ADK Laker Help - Fulton Chain

[seanc25]

Hi Everyone,

 

Our family is staying on 4th lake for the week through labor day. Always done pretty well on LT and LLS. Can't move a rod this year in 5 days. Confidence pretty low at this point.

 

I've tried all the usual stuff... spoons, cowbells, plugs even some FF and meat. Have also tried vertical jigging with no results. Screen lit up with smelt just about everywhere in 40+ which could be part of the problem.

 

Any help is super appreciated.

 

Thank you.

 

Sean

 

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[schreckstoff]

U have tried everything I would have suggested, Your smelt reasoning makes sense to me.

 

Have you tried increasing your speed for the LLS? 

[schreckstoff]

Also interesting that Fulton chain smelt numbers seem up the same year LO smelt are more abundant 

[thork9]

Seeing any fish on sonar? If so downrigger!

[seanc25]

I've definitely seen some decent marks but it's hard to be sure with the piles of smelt. I've put riggers right on them with leads from 30' to 130' back. Only one I've caught was a juvenile LT on 7 color core and a daiwa TD Minnow plug.

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[Sk8man]

 

Do you happen t have any Sutton #71's or anything close to that shape as they look a lot like smelt? Thin light weight flutter spoon 4 inches long.

Edited September 4, 2021 by Sk8man

[Roys Boys]

Might be better off getting out of the bait pods and fishing a different area with less bait. I’ve never fished it but try running flat fish slow or peanuts

[Car-Lee514]

We ran into the same problem in July when we fished Indian lake (about an hr. East of forth lake, but similar fishing).  Marked a ton of bait but did not move a rod in two days.  Seems like it was a great year in the adirondacks for smelt.

 

Do you happen to have any slide divers with you?  In previous years they have always produced well for me on the ADK’s.  50-70 foot leads of the diver with small spoons or smelt imitating plugs (2 1/2 to 3 1/2 inch spoons and sticks). Best colors for us have been chartreuse/green, blue, and copper for the Lakers, and orange for the landlocks.  Best luck on landlocks has been from 35 to 55 ft down and faster speeds.  
 

Another thing that has worked well for me up there is fixed cheaters 10 ft above your mainline.  For some reason the cheater seems to take the majority of the hits compared to the mainline lure.  

[seanc25]

Great advice.  My slide divers are parked at home in my basement, ugh. I have fixed cheaters set and will give them a go this morning.

 

Believe it or not had a decent bite yesterday on flasher + meat.  I shaved down some lake O herring strips to make them a bit more streamlined and that got them chasing into the riggers and a couple small Lakers on the deck.

 

[Car-Lee514]

Glad things are starting to turn on for you.  
 

I have never thought to give meat a try on any of the lakes up there but I will definitely have to give it a shot next year.

[seanc25]

We finally found the one we were looking for this afternoon. 50' down over 55'. Flasher + Meat. 31". Send back down swimming.

Can't thank everyone enough for their help.

Sean

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[whaler1]

Great job!


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[Car-Lee514]

Congrats, that’s a great fish for that lake!  Makes all those slow days worth it

[thork9]

Just string up a small sucker ,or minnow , 24 inch line with treble, needle up thru butt to mouth, hook up on dodger or tree ,it will roll. I catch a bunch