tove12345

NICE!!!!!Good luck with her!She looks to be in mint condition.

The Fish Doctor has been fishing that lake for years!!!! He knows the skinny on trolling.Most boats are up on blocks by the time in shore steelie trolling is good,so there are not many boats that target them.I'm sure if the weather cooperatesthat time of year(not often),it can be killer trolling stickbaits and bright spoons.Most guys have had enough trolling by then and choose to wave a rod at them as they make their way upriver,me included.As much as I like trolling,you can't beat the tap,tap,tap......Fish-on feel bottom bouncing.

As I stated earlier this was a really great thread until the pissin match started and unfortunately it due to pretty much one party.

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Discussing helps everyone see every side.....don't judge unjustly.

Releasing steelhead has always been a problem for me.They always seem like they are ready after a good amount of time holding and reviving,only to let them go and have them go belly up. I agree,sometimes the big kings can be tough,but pulling them for awhile usually yeilds good results.I too only keep what will not survive.Fishing the Salmon river, I see salmon pulling spin drs. up river every year,so many survive .I am fully aware of the put and take thing,but all I advocate is to take less than is put. Everyone wins!!!.Just take a look at the Erie steelhead debacle.3 per person per day in the river. 35 miles of river on the 2 major tribs and NO ONE can figure out why the fishing is not near what it was.WOW...!! miles and miles of river and these fish get destroyed the first 500 yds. of river.

excuse me.I was referring to trolling the lake where it is near impossible to revive a steelhead.

I suppose if you are that concerned with the fish you wont be fishing for them yourself again?  Im sure if you could ask the trout they'd rather you stayed out of the streams and leave them alone too... Really....THE purpose of fishing for many of us is to eat them!!  They are stocked and there is no shortage of steelhead.  You want to release your catch nobody is stopping you, but if the guys in the pic want to keep them its not your decision.   Nice catch Rick!  

If you read my earlier post,that is exactly what I did. I will not target steelhead.Enjoy yor meal!

Other than the burt dam and a very few other choice places,most,and I mean most of the wading steelhead guys are true fishermen.Catch and release is the norm and not the exeption.small flies with a flick to unzip and send them on their way.I for one don't care that it is not their "hobby".Most of us are bustin our @ss working jobs so that,for a few days a year,we can escape to the rivers and challenge ourselves with fooling some steel,maybe take a quick pic and let them go!selfish  and short sightedcomes to mind.

Everyone needs to man up and take responsability for what is surely going to effect a lot of people.Charters and recs. need to stop targeting steelhead period!!Treble hooks and jumping steel is not a recipie for catch and release(even if they wanted too).Captains need to educate their trips to the seriousness of the situation to better help the fishing as a whole.Maybe,just maybe they can covince them to try fishing and not just catching for glory shots.

Just check out the pictures of the south shore charter trip 8/7-8/10.If it wasn't so sad, it would almost be funny. Bandrus has it exactly right.One species is down,so lets decimate the next.Great.....lay all those flattails on the deck and push out your chests.Basic math boys!!!!

It is not a very fine line between busting b#@lls and telling the truth.

The fish are there for everyone to catch not just the charters,heck Rick(Yankee Troller) even gives out reports on where and what

Can't understand why some guys have such a hard on for charters?Do the math!!10 charters a day,4 people,3steelhead per,x100 days......ding ding ding.we got a winner!!!All of the stream and river guys I know havn't kept a fish in years.Try to revive a steel on the lake, not gonna happen. I fish the lake,and puposefully do not target steelhead for just that reason.I don't have "a hard on" for them,I have better taste than that.I do believe they are not as interested in the fishery as much as you think,and are more about their own pockets.My opinion remains the same,many pay the price for a few to reap th profits.time will tell.

We're seeing a lot of above average Steel at the Oak. They are saving our charters! Big chrome high in the water column are aggressive!

Ben,If its browns you want,the salmon river gets a few but you might want to try the oak 2 hrs. west for the brownies. the end of October is prime time. It can be very crowded, but weekdays there is always a little room to move around. Good luck on your trip this year.I'm sure just by your enthusiasm you will have a blast. Good luck

Ever since they cut the teelhead limit to 1 on the big lake,the steelhead fishing in the rivers has been excellent.You travel a great distance to fish here, so understanably you want it to be terrific.It will be,but we have to get through the salmon run first.Easy.....take a deep breath and it will be november before you know it.

Kings(if you run into them)will probably be deeper.say...70-110ft.maybe early in the day you may find them in 60 ft but that would be fishing the 90- 130ft range the first couple of hours of the day. lakers should be on or near bottom,but I haven't been out in a few weeks,so maybe somebody else can chime in on that.Kudos for getting the kids out there.Good luck

Nice Fish!!!! Itlooks like ther's a little color to the belly starting.........Getting Cloooooser!!!

I was prone to seasickness,but only on other peoples boats. Must be a control thing. Just knowing that if I feel queezy ,that  It  is MY decision whether or not to turn the boat around keeps the stomach in check.It's all mental( with me anyway)

olcott, wilson, niagara are all good places to fish out of. I favor olcott,but that said, it has been a bit of a slow year. deeper water in close is why I like the western basin.3 rods per person. Be careful if you fish out of niagara not to cross the line to Canada,unless you have a canadian lisence.dipsies, meat rigs, spoons,...pretty much the same stuff. towards the end of august......j plugs and you could try meatwrapped kf to staging kings in shallow water.thre are a couple of state campgrounds in the area..........that's a start for ya. good luck!!!

The eyes on your balls seem to be bent forward. In the picture of it hanging it appears to be not horizontal, but pointing upward more than usual. The ball could be spinning on it's tail when down deep with the water pressure being higher. I've never seen weights in that position, they are always close to level. Bend the eyes back toward the tail and see if they hang more level.

I agree 100% with the eye on your downrigger weight. I'd bet the unusually stong currents this year are spinning the the tail of that weight like a top.

Early to mid september in front of,or near the salmon river you should be o.k.....other than that, noone here wants to read about you in the obits.I don't go out on that lake without doubles of all saety equipment and 3 radios!!! respect it and you can enjoy your quest and tell your grandchildren how cool it was.30 years fishing that lake and she still gets me a little  nervous every time i venture out deep .Also,learning to be a good weather map reader is invaluable.Good luck and be safe!!! 

we have been doing the exact same thing for years .works great.I thank you for thinking to post it.saves lives!!!!!

What temps on the probe should be consiered optimal for kings in mid summer. I know it is less important as they start to stage,just tring to get the riggers closest to the zone.Thanks for any feedback

ruff rider.......your reports are terrific and a huge help to those of us that live 5 to 8 hours away.I look forward to them because they are  a no bs actual report that saves time and $ to many of us. Hopefully things pick up soon,but your report reflects what little info is out there.Good luck and be safe.

pm sent

windfinder .com, sailflow.com.....also,knowing how to read preasures,highs and lows and which direction the air flows around them.you can be your own meteorologist.the noaa site shows where the highs and lows are headed for the next six days.typically, when a good high comes in, you get 2-3 days of good seas,mid july to mid august being the best.hope that helps