HoundsNTrout

Hey guys, been a while.    I have not used Slide divers before but just picked up the regular size 1? and added the ultimate kit and comparing to my older DW deeper diver I think 127mm largest size.    ANyone know how they compare in depth?   I see they have 6 settings, compared to only 3 on a DW or Maghum Dipsy.     Anyone know what compares to the 3 setting on a Dipsy or DW?   Would the 6 be a 3 on a DW or Dipsy?     We fish on a 18' aluminum older starcraft with a bimini top and I am thinking the extra 15' lead would be a help for more strikes rather than the 6' we currently have with the divers.     ??   Any insight ?  Thanks.   

 

18 hours ago, CassidyCummings said:

Hey everyone, I'm new here and wanted to weigh in on the spring trip conversation. Last week of April/first week of May sounds like a great time to hit the lake for Browns in Pulaski - it should be a prime season for it! In terms of lodging, you don't need anything fancy, just something comfortable. With the rise of the sharing economy there are some great Airbnb's out there for reasonable prices. Breakfast spots near there?

Is this a question or a comment?  I don't see any places mentioned, breakfast spots near where?  

Its gonna be EARLY this year.  SOON as ice is out get out there.   Selkirk Shores DEC campground has cabins or Port Lodge right in Port Ontario, you will have your choice of 3 launch sites.  Depending on when DEC puts the docks in. 

Thanks for that. Had no idea.  Was just trying to help someone out.  I live not toofar from Selkirk.  
   Port Lodge is right near Salmon River on Route 3, cheap and not too bad for the money.  $70 rooms.  A little drive to Oswego or Fair Haven however.  

Its gonna be EARLY this year.  SOON as ice is out get out there.   Selkirk Shores DEC campground has cabins or Port Lodge right in Port Ontario, you will have your choice of 3 launch sites.  Depending on when DEC puts the docks in. 

Admin, not sure where to post this but I love this site, rather here and stay away from Facebook sites.   Anyway,  I'm looking to get on a boat in whatever you may need from Oswego to Henderson Harbor mainly.  I'd travel a couple days a week further but this is where I have fished and live near Pulaski. 

I have 10 yrs experience fishing Ontario as hobby but have been with 3 captains to help out and learn as well as a buddy's boat in 2014 out of Sodus and past 5 years on a smaller boat for fun maybe twice a week, early browns all the way through November this year on all Salmonids.  But just looking for a bit more professional mentorship and more time on the water.  I am very familiar with all equipment and methods for fishing Salmonids, not so much Walley experience.    I do have my own business and 100 acres and such that is run in Winter mostly and I am retired and 56 yrs. young.  So I do need time at end of day most days to care for animals, mow the lawn, family, etc, and such.   Of course I understand the nature of fishing and can stay out longer, etc, but even as a fill-in I'd be willing.    Please message me if you are in need or know of someone possibly.  I can message or call you with what I've done.  

Admin if you don't allow this type of thread by all means take it down or place it in correct thread, I couldn't really find any .  IDK if people post this sort of thing.   
 

17 hours ago, LongLine said:

One thing you can't get on any weather forecast is the frequency/period of the waves. (Other than the Midlakes buoy) A 1 1/2 ft wave with a low frequency is nice.  A high frequency will rattle your teeth on a small boat.

Interesting.  Never really took that course in college. LOL   Although I do have Limnology and all the aquatic biology, the whole wave thing I never got.   LOL    Thanks for the info. 

22 hours ago, chinook35 said:

Add a foot to ANY wave prediction. If it says 1-3 you can bet on 2-4 

Its not Minus a foot EVER is it?   LOL  
 

Yes, but its steady in the Mid 50's all the way down to 60+ or more I see too.  On the Eastern Basin anyway. 

Lake Ontario - Mexico Bay to the Saint Lawrence River Marine Forecast :: MarineWeather.net



Its all been accurate about 50% of the time this year.    lol  

Have not been out in a few weeks. ANyone know where the thermocline is setting up out of Stoney area? Or even SR?  
 

Another quick observation on my divers.  On setting 2 they were only going out maybe 10 ft. max from the boat.  Is that normal?  Seems they should have been a bit further from the boat.  Wire rods, 1.8 Knots, 120 ft of line out.   ANd yes it was set on the correct side/setting.   Oh, I had two Deeper divers size 5. 124mm. Only two divers and two riggers we were using.  
Seemed a bit like they were getting a little too close to our riggers which we like at a slight angle off the corner of boat.  Maybe next time run riggers straight out the back, IDK.  
But, I'd never get two divers off the same side of boat at this rate. WOuldn't happen.  Should be able to set two divers off same side and the riggers off the back.  I didn't want to use the size 4 divers, But if I used the #4s would I run them inside and the #5 outside?  OR even a size 3 inside?   Would that help get it further out? ( from boat that is )  And of course would have inside or closest diver maybe upright or good angle  or do I want BOTH almost flat to the water? 

Not a big Lake Trout guy but we want to find Lakers off this area I call 'the bowl".   We tried out to 80 FOW yesterday did  not even mark a fish.  Temps were 50F on bottom in 10 FOW.   IDK if that is carrying out to 100?  We do not have a probe, just 'poor mans pool therm on end of a rod ".  LOL  Don't laugh it works just to get you in the ballpark.  

We just decided to put the riggers on bottom with cowbells and two divers mid way up the column.   We marked ZERO fish.  

In this area do we need to get out further and mark fish first?  WIth no real way to know the temps down there other than sending the pool therm. down.  Is the thermocline right now possibly non existent til we get out to over 100 fow?   

I thought for sure we'd see fish in 80.    But that particular area of the lake?  I am wondering where would you go from there?  Twards the trench?  OR towards the stack? That is a LONG way for us in a small 19' aluminum.  

Thanks.

 

14 hours ago, GAMBLER said:

If you are laker fishing with 2 cowbells on riggers, you shouldn't need to run divers.  They do work but they can get in the way.  

When you say get in the way, what setting would you run them on IF you were?  I was thinking a 3 to get them further away as long as we are in relatively shallow water this time of year.  100-120fow.  Our riggers are off to the corners and at an angle.  I mean we could put them straight back.   Still contemplating even bothering with the FF but with water so cold right now..   

16 hours ago, AnglingAddict said:

Right now the water temps are nearly homogenous - you can absolutely fish a diver for lakers and you don't need to be tight to the bottom either....fish the marks - a lot of times this time of year lakers could be anywhere although a lot of guys will target them with cowbells near bottom and that certainly is productive. Flasher with a fly can be a great option for lakers as mentioned above.  Double white glow e-chip or spin doc and an A-Tom-Mik ultra white glow fly with chartruese beads is a good place to start.

Thanks for the info.  

Thanks for the info. I did get the point of higher mast height but just more concerned about the lines crossing or touching unless that front rod is high or even all of them for that matter. As short of a distance from the boat as we can get away with ( board ) is going to be highest angle so I guess we experiment. And yes indeed the inlines we can get a real nice spread with 3 per side.  
 

Have you tried a smaller prop?  

New or don't really do much Laker fishing.  So we are gonna target them this week with the riggers.  
Question.  With two riggers down, not sure yet if we will run two cowbwells with spinners or one might have just a spoon.   
Can I run two dipsys maybe out on setting 2, try to bounce bottom then pull a little line in?  or very close to bottom and run a spoon or even a flasher/fly combo?  ANyone ever have any success with that?  Just trying to get a couple more rods out there near close to bottom.   Or will the divers be sort of up and down too much not steady?  I would think that might trigger a strike, IDK.  

I am a relative newbie to the Lake O.  Ten years now trolling, but also make my own I sort of make some with my touch of the classic ATomik flys.  The basic theme to me are almost always varius shades of green with some glow maybe, Bill Saiff has a great video on HIS own personal choices. You can basically pick up on that and go from there.  I throw some black and purple in some of mine too.  

I think if you just search or see what everyone is using, you will get a good feel for some of the store bought and proven flys then go from there, offshoot your own, 'copy', and anythng in between.  

Hulk Fly, Mooneye, Glow/Chartreuse, Black/Chartreuse/Purple  are some of Saiffs I have seen the colors.  

Casey P. ( Dirty goose SF )  will have good videos of what he used that day too. 

UV 190 
41 Fly 
Stud Fly
Mirage fly. 
 BUt I've seen many flys with the marage color mixed in different patterns.  


SOme of the ones off top of my head. 

there are dozens and dozens.   

First, I am sorry this topic is probably beat to death, maybe someone steer me to a thread on this here I couldn't find it. 



Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, I could be but it just does not make sense what my fishing buddy was doing.  
So, we have a small 19' aluminum and decided to try/install a mast with larger boards, since we have been using inline boards with good success for early season Browns ( three per side with minimal issues ).  He wanted to try the mast system for various reasons not getting into right here. 
 
It was all set up and I could not go so by buddy took his wife to drive and sort of get the feel for seting things up more smoothly for next time.  

He sent me a pic and he had REVERSED pretty much the rod holders angles; so now the 'front' rod ( closest to Bow) was at a pretty severe angle and he said he had that rod going to the furthest out or closest to the board.   Next rod back was higher angle, then last rod back was almost flat.  This makes no sense whatsoever to me, I think he was just experimenting, getting the hang of it but I am surprised he did not have a tangled Cluster #@$ or shafed lines.     

TO ME, it should have been left exactly the same way we always have had it.....  Closest rod towards the bow is almost straight up or close or whatever and this is your furthest rod out, the next back towards stern more of an angle and is middle , then 3rd rod almost flat is closest to boat, and a 4th is flat for flat line or dipsy closest to stern.   This way, every rod can go "up and over" the next rod and allow to get your fish to the 'fighting zone' out back.  Or I've even seen all rods fairly straight up or whatever. 
The other way makes no sense to me physically.  IDK how it can be done really. 

And we should separate the rods a little more with the mast system?  RIght now for inlines we have more a cluster maybe 8" apart.  

And I've read articles that higher is better for the mast, I get it. Dont' know if we will have any problems in that regard yet until we really get going on it, I think its 6 ft. 



 

I have a large dogsled touring business and use Ian Foster, he is in MI and says he does a lot of Charters.  
He saved me tons after my local ins. went up.  Give him a shout,  never know. 

Ian Foster - Mourer Foster Inc.

I raise trout in 4 ponds ( brooks, browns and rainbows )  and have studied brook trout color here too with respect to letting them eat mostly bugs, insects, fathead minnows vs mostly top grade fish kibble with a lot of fishmeal/krill as the main ingredients.  I have found that the fishmeal/krill fish food will tend to make the meat more pink than a fish that is left to feed mostly on those pond things ( 2 days of automated feed from pellets ).  WHen a fish is fed pellets of a lesser grade ( a lot of corn and wheat midlings, fillers, etc.) the meat will turn almost pure white. Not even grey.   The taste will vary from more a 'muddy' flavor slightly when fish are eating insects, grubs, worms and more mild when fed more minnow/fish based kibble diet.  

SO, on the Lake O, I would assume the same, minus kibble of course but the same basic idea. But I only am going off my own observations past 10 yrs here.  

I also wonder about prey species that may eat a lot of plant material in addition to other small fish in the end result predator's flesh color?   ALewwives may consume more of the crustaceans, shrimp, etc.  

I think the largest browns we got past several years based Soley on Month of the year has been Early June, late May. One nice one 12# end of April. Same for the rainbow we got a real nice one I think May 1st ish. 

We were closer to shore in less than 40 fow in small boat.  So we were limited.  

Love this forum, great folks willing to help out.  
 

7 minutes ago, GAMBLER said:

 

The slits dont' bother the line any after a few uses?  

Wasn't sure if I should have posted this in tackle thread or not?  But question on how does everyone store thier flashers and flys?  I have been storing flys separate from the flashers because when the flashers are put in my plastic tote with the flys attached a lot of flys get squashed.  Or don't worry about it?   All crinkled up and such. 
Heres photo of what I have been doing, with the flys tossed in a smaller container and when we head out I just pre-load the flasher/fly combo's I want for the first couple hours. 
Is this kosher?  or any easier way to keep/store the flashers with fly on without getting squashed or having a very large plastic bin?  Been doing this for a few years now looking for a 'better' way.  Thanks. 

 

Pisco just posted videos from yesterday ( Thurs) catching browns in the Lake just off of SR.  Said there was still some ice in river but past two days its been 40s.  
Easily put in a lightweight 17 footer off Pine Grove.  A friend launched his fairly heavy Penn Yann off there last Fall.