Early Season, Wayne County (Lk Ontario) Chinooks?

[pmjasper]

I didn't access my computer this weekend and I can't seem to find my original post under the new format.

My original question was, I plan on heading up to the Sodus Point area, May 16-18 in an attempt to troll for brown trout. I figures the majority of the time I would be trolling stickbaits off of planer boards. My thought was that as the sun came up (mid-day), I might try a bit deeper depth in an attempt to try and catch a chinook or two. I have read about dodgers and flies, J-plugs and spoons, but was wondering what should be my game plan during mid-may to try and catch a chinook? What lures or rigs should I be pulling during this time period? How about the size of the lure (2"-3", 3"-4", etc)? What about speed?

This will be my very first trip up to Lake Ontario and while our main target are the browns, it would be thrilling to catch a chinook or two. Just want to make sure I'm using proven techniques to catch them during the spring. Wouldn't want to be pulling dodger and flies at a fast rate of speed only to find out that that particular bite doesn't heat up until late summer. Any insight would be greatly appreciated. Thanks guys.

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[TONYD]

PM we fish out of portbay a little to the east of sodus. Last year around the time you are coming up this year, we were heading out early try a couple passes for browns in the low light, if the water was clear we would head out to about 80ft to 125ft looking for kings, program we ran was a fly flasher down the middle, spoons usually 28 size(r&r- Northern king- Stinger-just a couple of named spoons) staged above the middle rigger and spoons or flies off the wires. also cohos and steelhead fishing is pretty good that time of year same set up as the browns with planners and smaller spoons, but you have to do some searchin. Hope this helped.

[Fishstix]

Ask that question in early May. Who knows what the hot ticket will be this year. As far as spoon size goes.medium size spoons and stickbaits. You could probably hold off on buying stuff till you got up here. The local tackle shop guys should be able to fill you in on whats working.

[pmjasper]

Thanks guys. Really appreciate the info. For my first time up, I want to try and learn as much as I can about basic patterns and techniques utilized during the spring and obtain the fine details once we arrive. I'm really looking forward to the trip in May. Thanks again.

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[pmjasper]

How about Lake Ontario coho's? Are they prevalent or just a random catch? Seems they strike smaller lures than the chinooks and I was wondering what my chances are of coming across them in the spring? Thanks

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[poverty stricken II]

PM, Redneck and myself went out with Salmo Charters last April, we went 26-29, we caught one king, 3 lakers and the rest were Coho's. I know he did the same on his other charters during those middle weeks in April. We launched out of the Oak but fished way west about 8 miles. After talking to Redneck, I am thinking this year we are going to start out at the bar in April.

[Erbyjoe]

PM If you like to read on the off time before you come up I would recommend buying a couple of books writen by A guy named Dan Keating.He wrote a couple of books on fishing for kings in the great lakes.They are great books to read and are full of info from ice out until late fall they are well worth the $$.here is a site for them.the top one is his first one then the 2nd one is his latest.There are a few DVD's also.Hope this helps.

http://www.lakemichiganangler.com/store ... Videos.htm

[pmjasper]

Thanks guys. It seems that everyone and their brother is mentioning the Niagara Bar but with the limited information I had before I booked our trip, Sodus Bay and Sodus Point seemed to be our best option. I had seen a few TV shows on the Niagara Bar before and those shows had larger 25-30 ft boats rocking up and down. Now again, since we are headed up there with our 16ft aluminum boat, I didn't want to go somewhere where we weren't able to launch and fish or be in the way of other larger boats trolling in the area. Unfortunately, the Bar really sounds like the place to be but if we have bad weather May 16-18, we may be able to salvage the trip by staying in Sodus Bay and fishing for bass, pike or whatever else will hit. Others have suggested we should trailer our boat and launch at the Bar if weather permits, but that's an additional 2 hours west, which would be cutting our fishing time approximately 4 hours. For better or worse, I think we are stuck with our decision to fish the Sodus Bay area. Hopefully with the information I continue to gather here, we might be able to pull off a successful trip catching trout and a salmon or two. Thanks again guys for all of your help. It is truly appreciated.

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[Erbyjoe]

PM you will be fine in a 16 footer it doesn't matter what size boat you have.Everyone respects every one else for the most part.Just don't troll with the pack find you own pc of water and just have fun.When you get in the pack then there might be iussues.I fished from a 17 footer for years with no problems.It sounds like you have a good plan set up for your trip.You won't know what the weather will be until your at the boat ramp .Best of luck.

[Rich D]

PM,

As far as the bar is concerned, you actually have a better chance of fishing in the lake, than you do at Sodus.The prevailing winds are from the West so the wave height is much smaller out in the Niagara area. You also have the River which you could fish if it does get rough in the lake. The Bar is actually fished by a lot of small boats like your due the fact that it is so close to shore. Just something to think about. Good Luck on your trip.

Rich

[pmjasper]

Right now we're planned on staying put, but if we have a tough fishing day we may wake up extra early and take a ride. Thanks.

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[L&M]

Pm: If you can. Do yourself a favor and charter a reputable Capt. in the area then have at it with your boat. If you have never been on the lake and I'm assuming you haven't. In the long run it will save you a lot of money buying all kinds of things you really don't need as well as a wealth of info in the area you want to fish. If your going out of Sodus there are a lot of good men there that will not have a problem showing you the ropes so to speak. We all basically fish the same water in this part of the lake. Bear in mind when you are posting on all the boards I've seen you on that your looking at a very large area of the great lakes. Michigan all the way to Ontario & more, and techniques, structure, and what works where are different in every area.

[pmjasper]

Thanks L&M. I hear what you're saying. It seems there are SO many different techniques and patterns utilized on Lake Ontario that one could drive themselves nuts trying to figure it all out. I figured I will employ some of the techniques I have utilized in the past here in NJ while also trying to see what the current conditions call for once we arrive. I'm sure my father-in-law and I will spend some time in the local tackle shop trying to put together a successful pattern. Thanks again.

philip.metz&genworth.com

[Erbyjoe]

Hank You are right on the $$ Different things work in different area's.That is an excellent point.YOU ARE THE MAN PM That is probably the best advice you can get

[Billy V]

I second Hank's suggestion. You'll shorten your learning curve dramatically by taking a charter. I've been watching all of the posts you've been making over on the GLA board too, and what works on Lake Michigan, etc. doesn't necessarily work on Lake Ontario for a multitude of reasons. There are quite a few very good charter boats over in Sodus, and you'd do yourself a huge favor by hiring one of them and watching what they do and how they do it.

[pmjasper]

I hate to mention this in a public forum but the truth is that originally our party consisted of four individuals, two of whom backed out during the process of making lodging reservations. It was our original intention to book a charter but now working with a limited budget has stretched our funds a bit thin. Believe me, I do not believe I can do a better job catching fish in Lake Ontario than those who fish these waters professionally, but it looks like it is the route we have to take at this time. That is why i have been asking so many questions regarding the Sodus Point area and fishing Lake Ontario in general. Again, I thank all of those who have helped me with my numerous questions. It is greatly appreciated.

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