Jeff Mick

Appreciate the website and tip on catfish creek guys. Will check them both out and put them in our tool bag. Thanks for the help!

Morning Guys,  Appreciate the info. 

I am coming up from CT and the biggest lakes that we have fished in the past have been up in NH.  

The weather in NH can get a little narly on Winni, but nothing like Lake O. 

We are learning. 

- Tight Lines  

Good Morning Guys,  Hoping to get up to the big lake and do some spring brown trout fishing soon.  I have been keeping an eye on the weather lately and it seems like mother nature has been dishing out a fair number of small craft warning days.  With a fair amount of that west wind also.  

Me and my Dad have been fishing out of the Salmon River area the few times we have made it up over the last couple of years.  This past fall we took a pounding one day in our 17 foot Lund fishing Mexico Bay.  Not fun.  

So I have been looking at the Sodus bay area and Little Sodus also.  It looks like there are some shoreline stretches in those areas where the west wind can be avoided to an extent.  Wondering if we can hook into some fish if we actually stay inside the protected harbors themselves also?  

Since we are staying up around the Salmon River area we aren't that excited about pulling the boat to Irondequoit Bay.  But it looks like there is a nice stretch of shoreline that would be good in a west wind down there and the bay itself looks interesting.  Was thinking about Henderson Harbor also, but thinking that the water temp may be a bit chilly up there this time of the year. 

Any suggestions would be appreciated.  Time to get the boats out!    

Nice!  I appreciate the heads ups!  

Thanks for that info.  We will be fishing out of a 17 foot aluminum.  Not something you can pick up off the trailer for sure and push or walk to some open water.

Anyone else been out poking around at the ramps yet?    

Thinking that we may end up over by Oswego for better conditions.  

Thanks for the reminder about the debris. Hopefully we bump into some spring kings also. Going to hold off on fishing until at least that weekend after St. Pattys Day. 🇮🇪🍺

Thank you.  Appreciate the info!  

Good Afternoon.  With March finally getting here after a long winter we can start thinking about some spring brown trout fishing at last.  

Down here in CT we are supposed to hit 60 degrees this weekend and hopefully some of that spring weather will hang around into next week!  

Curious if anyone could suggest a launch or 2 that may be open for launching in the next couple / few weeks?  I am hoping to do some fishing near the mouth of the Salmon River.     

Any suggestions would be appreciated!  

Thanks  

Nice..........envious of you guys.  

Something to look forward to in the spring!  

Thanks for the pics and report!  

How was that water temp looking?  Were you still able to locate any warmer pockets of water?  

And was there a magic depth?   

Thanks  

Wow those are some real nice fish!  Not sure why but this was just posted again on the site.  Looks like it is an old thread.    

Wondering if these are tribs on the eastern end of Lake O?  I have thought of doing this at a couple of spots but have never really gotten around to it.    

Looks like a fun time!  

My Dad has been preaching that to me for years. Slowly but surely I am realizing how true it is. Keeping it simple certainly has its merits. Cant lie to you and say that I didnt want to run 8 rods out of our boat though. 

Thanks for the comments on the spring fishery Chowder!  

Already thinking about March and figuring out a system that will work for us! 

Leaning toward just 1 line off of each big board and then one line down the chute. 

Sometimes less is more...........and enjoying the time on water with my Dad is more enjoyable with fewer lines in the water.   

Hey guys. I hear what your saying in these responses. Remember seeing posts about the ipilot trolling motor and the upside there. 

I dont come up in the warmer months to fish is why I am so focused on the shallower water. We are mostly trolling for browns and what ever else is around in the spring season. I realize that spring kings can be caught shallow also we just havent experienced it yet. 

There is certainly a lot to learn about fishing Lake Ontario. It is a cool challenge!

Thanks again for the responses - this forum has been great! 

Thanks again guys for the information here!  Unfortunately we don't get up to Lake O very often so this site has been great for learning about your fishery and all the different techniques used.  

Appreciate your insight and ideas!  Will have to give some of them a go for sure in the future.  

I appreciate the info on the true trips. Can they be adjusted to run away from the boat for some stealth? 

Cool. I have heard about the slide divers on this forum. Can you run noodle rods with light line with them? 

I appreciate it guys.  

Pretty much what I was thinking.  

Besides the use of the planner boards, is there another way to get the lines away from the side of the boat for line shy fish?  I would say for  fishing in water that is 30 feet or less.   

Thanks again.   

Good Morning,  

Have a question for you guys.  Usually I fish with my Dad on the big lake.  We are running a 17 foot Lund walkthrough.  Just picked up a planner board mast this past winter and have used it a time or two with some success.  The question I have is there any way to put the boat in neutral while fighting a fish that you hooked while trolling?  

Is the only option running stickbaits on the planner board lines so they float when in neutral?  We usually just have 1 line running off of each side of the boat on the planner board lines.  Then I have been running a line in the wash with some bigger shot on it.  And a flat line also off the other corner of the boat set back 125 + feet.  4 lines out total.    

Any suggestions would be appreciated.  I release most of the fish we catch and would like to be able to revive them with the boat in neutral and it also makes things easier with the boat in neutral so the second person can clear a line or net the fish without steering the boat also.  Just trying to simplify things and make it less stressful when we hook up. 

Thanks again.   

Thank you again for the few of you that posted recently. 

I appreciate the insight and especially the pics of the boats to see how others have set up their rigs!  

I hear you man. The ice season is coming! Thanks for your input. 

Thank you guys for joining in and giving your input on this.  

I appreciate it!  

Thanks for those pics!  Appreciate it and actually looked at a used Alaskan last night.  Your rig looks nice!  

Do you ever have any issues with the rigger cables getting to close to your motor?  

More often that not with just 1 other person.  

And no bench seats, just bases with swivel seats attached to them.  

50 or 60 hp tiller motor.  

Good Morning!

So I am thinking about buying a tiller model aluminum boat in the 18 foot range.  This will be a multipurpose boat.  Used for fishing on Lake O some, other rivers and lakes closer to home and maybe even some striper fishing in the ocean when condition are right. 

I love the idea of all the open space with a tiller.  My dad has an aluminum walk through so I realize the importance of that windshield for getting out of the wind.  I am thinking that I am willing to make that sacrifice though since I will also be casting out of this boat for bass, pike and other species.  This will not be just a trolling boat and I will probably mount a trolling motor to the bow.     

Looking for any opinions on mounting a couple of riggers to a tiller model boat.  Is this going to be a pain in the butt with having the seat back by the motor and not necessarily having a ton of room to get at the riggers / rod holders?   Kind of wondering if a side counsel may be a nice compromise between the tiller and a walk through. 

Any suggestions / thoughts would be appreciated.  Hope that the fishing gods have been good to you all!

Thanks!