Fair Haven 7/27 & 7/29

[lumberjohn]

I closed out the walleye season on Owasco and set my sights on Ontario. First forray sunday on the water at 7:30 AM. Forecast was for 1-2 and waves were good 2-3. Set up in 100 and headed north. Worked 120-140 for awhile, then 170-180, then back shallower, then into 60-80 for Browns. Some pods of baitfish in the 50-80 range scattered and few fish marks. Did hook into a solid fish in Brown territory on a NK Green Monkey Puke 60/80 but dropped it. Wrapped up at !:30. Was running E-chip Dodgers and Spinnys w/ flies mostly in Green combos w/ some white and some purple combos on riggers 65-100 down . Ran dipsies as well 2.5ish 225-300 back. Also always ran a spoon off rigger around 35 down for steelies.

Tuesday got on the water 4:30 PM and set up in 120, dodgers/spin doctors w/ flies in green mostly down 72-82 w/ dipsey wire out and spoon on rigger at 35. Worked 130-140, moved out to as deep as 245. Mostly blank screen everywhere. Marked one pod baitfish all afternoon 65 down, few odd fish far and few between from 15 to 100, very few. Ran back into 120-140 for awhile. Picked up again and ran into 80 and set up a Brown program w/ all greenish NK spoons on riggers 35-60 down over 60-80. When we got into the bowl off the bluffs we started hitting them. First the green monkey puke fired 60/80, boated a 3# Brown. Then in the malay (sp?) while landing and netting and my 4 year old son steering the boat, we had another release on the rigger 60/50, junior had us going in circles. The fish jumped out of the water a few times way back, came to net a 4# pig of a smallmouth on a NK green/blue spoon. We no sooner got set up again in 60 fow and wham, wham a double. 50 and 60/60 on a green and an orange monkey puke. I dropped about a 7# Brown behind the boat at the net trying to land it one handed. Thus unencumbered I helped my partner landed a 5# Brown. Junior still having a ball driving the boat in circles. Looking at our trail on the GPS was a hoot. All this action came from 7:30-8:30PM. We stuck at it until 9:30 but it was over.

By the way, again waves were more than forecast. Forecast was 2 foot or less and were actually 1-3 feet with more at the top end. It did subside some at dusk. Point being always be prepared for worst than expected. In my small boat it matters. I'll be watching the forecast for my next shot at it.

[Billy V]

Thanks for the report! Sounds like you found some fish in tight. When you say the bowl off the bluffs are you talking about the flats to the east of the chute? There's another "bowl" that some of us fish but it's not as deep as you said you were fishing and it's not in front of the bluffs. I'm gonna be out on Friday & Saturday and was thinking that the browns sounded like the way to go given how slow the salmon fishing has been on the entire East end.

[lumberjohn]

Billy, that's right, east of the chute. We hit it last sunday and that is where we had and dropped our only hit of the day on a green monkey puke spoon. Last night we hit it again, coming in toward shore the depth goes from 80-60 fairly quick, then flattens out at 60 for quite awhile. It then drops into a bowl that was 80 at it's deepest before rising back to 60 for a bit then 50 and shallower. All our fish came on NK spoons that contained green out of this bowl. From offshore heading inshore it's roughly in front of the first bluff east of the swimming beach and somewhere between the western third of that bluff and just west of the end of that bluff.

Question for you. I've yet to have success using dipsey's and must be doing something wrong. How much leader behind the rubber snubber. I've tried 4' leaders with a spoon or fly, 4' leaders w/ a dodger and fly, recently my summer camp neighbor from PA who fishes a lot out of Fair Haven said you have to use a 10-14' leader so I've been trying that. Nada.

[Billy V]

Thanks for the clarification lumberjohn. Now I know where you were fishing.

Check my last post here: http://www.lakeontariounited.com/fishin ... highlight=

That'll answer some of your questions about wire & dipsys. We run out leaders 6-8' behind the snubber most of the time.

[RUSTYHOOK]

Billy V, do you think the west winds that are predicted thru Sunday will help the salmon fishing? I will up there most of next week (chinook)on my annual trip and the 2 newbies going with me will not want to come back if I can't put us on atleast a few fish a day. These reports coming out of Fairhaven and Oswego are making me a little worried.

[Billy V]

I sure hope some west winds come (and stay) and help out. But yesterday I'm told that there was a good S wind and that's not what we need. I personally think we need a stable weather pattern with sustained W/NW winds if we're ever gonna get the fish here in numbers before they decide to head up the rivers to spawn. Not just a day or two of NW wind here and there. We need it to settle into a sustained weather pattern that lasts for the rest of the season. It's not just Fair Haven and Oswego that are struggling. The entire East End has been really spotty for Kings all summer long so far. Shoot, look at the last two Pro-Am leaderboards. A few guys got them, but most didn't and opted for browns. We've had a few good days here and there in Fair Haven but no consistency like years past.

If you put in your time and cover a lot of water you should find some fish. Once you find some fish and entice them into biting, stay on them. Feel free to swing by Anchor and if we're at the boat we'll happily tell you what we found when we were out there. Good luck and enjoy your trip!

[RUSTYHOOK]

Fish or no fish sill good to get away, hopefully it all comes together at some point (sooner not later). Thanks Bill, I will stop by.

Jim (rustyhook) 22' trophy

[Penn yan 88]

Heading out this weekend out of Port bay planning on working shallow water first for browns and then will venture out for kings. Will you guys be on channel 68?

[Billy V]

We monitor 68 among others.

[keithg]

my prediction-lots of salmon starting the evening of 8/05 and a feeding frenzy lasting untill 8/10.based on the fact i have to attend a conference in philadelphia during this time.happens around the same time every year and the fishing is always good.sharpen the hooks and have fun.

[Fishtails]

Rusty Hook.....My advise for you would be to fish browns early (if that is your intent), then pick up and run deep. Set up in 200 and troll deep (250 to 600) till you either hook up or mark fish. Don't waste good fishing time trolling the 90-200 waters.....been dead for good numbers of kings more time than not this year on the east end. Every day is different, but the deep water has been the place to be....don't be fooled by a lack of marks either.....fish are there but they are in pockets.

Good luck!!

[RUSTYHOOK]

The feeding frenzy 8-5 thru 8-10 fits my schedule perfectly as those are the exact days we will be fishing....sorry keithg.

Fishtails - that is our plan exaclty....unless we find some good action in the bluewater.