tenatureboy

Thanks for sharing!  

Those 50-60’ marks are killing my confidence but I am not alone!  Misery loves company!!

Hope this makes someone feel better… or helps!

set up 5pm in 110 fow. Worked marks for a while with flashers/spin dr and flies/meat (unmentioned buddy did well on flasher flies the evening before) but zero for us!  
 

Hung in the area all night went 2 for 5 on a 6lb king (6pm) and 5 lb laker (7pm) on riggers then only knock offs til sunset. All hits were in the 90-95 over 115ish fow on green and white spoons.
 

Flashers and spin drs with fake meat were silent!  Dipsy was silent and 300 steel was silent. some bait pods. Fair amount of marks in the 50-60 range but didn’t want to play (or I just suck)

nice night though with good company!

Next time I will follow HB2 around

We had a nice troll today out of sandy also

started at 630am in 140ish after a few passes and no takers we headed north to 400 realizing we were dragging a laker on a 300 steel behind a board! 🤦🏻Played with marks out deep for a bit then headed back to 140-160.

Finally a knock off down 90 over 150 at 1045am and then a 16lb king down 100 over 140 at 1110am
 

Had to head in right after.  

They are there just getting them to play with us is humbling at times 

Thanks for sharing!

Thanks for sharing!

got lines in at 745. Small 3# Atlantic in 165fow on 150 steel with orange yellow silver spoon. Zero marks. surface 58 degrees 45 degrees down 50’

trolled out to 350fow. Top and lower temps warmed a degree or 3. No takers 

few marks. Gave it an hr out deep
 

moved back in close nothing

decided to try for a laker!!  Skunked

called it quits at 11. Some marks in 90-100. No takers 

only the one Atlantic

good flat day to fish with my 86 yr old dad!!!

6/7 AM

17lb king on blue dolphin? 60 over 190fow

4lb king same spoon on 200 steel over 220fow

1 knock off on same spoon 60 over 180fow

again enough marks to be hopeful but slow for us. Tried all other colors but nothing would fire!

No skunking but no patterns except only random hungry fish were high in the water column…. Top 40’ over 150-190fow

3ish for 3  

4lb king on dirty white boy on 150 steel

5lb bow on nbk on 150 steel

prop wash release of another smaller silver fish on green/silver spoon off rigger 40 over 150ish

some deep marks down 110-130

some streakers

enough marks to keep us going but slow overall

Thanks for letting the cat out of the bag that the salmon are showing in the west end!!  

Look under the “tackle and techniques” section for legacy’s post “for the love of copper”. It lists reel size with copper and backing lengths. Good reference!

Agreed times change!

Fished my first ESLO in the late 70s with my dad and his buddies from a 25’ sailboat holding Mitchell 300s with our hands. Caught 2lbs cohos lakers and browns off Charlotte and thought it was awesome!!!

the derbies were late April and 4 days only. Used to get to skip school and we would dock our 17’ at shummway

during college we almost won the brown division for a Grumman boat out of sandy creek then a year or so later out of Braddocks weighed in a rainbow for the board (almost got in a fight at the weigh in with an obnoxious guy from another boat). My 86 yr old dad still recalls that as the guy was big but I was young and ripped!  The memories!!!!
 

I will admit to fishing Wilson the last 2 spring derbies for a long weekend but missed this year (lucky to save my $$$) last year was on fire May to July so this year we pay the price. 

now those 2lb fish don’t even get netted and the only fish we typically keep are 8-15lb kings for a nice fillet!

still love it just Learning to adjust!

Many years ago I may have done a thesis project analyzing the mirex and other contamination levels in salmon as a time point for a study starting in the 70s. While levels were still present they were decreasing with time. This was before the zebra mussel era so I am sure more changes have happened. To do the studies there was a “standard fillet process” for consistency.
 

Either way my take home over the years has been I eat salmon first (lower fat levels and shorter lived) then rainbows if they can’t be revived and I skip browns and lakers again unless they can’t be revived.

To add I spent many years in bio tech and food ingredient quality and I will say I am going to die of cancer from many other things our society has done to make things cheaper tastier and less nutritious than the salmon from lake O I eat once or twice a month!

26 minutes ago, HB2 said:

We went out this morning and got 3 browns and a big laker,a few more hits ,  in 35 ft of water before the storms . Then we pulled the plug .

 

Yes Gator , it was a great year , one for the books numbers wise.  A little better size wise . First week  August the kings disappeared from our area . 

 

Let's see the return numbers in Sandy this year as the last few weren't great .

 

Not a lot of skippers so that doesn't look good for next year's crop of kings but we'll  wait and see . 

HB2

Agreed great year!  In the 40+ years I have fished the lake since a kid I have never seen action like this June and July. I will say I was never that good as some out there but with a freezer full of fillets by early July and throwing 10lb fish back it was an incredible time!! Friends didn’t believe it under they experienced it!
 

But the question I asked a buddy was the same… where are the little guys 1-6 lbs that we were throwing back the last 2-3 years to have this banner year??  
 

Along with gator my boat will be in storage around mid September then a trip the the DSR before the western streams pick up!  Only year 3 on the Tribs and it is my new addiction!  Take a pic let it go and repeat!

Followed you guys out to the lake. We headed NW as you headed NE similar first bite with only a 300 and dipsey in the water the 300 goes with a 20lb king

Not lights out hit numbers but we landed all we had on the hook when the rods got in our hands. Boated 10 only 2 no one home rips on steel and dipsy

8 kings 2 bows. Top kings were 22 and 20 several in the mid teens only 1 under 10lbs. Filleted 4 the rest were given the chance to fight another day

Ended the morning with a double at 9am in 95 fow 

Green white spin dr with meat 2x on rigger

green gator magnum 3x on 300 steel and dipsy

dirty white boy 2x on rigger 

black with white glow ladder black 3x on dipsy, rigger and 300 steel 

23-12

great day with my best friend!

we may get knocked off the board in the weeks to come but we were on it!

yes I had a scale and it was just over the 24 lb line on the boat!  

Not weighed in yet but guess the weight!

Congrats 

we were out a little deeper in 140-160 fow fished 6-9am went 10 of 15. Mainly spoons last fish on meat at 9. Fish up to 16lbs. 300 steel with the spoon below was hot along with a black silver green 42 in the riggers down 80-50 

Couldn’t break 20 but who cares!!!!  6 of 10 fish over 10lbs today!  This is the best I have had in 40 plus years on the lake! yes I caught two 30lbers in the 80-90s as a kid but I will take this fishery now any day!
 

 I actually got to reel one in today but my daughter caught the biggest 2!

happy 4th of July!

Yep crazy this morning off hamlin

Been fishing not all the time catching on the lake for 45 years and I’ve never seen this!

dumb stupid crazy insane fishing is fine with me!

Too much to text now

130-150 otw off hamlin

300 steel taking shots 

riggers 50-70 down

All spoons

black and green 42

green gator mag 

had to fillet a couple to make room in the cooler!

2 hours ago, steelhead'r said:

she's got shoes on!

Only socks Fred!!!

Slow pick in the same 180 fow this morning but catching them  with my daughter!

happy Father’s Day!

Now I feel 50/50 about our lack of success.

Fished 630–9pm. Most Marks in 140ish fow with few Empty knock offs. Then again in 90-120 fow
 

tried knocking a laker on the head in 100 fow at last light for the guys with me and found we were dragging a 15” king on a 300 steel. 
 

at least is was a nice sunset!

Out of sandy now 430pm

trolled 160-300. Zero

back into 120 fow searching for something 

still foggy!!

Good luck Songdog!

Was in Wilson 2 weeks ago during the dumb fishing time but it was a blast when it was dumb!  We had a few boats connected so I hope you got a few to link with this weekend.  It is a big lake with lots of fish and lots of water to fish so room for everyone!

Share pics of the fun so some of us can live Vicariously as we are remodeling the master bathroom for the boss! 

1 hour ago, Bustersit said:

Great report !   Thanks

I hear you

3 days out of Wilson in that NE chop with a 19’ boat catching kings was exhausting! 👍