John Kelley

Here is my whole wall, with my 29 pound king from last year as well as my 9.5 pound walleye.  Pike and Walleye are both from South Dakota waters.  Crappie was caught from Greers Ferry Arkansas, and of course both salmon are from the Oak!!  I will add my 14 pound brown and 13 pound steelhead replicas to this wall next summer. Both also from the Oak!!

I would imagine they are trolled for such a long distance that they don't have much fight left in them when they pull them to the boat

Yeah, kind of like when you finally figure out that you have been pulling a brown or a laker off the downrigger that has not fired, for over an hour!!    !!LOL

July out of the Oak, hands down for big kings and plenty of steelhead.  You can stay at the Captain's Cove, and there are a handful of good places to eat.  If you want tons of Lakers, then I agree about the Niagara bar in April and May, but you will not get the amount or size of big kings as the Oak in July.  Browns are always available from 8'-65' depending on what time of day.   

Here are some pretty cool action shots.

Yeah, it was too rough for them to board me, so they just asked to see my life jackets!!

Well, I have had a really fantastic time fishing Lake Ontario the last two summers, and will hate to leave the Empire state at the end of the year.  I figured I could at least leave some images of my 2013 season, which was highly successful for this old walleye convert.  I hope you enjoy some of these pics.  Thanks for looking

Pike was 26 pounds and 45" long.  It was all spawned out or it would have weighed more.  Caught it from the Missouri river in April, right after ice out, on a large, frozen smelt.

Nice looking bunch of birds!

And is residing on the wall below my pike and crappie mount.  Jeff Frisby did a super job on this fish!!

Thanks! I definitely wasn't questioning your aging, just didn't know that there was a way to age them.

No problem, no offense taken.  Two year birds usually have fairly long spurs that are fat and pretty dull.  The older birds get the good, pointy spurs that get all thin and fight ready!

Basically by the spurs, and this guy had long spurs that came to a really narrow and sharp point.  No, Juvie or first year spurs never come close to even a two year spur.  They are usually just short, rounded nubs. The three I shot today were all first year birds.  You can kind of see the spurs on the pic with them lying in the field.

Well, 

I figured I might as well update my NY friends about my trip home to South Dakota to take my boat back home and do some pheasant killing! Drove all day Saturday and finally finished the 1250 mile drive by 11:45 p.m. central time.  Set my clocks back, and slept my butt off!!  Sunday I watched my hapless Viking almost pull out a victory in Dallas, and then decided to try road hunting in some ditches close to my town.  Didn't have much daylight, but started to walk some ditches anyways.  Ended up flushing and shooting one really nice 3 year old bird, but that is all I saw before sunset.  I plan to start earlier today, and will be updating this thread with bird pics throughout the week.  Thanks 

Nice, two years too late, but better than never, I guess!!

My hot colors on spoons this year were Moonshine magnum Arctic Ice, Moonshine Magnum Double Trouble, Moonshine Magnum Bad Toad, and Moonshine Magnum Carbon 14. The Double Trouble really came into its own in July, and was by far my most successful color.  My best colors on spin doctors was definitely the Mt. Dew, with any green or blue fly behind it, when the sun was out, and white with green dots, and mirage fly when it was overcast.  Also scored quite a few big fish pulling white with green dot glow 11" paddles and herring rigs on copper and downriggers.  

Wow, check out the mangled dorsal fin on that beast!!  Must be a bigger beast than that one, out there as well!!  Beautiful Musky, man!!  

Great thread John. Just because you're moving away doesn't mean we won't be interested in your fishing stories. Remember, we still have Walleye and Warm Water Fishery Forums you can post in. Please keep in touch and tell your friends in SD about our forum. We'd love to have you back.

Have a safe journey back home.

Will do, Bob, going to get the word out about Lake Ontario, for sure! 

Thanks everyone, I will truly miss this great fishery, and the great fishermen and women that utilize it!  

Really classy post man! Its good to see the comradery of fisherman when there are those that seem to be turning it more into big business. It was kind of hard for me to read because one of my buddies that I've hunted and fished with since I was about 5 years old is going to be moving out west next fall. Good Luck in your future back in South Dakota. I'm sure Lady O will be seeing you again now that you have "The Fever." -Paul

Thanks man, yeah you guys on lake O have a really special brotherhood going up here. I am really going to miss my new fishing family when I am gone!!  

Yeah, we saw you guys, and we were hootin and hollerin' together!!  We were awfully proud of you guys for gutting it out all day in those conditions!!!  Nicely done, hardcore anglers right there!!      

Thanks for the invites this past spring!  Too bad it was too rough both times.  Sounds like you enjoyed the heck out of our lake...while you were here.  Good luck!!

Yeah, too bad we were not able to slam some salmon together, man!!  

Hey John, thanks a bunch for takin me out a few times the last two years, had a great time and always learned something, like how to handle that Tracker in solid 4s the last time we were out.  You still have probably the best story of catching yout first 30lber....solo, and without a net.  that's gunna be hard to top.  Whenever you come back (and we all know you will), you're welcome on the boat anytime!!!

Thanks Andy, I appreciate it, buddy!!

Good hunting and fishing out there. Good luck to you and safe travels.

Thank you, sir, and the same wishes to you.  

Haha, I used to use that Green Carp phrase all the time when I was out west.  Pissed the bass boys right off!!LOL    

Here are some pics of our pretty first mate Saturday evening.  Kim had never caught a King salmon before.  We fixed that good!!LOL

Nice job guys!  Thanks for texting me the "shudda been here" full cooler pic! lol

 

Shawn

Hahaha, you mean this one, brother??