Fish Doctor Charters

Lake Ontario Trout and Salmon Fishing…, Fall Steelhead

A September Chromer

I could read Vinnie’s thoughts as he scanned the surface of Lake Ontario around my charter boat on that early November day.  “Are there really steelhead here?  If the fishing is so good, why aren’t there any other boats fishing?  Shouldn’t we have left the dock before daylight like we do for salmon, instead of heading out at 7:00 AM?”  His thoughts were rudely interrupted as one of his fishing buddies hollered, “Hey, there’s a steelhead jumping back there!”, as a noodle rod doubled over.

Two months earlier right where we were off the mouth of the Big Salmon , boats were wall to wall fishing for staged king salmon.  Today, we were the only boat on the water.  Why?  Because anglers just aren’t aware of Lake Ontario’s fantastic fall for trophy steelhead  staged  off the mouth of spawning.

Every year, when  the leaves start to color as fall approaches, tens of thousands of nomadic steelhead scattered the length and  breadth of 200 mile long Lake Ontario begin to feel the urge to spawn.  Homing in on ancestral spawning streams,  they make their way toward river mouths like the Big Salmon, near Pulaski, New York, in northern Oswego County.  More than a half million steelhead are stocked each year in Lake Ontario tributaries, none receiving a heavier stocking than the Big Salmon.  The fishing these stocked steelhead produces in shallow, accessible water is some of the best Lake Ontario has to offer.

Before that November trip ended, Vinnie and his three fishing buddies put 8 steelhead up to 12 pounds in the cooler, and carefully released almost as many smaller fish, all on ultralight noodle rods and 8 lb. test line.  When we pulled the lines at 1:00 PM, there still wasn’t another boat in sight.

Why is this fantastic fall steelhead fishery so underutilized?  The answers are simple.  First, the fishery hasn’t been publicized like the spring and summer brown trout, lake trout, chinook and coho fishery.  Most anglers don’t know it exists.  Secondly, most anglers don’t realize that the late October and early November weather along the southeast coastline of Lake Ontario is much warmer than the rest of the Northeast because of the heat sink influence of the vast expanse of warm water in Lake Ontario.  Third, anglers don’t realize how easily accessible fall lake steelhead are, and how easy they are to catch.

Inshore fall steelhead trolling is as simple as you want to make it.  It’s great for the small boat  troller, because these fish are shallow, generally in 20 feet of water or less, and close to port.  In the case of the Big Salmon River, there is a public boat launch just inside the river mouth at Selkirk Shores State Park,  minutes away from the fishing.  Remember, though,  the waters of Lake Ontario can be extremely rough.  Caution and judgment should be used before taking a small boat out on the water Steelhead bite best in sunny, bluebird weather, perfect conditions for the small boater.

 The trolling setup for steelhead and rainbows is basic.  Trolling tight to the boat is generally not effective.  Downriggers and planer boards work best when fished 70-100 feet back.   Troll flat lines 100-150 feet back.

As they say, steelhead and rainbows like fluorescent red lures no matter what color they are!  Lure color selection for autumn steelies is simple.  My favorite spoons are the size #41 and  #51 red/black Alpena Diamonds.  Stickbaits like Nils Masters, and Rapalas,  in red, orange, or orange/gold finishes are also effective.  

 Fine tuning your presentation is the key.  Stick to my   recipe speed of 2.5 MPH, and stay away from oversized snap swivels on lures, especially smaller stick baits.

Have you felt the nip in the air lately?  It won’t be long before the leaves start to turn.  Fall will be here soon, and with it will come some of the best Lake Ontario steelhead fishing of the year.  I plan to be on the water every day from mid-October to mid-November and would love some company!  Bring some of those fluorescent red lures with you.  Close-in autumn steelies love ‘em.

Lake Ontario Salmon Fishing Charters…, Book Wisely

Every year tens of thousands of anglers from all over the eastern U.S. and further book  charter fishing trips for trout and salmon on Lake Ontario.  Some of the trips are successful, and some aren’t.  But if you book wisely, your chance of success improves.

With 36 years in the charter fishing business, 22 of those years fishing full time on Lake Ontario, I’ve dealt with a lot of charter customers.  Some book wisely, some don’t.  

Most of those anglers who do book wisely, book early, when there are plenty of prime fishing dates available.   A high percentage of those who book early do their homework, checking my web page and comparing it with others.  When they call or email, they ask the right questions, like…,  “Do you have a USCG license? Are you fully insured?  Have you really been a fishing guide and captain for 36 years?  Do you fish full time?   How many trips each year do you do?  What kind of boat do you fish?  How is it equipped?  Do you fish with a mate?  How many passengers can you comfortably fish? Do you have a fully enclosed cabin, standup head, heater, etc.  fish?   What is your policy regarding blowoffs?

Although it helps to book early, don’t be afraid to call about a last minute trip.   The best captains are usually booked nearly full, but often have a few scattered openings available, and if they don’t, they can refer you to another competent captain with openings.  Fish Doctor charters is now booked solid, morning and afternoon for July and August, but we work with several other excellent part time and full time captains, who still have some weekend and weekday openings.

Preparing for your trip is also important.  One of the most critical issues, seas sickness, can usually be prevented by taking dramamine well before your trip begins.  If you wait until you climb aboard to take it, you’ve waited too long.

Trinity's trip was successful because her Grandpa Rick booked it a year ahead.

Lake Ontario Trout and Salmon Fishing…, Hunts for Healing Warriors

They had traveled north from Pennsylvania to Oswego, New York, where my charter boat is moored.  This trip with Hunts for Healing was very special, the second year in a row that Fish Doctor Charters donated a trip in appreciation of the sacrifice warriors like Chance and “Al” are making to safeguard our nation’s freedom. 

U.S. Marines Chance and "Al" with two nice browns they boated on June 28, 2011.

Chance and “Al” showed up at the dock just before 5:00 AM on June 28, 2011, with Mike, and Mindy.  As I sized up my anglers for the day walking down the dock toward me,  I noticed the braces on Al’s wrist and knee.   Chance was stoic.  Not unexpected for two wounded Marines who would be fishing with me that day with their friends and mentors from Hunts for Healing, an organization dedicated to helping returning armed services members readjust from battlefields to a more normal life back here in the U.S. 

 As we planed out of Oswego to the northeast, our conversation was all fishing…, how had they been biting, what the chances were for the day, what would we be catching.  The weather was perfect…, south winds, calm seas.   I knew conditions were changing rapidly and expected the huge concentration of spawning alewives that had been tucked in close to shore to be scattering toward deeper water. 

We started where the action had been hot the day before, found no fish there, and trolled eastward on our “locate and capture” mission.  After checking the water temperature,  getting some lines in the water, and some small talk about the weather and fishing, it wasn’t long before the bait we were looking for started to show up on the fish finder.  Moments later, a copper rod rigged on a planer board doubled over and the line pulled free from a release.  Fish on!

That was the moment I was waiting for.  When a fish is on and the air is full of anticipation, it’s hard to think about anything else, including the pain from an IED wound in a shattered wrist and knee, the trauma of being a prisoner of war, or the emotional drain of the transition from  the battlefield to home life.  This is the ultimate form of what we at Fish Doctor Charters like to call “water therapy”.  After boating a nice catch of browns, lakers,   kings, and a bonus steelhead, we headed back to the dock…, another great trip on Lake Ontario. 

Chance and Al, the courageous Americans who fished aboard the Fish Doctor on June 26, 2011, fought on war torn battlefields miles apart, but were like brothers.  The bond between them cemented by experiences in war that only they could understand.  I heard nary a whine or complaint while they were aboard.   The opportunity for Fish Doctor Charters to host these trips is a privilege and a humbling experience.

There have been many special charter fishing trips aboard the Fish Doctor on Lake Ontario since 1982 when my wife Carol and I earned our U.S. Coast Guard licenses and started charter fishing on the big lake.  None, however, have been  more special than the past two trips donated to the Hunts for Healing program whose volunteers and sponsors dedicate time and dollars to support, set up, and mentor hunting and fishing trips for brave soldiers.

Hats off to Hunts for Healing , the dedicated volunteers who make the nonprofit organization work, and the companies and folks who donate dollars to sponsor the program.  Hunts for Healing offers selfless heroes a stepping stone through  hunting and fishing to aid in the transition  from intensive care units back to the outstretched arms of friends and loved ones.

If you would like to sponsor a “Hunts for Healing” event or warrior, as we have go to www.huntsforhealing.org/sponsorship 

Monster Browns of June

June is the time for bigggg browns, our boat record..., 25 lbs.4 oz.

Bob Heplar had always wanted to catch a 10 lb. brown trout  to hang on the wall of his hotel in Trumbauersville, Pennsylvania.  A gracious host, Bob had watched his guests boat browns up to 16 lbs., but had never boated the big one he wanted for his wall.  That was about to change.

The morning of June 10, 1992, was a big brown trout day, overcast, windy, and a steady drizzle, with hordes of alewives spawning along New York’s Lake Ontario shoreline east of Oswego.  As we trolled eastward in my charter boat in 30 feet of water, we weren’t hammering the browns by any means, but the fish we had been catching were good ones up to 12 lbs.   The one monster brown we had hooked had crushed a 4 ½” Rebel stickbait and wedged it in it’s jaws with enough leverage to open up the split ring, the lunker brown swimming away with the treble hook stuck fast.  The angler reeling in a plug minus a treble hook.

There were still a few long faces aboard after losing the big fish when the next brown hit a Fastrac Rebel in a jointed brown trout finish and swam steadily away.  As we watched the 10 lb. test line peel from the spool of the Penn 930 reel, I knew we were into another big brown.  Forty-five minutes later, after pulling the planer boards, riggers, and all the lines, and backing down on the big brown with both engines into a 3’ sea, the big brown showed itself for the first time.  It took my breath away!

As I readied the net, I mentally crossed my fingers, hoping the 9’ ultralight noodle rod and 8 lb. test leader would hold together for just a few more seconds.  The thrashing brown came aboard with a chorus of gasps, oooohs, and ahhhs.  Later, on a certified scale, it weighed 25 lbs. 4 oz., and Bob Heplar had landed the largest brown ever boated on my charter boat.

The secret to catching that fish was timing.   Yes, timing, fishing for browns in the first half of June.  Fact, from June 1 to June15, there have been more monster browns caught over 20 lbs., including the current state record 33 lb. 2 oz. brown, boated on June 10, 1997, than any other time of the year.  Sure, one of my Fish Doctor customers boated a 19 lb. 4 oz. brown in April, and another boated a 21 lb . 3 oz. brown in late June,  but the records show that early June is unquestionably your best bet if you want to fish Lake Ontario for a real wall hanger brown.

The reason is simple, food!  Big browns need lots of baitfish to maintain all that body weight, and alewives are their food of choice.  Not coincidentally, the peak alewife spawn occurs around June 15, when this nutritious baitfish concentrates in huge numbers in the shallows along New York State’s Lake Ontario coast line.  Big browns follow this food source inshore.  Most of the time these heavy bellied predators are gorged with alewives and could care less about hitting a bait or lure, but catch them when they are actively feeding, and your chances of landing a monster could be no better.

If you’re planning on fishing Lake Ontario with your own boat,  fish the area from Oswego Harbor east to Nine Mile point, where anglers caught all three of the most recent record browns, 30 lb. 6 oz., 30 lbs. 9 oz., and 33 lbs. 2 oz.  Take note that at least two of these record browns were caught on stickbaits, a Rebel Fastrac and a Smithwick Rogue, fished from planer boards well away from the disturbance of the boat.  I use no heavier than 8 lb. test leaders on 10 lb. test main line when fishing stickbaits.

Thirty-one years of Lake Ontario brown trout fishing has proven to me that big browns like deeper water than smaller browns, so focus on depths of 20 -30 feet and deeper, especially near structure.  In these depths, downriggers, diving planers, especially Slide Divers, and leadcore line, all are effective for catching bigger fish.

New York’s state brown trout record has been uncontested now for over 10 years.  It wouldn’t surprise me a bit, if that record was broken in the first half of June,2009.

Lake Ontario Salmon and Trout Fishing…, ABU Garcia 7000i SYNCHRO Field Test Report, 5/30/11

The ABU Garcia 7000i SYNCHRO. What a line counter reel for Great Lakes Trout and Salmon Fishing!

Finally…, a line counter reel specifically designed  for Great Lakes trout and salmon trolling.  I’ve been fishing the ABU Garcia 7000i Synchro line counter reel for several weeks now and all I can say is…, NICE!  The 7000 has always been a great reel, popular with Great Lakes charter captains especially.  But, now Abu Garcia has  taken this classic trout and salmon reel several  steps further. 

ABU Garcia has added a line counter and Penn Reel’s famous, silk-smooth  HT100 drag washers to their Carbon Matrix drag system. The reel handle knob is super comfortable.   But,  the best part is the Synchro system, a feature that every Great Lakes troller will appreciate when trolling riggers deep for trout and salmon, Fishing mono, braided, or wire Dipsy rods, or using thumper(wire) rods off the stern of the boat.

No more flipping the free spool lever and thumbing a reel or changing the setting on the star or lever drag to lower your downrigger into the depths.  No more wearing the skin off your thumb as you drop a Dipsy back on wire.  If you want to drop a rigger, let out a Dipsy, or lower a 1 lb. “meatball” into the depths, you never have to take your hand off the reel handle or change the drag setting.  All you do is crank the reel handle backward a ¼ of a turn and the drag automatically loosens up slightly, maintaining enough tension to keep a bend in a downrigger rod as a rigger weight drops or allow a Dipsy to drop back slowly.

When you crank the reel handle back a ¼ turn, if the drag tension is too loose to suit you, you simple advance the reel handle forward slightly to increase the drag tension to whatever you like.   If the tension is a little too heavy when the Synchro is backed off a ¼ turn, you’ll need to loosen the star drag a touch to achieve the desired release tension.

I absolutely love the Synchro feature of this reel and everything else about it for the lake trout and salmon fishing my crews have been doing in late May.  What a time saver the Synchro system is!  Now, when I’m dropping a rigger to 140 feet for lakers, which takes a while, I no longer have to “stand at attention” with a reel in free spool and thumb the spool until the rigger reaches the right depth.  All I do is crank the 7000i’s handle back a ¼ of a turn, walk away, listen for the beep on my Penn rigger signaling the rigger has stopped 140’ down, return to the rigger and crank the Synchro handle forward ¼ of a turn to the original drag setting and I’m good to go.  Meanwhile, I can be netting fish, setting another rod or whatever.

What a reel!!!  The only thing I don’t know after fishing this reel for only three weeks is how it will hold up, and I’ll report later about this.  Meanwhile, my Fish Doctor anglers and I are  really enjoying using Abu Garcia’s 7000i SYNCHRO line counter reel, fishing more efficiently with it, and catching more fish because of it!

The ABU Garcia 7000i SYNCHRO. What a line counter reel for Great Lakes Trout and Salmon Fishing!

Lake Ontario Salmon and Trout Fishing, 5/16/11…, Weather Extends Spring Brown Trout Fishing

Ask Sal Furnare about the spring, 2011, brown trout fishing, and he’ll tell you it’s the best he’s ever seen.  Sal boated a 20.3 lb. brown aboard the Fish Doctor on 5/6/11…, no wonder he’s psyched about the brown trout fishing. 

 He’s not the only one.  All but one of the Fish Doctor charters has limited out on a combination of predominantly browns, but also cohos, lake trout, and a few rainbows and Atlantics.  On those trips, I have seen more 8 lb.and larger browns caught than we’ve boated since 1994.  What brown trout fishing!

 Even better news for the anglers who enjoy catching shallow water browns on ultralight Fish Doctor tackle…,

 First, the weather that we’ve had so far, with cool air temps and higher than normal rainfall, has produced the best spring brown trout fishing in the Oswego area that I’ve ever seen.  It is so good that several charter captains from ports west of Oswego have temporarily moved their boats to Oswego.  Lake water temperature outside Oswego Harbor is still in the low to mid 50’s…, optimum for browns.  The plume of Oswego River water has extended slightly colored water for miles outside the harbor producing perfect fishing conditions and a situation where browns bite all day.

 Secondly, the weather forecast for the next 10 days thru May 25 calls for rain 8 out of 10 days, nightly air temps in the 50’s and highs no more than 70 degrees.  The water temperature in the Oswego River has actually dropped from 61 to 59 degrees from May 14 to May 16, and the flow has increased slightly from about 20,000 cfs. to 20,400 cfs.  Normal flow of the Oswego River at this date is around 7,000 cfs.

 This kind of weather and water conditions will extend this year’s fantastic spring brown trout fishing well into June.

 Third, with the abundance of alewives we’re seeing in shallow right now and the numbers increasing until peak spawn around June 15, browns are really putting on the feed bag, and I expect to see some real lunkers in the next few weeks.

This beautifully colored brown hit a #44 Sutton on the afternoon of 5/13/11.

Lake Ontario Trout and Salmon Fishing…, Long Rigger Rods for Brown Trout…, Why?

Steve Alex with a 14 pound brown he boated on a custom built 6-foot Fish Doctor Kidstick on the afternoon of 5/13/11.

Step aboard the Fish Doctor at 4:45 AM, 15 minutes before I head out of Oswego Marina to fish for brown trout, and you’ll see 10 rods rigged and ready.  Six of them are 9’ noodle rods built on 5-weight fly rod blanks that are used on my planer boards.  The other four are 6 and 7 foot lightweight rigger rods, the 6-footers for the corner riggers and the 7-footer for the boom riggers.  If I didn’t already have somewhere in the neighborhood of a dozen 9-foot noodle rods on hand, I’d be using 7-foot rods on the planer boards as well.  Every rod is rigged with a Penn 855 digital line counter reel, 10 lb. main line, and 8 lb. Maxima Ultragreen leader. 

Step on most other charter boats during the spring brown trout season and you’ll see mostly 8 ½-foot or 9-foot rods all around.

I’m often asked, including by other captains, why I use the short rods on the riggers.  The answer is performance and efficiency.  The short 6-foot rods, nicknamed “KidSticks” that  I use on the stern riggers land fish just as well as the long rods.  Question that, and I can show you a photo of a 23 lb. 8 oz. chinook salmon taken on one of them.  Just two days ago, on an afternoon trip, Steve Alex boated a 14 pound brown on one, and we’ve taken many other 6-12 pound browns on them already this spring. 

Another benefit is easy rigging.  I don’t care how long your arms are, you cannot hold a 9’ rod by the grip and reach out easily, without bending the rod, and grab the line in your hand to clamp it into a rigger release as you’re setting up.  Even with my short arms, I can easily reach the line while holding the fore grip of a 6 or 7 Shortstick.  Not only that, if I need to, I can swap ends with the rod inside the enclosed cabin of the boat.  Not a bad thing when you’re rigging a leader, or whatever, on a rod in pouring rain and wind like we’ve been having almost every day lately.

Another benefit is easy storage.  The 6-foot and 7-foot rods store neatly in the rod racks on the ceiling of the cabin of my 28-foot Baha…, nice!  If I need to store them downstairs in my cabin, I don’t have to fight the rod to get it thru the cabin door, and it stores neatly out of the way.

Each to their own, but if you haven’t tried fishing shorter rigger rods, you might want to think about it.  I use them throughout the season for browns and kings, along with 7-foot CopperSticks and Roller Dipsy rods.  This year, I’ll be testing a 6’ CopperStick.

See you on the water.

Lake Ontario Salmon Fishing…, Crazy Spring Cohos

A spring coho that hit a green mylar fly behind a #00 red dodger

 

We watched my 16” flat screen in amazement as not one, but four cohos darted around behind the red #00 dodger and green hummer fly trailing 5’ behind my underwater camera on the center rigger set 15’ below the surface.  As all four fish swirled around in full view of the camera, a silvery torpedoe shot forward and nailed the fly, pulling the line from the downrigger release.  The 7’ Shortstick sprang upward and a quick hand snatched the ultralight rod from the rod holder. 
Before the excited angler could say, “Fish on!”, the mint silver coho was already airborne.

There are lots of brown trout being caught this spring in the Oswego area of Lake Ontario, but not many cohos, unless you’re fishing specifically for them.  Sure, you’ll catch an occasional coho while fishing for browns, but the best locations and techniques for each differ.

For those in the know who select for coho salmon in early spring they are a great bonus, especially when conditions aren’t right for browns.   Nothing compares to their wild and wooly antics.  Absolutely fearless of boats, and very surface oriented, I’ve seen them hit in full view, less than 6’ behind a down rigger weight and not more than one foot below the surface.  The wilder and noisier the action of a lure and the gaudier the color, the more cohos like it.  As they say, cohos like any colored lure as long as it has fluorescent red or orange in it.  When you find a “wolf pack” of marauding spring cohos, prepare for action, because it’s not unusual for  every single rod you have in the water to double over with a fish on it.

Cohos are hyper fish.  Everything they do is fast including the rate at which they grow.  The cohos that make up Lake Ontario’s spring fishery are 2-year old fish that weigh 3-5 lbs.  By late August of the same year, when they stage before returning to the hatchery in the headwaters of the Big Salmon river in northern Oswego Co., they will weigh 6-12 lbs. and more.   After spawning, adult cohos die as do all Pacific salmon. 

One of the favorite rigs for spring cohos is a fluorescent red #00 dodger trailed 12” – 14” back by a small 1” – 2 ½” green mylar fly.   Dodgers are effective trolled shallow on downriggers and Lite Bite Slide Divers(www.slidediver.com), but #00 dodgers and coho flies really shine fished behind inline planer boards like the Church TX-12 Mini Planer(www.churchtackle.com). 

To rig dodgers and flies for trolling behind inline planers, use 6’ of 20# test leader ahead of the dodger.  Between the leader and the main line snap in a 5/8 to 7/8 ounce bead chain keel sinker.  This weighted keel sinker helps keep the dodger from planing to the surface.  Set the dodger/fly back 25 to70 feet behind the inline planer board, and let the planer board out to the side of the boat the desired distance.  Multiple inline planers can be used off each side of the boat.  High action jointed plugs like the J-9 orange and gold Rapala are favorites, along with standard size Michigan Stingers in hot colors, especially in a combination of fluorescent red and silver or brass.

Riggers are normally set in the top 10 feet of water when surface temperatures are cold in late March, and April, then set deeper as temperatures warm and cohos move offshore.  Much like landlocked salmon, cohos are attracted to the boat, and downrigger setbacks of  6 to 20 feet are common.  My side riggers are set 3 to 5 feet down and 10 to 12 feet back with the dodger fly clearly visible from the boat as it wobbles back and forth.  Diving planers are set on 15 to 25 feet of line.  A trolling speed of 2.0 to 3.0 mph is about right depending on water temperature.  When a coho hits close to the boat, you usually see the fish in the air before you see the rod go!

Lake Ontario salmon and Trout Fishing…, Spring Afternoon Charters

One question I’m commonly asked, “How does the fishing on an afternoon charter compare with a morning charter.  My answer…, it all depends on the time of year and the weather and lake conditions.   

Recent trips on the afternoon of April 22 and the  morning of April 23 are a good example.   The weather on April 22 was warm and sunny all day with a steady, gentle southerly wind.   With the Oswego River flow at 21,600 cfs and the water very turbid, the plume from the river had reduced the water clarity in the area of Lake Ontario east of Oswego Harbor to less than 3 feet.  Because of the turbidity, on the morning of April 22, the browns weren’t active until the rays of the sun hit the water, typical brown trout behavior in early spring when water temperature is cold, on 4/22, 47 degrees.  The  brown trout bite was good all morning.

Just before 1:00 PM, when Mike and his son Tucker stepped onto dock #21, at Oswego Marina, where my charter boat, the “Fish Doctor” is moored, they didn’t have to ask.  After having to reschedule their trip from morning to afternoon because of a scheduling conflict, they were wondering if the afternoon fishing was going to be as good as the morning trip. 

I was confident, because I knew from 30 years of experience fishing spring browns that conditions for an afternoon bite were optimum.  After reaching the area where we had pinpointed the location of browns and cohos earlier in the day, an advantage, by the way, for afternoon charters, 12-year old Tucker said, “If I could just catch one brown over 12 inches, I would be happy!”  I said to myself, “If I can’t do that for you young fella, it’s time to get out of the charter business!!!”

Thirty minutes later, we boated our fifth brown trout, and Tucker was absolutely awed and elated.  By the end of the trip after lots of action, 8 browns and 1 coho added considerable weight to the fish cooler.  Perfect weather and water conditions, plus pinpointed location, and an effective lure-of-the-day formula had produced a great fishing trip.

The following morning, 4/23, was cold with heavy rain and a howling south wind gusting to over 30 mph, scattering warm shorline water, bait, browns and cohos all over Lake Ontario.  Morning fishing was tough with browns reluctant to open their mouths and just 4 browns and 2 cohos in the “box”, and almost nothing in their stomachs when I cleaned and packaged the fish. 

Just before noon as we were pulling lines after a 6-hour trip, the sun broke thru the clouds, the wind subsided, you could feel the warmth, and gulls that had been roosting, immobile, on the breakwalls all morning, took to the air.  A color line, was starting to develop outside the harbor.  I didn’t have an afternoon charter, but I would have bet my crew my favorite Fish Doctor ShortStick that the afternoon fishing would have been excellent as browns and cohos that had been “hibernating” all morning started actively feeding.

Tucker with his birthday brown on the afternoon of 4/22. A bit better than that 12" fish he said he would have settled for

Lake Ontario Trout and Salmon Fishing Report, Oswego, 4/16/11

With the air temperature in the mid30′s and the weather forecast predicting rain and southeast winds gusting to 50 mph, it was hard to say what the fishing out of Oswego Marina was going to be like when my charter of Clarkson graduates and I headed out in the Fish Doctor at 6:00 AM on Sat., April 16, 2011.

Conditions weren’t great, but with the surface water temperature in Oswego Harbor 49-50 degrees and the water quite turbid,  the brown trout didn’t seem to mind the weather. 

For the next 6 hours action was steady, with 11 browns, 2 cohos, and one rainbow trout coming to the net.  Black and silver F-11 Rapalas and Smithwicks in blue/silver/orange and blue silver were the hottest stickbaits, with a hammered silver/blue Wolverine MiniStreak taking most of the fish on the riggers. 

Heavy wind gusts made it tough to control trolling speed, but most of the fish came from about 1.9 to 2.6 mph.  In these conditions, I like to run a variety of tuned Smithwicks so that I know that I’ve got a Stickbait in the water with the proper action no matter what the speed.

Because of the weather, there was only one other boat on the water on Sat. morning. 

Part of a 4/16/11 catch 14 of brown trout, coho salmon, and rainbows.