slow down enough. August 26th - We left somewhat in the dark and headed out to the 60’ mark. We hop-scotched a few boats and began to deploy our gear. We sent down our three Cannon downriggers, two wires, a 10 color, and a 300 copper. The picture was great on set-up, but as it normally does it petered out as the sun rose into the sky. Meat went down on one corner rigger, a Stinger UV Frog/A-TOM-MIK UV 190 on the other, and a pair of Dreamweaver Sea Sick Waddlers on the center rigger. We ran a Legendary Wonder Dot SmartFish/A-TOM-MIK Glow Blue Hammer on one wire, and a Stinger Hammertime E-Chip/A-TOM-MIK Mirage on the other. A Lyman plug on the 10 color, and a Moonshine Shelly Snack kn the 300 copper. That was the morning set-up, and the first rod to fire was the 10 color with the Lyman on it. It was a nice Steelie, but not what we were looking for. We never got that crazy morning bite, and the screen would come and go. The best screen was from the Glass House to Devils Nose. We would hit a fish about every 30 minutes. Most of which were matures, but we did do three steelies, and two Lake Trout in there. It was an E-Chip kinda day. I don’t know why, but they wouldn’t touch a Spin Doctor or a SmartFish. So we loaded up on the chips and went to work. A Stinger Hammertime E-Chip/A-TOM-MIK Glow Blue Hammer took out big guy out 150’ on a diver set on a 2 around 11:30am. Meat took a couple of bites, and a pair of Moonshine Green Shorts Mupped on the center rigger was good for 4 or 5 bites.

Excellent fish!

My reasoning for less blow back is netting fish. If your riggers and lines are blown back bad it makes it tougher to net, and gives the fish more opportunities to run under a cable and crack you off. Do not angle your ducer back just so you can see your downrigger balls. All that will do is give you false distances to fish as well. Some days currents are bad and your cranking and you wont see them. Slow the boat a little and they will show up so you have an idea of where they are. After you confirm where they are get back up to speed. It also helps if you have dual frequency transducers. I know Lowrance and Humminbird come with 83/200 ducers. These have wider beams than the 50/200 I am running on my bird, so you should be able to pick up them balls easier. It could be a settings thing too.

Cold Steel might be the hottest tournament boat on the lake, and they fish out of Oswego. Hat Trick, TK, and Tall Tails (member of LOU) are other great charters that comes to mind. Let them know up front you want a charter to learn how to catch a few fish. Maybe go out on an afternoon trip for less money just to learn some basics and ask questions. They might even let you rig under their supervision. Just be upfront and honest with them.

Yup.....tried that.....still not far enough outside to make me comfortable. I don't like tangles even though Prisco says your not fishing if your not tangling!

You just want us to take the Yank down East so you and your cronies can take our money!

Hahahahahaha

I could care less about anything other than Lake fishing! I can't seem to get enough!

Thanks Bri!

I agree Brian, but the stress they will face from those snaggers would be horrible. These fish will be packed so tight in pools from the low water it can't be good.

I get mine tomorrow, and then I have to get it set up. Can't wait!

Here is the not so good news from that meeting: Yesterday the NY State DEC and Brookfield Power met to review the current drought situation and how best to handle the river flows leading up to the meat of the salmon season in late September and Early October on the Salmon River. The decision has been made that from here on out unless their is a substantial amount of rain were are looking at a minimum of 185CFS with a possible low of 100CFS. Not the news any of us wanted to hear, but also not surprising considering the current state of the reservoir. I am not sure what else can be done at this point except to pray for rain, and lots of it. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news fellas. SOURCE: FERC /BROOKFIELD /NY DEC MINIMUM FLOW AGREEMENT http://www.salmoncrazy.com/2012/08/21/no-minimum-flows-for-september-could-go-as-low-as-100cfs/ My opinion would be to do as they do in Alaska.....close fishing until they meet their egg quota. What do you guys think? Don't let the goons line the river banks and stress out the fish.

There are some GREAT captains out in Oswego. Go out on a charter and pay attention to the details of the captains program. Some actually do charters teaching people how to catch fish.

I can't get a church Walleye board/TX 22 to pull a 10 color out to the side enough, so I wouldn't even attempt a 300 copper. If your not getting that copper out far enough your risking it ending up in your divers.

Cannon Pedestal Mount Mount up to two or three rod holders on this 3"-high pedestal track, which can be surface mounted or slid into a mounting track. Features locking grooves that prevent accessories from twisting. Length: 18 inches These are brand new never used. They didn't fit where I wanted them to go. I have two of them and they retail for $75 each. Will let both go for $100. Cannon Deck Mount Plate This adaptable 4" x 3" plate works with Cannon dual axis rod holders, pedestal mount tracks and downrigger pedestal mounts. Plates can be mounted in a variety of locations, and a protective mounting boot lets you avoid sharp edges. Includes mounting hardware. These are brand new never used. They can be used as the bases for the pedestals above. They didn't fit where I wanted them to go. I have two of them and they retail for $18 each. Will let both go for $20. Pick up in Rochester or at the Oak, or buyer pays shipping.

The colors on that first bow are nice!

August 18th - When we went to bed the NW winds were howling, so we didn’t know what to expect once the morning came around. We woke up to light winds and a 2-4’ roll. We ran out to the 27N line and set down with the boat pointed North. We sat down over a great screen and began to fish. However, in the first three miles we only took one shot. That 10lb King took a Moonshine Shelly Snack on our 400 copper. Something just didn’t feel right, and I said to my brother â€we need to give that another shot.†We turned the boat around at the 30N line and when we got to the 29N line the bloodbath began. We would go on to work the 27-29N line as well as we could with the boat traffic and hookups. We deployed our typical program. Our three Cannon downriggers went down between 70-120’. As we pushed North the break came up, so that is why the band of water we fished was so thick. 85-120’ over the 27N line and 70-100 over the 29N line. We ran two wires and two coppers (400 & 500). Our riggers were loaded with spoons after the flasher/fly combos we had on them didn’t go. As is normally the case the Dreamweaver Sea Sick Waddlers mupped took top honors. Other great baits today were a Stinger Hammertime E-Chip/A-TOM-MIK Big Fin Glow fly, Dreamweaver Hammertime Spin Doctor/A-TOM-MIK Hammer fly, Moonshine Shelly Snack on the 400 copper, and the Dreamweaver 42nd spoons mupped. We would go on to pull a few fish going North, but it wasn’t as productive as our south trolls. To say these guys were impressed with what Lake Ontario has to offer is an understatement. After a slow start the rest of the day was jam packed with action. Our big guy tipped the scale at 23lbs, and the rest of the fish ranged from 10lbs to 20lbs. We also hooked into some really nice Steelhead. August 19th - We knew the cold water was settling back in when we were done with our morning trip on the previous day, so we figured we would check the inside waters first before heading out to those waypoints. When we sat down in 155’ of water the screen lit up. That’s all we needed to see! We had the same family out again today, and the goal was to get a few big ones. We had them packed up with enough fresh Salmon and Rainbow Trout meat from the previous day. We set out our spread and it took a little bit for the action to start. Our three Cannons went down. Flasher fly combos on the corners and Dreamweaver Sea Sick Waddlers mupped on the center rigger. Two divers went out pulling flasher/fly combos, and lastly we sent out a 400 and a 500 copper. Again today the first fish took a Moonshine Shelly Snack off the 400 copper. That would be the one and only shot for that rod. Early the divers were hot out 225’-250’ on 1.5s, but late in the morning the 500 copper started to take the reigns pulling a Dreamweaver Oil Slick Spin Doctor/A-TOM-MIK Glow Blue Little Boy Blue fly. At one point my brother couldn’t even get it clipped into the release and it was pulled from his hand. We worked 110-170 feet of water for the entire day, and the screen was great. A ton of bait in there, temp was below 80’, and there were fish in there eating. We didn’t bang a big guy, but plenty of fish in the 15-21lb range. There were even some really nice Steelhead in there. By the end of the day most of the fleet ended up in there, and I am sure they had fun. The screen was getting better as we left around 11am when our guys wanted to get a head start back to Jersey.

It can be in June/July.

it's a 30 pounder [ Post made via Android ]

I'd love to fish full time, but there are too many reasons why it wouldn't be a smart decision on my part. I do hate sitting here in this cubicle everyday though. I appreciate the kind words!

To see what their contingency plans are.

There was definitely an impact on the Salmon fishing in open water. I know at the Oak a lot more Steel were beat up on. The East end beat up the Browns and Lakers pretty bad. With other fish to catch if Kings aren't around you target other species. This year was the first year the cycle would have been over with and it topped the last few years easily. Granted it was a weird season primarily due to odd weather patterns.