Landlock salmon trolling

[Fishon1982]

When trolling for land locks salmon do you troll flys like on Lake Ontario... if so do you make your own are they smaller or same size with dodgers big or small ones l.. 

[suttontroller94]

Everything has it's time and place for them. Spoons, sticks and flasher fly combos. Most of the time spoons and sticks will out fish flies for them however mid spring when the better size salmon are transitioning from their deep winter patterns to the spring patterns they can be caught mid water column on spin doctors and flies quite well trolling at the right speeds and with proper leader length behind the flasher

[ri rory]

landlocked atlantic salmon are a little different than other salmon. 

Every day is different and each lake is different.  In NY i have fished Cayuga and George for them, but primarily i grew up trolling the famous lakes in Maine and NH.

 

If the lake has a good smelt population and its around the run(april/may), a sewn smelt is deadly, but on the next day, the streamer pullers may outfish the sewn bait guys.  we use 4-6'' dodgers with an 8-10''  6lb fluro leader to a traditional streamer like a gray or black ghost.  When surface temps hit 60 we generally switch to spoons or stick baits---spoons like 44 sutton, copper thinfish, monkeypuke stingers, etc

 

One day years ago(2002 or 2003), we trolled for hours and had 2- 12'' perch in the box--nothing was hitting.  I put out a maynard marvel(bright yellow fly) behind a dodger-salmon immediately, then another....for two hours we caught 12-14 salmon 2-4 lbs ---only on the one bright yellow fly in the spread on lake winnipesaukee in early may.  I have never caught a keeper salmon on that fly since.

 

we have had great success with the size 9 xrap in flor. orange and green and blue

 

We fished cayuga for four days in july last summer and landed 14 landlocks between 15'' and almost 10 lbs.(wife caught a 9lb 11 oz Landlock--our personal best)  The biggest hit a sewn alewife behind hammerhead spinners down 45 feet in 150 fow.  Of the salmon, 1/2 hit spoons/plugs and 1/2 hit alewives all between 30 and 60' and in 100-200 fow.  We also caught many other trout as well.

 

They are my favorite fish to catch but can be ridiculously frustrating too.

 

good luck

 

coach

 

we will be on Rangeley Lake (toughest lake to fish on the planet) 1st week of june

and in Pittsburg NH in July---trolling for Landlocks.

 

 

[Fishon1982]

Now when you say there spring transitions.. what are they looking for water temp wise?? Do they hanging the thermocline or are they a deep species?? Will they relate to the bottom like lakers?? My first year searching for them I troll Walleyes and browns and rainbows.. thank for the info so far 

[ri rory]

salmon want smelt but will eat other schooling baits.  smelt go up their spawning brooks early spring when the brooks temps are 40ish—this is prime time for landlocks-iceout.  they will feed heavily at the mouths of these brooks.  trolling in front at sun up is best

 

as spring progresses the salmon follow schooling bait like browns do but will chase bait out of the preferred temp zone of 53 ish

 

windy cloudy days are best  for landlocks.  copper is always a good color. always prefer smelt if available so lure profiles matter. a smelt looks like a traditional rapala where an alewife has the profile of a large shad rap—what bait are they eating

 

pm me for more info

 

good luck

 

coach

[suttontroller94]

In the finger lakes I consider this transition from when the fish are feeding on the deep alwives which like to school up in the deep stable water in the winter 120-220ft down over deep depths. As the water begins to warm the alwives rise a bit and come closer to shore. Often this is when we have some of the best luck on landlocks and most of the time we stay off the beaten path that most guys take which is running stick baits and spoons flatlining and off short cores as close to shore as possible. We will instead fish depths of 80-250 and run flasher/fly combos, spoons and even sticks down to depths of 60-80ft. Thermoclines and temp haven't usually set up by then and they aren't bottom oriented however they are feeding heavily on bait so some days are going to be a struggle and others you will have a field day. Try running these flasher flies off a dipsy diver on a wire diver rod! You'll be surprised at how these fish fight in the spring.. weve had divers set on a 3 setting out 190 before roughly 75 ft down and saw the fish jump behind the boat before the rod moved then watched them scream drag like a king salmon! 

[Fishon1982]

Thanks for the information !! What speeds do they want on average 

[Fishon1982]

Thanks for the information !! What speeds do they want on average 

[ri rory]

bait 1.3

spoons/plugs 2.5ish

 

general rules

[suttontroller94]

Similar to stated above. I start around 2.2-2.4. They like anything from 2.0-3.0 on and given day when fishing spoons sticks and flasher/fly combos

[Fishon1982]

Thank you for the help 

 

[Trouthunter]

On 3/7/2019 at 9:05 AM, ri rory said:

landlocked atlantic salmon are a little different than other salmon. 

Every day is different and each lake is different.  In NY i have fished Cayuga and George for them, but primarily i grew up trolling the famous lakes in Maine and NH.

 

If the lake has a good smelt population and its around the run(april/may), a sewn smelt is deadly, but on the next day, the streamer pullers may outfish the sewn bait guys.  we use 4-6'' dodgers with an 8-10''  6lb fluro leader to a traditional streamer like a gray or black ghost.  When surface temps hit 60 we generally switch to spoons or stick baits---spoons like 44 sutton, copper thinfish, monkeypuke stingers, etc

 

One day years ago(2002 or 2003), we trolled for hours and had 2- 12'' perch in the box--nothing was hitting.  I put out a maynard marvel(bright yellow fly) behind a dodger-salmon immediately, then another....for two hours we caught 12-14 salmon 2-4 lbs ---only on the one bright yellow fly in the spread on lake winnipesaukee in early may.  I have never caught a keeper salmon on that fly since.

 

we have had great success with the size 9 xrap in flor. orange and green and blue

 

We fished cayuga for four days in july last summer and landed 14 landlocks between 15'' and almost 10 lbs.(wife caught a 9lb 11 oz Landlock--our personal best)  The biggest hit a sewn alewife behind hammerhead spinners down 45 feet in 150 fow.  Of the salmon, 1/2 hit spoons/plugs and 1/2 hit alewives all between 30 and 60' and in 100-200 fow.  We also caught many other trout as well.

 

They are my favorite fish to catch but can be ridiculously frustrating too.

 

good luck

 

coach

 

we will be on Rangeley Lake (toughest lake to fish on the planet) 1st week of june

and in Pittsburg NH in July---trolling for Landlocks.

 

 

Is the Rangeley lakes good for landlocks want to try this summer

[ri rory]

Rangeley is a world famous Landlock destination

 

giant Brookies too

 

pm me if you want specifics

 

good fishn