struggling this weekend

[fishn]

Just getting back into trolling again after about 8 years or so.  Fished out of the oak this weekend with spin doctors/flies, echips/flies, spoons, etc.  marked plenty of fish in the 60-80 range(temp seemed a bit lower) . watched fish come up and then not hit.  what gives?  running 2 riggers with 2 lines each stacked 10-20 apart and 2 dipseys.  I felt like we threw the tackle box at them but only picked up a few skippers over the 2 days.  Lost a few as well, but feeling a bit discouraged. spent most of our time out deep with the pack. feel like I must be missing something fundamental.  Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks

[Guppy35]

I'm not sure what the reason is, but i was on a charter yesterday for 11 hours of fishing and we had the same thing.  We ended up landed two over 22lbs, and a few between 8 & 15 lbs.  Boated a total of 6 fish, but marked bait and bigger fish all over the screen.  They came up and looked but most wouldn't hit.

[Rambo93]

Not to steal the thread buy how can you tell they came up and looked? Still getting used to reading our new sonar.

[bout time]

this has been happening all over the lake recently. when this happens try adjusting your speed either faster or slower to see if that will trigger them. also dont be afraid to raise or lower your presentation until you find "the sweet spot". it is frustrating seeing them all over but no rods firing.

 

this was my screen Satueday for almost 2 hours before a rod fired.

 

[skipper19]

I have seen the streakers coming in and usually it means you could be fishing a bit out of the fishes hang out temp. I have seen them climb from depths and go down through the riggers from above and keep going off the screen way down.

If they hang behind the set for a bit, sometimes a speed change will trigger a strike. Sometimes a presentation called the mupp set where you pin a mag size spoon 6 - 8ft above a 28 size spoon of the same pattern will entice a strike as the fish peels away off the mag spoon and sees the 28 size as a smaller straggler and right over its head as it dives off. A second chance meal, so to speak.

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[Gill-T]

We crapped the bed Sat. on the inside waters as well.  Marked a TON of bait with great water temps and current off Olcott.  Only two fish in 5 hours of trolling.  The inside bite for what ever reason did not happen this weekend.  I thought for sure fish would be staging closer to shore but as usual, the fish dictate.  Kings are staging offshore right now.

[Yankee Troller]

I'm not sure what the reason is, but i was on a charter yesterday for 11 hours of fishing and we had the same thing.  We ended up landed two over 22lbs, and a few between 8 & 15 lbs.  Boated a total of 6 fish, but marked bait and bigger fish all over the screen.  They came up and looked but most wouldn't hit.

 

What port did you fish from?

[skipper19]

Not to steal the thread buy how can you tell they came up and looked? Still getting used to reading our new sonar.

If your sonar has dual frequency, the wide cone usually 50 or 83 khz will pick up the rigger weights as a steady line where you set them at. From there you can see a fish come into the sets as a line that moves up or down into the zone of your sets, known as a "streaker". The angle of your transducer and the level of your boat will dictate how much you see of your rigger sets. I have mine on split screen, and I see all three weights trolling as far down as 100 to 110 feet before losing the deepest one due to blow back or current on the 50 khz side. The 200 khz side can see the track of the weights only faintly at any depth. That is where I like my transducer angled. See the weights on 50 real plain, just make them out on 200 while trolling normal speeds of 2.4 to 3 mph.

Mark

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[Fish Hunter]

Streakers, or lookers, can respond to pulling the ball up when you see that going on, or at least from what we've seen.

[Guppy35]

Yankee Troller - - - We were on Bob Kitchen's (Good Times Charter) boat on Sunday out of Oak Orchard.  We fished the 23 - 27 line i believe.

[Yankee Troller]

Gotcha

[Keep'n it Reel]

Mr. Good time their offered me a deck hand job this past spring at a sportsman show

[Big Water]

 offered me a deck hand job

 

 

 

 

 

I'm speechless!!!               Sorry, couldn't resist!

[Yankee Troller]

offered me a deck hand job

I'm speechless!!! Sorry, couldn't resist!

Hahahahahahahahaha

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Lake Ontario United mobile app

[Has Been]

It is my experience that every day that goes by now ,the fish become more & more finniky to catch, Try not to "Crowd the zone or put to much stuff in the strike zone. Also I don't like to mix what I have down to much. I stay for the most part with what is proven for me in the past this time of year.

 

 

 My best setup the last few weeks is A flasher fly or meat on one out & down & A spoon ten feet below & one ten feet above the flasher  on the other side. I will run one or two dipseys w/ flasher fly or meat  & that is it for the most part.

 

 Hart to beat a silver & black green glo spoon in 28 or mag size. Glo frog or Lazer spook.

 

 Flashers for me are a white crush glo /mirage  fly or white mtn dew & glo or hypnotist fly. leads of 25-40 ' for me

 

 Fish the marks & below them. Good luck & be patient. If you see bait & fish and they don't hit turn & attack them from a different angle & do slow turns over them .

[Jbasile]

It is my experience that every day that goes by now ,the fish become more & more finniky to catch, Try not to "Crowd the zone or put to much stuff in the strike zone. Also I don't like to mix what I have down to much. I stay for the most part with what is proven for me in the past this time of year.

My best setup the last few weeks is A flasher fly or meat on one out & down & A spoon ten feet below & one ten feet above the flasher on the other side. I will run one or two dipseys w/ flasher fly or meat & that is it for the most part.

Hart to beat a silver & black green glo spoon in 28 or mag size. Glo frog or Lazer spook.

Flashers for me are a white crush glo /mirage fly or white mtn dew & glo or hypnotist fly. leads of 25-40 ' for me

Fish the marks & below them. Good luck & be patient. If you see bait & fish and they don't hit turn & attack them from a different angle & do slow turns over them .

[Keep'n it Reel]

Similar reactions all the way around haha

[Has Been]

You guys don't like my  set up? I catch a lot of fish the way.

[hawkeye625]

Think they are reacting to the "deck hand job" not your set up...Heck of a way to book charters!!!

Slow fishing but at least you get a happy ending.

[LongLine]

Next time you see a screen like that, run to you rigg'r, grab you rod and give it a big jerk.  This will" pop the release" & your lure will flutter up to the surface.  Often nails a fish if you're running Black's style releases.  With pinch pads, you might just wear out your rubber.  If a fish doesn't hit it, at least it'll work off some of your frustration and you might as well change lure anyways.

 

Tom B.

(LongLine)

 

(Man, I can hear the snickers about jreking off in the back of the boat now.)

[fishn]

Thanks for all the advice and humor!