Jeff Mick

I just picked up one of the south central hot spot maps and have been looking at the Sodus area. Seems like with a west or south-west wind you may have some options near shore in the main lake? Like the looks of that area. Do the browns run up into Sodus Bay also? Or do they stay out in the main lake for the most part?

That helps a lot JD! I appreciate you taking the time to write that response. My dad is 73 and he doesn't like being out in the rough stuff. To be honest neither do I for the most part.............unless we are into the fish big time!

Copy that. Not so sure we would enjoy fishing in 3 to 5's.

Copy. For an aluminum boat like ours is there a forecast that u only go out in? We have an early 2000's lund 17 footer with a walk thru windshield. I mean do you only fish if the forecast is for up to 1 footers?

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

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.