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Late winter/early spring lakers


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Late winter/early spring lakers

I was considering making a trip to the big lake within The next few weeks out of bear creek or hughes marina and would like to target lakers after I get my fill of browns and am hoping I've got this right on how to do so. Correct me if I'm wrong but I figured all it would take would be sliding out to 20- 30ft of water and putting on deeper diving sticks off the boards and either spoons of flasher/flies off the riggers or possibly cowbells and spin and glows or am I under thinking it

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At this time of the year, most of the lakers will still be out deep.  I have found them deeper than they would be in summer.  Right now, the water along shore is the coldest water on the lake.  The deeper waters are warmer. 

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When the water out of the creeks starts flowing in at a good clip it will create pockets of warmer water near shore that will attract bait. you will find the lakers mixed in with the browns chasing the bait. In my experience it is the best time of year for fishing with live bait with spin casting methods.

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Thanks everyone just kind of had a hunch because last March when I was out up there, there were other boats working that 20- 30ft range with riggers and dipsys and looked like short cores and flatlines. Wasn't sure if they we just targeting Browns deeper or if fishing for Lakers too. Didn't figure browns because the way we were hammering them In the shallows

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Lakers will be in the 30-70' range in March. It helps to have a good spread of stuff out. Leadcores in 4-8 colors, dipsys with flasher/flies or dodger/flies within 5' of bottom. Riggers with spoons. Speed is key. Keep it below 2 mph. Use thin spoons meant for slow speed. Don't be afraid to put giant spoons out there. We typically troll along shore for brown in one direction and when we get out of good water we just loop back thru laker water. 

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7 minutes ago, Gill-T said:

Lakers will be in the 30-70' range in March. It helps to have a good spread of stuff out. Leadcores in 4-8 colors, dipsys with flasher/flies or dodger/flies within 5' of bottom. Riggers with spoons. Speed is key. Keep it below 2 mph. Use thin spoons meant for slow speed. Don't be afraid to put giant spoons out there. We typically troll along shore for brown in one direction and when we get out of good water we just loop back thru laker water. 

 

Thats using your head for more than a hat rack!!  :yes:

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On 2/12/2017 at 7:54 AM, GAMBLER said:

The lakers start to head to their normal waters in early to mid April. On warmer winters, sometimes earlier.


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In March the laker play is not a water temp issue. The lakers are there because they finished their spawn. They make nightly raids into the shoals to feed on gobies but there also smelt, gizzard shad, spot-tail shiners, and emeralds making inward movements as each day goes by. They are there waiting for the smorgasbord. 

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In March the laker play is not a water temp issue. The lakers are there because they finished their spawn. They make nightly raids into the shoals to feed on gobies but there also smelt, gizzard shad, spot-tail shiners, and emeralds making inward movements as each day goes by. They are there waiting for the smorgasbord. 


If the smelt are in the river, so are the lakers. Light tackle and big jigs or three way rigs with golden shiners or kwikfish. What a blast!!! It's coming soon


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Of you are fishing the Olcott/Wilson/Niagara Bar area lakers will be shallower. I'm not saying you will not find lakers every once and a while shallower but the majority stay deeper. When I had my boat in I bay, we used to fish lakers in 180-220' of water in early spring.


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3 hours ago, GAMBLER said:

Of you are fishing the Olcott/Wilson/Niagara Bar area lakers will be shallower. I'm not saying you will not find lakers every once and a while shallower but the majority stay deeper. When I had my boat in I bay, we used to fish lakers in 180-220' of water in early spring.


Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United

 

Brian, does the Genny get a run of smelt?

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