matt05star

Got out Monday (7/20) for our final trip of our camping stay on the big lake. We decided to start a little late again, due to the wave forecast. We had lines in at 8:15, greeted still by some 2 foot rollers remaining out of the northwest from yesterday. As they predicted, the lake slowly laid down somewhat. It did seem to freshen again as we headed back to port at 2:30, but with the southwest wind. We started in about 150 fow and trolled north. We marked fish around 80 feet down, but couldn't get any to bite. Once the lake calmed a bit late morning, we trolled out to as much as 415 fow. Finally, at noon, we had a 13 lb. king hit in 345 fow on a spin doctor and fly out 240 on a #4 Chinook diver. Shortly thereafter we took a nice chunky 8# steelhead on an NBK spoon down 80 on a rigger. As we're clearing that fish from the net, a king takes a UV wonderbread spoon down about 90 on the other rigger. That one gets off about 40 feet from the boat. Another decent fish, but not a giant ( fortunately). We took one more king (15#) an hour later in 260 fow on the same wire dipsy and spin doctor/ fly setup. ( picture attached). Again, out 240. Was a good time at Fair Haven, as always. We'll break camp down on Wednesday. On the days too windy for the big lake, we fish our kayaks in the pond for pike and bass. They were pretty cooperative, so we fish almost every day. Looks like the lake will be great Friday through Sunday, so I expect to see plenty of derby fish weighed those days. Good luck!

7/17 ( Friday) report: Couldn't get them to go... Fished 8:30 to 1, tried to give the lake time to calm a little ( still quite bumpy early). Fished primarily 150 to 210 fow, marked a fair amount at 80', and marks deeper ( 90-110) as temp moved deeper over the deeper water. Regardless, Couldn't get a rod to go. Ran our typical spread of two wire dipsies ( one with cut bait, the other flasher/fly) and two downriggers with spoons and free sliders. I hope others did better. Looks like it might be Monday before we can get back out on the big water.

7/13 ( Monday) morning report: We set down in 300 fow pretty much straight out of port. It wasn't very early, but lines in by 7. We had a nice fish on our cut bait on the wire dipsy out 185, but it broke us off at the swivel on one of the teaser rigs on the cut bait rig. Hmmm. Oh well. Fought it for a few minutes. We trolled north to 440, decided to come back into the 330 fow area where we had marked an occasional fish, and had the one on the cut bait get off. We continued to work the 330-350 fow area for the rest of the morning. We did land a nice 20 lb fish off a SS size spoon ( free slider, down about 40 feet), I believe a 2 face spoon. That fished jumped a couple times, including clearing the surface by a few feet once ( don't you love seeing a big salmon do that?). Caught a dink on the same spoon, and had one hit but no hookup on a frog- type spin doctor and fly off our other dipsey out 180. By the way, we found a tip on the internet that recommended using a wet microfiber towel to help clear fleas off your lines. It did help on the wire, the mono not so much. But you might want to give it a try. Hopefully they lessen very soon. Looks like a blowoff the next couple days, but we have other things to tend to anyway. Hope you're finding success if you're out. My brother does a great job with smoking the salmon, so we've been enjoying some chunks from our catch a few days ago.

This morning (7/12) we got out a little earlier and set down in about 290 fow, lines in about 6:30. Downriggers set at 6080, wire dipsies out 180-220. We had a nice fish, upper teens to 20 lbs, get off about 10 feet from the boat after a nice fight, on a spoon ( not sure which spoon, as we had free sliders on in addition to the bait off the ball). Oh well, it happens. We had 5 other hits in the few hours we were out, but mostly short strikes. They just weren't hooking up. They were hard enough to trip releases, but didn't seem to be getting the hooks well. We did get one 15 lber to stay buttoned on a dipsy and the spin doctor / fly rig in my picture of my first post. I guess I'll be running that one whenever we're out. The lake was much more cooperative this morning, enabling us to run out deeper and back in without issue. As I'm typing this at 1:30 p.m., the breeze is up pretty good, so not sure what conditions are now. Will be out again tomorrow to give it another try.

Yes, I'm hoping to be able to fish deeper Sunday and Monday, if the wave forecast is accurate. This morning we had lines in just before 7, lines out just after 8, as it just got too bumpy. Waves seemed about 3 foot when we were coming in. Didn't have a bite during that time, which made the decision to pull them pretty easy. Lots of boats out on a Saturday morning, and I certainly hope they had better results.

I'm fishing the next 12 days out of the state park with my brother and other family, and will try to post reports on the days we get out. Didn't get an early start today, as we were exhausted from setting up camp. Lines in at about 8, out at 11, starting in 120 FOW pretty much straight out of port. Didn't mark many fish, just an occasional mark down about 40 feet, which we were fishing below for the most part. Riggers set at 73-79, wire dipsies 180-250. Fleas are pretty bad. Ended up 3 for 5, with a couple fish coming unbuttoned from our wire and meat rig after 5- 10 seconds. The other fish were hooked well, each with a couple hooks. All fought pretty well, too. No derby fish, but teenagers in the 11-14 lbs range. The hits came in 145- 165 fow. Broke a boom on one of my Big Jons in the waves, as I had cleared the rig to make way for fighting one of the fish. I had the 12 lb weight above the water, and I guess the bouncing was a little too much stress on it. These are the baits that worked: a UV Wonderbread, A ladder back spoon with white back ( if anyone recognizes and knows what it is, please reply with the name), a larger spin doctor and fly off a wire dipsy, and the large paddle with meat rig.

Got out early this morning (7/10)and hit this one just a few minutes after lines were all in. It hit a spoon on the 80 rigger over 148 fow. We fished yesterday morning and the prior evening and had just a small king to show for it. We did have two fish get off yesterday morning, including a fish that was probably high teens. We trolled this morning for another 1.5 hours, waiting for the weigh in station to open ( and had to wait for 9 a.m. for official weigh- in), and didn't have another hit. I'm including a picture of the spoon we caught it on, and it's been a good spoon for me the last couple seasons. I don't know spoon name or manufacturer. White back. The fish weighed at 25-07. It's a great thrill to have my twin brother and me both on the leaderboard together.

That's a nice day, especially solo. Good job with it. Must get the heart pumpin' pretty good.

Camping with my brother at the state park, which we've been doing since we were kids, and this year fishing in the derby. We like fishing in the pond on kayaks on blowout days ( my brother caught 7 or 8 nice pike yesterday morning), and getting out on the big lake when conditions allow. Two days ago caught one small salmon, and didn't see much. We fished the 120-140 fow, primarily. That fish came on a magnum NBK spoon. This morning we got on the water earlier, all lines in by 6:30. Plenty of boats out, fairly scattered and grew moreso as the morning progressed. We dragged around an alewife that either bit or snagged ( the hook was in the mouth) a magnum spoon for who knows how long.. this my personal smallest fish caught trolling. Almost all boats seemed to be working 135-175 fow. We saw occasional marks, but didn't get anything to go until we were about ready to quit at about 10. We were on a west troll in about 135 fow, basically working back north of Port to make the ride in a little easier. The lake was finally laying down a little, as it was a washing machine early. We hit a 10 lb. King on a frog flasher/ fly ( 8" spin doctor) out 235 on a wire dipsy, and about 20 minutes later had a better fish hit a wire dipsy combo of a 10" white spin doctor with black dots on one side and green on the other out 185 with an Atomik fly. That fish ripped out to 350 feet before settling down ( and me tightening the drag). We weighed that fish on board at about 21-22 lbs, but we both thought it was a little bigger. Got it to Screwy Louie's for weigh- in, and hit 24-13. It was second in the salmon division early this afternoon, so made sure I got a quick screenshot for posterity.😀 That's my biggest salmon to date, and nice to see my name hit the list, even if briefly. Some flies showing up on wires, but not mono yet. Hope to get out more over the next 9 days. Thanks to all who post, and enjoy the rest of the holiday weekend.

Went out with my brother and nephew on Father's Day and the following day. Father's Day was a little bumpy, but we fished from 6:45 to 11, and ended 3 for 3 with a dink salmon, a laker, and a nice 22 lb mature. We fished from 125-200 fow both days. We marked occasional fish down 80-120. Today it was just my brother and me, and we fished the same general water. Again, we marked good fish, but getting them to bite was difficult. Today we fished just 7:45 to 10:15. Maybe we spent too much time pointing north, because, when we got back in shallower, we found some excellent marks. The 100 rigger went off as I was pulling the shallower rigger for the day, and we caught another nice king ( 19 lbs). We also caught a coho today. Overall slow, but we landed the fish that did bite. We ran two riggers with spoons ( free sliders also) and two wire dipseys with flasher flies. No hits on the dipsies. Fleas are pretty bad, and the flies were biting today. I'm including a picture of the lure that took the two big kings. I don't know the name of it. It has a white back. We also took a small king and an average coho on a magnum uv wonderbread glow spoon down about 50. The wave forecast was accurate today, as it calmed down from just a good chop mid morning. It's always a pleasure to fish with my brother.

Sorry for the late report. Got out with my brother and nephew both mornings out of Irondequoit. Saturday was a little bumpy and not a whole lot to report. We fished from 125 to 200 fow. We lost a couple small fish ( both under 5 lbs.) - one on a Mountain Dew flasher and fly on a dipsy, and another on a spoon fished off a rigger. We pulled lines about 10:30, just before the rain came in. We did lose a TX 22 planer board which somehow broke off one of our lead core rods. The line broke right at the rod, but we didn't hear any drag... a log? Stupidly, I didn't mark the way point. In the waves, and having to make a slow turn with lines in, we lost sight of it. Sunday the heavy fog rolled in just as we hit the water around 6:30. But only a little chop on the water, which was nice after Saturday. We set up around 125 fow with some other boats. We didn't see much, so we just pointed north, and eventually got out to 400 fow. Very few marks again, but we did manage a small king and our best-on- boat 11 lb steelhead caught by my nephew. Both fish taken on spoons fished off riggers in the top 40 feet. The steelhead took a caramel dolphin. Once the fog lifted somewhat, we pointed south into 140 fow and pulled lines about 11. Other boats seemed mostly scattered and in search mode like us. Always great to be out on the water with family. Hopefully can give it another try in a few weeks. Thanks to everyone posting and sharing info.

Ok, thanks. I'm scratching my head trying to figure out why we couldn't get anything to go. We'll be at it again tomorrow and maybe vary things a bit more.

We were out near you, Morningdew, but couldn't get a hit. Lots of marks, and we ran pretty much what you did. Can I ask what your leads were on the riggers, and your SOG? We were running 2.4 - 2.8.