Anglers who troll for trout and salmon are familiar with directional diving planers like the Dipsy Diver.  These planers attach directly to monofilament,  braided, or wire line and take your bait or lure down to target depths. The adjustable rudder on many of these  diving planers directs them to port or starboard of the boat.   These types of planers use water pressure against the angled surface of the diver to take the diver and the attached leader and lure to depth. 

 A drawback to standard diving planers…, the length of the leader training them is limited to a maximum of about eight feet or whatever length an angler can handle when the planer is reeled to the rod tip while landing a fish.  This is where the Slide Diver parts company with all other available directional and nondirectional diving planers.

 Slide Divers differ from all other diving planers and  are a major part of my trout and salmon arsenal aboard the Fish Doctor for one reason.  They are inline planers, that is the line passes through them and can be locked in place any distance ahead of the lure.  This allows a lure to be fished at any distance behind the Slide Diver, a huge advantage when trolling for boat shy trout or salmon just below the surface.  In many cases, a trout or salmon in the top 30 feet or less of water won’t hit a lure fished on a 6’to 8’ leader behind a diving planer.  Set that lure back 20’ or more and lock your line in place in a Slide Diver, though, and you’ll catch fish. 

 The Lite Bite Slide Diver is an improved version of the Slide Diver that has a different trigger mechanism, allowing even the smallest trout or salmon to release the trigger, avoiding dragging small fish behind the planer undetected.

 The setup I’ve used this spring on Lake Ontario to fish Lite Bite Slide Divers is a 9’ medium heavy rod with standard guides, and an ABU Garcia 7000 Synchro line counter reel spooled with 40” test Berkley braided line. The braided line is slipped through an 8 mm. bead and attached to 6’ of 15# to 20# test fluorocarbon leader with a barrel swivel.   The rudder on the Slide Diver is adjusted to the #3 setting taking the diver as far away from the boat as possible.  Spoons are normally fished 20 to 40 feet behind the Slide Diver.  When any size fish hits the spoon, the trigger on the diver releases and the diver slides back to the bead ahead of the swivel, 6’ ahead of the spoon.

 You will appreciate one of the greatest  advantages of the Slide Diver when a steelhead or landlocked salmon hits and goes aerial, leaping across the surface.  Instead of dragging a solidly attached diving planer along with it, increasing the chance for the hook to pull free, the inline Slide Diver  slides freely on the line, never allowing the fish to pull directly against the diver.

 Chris Dwy and Bill Purcell will attest to the effectiveness of Slide Divers after fishing them aboard the Fish Doctor onMay 7, 2012, to boat a limit of king salmon and brown trout.  With the last king of their limit thrashing in the net, three more kings hit.   Chris and Bill had a triple on, two on Slide Divers.  All three kings were released unharmed to thrill another angler another day.

Slide Divers Took Some of These Browns and Kings

There is a bit of a learning curve involved with using Slide Divers, but they are so effective for trout and salmon, the time it takes to learn to use them is well worth it.

When Tim and his son Garrett along with Jeff and his daughter Emily climbed aboard the Fish Doctor at Oswego Marina onApril 13, 2012, they knew it was prime time forLakeOntariobrown trout, and expected to see some dandy browns on their 6-hour morning trip.  I expected the same, but was hoping, based on some earlier reports I had heard, that they might be in store for an unexpected bonus

Seeing gulls working bait inside the harbor breakwalls, I knew we wouldn’t have to go far to catch fish.  With only three lines in the water, one of the rigger rods snapped upright, and Garrett was into the first brown trout of the tripit.  On our second troll past theOswegolighthouse, the rod didn’t spring upright when the fish jerked the line free of the downrigger release.  Instead, the ultralight 6’ rigger rod doubled over,  the drag on the 5500LC ABU Garcia levelwind reel screeching as an unseen monster with a #44  Sutton  in it’s mouth peeled two hundred feet of 10 lb. test line from the spool. 

I knew before the fish ever stopped running that it was a king.  After a give and take battle, the silvery king came to the net,  later pulling a digital scale to 17.8 lbs.  In the next five hours we boated  around 30 trout and salmon, four of them silvery spring kings.  Three of them were caught just inside the entrance to the harbor, the fourth just outside.  Since then, we have boated king salmon on almost every charter trip.

I have fishedLakeOntarioin the spring since 1978, and never, ever have seen so many king salmon caught in April offOswegoHarborand Nine Mile Point inMexicoBay.  Why this is happening this year, no one knows for sure, but it does coincide with one of the warmest months of March ever.  Water temperature inOswegoHarborin late March reached 55 degrees, compared to normal temperature ranging from the mid30s to low 40s.  By early April, this warmer water from theOswegoRiverflowing east to Nine Mile Point attracted hordes of alewives and king salmon followed them.  Ever since, the April salmon fishing inshore in water less than 50 feet deep has been better than any I’ve ever seen.

 On my last charter trip, Patty and Dave McMahon, who have fished with me for 15 years, including on many spring trips, could not believe it.  Leaving the dock at Oswego Marina at6:00 AM, it was only a  5-minute run to 40 feet of water where I had been catching kings.  We set up our lines with a dodger/fly on one corner rigger  back 15 feet and down 30 feet, and a spoon on the other corner rigger at the same depth, but back 25 feet.  Spoons were rigged on two Dipsy Diver rods, plus two leadcore lines fished from the planer boards.

By  9:00 AM Pattyand Dave had boated 6 kings up to 18.8 lbs. and lost several others.  Along with the salmon they boated 6 browns up to 12.7 lbs., plus three lake trout.  At one time, they had 5 fish on at once, three of them kings. They released all but four king salmon and two browns. 

Once the king salmon move into theOswegoarea andMexicobay, they are usually there thru the rest of  the season..  If this happens this year, there is no question that 2012 will be one of the best king salmon seasons ever.

If it never happens again, you can be sure that no one who has fished theOswegoarea this April will ever forget the early spring king salmon fishing of  2012..

Dave and Pat with a few of the 6 kings and 6 browns they boated by 9:00 AM on 4/26/12.

I had been listening to the reports, including from my son Capt. Jeff, about catches of spring browns…, 20, 30, 40 fish per trip.  Meanwhile, my charter boat sat in the water at Salmon Country Marina on the Little Salmon River while I waited for the wind to stop blowing.

It’s only 11 1/2 miles from the mouth of the L. Salmon to Oswego Harbor, but with the wind blowing up to 36 knots and with seas running anywhere from 2-4 feet to 7-9 feet, it would have been a bumpy ride into west or northwest winds, especially coming around Nine Mile Point.

Finally, with a charter scheduled for Monday morning and a 25 knot wind pushing seas to 3-5 feet, I decided on Monday(4/7) morning, it was time to depart, despite the weather.  After a bumpy 45 minute ride, I pulled into Oswego Harbor.  With the seas so rough there wasn’t a single boat fishing outside the harbor, but, man, were there ever boats inside the harbor!  After carefully weaving my way around boats, planer boards, and long lines, I finally made it to Oswego Marina where I moor my  boat.

Although the Saturday morning bite in the harbor had been slow, news from the dock was not only were the browns  biting in the harbor on Friday, 6 kings up to 18 lbs. had also been caught. 

Sunday dawned calm and sunny.  It was time for a shakedown cruise.  My wife, absolutely loving fresh broiled brown trout filets, agreed to go out with me to check out the boat, electronics, riggers, etc.  We left the dock at 10:30 AM and returned at noon.  In 1 1/2 hours in the bright sun and crystal clear water we boated 7 browns, one rainbow, one coho salmon, and two Atlantic salmon…, unbelievable spring fishing. 

Oh, yeah…, my Monday charter, as well as my Wed charter were both a blowoff.  Yes, Lake Ontario gives up her treasures grudginly.

2-yea old April browns like this are plentiful this spring.

Fishing spring brown trout in Lake Ontario. Emily and Owen show how it's done!

With basically no winter, and the spring brown trout fishery in full swing in midMarch, it could be an interesting trout and salmon season on Lake Ontario!

Just to update you on what this weather is doing to conditions on the east end of Lake Ontario, Capt. Jeff Lantiegne fished browns along shore in Mexico Bay on March 10, and the surface temp was 34 degrees.  One week later, yesterday March 17, it had increased to 43 degrees and the water was crystal clear.  Because of the warmer than normal winter, warmer water, and increased growth rate, 2-year old browns stocked as 8″ yearlings 10 months ago in May, 2011, are already up to 18 to 20 inches.  it’s only midMarch!!!  Check out the video of Jeff’s 3/17/12 trip http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJXjOCKW … e=youtu.be

We don’t have to guess.  Browns will be growing faster than normal from midMarch to mid April, and will grow larger than normal by late August, when the majority of them start to mature and quit feeding as they prepare for their early autumn spawning run in tributaries.  Ditto for older browns, with “only the Lord knows” limits on their size in such a productive lake.  With lampreys relatively scarce in 2011, we could be looking at a major crop of 12 – 20 lb. browns and bigger this year.

Issue # 2…, there was no ice on Lake Erie this winter, so the ice boom at the head end of the Niagara River will not be holding back any ice, chilling the big Niagara, and keeping kings away from the river mouth and it’s plume out into the lake.  Most years, ice water in the Niagara pushes kings west into Canada, delaying the king salmon fishery in the area from the mouth of the Niagara eastward to Olcott.  This year could be different.

And, what about the spring king salmon fishery off Oswego Harbor.  Some years it has been awesomem, including 2001, and later in 2004 when Fish Doctor anglers aboard my charter boat boated 201 king in 31 trips, just in the month of May.  In 2005, May fishing was almost as good for kings, and even better for cohos.  Last year, though, in 2011, there weren’t many kings off Oswego until late June.

Time will tell, but I’m guessing the 2012 season will be much different than most!

As a LakeOntariocharter captain with 35years of experience under my keel, I’ve been asked many times, “If you had only one spoon to use inLake Ontario

This Lake Ontario brown trout hit a hammered silver/brass #44 Sutton.

for trout and salmon, what would it be?”  My answer, whether fished on a flatline, leadcore or copper line, or a downrigger or Dipsy, the ultralight flutter spoon called a Sutton, in Size #44.  If I could select a few different sizes of Suttons, I would add the #31, #71, #88 and #38.

The first time I fished Lake Ontario in September, 1977, my fishing partner and I boated 5 out of 6 kings on a flat silver $44 Sutton.  In the 35 years since then, Sutton spoons in a variety of sizes in stock and customized Fish Doctor finishes have caught every species of trout and salmon inLakeOntariofor me including, cohos, steelhead, lake trout, domestic rainbow trout, landlocked salmon, several thousand brown trout, plus walleyes and bass. 

Sutton spoons aren’t as available as they once were when produced inNaples,NY.  They were the most popular trolling spoon, by far, for trout and salmon inNew York’sFinger Lakesfor many years.  The originals have one of the finest silver plated finishes on the market.  Keep your eye out for used, original Suttons.

Suttons are available in a variety of finishes including flat and hammered silver, brass, copper, silver/brass, and silver/copper depending on the model and size.

My favorite is the ultralight flutterspoon because it can be tweaked to troll properly at speeds from 1.5 – 3.0 mph.  These spoons come from the factory with a light treble hook which produces good action at slow speeds.  For my purposes onLakeOntario, I replace the treble on all Sutton spoons with a single Mustad siwash hook.  On my favorite, the  3” #44, I use  a Size #1, #1/0 or #2/0 hook depending on the speed I’ll be trolling and the spoon action I want.  With the factory bend and a single # 1 hook, the #44  rigged with a #1 crosslock snap on a light leader will start to spin at 2.0 mph.  Small crosslock snaps improve the action of any flutterspoon at slow speeds.  Rigged with the same small crosslock snap, but a 1/0 Siwash hook, the #44 will start to spin at 2.3 mph.  Rig a #44 Sutton with a #2/0 Siwash hook and a #2 Sampo coastlock ball bearing snap swivel it will wobble up to about 2.7 mph.  Flatten the spoon thru the middle and bend back a 3/8” length of the nose of the spoon, this “high speed” version of the #44 will wobble up to about 3.0 mph. 

For brown trout, tune a Sutton to wobble.  King salmon prefer a spoon that wobbles, but will hit spinning spoons when they’re aggressively feeding.  Domestic rainbows sometimes prefer a flutterspoon that spins.  Vary the size of the Sutton you’re fishing from the smaller, 3” #44 and #31 to the larger #71 and #38 depending on the size of the bait fish trout and salmon are targeting. 

One of my my favorite Suttons in LakeOntario’s gin-clear water when it’s sunny is the stock hammered silver/brass finish.  A 1/16^” stripe of fluorescent orange paint along the silver edge of this spoon produces more fish in colored water under sunny skies.  A flat silver Sutton with a diagonal stripe of light blue lazer tape is one of my favorites for brown trout in clear water and low light.  Your own custom touches of tape and paint are sometimes just what the doctor ordered.

I’ll never forget that firstLakeOntariotrip with Mac Collins.  As he removed a crumpled #88 Sutton from a big king’s toothy maw, I suggested the spoon was ready for the garbage heap.  “No way,” Mac said.  “This baby is just starting to get a little character!”  Mac put another “peppermint twist” in the spoon, rigged it on a downrigger and promptly caught another king on it. 

Capt. Ernie Lantiegne has operated a charter fishing business on Lake Ontario for trout and salmon for 30 years.  He also worked as a fishery biologist/manager for the New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation for 22 years. 

Cone of disturbance orCODfor short, is a term you don’t hear much about fromGreat Lakestrollers.  A few savvy anglers, though,  use it to consistently boat more trout and salmon.  It’s the area of disturbance around a boat that pushes surface oriented fish away vertically, and horizontally a certain distance to what I like to call the “sweet spot”.   Reverse this concept, and the same factors can actually attract fish from a distance to the outer edge of theCODaround a boat.    Things like boat visibility, engine and outdrive noise, prop disturbance and flash, hull vibration, and electrical charge all repel fish a certain distance from a boat.  That particular distance depends on other factors like species behavior, light conditions, and lake surface conditions.  From experience, I’m convinced that even subtle things like engine lifter noise, affectsCOD.

For some species like the crazy, fearless coho, with a definite attraction to motion and noise, outer limits of theCODmay be within arm’s reach.  But other more sensitive or wary species like chinooks and browns behave differently, and are seldom caught as close to the boat.   For each individual boat, each species has it’s own sweet spot. 

The bottom line for anglers is about taking advantage of fish concentrations when presenting baits and lures.  As a boat “plows” through the water and pushes fish out to the edge of theCOD, fish tend to concentrate a certain distance from the boat.  Theoretically, if that distance was 25’ off the beam, and steelhead were equally distributed just under the surface,   the  concentration of fish in the sweet spot would be 150% or 1 1/2 times greater than the average distribution on the lake surface.  Not a bad spot to target, eh?

Effective rigger, Dipsy, sinking line, and planer board setbacks are as much a part ofCODas are the perpendicular distances vertically and horizontally from from the hull of the boat.  As a boat moves past fish,  pushing them perpendicularly away from the path of the boat, some of them eventually move directly astern, back into the wake of the boat.   Fish a Dipsy Diver with 6 – 10 feet of leader on 15 feet of line to the rod tip for spring browns in clear water and you’ll likely draw a blank.  Fish a Slide Diver, one of my favorites, on 15’ of line but with a 20 feet or longer setback to a lure, and you’ll  likely hook up. 

The other important factor affectingCODis fish activity level.  We all know fish are not active 24-7.  I saw a good example of this at a major sporting goods retail store recently where I was doing a seminar and talking with anglers near the store’s huge aquaria for several hours.  While there, I noticed a landlocked salmon, constantly swimming around the aquaria for a couple of hours.  Then, for no apparent reason, it suspended motionless, hardly gilling, in a corner of the aquaria, and stayed there for several hours.  It reminded me of a scene in an instructional video by master flyfisherman Jim Teeny where he unsuccessfully cast flies to several inactive steelhead lying almost motionless in a shallow run, then chucked a rock at them to break the dormant “spell”, moving them to another location, and then hooked up on his first cast, all filmed from 50 feet above. Anyone who has spent much time fishingGreat Lakessteelhead offshore has seen these fish, lying motionless, just barely below the surface, seemingly dormant.  That changes when a boat passes close to them and “kicks them in the butt”.  You’ll often find more active fish at the sweet spot along the edge of theCOD.

TheCODvaries from boat to boat.  My 28’ twin engine Baha, with oversized mufflers on V-8 engines, catches fish much closer to the boat than a 26’ 4-Wynns I/O I operated years ago.   BZ(before zebra mussels) when water visibility was 3-5 feet in Lake Ontario, my son Jeff tipped me off to one of the hottestCODrecipes I’ve ever used for surface oriented steelhead, a green size #1 Dipsy Diver on the #3 setting with no ring, on 20 lb. test mono, 25 feet from the rod tip.  It not only took more steelhead than any other rod on the boat, the fish caught on it averaged larger.  The same recipe was deadly on inshore browns.  Thinking vertically rather than horizontally, one of the deadliest recipes I ever used BZ for staged kings off the mouth of the Salmon River was a tuned #88 Sutton 15 feet behind the weight and 18 feet down over 20 feet of water. 

Today, AZ(after zebra mussels), with water visibility greater than 30 feet at times, those recipes have changed, and are more variable, especially as water turbidity varies.  Fishing in early spring in the turbid plume of theOswegoRiverin 20-30 feet of water, I still catch browns on Dipsy Divers 25 feet from the rod tip, but in clearer water 40 feet of line to the rod tip is a better recipe.  Short rigger setbacks in 20 feet of  crystal clear water no longer work for me for staged kings.

I’ve always said that all it takes is one blistering hot rod to make a fishing trip successful, and on many trips on my charter boat, that rod is fishing the sweet spot on the edge of theCOD.  If your way out rods that are often deadly don’t seem to be working, tuck things in a bit, because chances are, revved up trout and salmon may be eyeballing you boatside as you troll by. 

Rev. Mike with an early spring brown trout that hit a spoon trolled in the "sweet spot".

With such an unusually mild winter, a question I’ve been getting lately is, “Do you think we’re going to have an early  brown trout season?” and, “Should we book our brown trout trip earlier this year?” 

It’s tempting to predict earlier than normal spring fishing for browns, cohos, domestic rainbows and Atlantic salmon in shallow water, and it definitely will happen if our mild winter continues.  With little or no snow pack and warm air temps,  by midMarch, sun warmed tributaries like theOwegoRiverwill be warmer than normal.   Near shore waters like those aroundOswegoHarborwill start to warm, attracting bait fish and predatory salmonids, and fishing will be hot and heavy by late March.  Key words here…, if the mild winter continues.

If it doesn’t, and we see the worst of Old Man Winter’s wrath, we could still be in for a lot of winter, and a normal start to our spring brown trout fishing.  Remember, it’s only midFebruary with plenty of time for horrendous lake effect storms along the southeasternLakeOntariocoastline.  What was it, about 6 years ago, when a lake effect storm starting around Valentine’s Day in midFebruary dumped 120 inches of snow on northernOswegoCountyin just 4 or 5 days?  Something like that would definitely set back our spring fishing season., 

Being a typical fisherman and an eternal optimist, i.e., “Just one more cast!”, I like to think positively.  Let’s bet the mild winter continues.  What will the brown trout fishing conditions be like, especially if we don’t get much rain?  One word sums it up…, TOUGH!!!  With low flow in the tribs, we’re looking at ultraclear water conditions along the shoreline of the lake, except for a short period after heavy blows.  Clear water will separate the “men from the boys” this spring.  If you know how to cope with clear water, you’ll catch fish.  If not, you’ll struggle.

A few things that will help;

1)      The early bird gets the worm.  We all know by now to get on the water early before the sun gets up while the bite is still on.

2)      Fish areas of turbid water, if you can find them.

3)      Go ultralight, with the lightest leaders you can get away with.

4)      Don’t be afraid to fish deeper than normal once the sun gets up.

5)      If you have a choice, fish when it’s overcast

6)      Think natural, when it comes to lure finish.

7)      Go the extra distance to put the odds in your favor, that includes a quality scent on lures.

8)      Learn to fish the “Real McCoy” for browns…, bait.

Whatever the conditions, following last year’s banner brown trout fishing, and the good growth and survival of yearling browns stocked last year, we should be looking at another great brown trout season.  Last November, 2011, Fish Doctor anglers were catching yearling browns, stocked only 6 months earlier, that were already up to 18 inches in length and almost 3 lbs. in weight.  With warmer than normal winter temps in the lake, these fish, as 2-year olds should reach 4 lbs. in April.  Combined with some real lunkers that carried over from last season, anglers should be in for plenty of early season brown trout action

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.

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.

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