spring kings - the bar

[slapshot]

I know that there has been alot of info. about what to use as far as stickbaits or spoons ans colors. My question is, what size is most commonly used, smaller or larger baits? Thanks,

[Just Fishin']

I can only speak for last year (1st of many springs I will be there)....but my best bite came on 28s or smaller. Did nothing on Mags.

[Storm Warning II]

Wow...

Last year we did best on Mags. Only pulled one mature on a reg. Blue Dolphin.

[Just Fishin']

Very interesting Storm Warning II, I will say this though, on a day when I did 23 fish and our other boat did 50, we could not get anything with any real size to them. I was running some mags in hopes of catching something bigger, but no luck on them at all. Our speed was also very fast, because it was working, maybe that combo got us into the smaller fish.

[ray koziatek]

man ive spanked cohos in those numbers but never kings

[Just Fishin']

I should be clearer in my posts....it was a combination of coho's and kings.

[chinook]

If you are derby fishing and consistently catching smaller targets, move from the area. I know that numbers are good to catch but if you are targeting larger kings, you may need to skirt the edges and move on. I know that goes against the grain of not leaving fish to find fish , but from my past experience and that of Ernie L. he even touched on that at the LOC presentation. Outside of derby fishing is obviously a different scenario Also, we use the J-13 which would simulate that of the smelt, with good success in the past.

[chinook]

Meant to write when Ernie gave his presentation at the LOTSA event- Not LOC- had a brain fart there.

[ray koziatek]

was just watching the weather channel 14 in. ice on lake erie 12 to 20 more snow poss on top of the 10 in already there...............al gore we need ya man talk this way......... looks like another 2007 spring brewing

[Gill-T]

I did well last spring at the bar on 3.25" smaller spoons clean or with a flasher. Most of the Kings were teenagers last year so smaller baits seemed to do better. Now, thinking ahead to this year.....all those teenagers are going to be MATURES, with plenty of them remembering the painful experience of biting a spoon. I think we will have a good plug or flasher/fly bite this spring if logic holds. Then again, fish have the brain size of a pea and I may be over-thinking it.

[ladyblugill]

I can only speak for last year (1st of many springs I will be there)....but my best bite came on 28s or smaller. Did nothing on Mags.

don't know if you got a canadian license last year or not but i've been going there for about the last 20 spring derbies and wouldn't leave home without it.with the ice water flowing out of the niagara some years it can make all the difference. it has saved more than a few derbies for us and the welland canal is always a nice option. even off the can we prefere the deeper water off the candian side of the drop. we consistantly catch the larger mature kings on that side plus theres much less boat traffic...which might have something to do with it....good luck

[Gill-T]

We were off Weller for most of the ELSO derby last year. The US side was a huge disapointment last year because of old man winter hanging on too long. I sware the seasons have shifted one month. Thank god the boom is out already.

[ladyblugill]

seems early for the boom to be out. but since the ice ended up taking out last year probably shouldn't be surprised. a section made it all the way down to the wilson/olcott area. saw a pic of it where we stay.looked like a submarine laying on the beach.

[Storm Warning II]

It IS early for the boom to be out. The wind storm we had a few weeks ago tore it apart.

The good news:

Today:

http://coastwatch.glerl.noaa.gov/modis/ ... 3.250m.jpg

Feb 24th:

http://coastwatch.glerl.noaa.gov/modis/ ... 3.250m.jpg

The ice pack on Erie is definitely breaking up. With this week's slightly warmer temps and long term trend looking warmer, photo period increasing and the lack of the ice boom in the Niagara River, we could have a lot of the ice pack gone from Erie very soon and the waters of Lake Erie consequently being able to warm more quickly than last year.

[Gill-T]

That second photo is a terrific picture of the hydrodyamics of the Niagara plume. At the head of the Plume you can see the well demarcated drop off past the red can shown as the blue water line intersecting the head of the plume and then the resulting reverse eddy north of that line that swings back towards the Canadian side. When you take speed readings on your down and temp monitors you will notice the difference inside the eastward plume vs the eddy north of the drop. You will see the difference in the downrigger cable angle as well. Two different water qualities in the summer between the two areas. When the eastward plume is too warm and debris ridden, the eddy will be cooler without the debris.

[Yankee Troller]

We were off Weller for most of the ELSO derby last year. The US side was a huge disapointment last year because of old man winter hanging on too long. I sware the seasons have shifted one month. Thank god the boom is out already.

Only the first weekend that was needed. We started doing the kings in front of Wilson the following weekend, and never headed back to the bar. On the last friday of the event my charter took home and ate what could of been the 5k fist place fish per the scale at the boatyard if they entered the derby like i asked. Last year was the latest year Ive seen up there and I have been going for almost 10 springs now. The dumb lakers were there in swarms though, so at least there were fish!