King Davy

Thanks YT...Ray.....I love King Salmon.....and have fished for them from here to Alaska.....but for me...there is no fish that fights like an Atlantic salmon. Now having said that....I've caught plenty of them on the lake up to about 18 pounds...way back in the late 80's early 90's...and they were explosive.....up in the air...and reel screaming runs...but if you ever get a mid teens of bigger fish to grab a fly or a lure with the rod in your hand......I dare say you will never forget it. Two years ago...on the St Mary's river.....at 7 PM in the evening ...on what was a hot July Day...in the mid 80's.....now cooling as the SUN got lower in the sky...the neat thing about that place is the water from Superior is dumping down past you...which never warms up ...past the high 50's.......I walked down to this pool...nobody around...just me and this piece of water....that was about 150 foot wide....it cascaded over a boulder field....with frothy energy....and widened into a pool that was like a plate of maple syrup. Ray I know you do some trib fishing...it's one of those places...that you know as you walk up holds a fish...or two. This water required me to work my way across it...because there were a couple nice holding seams close to me....before this pool ran mid river. I'm using a 14 foot English style two handed fly rod (Spey Rod) ....and a fly I designed to look like a smelt...which is the chief forage prey in Huron...as far as bait fish go......I made three or four casts covering the near shore water.....and then it was time to cover the pool's far side..... I uncorked a 120 foot cast to catch the frothy water just outside the smooth seam...and on this cast the hair raised on the back of my neck...as I truly envisioned that when my fly reached the Apex of this swing...it was going to happen.....envision the last ditch throw at the end of the football game...the wide reciever comes open deep...the QB has time to uncork the throw,.....the crowd raises to their feet with the ball in the air as they anticipate the TD...and KAAAAABOOOM !!!!! this beast of a fish in the 20 pound range grabs the fly so hard that even though I anticipated the take.....he jerked me forward.....I quick set up on him...and he came out 8 FEET in the air....way over my head...he screams out of the pool and deep into my backing..... Now Atlantic salmon don't really like to leave the pool....so i took some tension off him...and he turned around and ran right back at me.....we slugged it out for a few more minutes...with him going airborn twice more........but I stay connected.....now I have him like a puppy dog on a leash...leading him to the shallows....I'm by myself...but this is a pure silver mint dime fresh 20 pound fish from the lake...and I need to get a pic...against my rod for scale...to show my buddies...who are a mile down stream....... I pick this little channel to lead him into...this fish is mine...the guys are going to be silly with envy when they see this fish pic......Ahhh...but Mr. Atlantic Salmon had other idea's...like Rocky....turning to Mick...."I ain't go'in down no more Mick" ....this fish decides to run UP river...burying my shooting head on the Scandi line I was throwing into that frothy water that is running at about 7 MPH....and up he comes...Not once....but four times ....8 feet over my head......he was out of the water the milisecond he'd finished each jump......on the fourth jump with me still struggling to get the head out of the current he snapped 20 pound test like silly string...and was GONE! My fly line is flapping in the cool evening breeze....down stream....I'm in shock....as to the power of this fish.....I sat on a rock for about 30 minutes.....and just started smiling and laughing like a fool all by myself...talking to nobody. As I walked back to the truck...my buddies were back as well...they took one look at me...and from 100 feet away...they knew something special had happened to me...as I was babbling like an idiot.....and white as a ghost....... That's what these fish are.....and I hope we can all work together to help them have our place in this fishery... Thanks for the opportunity to tell my story....

YT....Atlantic Salmon...like steelhead are way more diverse in their forage habbits. There are many study results...that show adult Atlantic Salmon still target on a daily basis aquatic insects. The fish we see in the rivers right now...have plenty of prey fish to eat...yet they are locked in to insects....and on a daily basis are eating Duns.....probably spinners when they fall after dark...and emergers all day long. The big lake is a huge food source for acquatic prey....and remember Atlantic salmon are also able to handle a wider band of temps in the lake...and will forage on not only smelt and Aliwife, but other forage prey fish in warmer temp zones. In both Huron and Michigan where forage crashes greatly affected the Pacific salmon ....Steelhead still survived and even flurished because they will eat a bug as easily as eating a prey fish. Atlantic salmon are a very similar animal.

John....thanks for all the work the CRAA is doing....and associated groups in Canada....and I enjoyed fishing with you last week on the SR. One thing everybody should realize...that the high teens ...and 20+ pound fish you are seeing...are most likely NY stocked fish from the salmon river do to the timing of the Canada program....their fish ....are more then likely the low teens...and cookie cutter fish. We have seen significant arrivals of big Atlantic Salmon in NY waters this season..... Jim Johnson of the USGS is the program leader for the NY side and works in conjunction with DEC on our program. Jim has been awarded some pretty lucreative grant money to expand his reserach facilities...These fish are doing very well in river elements right to the low 70's in water temps.....and while not advised to fish to them when the water is that warm.....they can survive. We've enjoyed fishing for them from May through this time frame...with decent success...in river systems. An example of a fishery that has made it is the Hurion program where only 25K Salmon are stocked by lake Superior State University...and they have now since about 2004...enjoyed a return of adult fish in several year classes...in the range of 5K to 7000 fish to the St Mary's river. So in some systems....it isn't necessary to stock a huge amount of fish to get a very fishable return. In Huron...they now have both a lake trolling fishery and river fishery where anglers can actually target these fish. This program took nearly 20 years to finally get running....with how difficult it is to raise a strain in captivity that will respond to the present Great lakes systems. Finally.....last year...for the first time in over 100 years DEC in their spring netting of wild kings in the Salmon River...found several dozen WILD Atlantic salmon. With the base flow treaty ....not only is there tons of success with king salmon...but it seems the Atlantic Salmon returning to spawn through the summer and fall...are having some limited success. I'm not a total C&R angler....but rather a selected harvest angler. As a lake fisher for over 40 years....I'm well aware of fish being mortally wounded in catching...and also believe that part of the herritage of fishing is to choose to harvest some of your catch. In the case of Steelhead and Atlantic salmon...and brown trout.,..these are fish that support the fishery 12 months a year.....with Sept. through April...having many of those fish located in river systems....and in the case of Atlantic salmon they can be found in river systems 12 months a year. Steelhead were brought to the Great lakes in the late 1880's...and actually were still flurishing in some systems on LO before the stocking programs started. A very good friend of mine ...who is now with the DEC...was cathcing steelhead in the salmon river in the early 60's as a nine year old. Atlantic salmon are our herritage....and while all the fish we fish for have their place....I hope we can all get behind supporting the return of these great fish. Personally...catching them on a fly in a river....has been my greatest thrill in fresh water.....they fight like no other fish ....and they are THE most challenging....and why people pay a kings ransom to fish for them in Iceland and Russia...let alone the Maritimes and Europe. And we have them here....for pennies on the dollar. As John has asked.....let's get behind our herritage....where LO had the greatest Atlantic salmon fresh water fishery on the planet at one time. I along with John....would like to thank all of you who have posted with support of this effort. Tight Lines.

It is now 10 years since I ran my last trip. Capt'ed my own boat from 1980 until 1999. Only left the business because as CBish pointed out as the most important factor in your choices ...that family comes first. I have a daughter who is/was a marvolous athlete...and I chased her around from Virgina to Maine watching her play soccer and basketball.....and I don't regret selling the boat and my service for 1 second. I too started charter fishing at a pretty young age.....wrote for several magazines...including the Original Great Lakes Fisherman..that is now Great lakes Angler. As a kid...my dad and I fished the 1000 Island for bass and Musky's...and we used real classic fishing guides....and I always looked up to those guys. The fishing was always wonderful, but is was the fabric of the guides that made the experience some of the best memories of my life. The stories...and their attention to not only fishing detail but they understaood the legacy and history of the environment they worked in. When i started guiding...I didn't have a lot of great stories yet...but I put the time in to understand the still very young trout and Salmon fishery of the Great lakes...by also understanding the trials and tribualtions of trout and salmon of the west coast...and I got very involved with DEC on the management of the fishery. Having knowledge about methods of fishing is highly important as a guide...but also having knowledge of the environment you work in is monumental...and I was determined to be able to speak intellengently about fishing and the fish and where they lived. Because half of the metal one should have as a guide is the ability to teach. If you have spent time teaching somebody to fish...and how to do it right...and respect the environment in which these fish swim....THEY WILL REMEMBER YOU...for the rest of their lives. Stories.....many of you Like Larry and Jerry (Rebel) have now been at it pushing 30 years....in my 19 years I had everybody from just over the poverty line folks who scrapped up enough money to take the kids fishing...to Multi millionaires who came aboard with Cavier and the best champaine. Mine and My Dad's worsty nightmare - My dad was a soldier for 20 years of his life...and his Sgt Major in his company was also his best boyhood friend. One day the Sgt major's daughter called me up and wanted me to take her dad and her husband fishing for Father's day. Father's day!!!! What does that mean folks....mid June...transition time on the lake. Late transition...and we might still have the thermal bar...and be able to find bows and kings. Early transition...we might have a thermalcline established and be on fish...or we might be in Transition the worst thing that could happen and have a mix of temps and fish scattered all over the place. Of course we were in full blown transition...surface temps in the high 50's and 50 degree's 100 foot down. One huge blanket of stale water trying to stabilize from 10 foot of water to 600 foot. And I fished it ALL....i was everywhere looking for fish. To date...i had never been out and NOT had at least a few fish bite. I had failed to get a fish over the gunnels less then a handful of times probably 10 years into my fishing carrer...but never a 0-0. But this was the day. Five hours into it we are keeping ourselves amused by killing the dam dear flies that come out that time of year and bite you in the ankles. Five hours in...I called it...DEATH was something like 13:00 hours.....told the Sgt I'd bring him back on me another day. Imagine my total deflation when I talked to my dad that night...because he was eger to hear how we did. I told him the story...he staretd laughing...he said that @#$% Sgt @#$%^ is still a jinx. They were stationed in Alaska for two years...and every weekend he and my dad would go fishing for salmon, trout ...char....only my dad caught all the fish....the Sgt Major stationed in Alaska for two solid years had never caught a fish there. I was RELIEVED.....took the Sgt out a couple weeks later once the lake was set up...and five minutes in broke the Jix with a 25 pound salmon. Story #2 - Can't you catch any SMALL FISH - I had this guy call me mid July....wanted to take his son and grandson out fishing half day...just wanted to see the 7 year old little guy catch a trout or salmon. I said great let's go. They show up...Grandad was a big guy about 6'6'....his son wasn't into fishing at all and had no intention of fighting a fish...and then the grandson...typical seven year old kid. July Sandy was great salmon fishing in the 80's....and I had been hitting the kings on a regular basis off the drop at Braddocks lighthouse point....But this kid was pretty little so I figured we'd go out off the Green Can at the shaols...and hook up an LT or brown trout and have some fun. I roll into the slot...and get set up. have a diver out...and it takes off while I'm setting the second line...right away i know it's a nice king....I had a harness on board for kids and ladies who were not used to fighting big powerful fish....strapped the kid in...but with a 10 foot dipsey road...the diver and a 20 pound + king...it was just a matter of minutes Gramps and I knew...this first fish was too much for him...so Gramps took the rod...while his son and grandson watched. I continued to set some rigs and gramps winched and groaned and got this silver beast to the net....they didn't want the fish...so I left her in thhe water...twisted the spoon free and off she went...I no sooner put the net down when the starboard outdown....started screaming...I looked at Gramps...who looked at his son.....we both already looked past his grandson....his son...said no thanks dad...sso gramps still out of breath from the 20 pounder started in on the next fish. Few minutes later he lands a 25 pounder.....click a picture...release the fish.....start to set the rod and the port stern rigger is nose down tip in the water SCREAMING with a third salmon..and I haven't even had a chance to turn around and go back through my LORAN coordinates...(that's right...no GPS yet).....this is a HEAVY fish....gramps is sweating...and I'm worried Gramps might keel over on me...so he grabs the rod...but turns to me and SNEARS....CAN"T YOU CATCH A SMALL FISH FOR MY GRANDSON??????? A little while later he lands a 32 pound silver hen....just full of it....slumps down in the boat....and says No MASS. I do miss the people....but I've always said the only people that work harder then fishing guides are farmers. I'm very happy to fish for fun and not for pay anymore....

I think we have to take into account the fact that for the past 8 years the DEC has been doing a yearly seining study on the salmon river in May and June. capturing wild king salmon smolts working their way to lake Ontario. I've participated in this study. Other then the spring of I think 2003...where the fall of 2002 was very dry and poor natural reproduction...Cape Vincent Biologist Dr Mike......(can't think of his last name at the moment...get over 50...and the memory starts to leave you) has detailed results that says between 3 and 6 million smolts successfully hatch out of the Salmon river. This is due to since 1998 the base flow agreements with the power companies that have run the powerstation up in Altmar. Doesn't make sense to me that all of this great fishing is only due to the 1.6 million fish that are planted. I truly believe Pen rearing has been succeessful...but combine that with a shot in the arm of another (on Avg. 3.5 million salmon smolts.....you are going to have even with a 2 or 4% survival rate three and four year classes of fish that raise the total in the lake by several thousands. The alewife population fluxuations are legendary on our lake...they get real low...but they bouince back. Wild fish in any species...and I've had the pleasure of fishing for many wild species in Canada and Alaska....are historicaly much better at survying poor food web situations then stocked fish. Funny that with only 100 CFS of water running out of the salmon river they are getting solid pushes of fish daily right now into 70 degree water...while the rest of the warm water rivers are not. I believe these are wild salmon...that are much more tolerent of the natural conditions then the stocked fish....and they run regardless of the river temp. We won't know for sure until we get into the new tagging routine that DEC is lobbying to employ if they get to spend some of the Hooker Chem money....where they can tag all the stocked fish without handling them...and use the same scanner whne the fish come back as adults to see if they are wild or stocked. My theory is that we probably have more adult wild fish then stocked fish now. Wild fish in this kind of stressed system will survive to adulthood better then stocked fish...they will be smaller...but their numbers will be decent. There is a Salmon River lake ontario strain of king salmon...and they will survive food web fluxuations....and in doing so will fluxuate in their size as well. On a wet fall...and wet spring many streams on the south shore have produced wild fish...including our Sandy Creek. DEC the past two years have also netted a significant number of now wild COHO salmon....hows the Coho fishing been ????????? Soooo...what I'm saying...we have many more salmon then we plant...a higher % wild then one would guess...that naturally won't grow on Avg. per year class as big...but survive better in stressful conditions....and create a sound fishery.

Fireplug...FWIW.....with the cold water up-welling....we have right now...the Summerville pier would be good. Today...At The Oak reported kings rolling all over the inshore waters at oak orchard....so you can fish those piers...but it's 40 minutes west down the parkway.

Hi lavar....looks like you have some updated info. It's been a long time since i was jigging up trout on LO...but we used Salt water style jigs and Back in the day the Catalog for Offshore Angler (part of the Bass Pro corp)....had plenty of jigs from 1/2 ounce to the stuff we used. I would think they have a catalog on line. We used 12 pound test...back in those days i used 12 pound test for everything...but no fleas in those days....I liked Ande' line because it has very little stretch...but you want a little give. We jigged with the boat rods which were 9' ugly sticks...but again...if you are working under 100 foot of water...a nice 7 or 8' rod ...with a fast action butt...power flex mid section...and a soft or slow tip would be ideal. You have to set it hard when down deep...and those hard mouths. I've caught 1000's of fish trolling...and I enjoy it...but there is no more fun way to catch fish...then to get them to take a bait...while the rod is in your hand...Night and day. if i get back into boating on the lake again some day...I will absolutely perfect chasing trout and salmon with mooching...or jigging gear....if you can perfect that style...you won't be dragging lures around. We used to fish the canyons of LO during the thermo bars...locate schools of steelhead...then break out the fly tackle and catch them near the surface stripping a streamer...in 600 foot of water....man that was off the hook... I actually hat steelies raise to a Bumble Bee dry fly i tied....out deep. Crazy fun....just have to be willing to learn and try other tactics.

Yes it can be done...and has been done...and your finger lakes training will help you out. I have a friend...who used ot post on this board in the fingerakes section..."BigGuy'....he's jigged up some kings this time of year in open water. Most good jig fishermen are using "Flasher" units ...so they can locate fish...and on the flasher you can see the fish and your jig...and actually watch the fish move to the jig. A couple years ago Toby hung three or four kings in ther high teens to low 20's...using this method. Simply located some big hooks in open water...Off Sandy BTW out about 150 foot of water and had at em. Using flukes, or soft plastics. Back in the 80's we've jigged for lakers off sandy...caught one down about 250 foot once....4 ounce jig used in Flaming Gorge Utah. I tell ya...if the fishermen ever gave jigging a chance...and worked at it...and you felt those fish grab a bait...trolling would not be the method of choice to catch these fish. Now you are 1v1 with the fish start to finish.

Nice going Joe....looks like my old stomping grounds is holding a lot of leader board fish. I was out there a couple weeks ago...on a shake down cruise in a little 14 foot LOWE.....no gear on it yet...(not my boat either)..and running out of Sandy brought back a rush a great memories.... Have to get back into it some day...right now...running all over North America with a fly rod in my hand fishing from Mexico to Alaska...great fun...but I do miss the lake fishery and especially Sandy Creek. Good luck in the LOC...probaby see you this fall some time.

BP...you should get a lot of feed back here from folks who've spent a lot of time on the water. I did some exhaustive studies on this subject over the last 35 years on LO.....Cold fronts essentially means Barometric changes...and in the case of an approaching cold front a steep drop depending how fast it's moving. My experience is easily put this way. T&S are affrected by an approaching front....and in the case of T&S...I can say as many times as they've negatively been affected...I've had them turn on. I have documented days...when the front gets in over us...and I've litterly had five rods bounce free all at once... If they are on the bite and the front comes in....I've had them shut down... Fish will move on the front as well...so they are "Active'...but the activity might be simply they are repositioning in the water column....and many times I've had them move a little further off shore...so if you can fish through the front...and you've lost the bite...i start to work north and run North and South ovals...to locate them again. So my answer...is they are affected...can be a positive or Neg affect...but they will be doing something for sure...not just siting there so to speak...but running for cover or repositioning...from the affect of the pressure drop. As you know bass...go deeper....but they can be caught on the cold front...just follow them out...many times the same thing for me on the T7S.