Looking to make first trip to lake Ontario

[Chautauqua Tony]

I would like to plan a fishing trip to lake Ontario to fish for some Kings. I have never fished to lake or for kings before. Im looking for all the advice i can get. I was thinking of going to Oswego. What time of the year is good? Where to launch? Depths? Speeds? Presentation? Basically clueless but would love to make my first trip a successful one!! Thanks for any help.

[on the lam]

Oswego is a good choice. July and August is almost a sure thing for kings. Even if you are a successful fisherman in other areas and have the proper equipment for trolling kings it would be a good idea to take a charter with a pro and pay close attention and ask questions. It will be the best money you will spend on salmon fishing. IMO. good luck

[Tim Bromund]

Chautauqua Tony,

with a name like that you wanna go across the state when directly north of you has far superior fishing for most of the year?? Olcott, Wilson and the Oak is where you wanna go, my man. King fishing rocks in Niagara County starting in late April and goes right through the end of the season, other than a couple week lull in mid june during the transition.

The only time the east end really has better fishing than the west end is late august and september and that is fishing for dark mud hens.

I agree on the Charter though, money well spent and shortens the learning curve tremendously.

Tim

[GAMBLER]

Find someone from this site from the area you want to fish and see if you can hitch a ride and learn. Pitch in for gas and bring your notebook.

[on the lam]

Tony, I had previously mentioned Oswego as a good destination due to the fact that you mentioned you were thinking of going there. If you choose to travel out west good luck. If you decide to stay east PM me after May 1st and I will be glad to take you out some time during the season.

[Chautauqua Tony]

Thanks for the advice. A buddy and I will be going to Wilson sometime in july. My friend has some experience fishing kings. What are the most common presentations and set ups for mid july?

[Yankee Troller]

Flasher Flys! Stop and fish the 80-150' area if they aren't there or have lockjaw head off shore and find them out there mixed in with the Steelies. Olcott/Oak Orchard area that time of year can be very productive. Don't hesitate to put some spoons in the mix. Greens are always a good bet.

[Chautauqua Tony]

Flasher Flys! Stop and fish the 80-150' area if they aren't there or have lockjaw head off shore and find them out there mixed in with the Steelies. Olcott/Oak Orchard area that time of year can be very productive. Don't hesitate to put some spoons in the mix. Greens are always a good bet.

When you run the flasher flys do you just flat line them off the pole? Down riggers, jet divers? lead core with spoons? What depths do you want the lures running when fishing 80 - 150'?

Basically i have 2 downriggers, a set of inline planers, dipsys and jet divers. What would be a good set up for the gear i have?

Also wondering about trolling speeds.

[Yankee Troller]

Riggers, and put them where the marks are. Typically they will be in the lower 1/3 of the water column.

[Mickey Finn]

You can run your flasher/flies on your dipsys too. With your set up, I'd start with a flasher/fly on one rigger and a spoon one the other, as opposed to stating with two flasher/flies. Sometime the flasher will bring them in and then they will peel off and take the spoon from the other rigger. Every day is different, so you just have to see what works that day. Depending on your experience, you might also want to run sliders or cheaters to get another lure or two in the water. In addition to your riggers, I'd run a dipsy off each side of the boat. Again, to start, I'd put a spoon on one and a flasher/fly on the other. Then switch to whatever is working.

[Chautauqua Tony]

Do you guys ever use lead core off the planers? Say with the spoons? Just easier than fighting a inline planer and a diver.

[Yankee Troller]

Sure we do. However, a 10 color is only good to about 50ft.

[ Post made via Mobile Device ]

[Chautauqua Tony]

Sure we do. However, a 10 color is only good to about 50ft.

[ Post made via Mobile Device ]

thats ture. from what im gathering, you usually fishing from60 - 100 ft deep in 80 - 150 f.o.w. and core wouldn't be sufficient. It sounds like im better off to skip the planer boards and just adjust my dipsys to run out the sides. Or is there a better way to get my lures down off the planer boards?

Does anyone ever use and crank baits? What speeds should i troll with the flasher flies and spoons?

Also wondering, how far back should i send the flashers and spoons back behind the boat?

I really appreciate all the info guys!

[Mickey Finn]

Most guys now are running wire line for dipsys, especially in the summer when fish are deeper and fleas are bad. I set my dipsys on a 2.5 setting to get them out to the side and figure 3 to 1 ratio. So 100 feet of wire to get down 30 feet or so. As for the riggers, usually I set back about 25 feet behind the ball with flashers or spoons but that can vary. As for speed, for me its 1.9 to 2.5 with flashers. Usually a little over 2.0, I'd say would be average for me. The most important thing for a beginner is not to over do it. Just keep it simple. Like I said earlier, stick a flasher/fly down on one rigger and put a spoon on the other. Do the same thing on your dipsys. Adjust your riggers and dipsys to the depth that you see marks and you should be good. Don't try to get to fancy.

[Chautauqua Tony]

Got ya! Sounds good. I cant wait till july . I guess it will be riggers and dipsys. Thanks for all the help guys.

Any favorite colors for mid july in the flash flies and spoons? I happened to see the Big Weenie ad on this site. Quality lures???

Thanks again for all the help!

[Mickey Finn]

We all have our favorites when it comes to colors. My better spoons are the NK28's in Lemon Ice, Natural Born Killer and Green Dolphin. I also like some of the black NK28's like the Black/Purple with silver or white bottom, black/orange with silver bottom and the black/glo green. For flashers and flies, last summer the chrome hot spot with the Pro Am fly was probably our best. I also had good luck on a blue flasher that had kind of a hammered chrome on both sides with the Mooneye fly behind it. Mirage and the Hammer fly are also good for me. I use the white spin doctors alot too. White glow and white/mnt dew work well. I wouldn't go overboard buying a bunch of this stuff because it adds up fast. I'd get myself two or three flashers and a few flies and if you don't have any salmon spoons, I'd get a half dozen or so of them to start. The NK 28's are good but there are lots of others that will work equally well. Hopefully some of the other guys will jump in here and give you some advice on their favorites.

[Chautauqua Tony]

Thanks Mickey. I may have already asked this, not sure, anyone ever use any kind of deep diving crank bait?

[Tim Bromund]

Tony,

not so much for kings other than right now in the early spring. Chasing steelhead offshore, deep diving cranks are a possiblility bus summer kings are pretty much a spoon and flasher fly bite.

I keep my boat docked in Olcott for the season. PM me when we get closer to the time you're coming up and I'll let you know what's going on. If it works out, maybe even get you guys out on my boat early into your trip and show you the ropes.

Tim

[Chautauqua Tony]

Tony,

not so much for kings other than right now in the early spring. Chasing steelhead offshore, deep diving cranks are a possiblility bus summer kings are pretty much a spoon and flasher fly bite.

I keep my boat docked in Olcott for the season. PM me when we get closer to the time you're coming up and I'll let you know what's going on. If it works out, maybe even get you guys out on my boat early into your trip and show you the ropes.

Tim

Tim,

I will do that for sure. Thanks for the offer!!

[Gill-T]

Tim, why would he want to see your ropes?

[Tim Bromund]

Chad, you a funny man

I'll have you know I've got the nicest damn ropes on the great lakes. I polish them regularly till they have a mirror like shine.

Tim

[Chautauqua Tony]

whats a good website to buy the flashers and flies from?

[Mickey Finn]

I just got some Attomik flies http://www.atommiktrollingflies.com/ the other day and even got a free one thrown in. Thanks for that! They have flashers too. I also got some flashers from Cabelas. I wouldn't go overboard buying these things though. You could get some of the better ones that guys on here speak of so that you'll have a few but I find its better to see what is hot just before you get ready for your trip and then pick some up at a local shop when you go. It might cost a couple dollars extra but at least you won't have a box full of stuff you never use.

[Chautauqua Tony]

Well i did buy a few spoons and ordered a couple flasher/fly combos from Atomik. I didn't know what was available in that area for bait shops. Im coming up July 9th. The week before is the 4th and im sure thats got to be a busy week. I'd hate to get up there and have the shops cleaned out so i figured get a few things now. I'll defiantly shot you a PM before i come to see whats HOT!

When does the king salmon start getting good in Wilson/Olcott? I'm only 2 hrs away, i may have to try and make a trip before July 9th. All this talk and info is getting me psyched to hook into a monster king!!

[Tim Bromund]

Tony, itis starting now out of Olcott. I've seen a few reports of kings this past week. the Niagara County king fishing in May is out of this world, it seems like every king salmon in the lake is parked between the bar and 30 Mile point. It slows down in June through the lake transition period (between the spring fishing and the lake sstratifying and the summer fishing starting) but usually pickes up right around the 4th of July and stays good right through the summer. Last July the king fishing out of Olcott was lights out all month.

I need to get my boat to the shop for a quick repair, but I hope to be in my slip in the next week or two.

Tim

PS the Slippery Sinker in Olcott has an excellent selection of flashers and flies.