Sodus 8/1 - 8/3 (including Salmon Slam)

[reelintense]

Well its about time I posted again.  Been a very busy year, with much less fishing time and even when I have been able to fish, it aint been all that good, most of the time.  This weekend showed me again the bi-polar'ness (if that is a word) of Lake Ontario this year. 

 

We were able to get out for a few hours on Friday morning 8-11:30am, as part of the Big Fish Friday for the Sodus Bay Salmon Slam and we almost crushed them.  Or not!!!  We set up in 140 fow and headed north.  Not much wind/waves and not exactly sure what to expect in terms of screen.  We took a rip only 10 minutes into the trip, and then gone.  A few minutes later we picked up a nice 5 lb steelhead on a Yellow NBK stinger on the 60 rigger over 160fow and it started to look promising.  Some marks and small bait, along with a ton of sea fleas!  That was a story in of itself all weekend, so I will stop there and just say they are the worse I have seen in my time on this lake the last 15 years.  Downrigger cables and probes, covered in them.  Hooks on my rigger spoons even had them!  Diver wire so covered in them, I lost an entire set up after trying (stupidly) to smack the water with 50 foot to go.  Last time i will be lazy about that!  UGH.  Anyways, we worked in and out from 160-240 fow and only took one more rip on a 300' diver, and nothing.  One fish and figured it could only get better the rest of the weekend. Sadly we had to get off the water to run some kids around and do errands. 

 

Saturday morning was the Salmon Slam, and my vet George, who I took out 2 years ago, asked for me again and I was honored to give him that opportunity.  We left port at 6:30with a Coast Guard and Sheriffs Office escort from Arney's to the Lighthouse.  We were NOT greeted by waterspouts and waves this year, but by calm seas!  Set up again in 140' and headed north west, putting out 3 riggers with spoons at that 55' 70' and 85', where the thermocline appeared to be and 4 divers with spin doctors and flies...2-Mag's on a 1 setting back 200' and 225' and 2-Std on 2.5-3 settings back 300' and 325' and then a 10 color leadcore with steelie stomper spoon on church board to keep them honest.  Took two quick rips on the 325' diver in the first hour or so, both gone in 10 seconds.  After that, the next 4 hours we trolled 160-240 back and forth.  Reports from deeper water were the same as the water I was in.  Not much going during that time except for occasional fish.  A king here, a brown there, some small steelies.  Changed up lures (and cleaned fleas) every 30minutes and NADA.  Then about 10-10:30 the second bite kicked in and a lot of the boats were getting nice steelheads from 6-almost 11 lbs.  A few more kings, but not a lot, were taken.  We managed a 12.5lb king on a white SD/green crush with green/blue ATOMIK Tournament Fly, and then not long after that the 60 rigger with UV Mixed Veggie fires and rod just doubles over and then screams out over 200' and then a nice fish jumps out of the water and I am hoping for a nice steelhead.....!  Turns out it was a king, just under 10 lbs, but my Vet was very happy with the action on that king, on a downrigger rod vs Dipsy.  Had one more hit after that and nothing.  But after seeing how tough it was for everyone and the number of kings under 10lbs, I was happy we got 2 of them for our vet to enjoy!

 

Sunday morning was almost cookie cutter as Saturday, with near flat seas.  We took my buddy and his friend out and set up around 6:30in that same 140 fow and headed more west.  Took a rip at 160' on the 85' rigger and nothing home.  Then we fished the next 7 + hours going 10 for 11, with basically the same set up as Saturday.  However I stayed almost entirely between 160-190fow going east and west.  I found bait, marks and good water in there and after setting a waypoint off Maxwell, I ran up and back for 6 hrs taking 1 steelhead on a 10 color leadcore with Steelie Stomper, 3 smaller kings on rigger spoons, Black Widow and Mixed Veggie again and 6 very nice kings on the divers, 18#, 17#, 13#, 8# 6# and 5#'s respectively.  We doubled 3 times during this stretch, which always makes things more interesting.   The best part of this might have been as we were reeling in another king and I was ready with the net, the 10 color starts screaming like it was hooked on bottom.  We were in 190fow, and the reel starts screaming and the orange church board is gone under the water and for 10-15 seconds it just tears line.  I am dropping net, turning to get to the line and start figuring out how to set a hook with the planer board no where in site.  Gave the rod to my buddy and said hold this til the fish stops running.  Then it stops and I tell him to reel, cause I am guessing it turned to run towards the boat, but it spit the hook instead.  In the last 3 years I have gotten 2 kings at 25lbs and one at 22 lbs on a 10 color and never have they done that to a planer board.  I have no idea what I hooked, but man did that get us pumped. 

 

Wish I could have stayed out, as we took fish all the way til we pulled lines to head in at 2pm.  Was finally a good day, although still smaller kings than the last 2 years, they are fighting like spring kings.  No color changes yet, so I still suspect spawn will be later than normal.  MY two cents.  Hopefully will be able to fish all weekend again this weekend!  Summer is winding down!

 

tight Lines all! 

 

Jason

[Huntin' Trout]

Excellent report and gald to see they turned on Sunday - nice work!! Whats the term "never leave fish to catch fish" I think many of us did just that last weekend

[momay4000]

_{Jason - great report.}

 

_{I did the same thing as you on Saturday and lost a meat twinkie rig and a diver when I was trying to smack the fleas off the wire. It just snapped off.}

 

_{Good luck out there - I'm glad to see your reports again,}

 

_Chris

[MTpockets]

Don't do that

Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United mobile app

[Kooter469]

Great report! hopefully the fleas move out. worst iv seen in my 5 years on the lake.

[Finders Keepers]

Yeah, those fleas are unbelievable this year, and I too joined the "dipsy rig lost" club last Friday trying to clean the fleas! Man, if someone had a submersible they could load up!!

[tiogafishaddict]

I got very lucky. Whipped the dipsey rods twice. When I was ready to put them back out I noticed the steel line frey in a very small spot. Didn't think doing that would cause that damage.

[machzrcr]

 glad to see you got  out and into some kings this weekend!     One of our kings this weekend a 25lb hen  was starting to darken up already!  

[longbow]

Folks are telling me to use PAM on the lines etc. and it will keep the fleas at bay.  Let  me ask when you say set out at 325' is that behind the boat as in length of line?  thanks

[reelintense]

Yeah, those fleas are unbelievable this year, and I too joined the "dipsy rig lost" club last Friday trying to clean the fleas! Man, if someone had a submersible they could load up!!

 

Probes, downrigger weights and divers/flasher/flies at the bottom of this lake will make future geologists in the year 22,534AD wonder what the heck we were doing????  LOL

[reelintense]

Folks are telling me to use PAM on the lines etc. and it will keep the fleas at bay.  Let  me ask when you say set out at 325' is that behind the boat as in length of line?  thanks

 

Never have used PAM, and not sure what scent to run? LOL  Don't think I will do that because of the potential of smelling fish away.  As for divers, yes...that is the line counter distance.  With Divers you really need to know what distance they are behind the boat, because that helps determine what depth they run at.  A standard dipsy at a 2.5 setting on the dial, with a boat speed around 2.5mph, will dive about 3 to 1 ratio, so 325' is about 110 feet down.  I run standard dipsy's with their rings on the outside on a #3 setting, so I am covering away from the boat that 100-110' down.  The mag divers I run with their rings attached, I run at a #1 setting and the ratio is 2 to 1, so at 240' it would be about 120' down or so and closer to the boat, so these are run on the inside, if your running 4 divers (2 per side).  I try and keep about 75'-100'+ spread between the two divers.   if you don't have line counters, you can count passes across the reel, but I find that hard and tedious to do.  IMHO

 

Jason

[GAMBLER]

Nice report Jason!

[longbow]

Ok thanks.  PAM to me smells like fish oil sort of anyways.  Boat has been in the shop for a month and is now ready so will report back about the PAM thing.  thanks

Edited August 5, 2014 by longbow