Olcott 8/11 - 8/13

[Char_Master]

Olcott 8/11 - 8/13

Made our annual trip to Lake Ontario the past three days and although we didn't have nearly the success that most others going out of Olcott were having, we still did better than our five day trip last July/August. 13/18 fish total landing 7 Steelhead (22-29" up to 12.0#) and 8 Chinooks (15-25" up to 7.5#).

 

Friday evening- Fished from 3:30-8:30 PM. 3/5 Chinooks (18-22") and 1/2 Steelhead (27"). Started deep and worked the 28-30 lines in 450-510 FOW. Couldn't find fish for an hour then lost a nice Steelhead and what would've been the best Chinook of the trip (~30") about 50 yards from the boat. Silver/blue and silver/green stingers 40' and 100' down got those two fish. Headed in shallow after that, started in 100 FOW east and eventually worked into 40 FOW just off the harbor. Finally found some hungry Chinooks and took 3 little shakers (18-22") plus a feisty 27" Steelhead that swam through the outdrive and various cords around it, making us stop the boat with two other lines in (somehow didn't lose any gear, miraculously landed that Steelhead too). Everything we landed in shallow was on the same Flasher/spoon rig down mid-depth on the right rigger.

 

Saturday morning- Fished 5:30-10:00 AM. 4/4 Steelhead (22-29") and 1/2 Chinooks (18"). Once again started deep, set up at the 27 line and trolled north. Covered 420-505 FOW. First fish ate just before 6:00 and hit a watermelon moonshine 250' back on a 3.5 wire diver. Nice 28" screamer Steelhead to start the day. Little 18" Chinook not long after that on a Flasher/spoon down 100' on a rigger. Took a nice pair of 24" and 22" Steelhead between 7:00-8:00, again on a melon spoon 250' back on a wire diver, then the offshore bite shut down for us. Tried inshore hoping to find anything willing to eat, covered 80-150 FOW with no action for about two hours before we finally got the best fish of this trip at 10:00. Ate a Flasher/spoon 50' down in 100 FOW and tore off 80' off line in a minute. Thought I had a nice Chinook on until the fish started breaking water and I saw the square tail & blue back, monster chromer on! Thankfully this one didn't run under the prop like last night, but he took a good two minutes to land after boatside since it wanted no part of our net. Super fat 29" and 12 pounds, my heaviest Steelie to date. Wasn't able to revive this fish like I was for the other Steelhead, so we headed in after that fish to fillet him and wait a few hours for the late afternoon bite.

 

Saturday afternoon/early evening- Fished 2:00-6:00 PM. Got a tip about fish being further east so we started in 300-350 FOW off the power plant. Quickly scored a pair of smaller Chinooks (15" and 21") one off the rigger and the other off a wire diver, then nothing. Ran around trying various spots offshore with no luck so we once again came in shallow and worked 100 FOW down to 40 FOW. Finally picked up a decent Chinook, 25" and 7.5#. Only fish of the trip that ate a Flasher/fly rig (two-face with stud) about 70' down over 90 FOW. Hit a decent 22" Steelhead on a Flasher/spoon after that before we called it a night and headed in.

 

Sunday morning- Fished 5:30-9:00 AM. Not sure if it was just us or if everyone was having trouble, but we couldn't find a single hungry fish between 50-400 FOW east of the harbor in the short time we fished. Tons of bait in shallow but no predators looking to eat, apparently. Nothing out deep either, and marked little to no bait. Saw many boats offshore but we didn't want to burn the extra gas as we had to leave early to head home regardless.

 

Wasn't a fan of getting skunked Sunday, but we had a great time Friday and Saturday! As someone who fishes Lake Erie for Steelhead all Summer and Fall, I'm still amazed by the impressive quality of Lake O's chromer fishery. The fish up there average way larger and are all extremely tall-bodied compared to Erie's slender torpedo-shaped fish. Chinooks aren't a species I fish for very often (though they are delicious!), but the aggressive fights of those huge Steelhead is what keeps me coming back to Lake Ontario.

 

 

 

[ripnlip]

Thanks for the report. I hear you though. No one likes getting skunked. No matter if you're on the water for a couple of hours or all day. Sounds like you had a good trip otherwise.

Lake O is certainly different than Erie! Hard to believe they're so different even though they're so close in proximity. Gotta love it though. Give us a real diversified fishery...close to home!

 

B Safe!

[Decoy Hound]

Awesome report, you guys did great! Sunday was a tough bite and we spent a lot of the day searching for bait.

[Gill-T]

Steelhead have two years of a good crop of immature alewives to feed on. They look very healthy. 

[Char_Master]

1 hour ago, ripnlip said:

Thanks for the report. I hear you though. No one likes getting skunked. No matter if you're on the water for a couple of hours or all day. Sounds like you had a good trip otherwise.

Lake O is certainly different than Erie! Hard to believe they're so different even though they're so close in proximity. Gotta love it though. Give us a real diversified fishery...close to home!

 

B Safe!

Absolutely, such a cool experience to catch fish in over 500 feet when I rarely if ever break 140 on Erie haha. Awesome to have so many options around here. Erie has Lake Trout, Steelhead, Walleye, Drum, Smallies and White Bass while Ontario has Chinooks, Cohos, Steelhead, Browns, Lakers, and even Atlantics. Plus all the inland species available in the area.

Edited August 14, 2017 by Char_Master

[Char_Master]

41 minutes ago, Decoy Hound said:

Awesome report, you guys did great! Sunday was a tough bite and we spent a lot of the day searching for bait.

Thanks! If we had more time I'd have gone out further and tried to find bait, but even taking rods out at 9:00 I didn't get home until almost 7:00 last night.

[Char_Master]

11 minutes ago, Gill-T said:

Steelhead have two years of a good crop of immature alewives to feed on. They look very healthy. 

Glad to hear! Oddly enough, when I cut open the stomach of that 12 pounder, there was a large Alewife in it, but of the two Salmon I kept, neither had any Alewives in them. One had an empty stomach and the other had two mainly digested fish that looked like either Smelt or Ciscos/Herring.

[Decoy Hound]

Just now, Char_Master said:

Thanks! If we had more time I'd have gone out further and tried to find bait, but even taking rods out at 9:00 I didn't get home until almost 7:00 last night.

Yeah we rolled back in to Ohio at 1:30 this morning, rough getting up for work today, I'm beat. I don't know how the Charters do it, it's a tough job!

[Gill-T]

I believe alewives can hit 4" by year 2. 

[junebug2320]

You weren't the only one who had a tough trip. Saturday saved the trip for us. We were from the 26 line outta Wilson to the 32 line in front of the power plant. After a tip from Our buddy the 31/46 line paid off. Biggest king was 19 pounds, and plenty of just over legal kings. Wednesday eve three for five Thursday 5/9 Friday only two keeper steelies and Saturday limited out. Still had a blast with my dad and two brothers.


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[Ben64]

Hope steelheads will be back on strong #'s this year in the tribs... Did you fish last year ? More steels than last year ?