Newbie question about Olcott fishing

[eyecat]

I am a Lake Erie walleye fisherman that wants to make a trip to Olcott. It sounds like the fishing now is very good, however I might not be able to make it until Mid-August 15-17. Will the fishing still be good then, how far out would I have to go, etc. It seems like the big Kings are the most desired fish, but I would be happy catching anything other than walleye, so what species of fish are often caught at that time. I don know if the Browns are gone then, or if the Kings are out 15 miles near Canada, etc. I have fly fished for Steelies, and also caught then on Erie trolling for walleye.

Now you really know I am a newbee, as I don't know what a "shaker" is, Lake Trout, Steelie?

Thanks.

[battlehammer]

Eyecat-

A shaker is a first year salmon. 12-18". Once I start hooking them I usually move to try avoid

killing them. Trebles tear them up.

As far as that time of year a lot depends on the weather/wind leading up to those dates. Keep your eyes on the reports leading up to your trip. It is a good time to be in Olcott. They may be in 400' or 150'. Water temp is key. You are a little early for a consistent inside staging bite. There are so many fish around this year that so long as weather cooperates you should find a bite somewhere.

Flasher flies/ cutbait / magnum spoons will be the norm. The fish will tell you what they want.

I have never targeted browns that time of year, usually get them as incidental catch fishing inside for staging kings later in the month.

You can expect to have to deal with the spiney water fleas that time of year.

Good Luck

[eyecat]

On 7/12/2024 at 12:04 PM, battlehammer said:

Eyecat-

A shaker is a first year salmon. 12-18". Once I start hooking them I usually move to try avoid

killing them. Trebles tear them up.

As far as that time of year a lot depends on the weather/wind leading up to those dates. Keep your eyes on the reports leading up to your trip. It is a good time to be in Olcott. They may be in 400' or 150'. Water temp is key. You are a little early for a consistent inside staging bite. There are so many fish around this year that so long as weather cooperates you should find a bite somewhere.

Flasher flies/ cutbait / magnum spoons will be the norm. The fish will tell you what they want.

I have never targeted browns that time of year, usually get them as incidental catch fishing inside for staging kings later in the month.

You can expect to have to deal with the spiney water fleas that time of year.

Good Luck

Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions. I am looking forward to getting up there for the first time in August.

 

[fishin2]

Just keep a lot of space between boats. A 1/2 mile is being considerate.  Definately different game than walleye. I fish western erie as well. 

[Pair of Jacks]

Here is a good resource for wind, wave and water temps at depth along the Southern Shore of LO:  https://upstatefreshwater.org/NRT-Data/Lake-Ontario-Data/lake-ontario-data.html

 

 

[eyecat]

Thanks, are the wind apps like Iwindsurf, Windy, and Windfinder good apps for NY lake Ontario?

[Pair of Jacks]

I will defer to the experts on that question, but I use the Windfinder app only as a general reference.  I usually call local marinas to get real world weather conditions 

[eyecat]

Sounds good.

[Sportcraft 232]

Make sure your gear is ready for the salmon. Minimum 20 pound test on the reels. Big salmon will destroy light terminal tackle. Good luck.

[Mjenks521]

Also  do not use  braided line.  The sea fleas are  horrendous!!! I normally always use braided for my riggers in Erie.   After may to early June I switch to  30lb mono, wire dipsys and  lead ore or copper.   I was out 4th weekend and  I'm glad I left the braid in the truck. 

[eyecat]

I bought 4 wire rod/reel setups from a guy on fbook, so I am going to run 4 wire dipseys my first time out. If the fleas are bad, what do you use for the dipsey to lure leader?

[Mjenks521]

I run slide divers with  30lb seaguar.  I've never had a problem.   Also I'm  just a  dad and  weekend warrior that hardly ever gets out  nearly as much as I want.  I'm sure there's plenty of guys that can give you a  better  explanation and rundown on the sea flies.  I just wanted you to be aware of them.  Pretty sure if you  search older topics you can find out more.   I'm pretty sure that most run 30lb and for some reason they don't stick to the line. But please don't quote me on this.  Hopefully someone will  clarify this after they read it.

[Sportcraft 232]

I use a 6 foot 40 pound test fluorocarbon leader behind the dipsey. Any longer it will be hard to net the fish. The fleas will slide to the swivel when you reel the line in. Then you can remove them.

[Lightbringer]

If you find you're accumulating fleas on the line - one of the tips I picked up on here that works really well is to take a paint stir stick and apply 4-6 inches of the hook-side of hook and loop material (the hard half of velcro tape) to it.   When you get your line in to the boat, rub the bristles back and forth on the fleas and they shed off quite nicely.   Results are best when orienting the bristle rows perpendicular to the line, Don't go crazy (you usually don't need to), and keep an eye on your line (especially braided line) to make sure you're not damaging it.   I've used this method with great success for a few years now, with no signs of damage to any of my lines/leaders/etc.   Once you get a feel for it, it's a quick and easy way to de-flea, and a lot faster/cleaner than using your hands or a rag.

 

30 lb mono works best, steel wire diver is pretty decent, and braid is awful, when it comes to the fleas.

 

If you find you're getting fleas all over the sides or back of your boat, I've found the portable 12v washdown pumps to be great for cleaning them off before they dry and become a problem.   Works GREAT for fish slime/blood also.  Less slime/blood on the boat = less flies too!

[David Podlesnik]

16 hours ago, eyecat said:

I bought 4 wire rod/reel setups from a guy on fbook, so I am going to run 4 wire dipseys my first time out. If the fleas are bad, what do you use for the dipsey to lure leader?

It is fairly easy to remove fleas from wire. One method is to slap the wire off the surface, that should get most of them, and the ones that ball up can be removed by grasping them and sawing through them with the wire. Last week on Ontario we hit a couple bad spots but thankfully not everywhere. By the way you never encounter fleas on Erie? I have many times.

[Lightbringer]

I don't recommend slapping any wire lines on water due to risk of fatigue induced failures on the wire itself (think of bending a paperclip back and forth, it work hardens and eventually snaps).  It is effective though with braid and mono.

[Pair of Jacks]

So what is the season for fleas?

[lost a lure]

Open all year. No limit

[Pair of Jacks]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 you are welcome for that softball I served up🤣🤣🤣🤣