First Success on Lake O trib...

[addy79]

I FINALLY had some successes last night! Unfortunately I wasnt able to land anything, but I had some respectable bites and hook ups!

I need a little more advice before venturing back in again....

Last night i was using a pretty basic rig I put together myself:

Sinker at the bottom of my line, relatively large hook about a foot up, baited with styrophoam!!! can you believe that!! i was shocked that it actually worked!

 

there has to be a better way to rig my gear, im using a spinning reel with a 7' med heavy action rod.

 

what size hooks should i use, is there a better way to tie on the weights (i.e. 3 way swivel) and of course...

IS THERE A BETTER BAIT TO USE THAN STYROPHOAM???

 

im going back every day until i land one!!

 

Thanks!!

[jdmls]

The setup is general enough to work.....as for a better option than styrofoam ? just read a couple posts !!!!

 

Best I can put together in no specific order for bottom bouncing

 

floating large roe bags

skein chunks

baby marshmallows (for a less expensive route)

 

These all produce Salmon day in and day out

[ricoboxing]

I FINALLY had some successes last night! Unfortunately I wasnt able to land anything, but I had some respectable bites and hook ups!

I need a little more advice before venturing back in again....

Last night i was using a pretty basic rig I put together myself:

Sinker at the bottom of my line, relatively large hook about a foot up, baited with styrophoam!!! can you believe that!! i was shocked that it actually worked!

 

there has to be a better way to rig my gear, im using a spinning reel with a 7' med heavy action rod.

 

what size hooks should i use, is there a better way to tie on the weights (i.e. 3 way swivel) and of course...

IS THERE A BETTER BAIT TO USE THAN STYROPHOAM???

 

im going back every day until i land one!!

 

Thanks!!

 

i dont think the fish actually went after the styrofoam. i think its there to keep the hook from sinking. i believe this technique is called lining or flossing. marshmellows will do the same thing.

[Nater]

ya congratulations on lining salmon...high fives all around

 

[addy79]

BOO HOO NATER!!

if you have a better suggestion on how to land em by all means share the knowledge!

 

If this technique is questionable, this is news to me; I've never fished for these guys before and only followed the advice given by all the other fishermen down there with me ( i was told they think its sperm and want to eat away the competitions chances, so to speak)...

 

The reason for my post was to get a little more information on how to better land these fish, I don't claim to know much about this species, so either share some info or keep your sarcasm to yourself! If YOU tell me a better/more respectable way to catch em, I'll take your advice and land a monster! Consider this a challenge...I'll even post the pics!

 

What is it with this board lately, seems like people are quicker to fire off Bull than maybe share a little info...

[Burtess]

If this technique is questionable, this is news to me; I've never fished for these guys before and only followed the advice given by all the other fishermen down there with me ( i was told they think its sperm and want to eat away the competitions chances, so to speak)...

 

That is the most bizarre theory for eating styrofoam that I have ever heard

 

Yes, most methods of bottom fishing for salmon with marshmallows, ear plugs, styrofoam, hockey cards, etc., etc. is considered lining. This is when the salmon swim through your line with mouths agape and end up getting hooked. It is not illegal, it is fun, but there are more fun ways to catch them. This is the reason why you hooked a bunch but did not land any (and most hooked will be males), they usually get hooked on the outside of the mouth by this method.

 

A better way to fish them is by casting glow spoons, CC Rattling Spots, Rattlin' Raps, J13's, etc. off the piers.

 

Burt

[addy79]

thanks Burtess...

 

the spot im concentrating on isnt off of a pier its upstream a few km's, i didnt see ANYONE casting lures, thats what i brought, but it wasnt the bait of choice where i was casting.

 

I could give that a shot too, I know the fish are there.

 

so whats the difference between baiting your hook with foam and roe?? i was told i could get a sheet of netting and a bunch of artificial roe and make my own little bags to use as bait. Is this considered lining too??

[Rich]

Marshmallows used to work great when I lived in Hamilton. I'm not sure if we were actually lining them as I've seen them chase the marshmallows to shore before. More of a reaction response maybe, like a bass eating a senko. It's definitely debatable. Sounds like you had fun anyway, that's what counts.

[Fishnfiend]

I've seen them chase the marshmallows to shore before.

 

Valid point Rich.

 

Have fun addy79. Once you catch some this way, you might wish to try other methods. Until then, enjoy and don't ever let go of your rod! Salmon are brutally fast when it comes to yanking rods into the water and out of site.

[fishnpro]

Bottom bouncing with floating roe bags has always worked for me. Just a simple 1/2oz egg sinker and a small split shot to keep your egg sinker away from your hook. I place my splitshot about 18" from my hook. Good Luck!

[addy79]

Bottom bouncing with floating roe bags has always worked for me. Just a simple 1/2oz egg sinker and a small split shot to keep your egg sinker away from your hook. I place my splitshot about 18" from my hook. Good Luck!

 

I like the split shot idea, i was worried about my hook getting tied up with the sinker. How far is your sinker from your hook??

lastly, what size hook are you using?? i use very small hooks for lakers, does the same apply with these monsters??

[Milty]

First wait for a rain and the river to go up,..then as its dropping a day or 2 later (depending on the trib size), go fishing. they will be on the move when the water is high and starting to settle in holes when its dropping and will be more active. Try float fishing, ideally with a 12-15' ultra-lite to lite-medium rod, a centrepin works best, but is expensive, spinner can suffice use balsa or clear floatsfloats with 8-10lb mainline and 6lb drennan florocarbon leader, 2-3 ' of lead. Progressively smaller shot from the float to swivel and a #10-14 hook. as for bait use eggs tied in red mesh or anywetfly or jig with red accents. the salmon dont generally feed much but they will strike out of aggression and competition reasons. this is the best way to get Legitimate strikes for salmon up river. also is nearly identical set-up for stealhead soon to follow. Make sure when drifting that your bait is the first thing the fish sees,..and remember if you can see them,..they can see you....good luck!!!

 

Like this...this is a seelhead set-up with a fairly long leader,..and the float can be adjusted to the depth of the hole you are fishing,...I know it sounds ike light line,..but its neccesary and drennan kicks,..A@#$,..also the long lite action rod will absorb the shock,...the challenge will be to keep them away from structure,..but thats the fun also...lol

 

 

 

Good luck,...this will produce,...and,..it will produce ethically!!!

Edited September 22, 2007 by Milty

[ikoflexer]

First wait for a rain and the river to go up,..then as its dropping a day or 2 later (depending on the trib size), go fishing. they will be on the move when the water is high and starting to settle in holes when its dropping and will be more active. Try float fishing, ideally with a 12-15' ultra-lite to lite-medium rod, a centrepin works best, but is expensive, spinner can suffice use balsa or clear floatsfloats with 8-10lb mainline and 6lb drennan florocarbon leader, 2-3 ' of lead. Progressively smaller shot from the float to swivel and a #10-14 hook. as for bait use eggs tied in red mesh or anywetfly or jig with red accents. the salmon dont generally feed much but they will strike out of aggression and competition reasons. this is the best way to get Legitimate strikes for salmon up river. also is nearly identical set-up for stealhead soon to follow. Make sure when drifting that your bait is the first thing the fish sees,..and remember if you can see them,..they can see you....good luck!!!

 

Like this...this is a seelhead set-up with a fairly long leader,..and the float can be adjusted to the depth of the hole you are fishing,...I know it sounds ike light line,..but its neccesary and drennan kicks,..A@#$,..also the long lite action rod will absorb the shock,...the challenge will be to keep them away from structure,..but thats the fun also...lol

 

Good luck,...this will produce,...and,..it will produce ethically!!!

 

This is about the best and most detailed advice one could give for getting them fair out of the pools, thanks Milty.

Edited September 22, 2007 by ikoflexer

[fishnpro]

Hey addy79. The sinker is stopped by the splitshot from hitting your hook so the sinker is 18" away from the hook and I like to use number 10 hooks unless they are circle hooks then I prefer an 8 but iv even used #16 that i use for single eggs and caught them so it all really depends on how quick you can set the hook.

Edited September 22, 2007 by fishnpro

[addict]

dont waste your time on the tribs till the bows are in.most salmon caught upstream are lined or flossed.the very odd one will hit out of agression but its way to slow and tedious work.cast hardware such spoons ,rapala j13,rattle traps.or get a honkin piece of skien and fish it under a float.use these methods at river mouths and piers.landed 5 on skien and one on a spoon earlier today not to mention numerous takedowns.u dont need fancy gear like center pin or 20ft rod i use a one piece7ft medium heavy spin outfit 14lb main 10lb floro lead and a #1 owner hook.skip the floro if your casting hardware

[addy79]

Thanks for the tips Milty and everyone else!!

 

I ended up using this exact same rig on saturday morning, used a single roe as bait.

 

didnt look like anyone was having much luck where i was saturday morning, got there at 6am and landed a brook trout at 7am!! (i assume it was a brookie, red tail/fins and about 8" long) BTW this was my first brookie!

fished for another 4hrs without a bite, it was too HOT; gonna keep heading back for some more practice until the big dawgs start running!! IM HOOOKED!

 

Nater...

wah happund?? no rebuttal??

[Weedman]

Hey all, there's been some good advice offered here regarding various tactics for salmon and trout, once they run the tribs. I have to comment though, about most salmon being caught in tribs being lined or flossed....this is simply NOT TRUE! I keep hearing comments to this effect by certain fisherman, who feel the fish should be left alone once they're in the streams. Unfortunately, there are some fisherman out there who use all kinds of tactics to intentionally line or floss salmon, which taint the experience for the rest of us who utilize finesse methods, and they really do work. I can count hundreds of salmon landed who've ventured out of the their resting places to engulf a well presented roe bag or single egg, or a perfectly positioned kwikfish or spinner. I will agree that most of these fish hit out of aggression, but that's all part of the cycle. Do not pay any mind to these naysayers who try to justify their bad behaviour, or say you can't coax these salmon to hit. They will, and once you get them on your line, hang on because they offer some great battles which often are won by the fish. Release those large females so they can continue their journey upstream to spawn. Most Ontario tribs have naturally reproducing fish in them these days too, which is very exciting. A bunch of us are involved in the egg collection operations with the MNR and Metro East Anglers out at the Credit starting next week. Keep trying different things, your patience will pay off. Tight lines all!