Kings...what's up this year?

[Storm Warning II]

Is it just a far below normal year for stocking a few years back?  An over-abundance of bait that has them eating "natural" as opposed to metal and mylar offerings?

 

Why so few matures???

[Gill-T]

A little on the stocking.... a lot on the weather.  The numerous east wind days on Ontario and the cool basement layers from the cold winter have combined to change the normal cycle we have enjoyed in past years.  You need to only look at the Niagara plume how it has been blowing out the top instead of staying tight to the shoreline.  The result is cooler water is allowed to push into the near-shore areas.  For every action there is a reaction.  The Niagara is pushing out in a NE direction and the result is a backfill of cool water along the shore.  We need to have sustained SW or W winds to correct this.  All season the daily wind direction has been from seemingly different directions.  There is a greater toilet bowl effect going on with most of the lighter warm water offshore on the West end from the spinning winds.  Majors are probably out there but spread out all over the offshore areas as they never really had to leave their winter pattern.  Instead of moving inshore to green water in May, the green water came to them.  No reason to leave.  My theory could be a huge pile of crap also

 

and yes every king I have caught was LOADED with alewives, so much so that the porkers are not pulling drag as much as they usually do.  I have been surprised a few times when I swear I had a Lake Trout on the line only to find a FAT Coho or Steelhead that was too stuffed to scrap.

Edited August 6, 2014 by Gill-T

[Yankee Troller]

I'm sickened by the fishing this season. If we didn't have "those other fish" to target we'd be hurting! I first thought everything was just behind, but I'm now to the point that I think we lost a year class due to the low water a few years back at the Salmon River, or the harsh winter we just experienced. We (CYS) fish the PRIME areas of the Lake when they are PRIME. We had 1 good week of fishing up on the Niagara Bar, and since then it's been spotty at best. However, the fish we are catching give us a great outlook for the next few seasons! Lots of 1 and 2 year olds, and lets not forget to mention the extra 155,000 Chinooks the DEC put in this Spring.

 

Let's also look at the big picture. Honestly, I strongly dislike fishing for anything else but Salmon. The last few years we've been SPOILED beyond belief with the Salmon fishing we've had. However, this has given the "other species" a break, and we are seeing some REALLY nice Steelhead out there this year as well as some giant Lake Trout.

[Sk8man]

I guess my talk on it after a few times out this season is that the kings of the past just aren't out there period now.  I think DEC better get going on increasing the stocking or the next few years will be dismal because whatever happened to the year classes that didn't show in numbers may happen to these juveniles as well..

Edited August 6, 2014 by Sk8man

[Larson 1750]

Super! Looks like I picked the perfect year to back off on the Bass/Walleyes and launch close to home in the big O. Spent millions on rods/reels/ tackle/down riggers and now this? I can't buy a decent fish! Sounds like a great time to be the newbie learning every time out. Not giving up! Bound and determined to land a good one!

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[Rich D]

We are missing a portion of the 2 year old fish, remember this years adults were stocked in spring of 2011. The fall of 2010 we had flood on the SR, so the hatchery got its kings, but the fall of 2011 was just the opposite. So we did not get our full stocking in the spring of 2012, which would be out 2 1/2 year class this year. The kings that are being taken are mostly either 1 1/2 yrs old or 3 1/2 years old. The winds we have had this year has really played havoc on our fishing this year. I agree with Vince about the increased stocking of fish in the near future, whether it be kings, cohos or mix of bts or steelies. Everything seems to be 2-3 weeks behind, if these adults are hiding, they should be showing up on the east end in a week or two, we will see if this happens. If not, then the DEC has come clean about is actually being stocked, because there will not be the fish needed to get our eggs again this. Time will tell, mother nature is Deff playing hard ball with is this year. Good luck, and enjoy your time on the water.

Capt Rich.

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[Tim Bromund]

I don't necessarily think we lost a year class, what I think happened is the weather and therefore, the lake on the west end has been so unsettled and unstable this year, that the big slug of fish that normally park themselves off our shoreline every summer kept moving til they found stable water. The east end seemed to not be as radically affected as the west end did, so that's where they ended up. From the reports all summer, it sure sounds like they've had much better early summer king fishing than they normally do.

What that tells me is the migratory kings that we normally have access to for most of the summer before they start heading east after the second week in August, are already home and they aren't going anywhere at this point in the season, so the guys on the west end are only fishing for the resident fish that will be running the local streams this fall.

Then again, this may just be s SFT on my part (Stupid Fish Theory).

Tim

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[Gill-T]

 

 

 

Seriously, what is the Niagara doing?  Currents are all FUBAR'd this year.

[Big Water]

Admittedly, I have much less experience on Lake O than most members here, but what strikes me is the number of skippys I had caught (or actually didn't catch) 2 years ago.  Four years ago (my first year there) I was having problems with how many I had caught and reviving them after dragging them for some time.  Two years ago, I barely caught any.  If this correlation holds, two years from now should be a banner year because I can't keep them off of my hooks this year. 

[Rich D]

Tim, I agree about the winds pushing the water around, but the east end does not have the kings yet. We get spurts of fish here and there, but the numbers we normally see are Deff not here. Time will tell if the big dogs show up.

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[baitrigger]

My SFT is a little different. I chose to believve the 40 lbers are swimming in one big wolf pack and all at once we are going to have them turn on. This will be a season made up of three stellar weeks. Im thinkin 20 plus matures in eight hours on a daily basis. Regardless of the science and track record this season. This is what I choose to believe. ROCK THE KINGS!!!

[Gator]

This is what I choose to believe...

 

I get where you're coming from. I'm handsome, well-adjusted and women love me 

 

Hey, it works!!!

 

Seriously though, it's crap out there. I'm losing the faith. Sandy usually only gets about six weeks of prime king fishing every summer before the bottom falls out in August, and our backs are against the wall now. I'm not sure we'll ever know for sure why, but at least the runs this year in the Salmon River should answer whether the big dogs were playing hide-and-seek this summer. 

[baitrigger]

Gator, you get me. The fish will stage and run the niagara as well. We will see. Potental for a late run is obvious.late june and july were not good to us last year, but august provided two very good weeks. If you look at the reports things are picking up. It was a tough season. August has never been a disappointment. Get ready...they are coming. Somebodys gonna win $25000 in the loc. Almost 100% of the guys on here will boat a half dozen matures in the nxt thirty days. This is the time we look forward to. There is nowhere else i want to be this month. Game faces on. The bills are playin it is getting cooler out. They are coming.

[salmonboy41]

This is what I choose to believe...

 

I get where you're coming from. I'm handsome, well-adjusted and women love me 

 

Hey, it works!!!

 

Seriously though, it's crap out there. I'm losing the faith. Sandy usually only gets about six weeks of prime king fishing every summer before the bottom falls out in August, and our backs are against the wall now. I'm not sure we'll ever know for sure why, but at least the runs this year in the Salmon River should answer whether the big dogs were playing hide-and-seek this summer. 

Agreed the tell all is going to be when fish run or maybe don't run.

 

I'm sickened by the fishing this season. If we didn't have "those other fish" to target we'd be hurting! I first thought everything was just behind, but I'm now to the point that I think we lost a year class due to the low water a few years back at the Salmon River, or the harsh winter we just experienced. We (CYS) fish the PRIME areas of the Lake when they are PRIME. We had 1 good week of fishing up on the Niagara Bar, and since then it's been spotty at best. However, the fish we are catching give us a great outlook for the next few seasons! Lots of 1 and 2 year olds, and lets not forget to mention the extra 155,000 Chinooks the DEC put in this Spring.

 

Let's also look at the big picture. Honestly, I strongly dislike fishing for anything else but Salmon. The last few years we've been SPOILED beyond belief with the Salmon fishing we've had. However, this has given the "other species" a break, and we are seeing some REALLY nice Steelhead out there this year as well as some giant Lake Trout.

Same here I thought everything was late and when the kings showed up on the bar about a week before the pro am I was like ok here we go! Then by the second Niagara pro am the salmon where gone even though there was huge amounts of bait. I've been telling myself that they will show up but IDK. I have three theory's one the weather has messed everything up and the salmon will show up in late August to stage. two there is so much bait in the lake now that it is causing the fish to spread out over the lake instead of schooling up in the western end. Three we are totally missing a year class and I'm not totally sure why.

[Sk8man]

Just another take on this but I'm wondering if something major happened to a couple of the previous year classes whether weather wise or other stuff such that they are showing up in very poor numbers now. There have been reports all over the place that few if any fish are being marked as in years past. I know this won't be a popular comment but I also wonder about the cumulative effects of fishing pressure all around the lake now that many more folks on both sides of the pond have "dialed in" and are much more effective than in years past because of better understanding of the areas fished, improvements in equipment and technology, and increased effectiveness of the harvesting methods. Although Ontario is a big lake and there are a lot of fish in it....kings are very heavily targeted by many people and this is not an infinite resource folks despite what we all might wish to believe. This is also not meant to be "accusatory" in any way of us sports fishermen, charters etc. just something to think about as a possibility when trying to figure out what is going on out there.....the picture is very different that it was a couple years ago.

[Popeye]

OK enough! Every one just take a Xanax and relax. Let's repeat what everyone just said. Migratory, bait, weather, currents. Its a big pond. The fish are out there. With winds flipping we have all seen them, just not as long as we would like to. These fish move and will go with the flow. Would I like to believe that all the 40 # kings will be parked off Fair Haven on August 23rd, YOU BET! Reality is they, can, will, and do move. We wish they were more predictable than they are, but take this opportunity to round out your skills on our other great species.

[Gill-T]

The only other thing that might contribute to the "lost year class" theory was the presence of VHS in Gizzard Shad collections from last year's die off in the spring.  No proof of VHS in Kings on Lake O, but one could extrapolate if Gizzard Shad are carrying VHS and Kings feed on Gizzard Shad, then Kings might come in contact with VHS.  I choose not to believe this one but it is conceivable.

Edited September 3, 2014 by Gill-T

[JakeyBaby]

I'm sickened by the fishing this season. If we didn't have "those other fish" to target we'd be hurting! I first thought everything was just behind, but I'm now to the point that I think we lost a year class due to the low water a few years back at the Salmon River, or the harsh winter we just experienced. We (CYS) fish the PRIME areas of the Lake when they are PRIME. We had 1 good week of fishing up on the Niagara Bar, and since then it's been spotty at best. However, the fish we are catching give us a great outlook for the next few seasons! Lots of 1 and 2 year olds, and lets not forget to mention the extra 155,000 Chinooks the DEC put in this Spring.

Let's also look at the big picture. Honestly, I strongly dislike fishing for anything else but Salmon. The last few years we've been SPOILED beyond belief with the Salmon fishing we've had. However, this has given the "other species" a break, and we are seeing some REALLY nice Steelhead out there this year as well as some giant Lake Trout.

I agree 100%! Mature King numbers were unbelievable in 2012 and thats a fact! But for the 1 year olds, the total opposite, maybe caught a handful that season. No snow that winter and very little rain left all breeding gounds extremely low. So what happens when you dont catch or see very many skips? 2 years down the road its impossible to have a big number of mature fish! So IMO next year should be a little better King bite as 2013 had better numbers of skips then 2012 did and by 2016 we should be back on track as far as mature fish go since there are plenty of little guys this season. Another note is if there were a big number of mature Kings out there then why has the bait population exploded this year??

[Yankee Troller]

I don't know where you guys are fishing with all this wind, but it has been a pretty calm year on the big pond. Yes, there have been many days with light East winds, but nothing like last season!. There was only a 2 week window on the North shore where it was good. When we were over there last weekend for the last Tightline event the winning team took 8 bites all day! 

 

I'm no expert, but I don't see them coming this year in numbers. The next few seasons look to be real promising though! There is plenty of food out there and some good numbers of 1 and 2 year olds.

[Yankee Troller]

This is another thing that makes you wonder. Look at how BLUE this lake is. Last Summer it was green like Lake Erie. Lots of cold water out there still, and this lake wont recover the core temps this Summer IMHO from the harsh Winter. That being said I think Michigan is a colder Lake than ours, and they seem to see good King fishing in that colder water.

 

 

 

 

Seriously, what is the Niagara doing?  Currents are all FUBAR'd this year.

[Sk8man]

Not trying to be a smart azz but if these mature kings are out there someplace in numbers WHERE are they.in the lake? The guys on the north shore don't seem to be banging them and not on the south shore either or in the east or west basin (in the numbers in the past anyway the bar etc. I think it unlikely that they are all piled up out in the middle....regardless of temps etc. I will be very surprised if the streams see big runs of matures this year.....but as has been noted the immature fish seem strong so far anyway offering hope for the near future.

 

P.S. I honestly hope I'm wrong on this one.

Edited August 7, 2014 by Sk8man

[Silver Fox]

Gator, you get me. The fish will stage and run the niagara as well. We will see. Potental for a late run is obvious.late june and july were not good to us last year, but august provided two very good weeks. If you look at the reports things are picking up. It was a tough season. August has never been a disappointment. Get ready...they are coming. Somebodys gonna win $25000 in the loc. Almost 100% of the guys on here will boat a half dozen matures in the nxt thirty days. This is the time we look forward to. There is nowhere else i want to be this month. Game faces on. The bills are playin it is getting cooler out. They are coming.

Crap if I only get a half dozen kings in the next 30 days I may just commit "harry Carey"!

[JakeyBaby]

Crap if I only get a half dozen kings in the next 30 days I may just commit "harry Carey"!

LOL 6 Kings in 30days??????? Im selling everything thing I own!

[GAMBLER]

When in doubt, fish trout.  My king numbers are way down this year but I have filled the void with trout.  When the lake gives you lemons, make lemonaide.  Be thankful we have the bonus world class trout fishery to back up a world class Salmon fishery. 

Edited August 8, 2014 by GAMBLER

[momay4000]

When i doubt, fish trout.  My king numbers are way down this year but I have filled the void with trout.  When the lake gives you lemons, make lemonaide.  Be thankful we have the bonus world class trout fishery to back up a world class Salmon fishery. 

 

Amen to this. Although lake trout fishing might not be macho or sexy, I'd rather fill my boat with fun and non-stop action, instead of watching rods for one or two kings.

 

Thanks for posting Brian,

 

Chris