Lundy

That fish gripper works great for all kinds of toothy fish

Works just like vise grips, once closed stays closed until you open it. I use it on eyes a lot

They also float but we have verified that yet:)

If you saw a red Lund with two Hondas on the back with 1 calm guy driving and two overly excited guys doing a fire drill everytime a screamer was hooked that was us.

If it helps anyone at all.

Just checked my order form for the fly's I purchased for this trip to replenish the supply

All are A-tom-mik

T29 Tournament Green Pearl behind a Lemon Ice Spin doctor was our best combo all 4 days

The T23 Tournament Crinkle Green behind a 42 second spin was a very close in hits.

We also pulled fish on the T41 Ultra Green Glow and S502 Shredded Crinkle Green

The Spin doctor Green Dot Crush Glow also worked well

We had two new A-Tom-Mik fly's break at the treble this weekend on screamers, one on a dipsy, one on a rigger.

Is there something we need to do to prevent this? Is this just something that happens if it gets in the fishes mouth a certain way that can't be helped? We caught bunches and bunches of fish on the A-Tom- Mik  fly's this weekend and every year, I think of my 50-60 flys, 90% are A-tom-Miks. I am not talking bad about those fly's, just wonder why this is happening and if there is anything I can modify to prevent it

I thing I have read something about a drop of epoxy at the treble or something like that. Any ideas?

Thanks,

Kim

After the trip last weekend being so bad with storms and wind this past weekend made up for it.

THURSDAY - Launched around 2 pm, light East wind, less than 1 foot waves, sunny, and headed almost due North to 370’, 27.5 N, 11.5 W. Put out our normal spread of 3 riggers set between 65’ and 75’, 2 with spoons and one spin doctor and fly, also 2 wire line dipsy rods, 2 setting at 200’ and 210’. Down temp was 50 deg down 75. Started a NW troll and had our largest fish of the trip, 26.3 lbs in the net 30 min later. The next 4 salmon were all over 22 lbs and kept us plenty busy. We ended up catching a bunch of fish with some throwback and kept 7 fish, 6 were kings, one steelhead.

FRIDAY – launched at 6am and returned to the same area as Thursday. Fairly brisk East wind waves 1-2. Much slower fishing, steelhead and small kings only, not much on the radio as far as fishing catching. Went in at 9 am with plans to come back in afternoon.

Launched at 1 PM and returned to same area with no baitfish or fish marking like they were in there. Trolled North to 30.5 line with no success, turned south and trolled into the 26.3N 12.2 W area and started marking pods of baitfish and started catching some teenager kings with one over 20. Ended the day with 5 kings and 2 steelhead kept.

SATURDAY – launched at 5:30 am and headed North to 26/12 area to see if the fish from Fridat evening were still there. There were not. The temp had come up we now had 46 deg down 65. Turned the boat North and started a North trolled. When we hit the 28.4 N the down temp changed to 51 down 65 and the fish were there and ready to cooperate. We worked a small area at 28.5N/ 12W the rest of the morning and put 7 kings and 1 steelhead in the box with many other hits and throwbacks. We were done for the day around 10:30. The radio was full of fish catching on Saturday, I think everyone everywhere caught a bunch of salmon based upon the radio. Most of the charters were working just North and West of us and doing well. They worked the 28N- 32N and 12W – 16 W with great success both Friday afternoon and all day Saturday. We were able to stay clear of that mess of boat traffic, had areas to ourselves that worked well.

SUNDAY – we only have a few hrs to fish before heading home and the weather prevented us from going out deep where we had been the 3 previous days. It got pretty nasty with the waves by around 8 am in close, outside was “sporty†as I heard a charter say on the radio yesterday. We stayed in tight and fished 100-150’ just East of port and pulled 2 good kings and one steelhead that we kept and a couple of salmon throwbacks. We marked some good fish in there and lost one really good fish when the treble hook on the A-Tom-Mik fly broke. That was the second time over this trip that the same break on a fly cost us a screamer. I wish we had a couple of more days to work the inside water over well. No boats anywhere on the inside early on Sunday anywhere, some came back in from deep mid morning to give it a shot due to waves out deep. I’m guessing there found some really good matures in close yesterday afternoon.

It was a fun trip with good weather and lots fish with great quality. We kept 25 fish with 21 being kings and 4 steelhead. We did not think we could improve on last years catch and quality but this year was even better except we had to go out deep to get into fish, last year everything was way inside.

The catch was evenly matched with spoons and flasher fly, and downrigger to dispy. They all had their days where one was better than another but pretty close overall. Spin Doctors with some flash, 42 second, lemon ice were probably our best. All variations of green A-tom-mik flys were all we ran, green glow, green crinkle, 42 second, etc. Spoons a mix of good ones, alewive on Friday afternoon was very good and NBK on Saturday was on fire on the riggers.

My crew and I will be showing up from noon Thursday through Sunday mid day.

The weather has to be better than last weekend, right?

We were able to fish from 7-10:am on Friday morning before it got too rough, it was already rockin pretty good but we were able to at least fish, sort of, for a short time. Fished 100-110 fow and went 3 for 4 with a steelhead, a brown, a skippy and one dropped. Had 50 degrees down 80ft.

The storm that rolled through Friday evening was impressive, we even saw a water spout.

That was our last opportunity to get on the lake. The wind waves and storms kept us on shore. It was ROUGH on Saturday morning and from what I heard the water was big time messed up with all warm water in close. Most of the charters looked to have returned to dock by mid morning.

We called it a weekend and headed home mid day yesterday. I'll be back next Wednesday for 4 days and hoping for some better weather.

The fish fry and the beer at Black North was good, as always.

Thanks for the info,

Looks like we may get in couple of hours in Friday morning before the wind gets too nasty, IF, IF, IF the forecast is right.

Saturday afternoon looks good, again if the weather forecast is accurate.

We'll see

Thanks for the info.

Also didn't know that At The Oak was back up and running, Thanks

Thanks,

Didn't know that At the Oak was back up and running

First trip of the year will be this this week and then 4 days the following weekend.

I have been reading over every post I can find trying to get some ideas of general depth of water and down temps.

The last two years the July the trips were amazingly good, with many, many mature kings and I didn't venture much past 100 FOW. I knew I probably would not get that lucky 3 years in a row:)

The weather looks a little tricky this weekend for my 21' Lund and I know the wind can change everything pretty quickly but if you felt sorry for me and wanted to send me a general direction as a starting point on Friday morning where would it be? East in 250'?, West in 300'?, go back to Ohio?, stay at the BlackNorth and drink beer?

Not looking for numbers just some generalities to shorten the learning curve Friday morning. Have one newbie with me that has never caught a salmon.

Thanks,

Kim

I do a lot more of lake Erie and inland more than Lake O. A lot of shallower water most of the year and the 587 might be the best choice for me.

Although a 585 at "closeout" price might sway the choice also.

I do know that I am tired of my Lowrance 104C and salmon fishing on lake Ontario. I am really looking forward to getting the 585 or 587.

Thanks for the information.

Well, the inside was fun while it lasted......

Yes sir it was.

I was there last Thursday through Sunday morning fishing west a couple of miles in 90-130 ft for all 4 days and it was incredible fishing for the first couple hrs in the morning and the last hr in the evening. We were set up by 5 AM every morning and the cooler would be full by 7:30 to 8 AM each morning. The exception was Sunday morning after the NE wind Saturday afternoon mixed the water a little and moved that great 50' temp break down around 15 ft. With the weather moving in and needing to drive back to central Ohio we left the lake at 7 AM with only a couple of salmon in the box

Any flasher fly combo green on wire 140-160 out and Moonshine happemeal on the deep rigger 60-65 down was hot, hot, hot.

The average size was our best trip ever over many years. Our largest was only 25.5 but we are not complaining. I don't think I was ever over 3 miles from the harbor.

I REALLY wish I could be there right now instead of working!

I will be adding a 585 to my boat this fall and wanted to see if any of you have any insight on new products from Furuno.

The 585 has been out since 2006, anyone have any inside info on any new product introductions from Furuno coming by spring of 2013?

I would hate to buy the 585, even as good as it is, and have a new one introduced, even better, a couple of months later.

thanks

What size spro swivel.

I see the heavy swivels listed on the spro site, are those the ones you are using or is there a smaller one other than the "heavy"?

Thanks

SORRY, found the info I needed,

Thanks

Thanks

It is freeze dried and salted. I still brine mine. They are really firm and hold up better than other brands.

Thanks

Is the Erie Dearie cut bait already brined?

Do you need to do anything else to it prior to using it?

Thanks

the eyes are on the wrong end,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,fish eat bait headfirst...

These are real questions.

They eat baitfish head first that look like the are swimming backwards?

How do they know how to eat a spoon that has no eyes?

Mark,

The last two years at Oak Orchard my 3 top have been

Moonsine Happy Meal - By far our best the first 2 hrs and last 2 hrs of the day or overcast days

Not even sure of the name - Black and purple, silver cup, glow ladderback

Green Gator - Stinger

Followed closely by

NBK

42 second

Alewive

Anything green and silver

Question: What speed (at the surface on GPS) do you run your spoons? I don't do much salmon fishing, mostly Lake Erie walleye. I'm coming up around Aug. 19. I usually have decent luck with spin doctor/fly combos and j-plugs, but have never done well with spoons. I think I might be trolling too slow, usually in the 2.2 to 2.6 mph range.

- Cast Party

I am not an expert but my surface speed is normally somewhere around 2-4 - 3.0 depending on current.

If you don't have a down speed probe and you have a charter nearby (NOT TOO CLOSE) try and match speed and see what he is running in different directions. It will at least let you know that your speed isn't the problem if you are not catching fish.

Good luck

I was there fishing also.

Saturday we were out fishing the 28N 16W and took over 40 hits and landed somewhere around 35 fish, many small kings.

We did end up with 8 kings with the smallest around 12-13 lbs and the 4 largest between 19-21 lbs.

All of the larger kings came on a Wire dipsy, #2, 200 back, 42 second spin with green fly. The dipsy was the hot setup on Saturday

I tried to stay below the balls of bait and steelhead in the top 50 ft of water. Fish high out there that day and you got nothing but little stuff. Our riggers were set at 65, 70, 75 most of the day. My 75 rigger was in 45-48 deg water all day.

Sunday morning, left at 10 AM, we fished in close to the East of the wall in 85-95 ft and kept 7. 2 steelhead, 1 atlantic, 2 browns, 2 kings with one at 24lbs. We also released another another 10-12 fish that were a mix of browns, steelhead and small kings.

The boat traffic wasn't too bad to the East, it did get crowded West of the wall for sure

Every hit on Sunday morning was on the riggers with spoons, not one hit on a dipsy flasher fly all morning

Thank you for the detailed report.

I will be making my annual trip to the OAK August 19-22.

I only get to make one trip a year but really enjoy reading the reports all year.

Thanks again for the info. It's nice to know at least some of what is going on.

Kim

OK TOM .

Well we bought your products when a fly was thought of a bait used by flyfishernen to most.

WE bought every newest and greatest producer till our tackle boxes were replaced by FLY storage boxes..

You came a long way from single trebels to double hooks and rattles.

Now when we unload our boats for the winter because of you we must sneak in our "few" flies at night after the wife is asleep so they dont see them "ALL"

We ,your supporters,derby entrants,and friends ... are the ones who are getting hurt for your withdrawing from your Generous sponcerships...

I am really trying to understand the message here.

Is it that you purchased Tom's products only because he was a sponsor of the Pro/Am?

Is it that even if they were not good effective lures you would have still purchased boxes and boxes of them because he was a sponsor?

Is it that you buying his product made him successful and he now owes you something?

Or is it that Tom has supported the pro/am in a big way for a long time AND provided the fishing public with quality product that many have purchased and will continue to purchase regardless of his future affiliation with the Pro/AM?

The sponsor effect on public product purchasing has been overblown for ever in my mind. You purchase product because it works, not because the logo is on a tourney shirt Manufacturers dollars need to be used wisely in the promotion of their business to get the return on investment.

Times change, nothing stays the same forever. He has elected to move on for whatever his reasons, that's his choice. I'm sure he will find new ways in the future to participate in the promotion of his passion through both his business and personal life.

Just my opinion as an outsider,

Kim

I have a complete Cannon setup, with a hard carry case that I would part with for $200.

I purchased it from a guy that was in need of some cash. I still use my Moor Subtroll and have no real need for this unit.

I could send by UPS today, you could pay after receipt of unit

Kim

Yes, I've had it happen on a couple 27"s and 47's. Just glue them back in place and forget about them.

I put hundreds of hours per year on these reels on lake Erie and they hold up very well.