Why is this a Tough Year for Salmon?

[garrymny]

I am hoping to get theories from Charter Captains and Experienced Anglers as to why this has been a tough summer- June and July for Salmon. The reports I have seen, as well as my own experience shows this to be a hit or miss year with inconsistent results. It seems in May, reports were good unfortunately I was replacing the transom on my boat and could not get out until late May early June. Tough year. Why? Weather?, Current? Winds? Bait? Are the Salmon along the Canadian Border? I just seems to me that everything is a month behind, buy why?

[HB2]

It was great fishing for me and from most reports I saw from the South shore from Sandy west  till mid June . The water was as green as I remember it being 30 years ago and that was a huge factor IMO. 

 

Late June and early July typically is the worst time to fish ,at least for me as the lake is stratifying and fish are scattered . 

I feel it is starting get better with the consistent warm weather and west and southerly winds.  

[fishmaster13184]

I thought this year has been very good also, even on bad days I still scrape up 2 or 3 kings

[salmonaddict]

Best year in a long time for kings


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[garrymny]

I knew there would be some that have had good trips this year. I attribute this to the reports of hit and miss fishing, and the apparently scattered or widely spread out fish. I have heard the afternoon bite has been better, and I always fish the morning and quit around noon. 2017 and 18 were much better for me.

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[Todd in NY]

It depends on which part of the lake you fish on. There's a major difference in water conditions between Olcott and Henderson, especially in April, May and June. The salmon finally seem to be showing up in the Henderson area, from what I've been told. My first and only salmon trip this year was last month and we never moved a rod. I'll try for salmon again tomorrow. I fish several other lakes besides Lake Ontario, so I can't confirm or deny what type of salmon season we are having.

[Gill-T]

Gary, how long have you been chasing salmon if you don’t mind me asking? The reason I ask is I need perspective on your years-in so I can answer appropriately. If you just started trolling last year, you started your trolling career on a year that will go down as the greatest in recent memory so your perspective of the norm may be “off”. 

Edited July 8, 2019 by Gill-T

[Gill-T]

double post

Edited July 8, 2019 by Gill-T

[rdebadts]

Admittedly, I haven’t fished much in the last 3 weeks.... But this year has been my best season ever, in every possible way, pretty much every trip. I did get out 2 weeks ago and though it was “slow” We still caught 5 fish on 8 hits.

The last few weeks has been hit or miss as the lake is FINALLY transitioning. This transition is like 3 weeks behind, I think. Usually, early July king fishing is mostly offshore, which is hit or miss fishing at its finest. Once they come in closer in August it is pretty simple and predictable again. Surface temps are near 70 now, so that’ll get the thermacline set up and this stuff will get sorted out.

I think you just timed your launch smack in the middle of transition...


The Fishin’ Physician Assistant

[GAMBLER]

Last summer, the thermal line was stable for most of the summer. This summer, it has been late to set up and temps are all over the place.


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[garrymny]

This is my 4th year Fishing for Salmon.

Gary, how long have you been chasing salmon if you don’t mind me asking? The reason I ask is I need perspective on your years-in so I can answer appropriately. If you just started trolling last year, you started your trolling career on a year that will go down as the greatest in recent memory so your perspective of the norm may be “off”. 

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[Gill-T]

June is always one of the tougher months. More gizmos and different techniques get deployed in June by trollers than any other time of the year. Reasons.....

- The water is changing. With surface water temps warming and spreading out offshore, fish have more options to find preferred temp range. 

- We still get East winds. 

- Alewives are spawning in the shallows 

- There are still alewives and kings in winter pattern on the bottom 

- spring-spawning steelhead are in a recovery lethargic mood often feeding on surface bugs rather than chase alewives. 

 

Things to to do and try ...

- Cover as much of the water column as you can. Put as many downriggers out you can deploy with cheaters

- In June, use da spoon

- Fish slow on downtemp. 

- Chase the fish- with alewives spawning in close, kings will move in and out in feeding forays during low light ie. if you start in 150’ and don’t see anything on graph, you might see a different picture later in the day ( I don’t get up early in June). 

- Offshore, fish can still be caught in the top 20’

 

others can add more. You Oak boys can talk about your goofy five-of-diamonds spoon lol. 

 

[garrymny]

June is always one of the tougher months. More gizmos and different techniques get deployed in June by trollers than any other time of the year. Reasons.....
- The water is changing. With surface water temps warming and spreading out offshore, fish have more options to find preferred temp range. 
- We still get East winds. 
- Alewives are spawning in the shallows 
- There are still alewives and kings in winter pattern on the bottom 
- spring-spawning steelhead are in a recovery lethargic mood often feeding on surface bugs rather than chase alewives. 
 
Things to to do and try ...
- Cover as much of the water column as you can. Put as many downriggers out you can deploy with cheaters
- In June, use da spoon
- Fish slow on downtemp. 
- Chase the fish- with alewives spawning in close, kings will move in and out in feeding forays during low light ie. if you start in 150’ and don’t see anything on graph, you might see a different picture later in the day ( I don’t get up early in June). 
- Offshore, fish can still be caught in the top 20’
 
others can add more. You Oak boys can talk about your goofy five-of-diamonds spoon lol. 
 

Thanks for the information. I suspect you are right about low light times being better fishing in the shallows. I wish I was into night fishing.

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