Second Try on Lake Ontario

[Pete Collin]

Hello All,

 

After a successful first trip going for lakers, i couldn't get back out there fast enough.  So I launched Sat. afternoon with a good breeze and rolling waves.  Totally different trip from the last one.  The fish moved out of the area where they had been.  there was a continuous carpet of baitfish down there, with not a boomerang among them.  It was impossible to slow troll.  The wind wanted to push me way faster than I wanted to go, and trolling into the wind is not possible when you are by yourself.  Jigging didn't work, even with two bags out.  The boat was moving too fast.  I sat and thought about what to do or try.

 

It had been really hot for a week.  What do coldwater fish do when it's hot?  They go deeper.  Looking around an area 40 feet deeper than before, the screen lit up.  Cool.  In a stroke of good luck, the wind was blowing in a good direction to troll.  So I let down a meatball rig and watched the lure action beside the boat.  There was enough motion to give it a good flutter.  Also cool.  Down went the line and I had a nice bottom bounce going with just the breeze to push me.  I discovered that I could cut the wheel so the lower unit acted like a rudder, pointing the bow downwind.  This enabled me to put a second meatball rig down.  So now I have two lines down among a good batch of blips and bait, drifting along, waves giving the rods a tug every few seconds.  I caught two lakers one after the other.  This got me really excited.  I used my smarts to figure out how to catch them under tough conditions.  I was poised to give the fish a good hosing!  Nice and quiet with no burbling motor, no exhaust fumes, no need to steer!  Then the wind died.  That killed my "blow troll" technique, and trolling under power couldn't get any to bite.  Oh well.

 

Pete Collin

 

www.pcforestry.com

[skipper19]

Very good adaptation Pete! By meatballs..you are talking about 1 pound balls on a 3 way?

Mark

Sent from my PC36100 using Lake Ontario United mobile app

[Pete Collin]

Yes.  It's just a scaled- down Seth Green rig.