Lake Ontario can be tough place to fish! I was lucky to have some time last week to spend fishing the big lake, and while we caught some fish, including the nice King above, the fishing was at best difficult. The lake is still trying to find some semblance of summer normalcy, but because there isn't a clear temperature break and the water is still cold the fish are highly scattered and difficult to find. That said, we did take a coupler of nice Kings and a few brown trout in difficult conditions. What I have learned is the lake is a very different place than it was when I was younger. Water clarity is off the charts, due largely to the invasive Zebra mussel, and fishing has evolved due to this. The implementation of long copper or lead core lines is common as they provide a more stealthy approach to access fish at depth without the use of downriggers. The King above hit a 400' copper line, which due to the sinking quality of the heavier copper would have had the bait roughly 80' below the surface of the lake. That sort of presentation was unheard of when I was working on the charter boat, as we caught most of our fish on downriggers and the occasional dipsy diver.
I was excited at the reports and social media posts I had been seeing leading up to last week, and failed to realize how important it is to have the information one can only gain by working the lake on a daily basis. Running a charter business successfully is tough, and I now have an even greater appreciation for the effort and expertise which can only come with a great amount of experience. The tactics and techniques I utilized to limited success last week were largely the same as those implemented by the charter captains fishing in the same area I was. They, however, have much more experience with the newer techniques used to catch Lake Ontario salmon, and it was a humbling experience to struggle while others around me were having success!
So what did I learn? A few things actually. First, remember to be flexible. There are certain "algorithms" which can provide a baseline for successfully catching fish. Dark colors on darker days, bright on bright days, fish in the 47-54 degree water, try to keep the presentation speed between 2.2 and 2.6 mph, and utilize baits suited to the conditions at hand. That said, don't be a slave to fishing to the norms. I had success later in the week on brown trout using a black spoon (which I normally would not for brown trout) well above their normal temperature range. I wish I had been more willing to break the rules earlier in the week. Second, mix tactics when the normal things aren't working. I also did this later in the week and it produced fish, when had I stayed "in the box" we would likely have been skunked. Finally, I need to remember I'm not a full time professional fisherman any more. I am a weekend warrior and proud of it. I don't have all the information, am not current on all of the current techniques and tricks, and will therefore have to work harder for the fish I catch. One promise I will make is that I will have fun and learn from my humbling experiences to become a better fisherman.
After all that, it's safe to say I had a great week of fishing. My son caught his first Lake Ontario brown trout! My lady caught her first King! Our boat performed admirably, well beyond my expectations! I guess what I thought was a struggle was really a tremendous success!
Until next time, tight lines to all!
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