garrymny

Ok, so since we can't see UV, is the paint used on UV spoons actually a NEON Color? Or are they spraying on paint that has a UV color, that we can't see.....so is the paint like a water color, clear to us? I'm unclear on this. Also, since UV is on the blue/violate end, are all UV lures bluish/ violet in appearance, to the fish, since we can't see it. I guess we will never know what they see, just use it and see if it works. Sent from my XT1030 using Lake Ontario United mobile app

I hope I described this okay. Basically, I use 30 or 40 lb floro after the diver. Sent from my XT1030 using Lake Ontario United mobile app

I use 30 or 40 lb floro between the DIVER and the paddle/SD. Also, between the paddle/SD and the spoon. Also, the flies are tied on 40 lb floro. From the rod to the diver, or the rod to the paddle/SD ( if off a downrigger) I attach the braid or wire from the reel directly to the diver or paddle. Sent from my XT1030 using Lake Ontario United mobile app

I'll never give up. Got the fever now. (And a whole lot of gear)! I've caught enough of them to make me want to keep learning and hopefully catching more. Really look forward to your reports, and I appreciate your advice. My best day was a day this summer we got our two man limit. Also this summer we got a few 18 to 20 pounders. Can't wait to get that 25 to 30 pounder. Garry. Sent from my XT1030 using Lake Ontario United mobile app

Yep, I earned quick that this salmon fishing is real expensive. started out using 15 lb leaders....after losing $100 in gear, went to 40 lb.

Bob, you are killing me. I fished the same water Sunday. Could not get a bite. Tried all different speeds, all different lures/ combos. Got there about 8 am. Out late Sat night watching my friend who is the drummer for Sean Patrick McGraw. Maybe I should pay YOU to take a charter on! Finally gave up on inside water and went to 400 FOW, caught one steellhead. Back to the drawing board for me I guess. I was blaming it on staging, and non-feeding fish. That obviously is not the case. ......

The thing is, the 600- to 700 outlay all at once may not be in someone's budget, but picking away and learning little by little, and spending it in small bits is sometimes do-able. I totally understand this. Yes, in the end, a person will likely spend more over time (in both time and money) to learn what could be learned in a day's charter, but it will be spread out over time. Like buyng a car. Most take out a loan, they don't pay the 25K all at once. Sure it would be nice to be able to do, but most cannot.

Just finishing my second year of fishing LO for salmon. I did it all myself, my own boat, my own equipment, learned from this site,learned from watching youtube, learned from taking the "salmon school" up in Niagara Falls. Yes, a charter that will teach you, is a good idea, if you can afford it, but you can do it yourself and have some success. I may suggest that instead of the $700 charter, buy an autopilot, that will keep your boated in a straight line while you tends lines and land fish. In a nutshell, some of what I learned learned from fishing 2 or 3 days a week the last two years and absorbing everything and also trial and error: I am not an expert, but I do fairly well, sometimes, but I know there is allot more for me to learn. I'm Just trying to help you with the following advice: 1. You need reels that hold LOTS of line, and that have decent drags. Get the best you can afford. 2. Use 40 or 50lb braid from the reel to the diver, or 30 lb 7 strand wire. I use Chinook divers, #4. Black is what you want. From the diver to the paddle, or spin doctor, use the longest lead you can and still land the fish. If you have a dipsy rod, 10 feet long, you can use a 6- 8 foot leader from the diver to the spoon, or to the paddle/spin doctor. From the paddle/spin doctor, use a 23 inch leader of #40 lb mono or floro for flies, and a 36 inch 40# leader for a spoon. You can fish a spoon clean (no SD or paddle) behind the diver. 3. You need really heavy duty strong hooks, and sharp. 4. Glow stuff in dark days and early morning, UV when in sun. Thats what everyone says. 5. Speed should be 2.2 to 2.7, down at the lure. The GPS speed is an aid, but you need a fish hawk, or one of the others to know what speed is down there, at the downrigger ball, because of the currents. Yes, I think the fish hawk helped catch some more fish this year than last. You could use downrigger cable angles as an indication as well. Try for 45 degree angle, and vary it to see what works. 6. Best money I spent was for an autopilot. Especially if you want to fish alone. 7. Spring and summer is much better than fall for salmon. 8. Calm days are much better. Rough days, I catch very few fish. 9. Lead core, 10 colors out, catches me lots of steelhead. I use a les davis inline spinner rig ahead of my spoon. Spoon is 36 inches back behind the spinners. I put the leadcore out on a home-made paner board and home made mast to get it away from my other rods to prevent tangles. 10. Use palomar knots on terminal gear. A perfection loop also is useful, for one end of the leader, and on the other end use a HEAVY barrel swivel. For joining lines to backer or leaders, use an an albright. 11. With the diver, be sure you know which side of the boat to deploy it. you will have tangled messes if you don't. 12. East winds, or NE. Stay home. Mow the grass. Prep your gear. Take wife out for dinner (knowing when the wind shifts you will abandon her). 13. Get the biggest net you can find. Net head first. Slow the boat down if possible, but do not stop the boat. A clip ty wrapped to the handle of the net to hold the end of the net is helpful 14. 1000 feet of 30 lb wire is good for your diver rods, but wire is a challenge to keep from kinking and turning inot a spring coil......but, both my divers now have wire. 15. it is nice to pre-tie your 23 and 36 inch leaders. also some 6 and 8 footers for between the diver and the spoon or paddle. Have them ready in zip baggies so you can deploy rods quicker. 16. many times I catch fish when I see nothing on the screen. 17. many times I catch fish when i see fish on the screen 18 I feel more confident when I see fish on the screen 19 double what the wave height forecast says. 1 to 3, means 2 to 6. 20. Temperature of the water is important in locating fish. It appears in the spring and especially summer, it is more important than in the fall. It appears that 44 to 52 is a good range, from what I understand. Temperture breaks, both up and down in the water column, as well as across distances, can be important. Thermoclines. This is stuff I am still trying to figure out. 21. Locating the fish is everything. temps, scum lines (? what the hell are those) bait etc. 22. Find the bait, find the fish........sometimes. But are the fish you find hungry or sleeping? Makes a difference. I was taught to make some passes, but if no action, may be better to try to find hungry fish. 23. winds can screw you up, or make it good. how to react to the winds is important, but I have not figured this out yet, except for see #12. 24. Don't let your rods whip around on the way to and from the dock, it frays the lines, especially if you leave the diver or paddle on them. Don't do it. Check lines often, cut back occasionally when the ends get frazzled, or even if you feel suspect bad spot 25. small fish won't pop your diver or rigger release. you will drag them for hours if you don't check your lines once in a while. check your lines every ten minutes. remove weeds too. 26. fleas suck, in later summer, switch to heavy mono or sea flea line if necessary. Mono will not allow you to pop the diver.....even the DR release is hard, too much stretch. 27. mornings seem calmer, and evenings you have to deal with the afternoon thunderstorms. 28. try to put out a "program" of rods. For example, I run two downriggers, each at a different depth and each with a different lure. One with a spoon,one with a flasher and fly, or meat. I run a diver rod off each side, one with a spoon one with a flasher fly. Both will be at differnt amounts of line out. I run the leadcore off one side, on a planer board, it has an in line spinner rig, with a spoon. I always put out the full 10 colors (100 yards) of lead which gives you about 50 feet depth. So I normally have 5 rods out. If it is rough , reduce the number of rods out, gets too difficult to manage.

What is the "trench"? Can I get there out of Olcott? Sent from my XT1030 using Lake Ontario United mobile app

I found it interesting that looking at the LOC winners and top placers for salmon since 2014, very few have come from the Niagara River Bar area. Just an observation. I would think the big river would draw lots of big fish. I know the summer derby was won by a 34 pounder from the bar, but that is not the norm.....I want to get out there myself and try t, likely on sunday. I fished it a few times last year in the fall....you are right, it was a zoo.