Lake O Salmon Fishing

[danbouck]

I want to get started at Salmon Fishing on Lake O around Oakville or Stoney Creek but the problem is that I know absolutely nothing about salmon fishing. I don't have the $$$ for downriggers at the moment so I'm going to be using divers for now.

 

Can anyone share some info about lures, depths, setups, trolling speeds and just about anything I will need to know. Again I know zero about salmon fishing so all info will help. Thanks in advance.

 

(oh and possibly some GPS coordinates )

 

Dan

[Pigeontroller]

www.spoonpullers.com

[sonny]

Hey dan,,,divers work very nicley for salmon,,,use em all the time,,,,i use a dipsey diver a four to six foot 30lb florocarbon lead folloed by either a spoon(usually 3.5 to 4 in) or a spin doctor or dodger and fly,,,start at 100 feet back letting out line at 25 foot increments ever 10 min or so untill you find the fish,,,not sure what your using for equipment but you may have to beef it up,,,a stiff rod with line counter reel and braid is the way to go,,also a good quality snubber may be used after the dipsey,,,,

 

hope this helps and feel free to pm with any questions!

[Reel Nauti Pirate]

There are lots of good products besides down riggers.... I like the torpedo divers as an option they are inexpensve and get you down fast! another good resource for Lake O and Lake Erie is skunked.ca In another 2 weeks the Bluffers should be hot, it has a nice launch and you do not need to go very far from shore to catch big kings in 150' of water or so. Good luck.

[silveradosheriff]

PM sent.

[Zamboni]

Always a few smaller boats out btw Whitby & Darlington in summer-fall 'drift fishing'. Seen guys using minnows with kids, others jigging spoons-haven't had much luck doing either myself instead of trolling.

 

At dusk when salmon are staging at tribs heads is another story, you can fish 'on the cheap' casting Cleos and should get plenty of action.

[Jen]

I want to get started at Salmon Fishing on Lake O around Oakville or Stoney Creek but the problem is that I know absolutely nothing about salmon fishing. I don't have the $$$ for downriggers at the moment so I'm going to be using divers for now.

 

Can anyone share some info about lures, depths, setups, trolling speeds and just about anything I will need to know. Again I know zero about salmon fishing so all info will help. Thanks in advance.

 

(oh and possibly some GPS coordinates )

 

Dan

 

Being new to salmon fishing myself I have been learning a whole lot about how things work. I fish with someone who does it for a living so what happens is usually that he catches a lot more fish on his side of the boat... However, in saying that, I do run my own side when we are out alone and it really is all trial and error.

 

Being new to salmon fishing means you will need some things... and starting with Divers is awesome... but don't cheap out on the line or the rod and reel. Like Sonny said getting yourself a line counter is extreamly important... wire or braid as far as I am concerned work just as well ... so now to the good part and excuse my lack of technical terms but maybe some of what I can share will help.

 

Needs:

 

Two divers, two heavy rods, two line counter reels with clickers, braid or wire line ( start spool with mono so that it isn't costing you a fortune in braid). two snubbers, to go just before the dipsy , they help with the shock or impact and really really good swivels. 1 spool of flourocarbon line 30lb test should do, you are using this for your leaders which you will be making fairly long... one arms width should do, you may want a couple of flashers, spin doctors, lures (wonderbread and greasy chicken designs are two that have been working really well this year) and flys... they are not cheap but if you spin them in a circle everytime you pull them out of the water to dry them off they seem to last a lot longer. In the lure department spoons are probably your best investment right off the bat, moonshine, split king, whatever brands tickle your fancy... just always make sure before putting them out, checking everytime that there are no nicks or freys in your leader or line... nothing is worse than having a big salmon almost to the boat and watching it take your lure and off it goes.

 

Don't forget a big net, pliers, maybe a plainer board or two... depending on how many lines you want to run... but if you have a boat the size of Sonnys (17') you should be able to run four lines all dipsy's at different settings off the back no problem..

 

Talk to someone who is used to running multiple dipsy's about the settings on the bottom if you don't already have a really good understanding of how they work at the back of the boat... nothing is worse than tangling up braid. ( I know this from experience...) I am usually running on the right side of the boat , one wire or braid with a dipsy and one mono line rod on the rigger... so my dipsy setting would be either 2.5 or 3 set to run on the right. Don't forget to push down the little thing that sets it on the top and then run it back slowly from the center of the boat, outside lines first. Lately fish have been hitting at a 3 setting, long lead, about 125feet back trolling at a spead of around 2 to 2.5.

 

The one other thing you may want to know when fishing for salmon is to let them run, the longer it takes you to bring them in the better... keep the line tight, watch the tip of your rod and ENJOY ... there is nothing like it.

 

Yesterday I helped out Steve with a charter and then afterwards we fished... out of 8 fish hooked yesterday there were only 6 boated, and that is fishing only in afternoon hours.

 

I have learned a lot, and if you need anymore info feel free to pm either Steve or myself.

 

 

We also boated a 26.68 lber yesterday

 

Cell phone doesn't take great pictures but you get the idea... with some patience the reward is amazing as there is nothing like bringing these fish to the boat.

 

Cheers,

 

Jen

[iceguy]

Wow thats a big king Jen. That will the new leader for the derby for sure.

[danbouck]

Thanks a lot everybody!

 

Jen that was an amazing reply. I will be heading down to Dunnville to pick up everything I need!

[Guest robw]

There are lots of good products besides down riggers.... I like the torpedo divers as an option they are inexpensve and get you down fast! another good resource for Lake O and Lake Erie is skunked.ca In another 2 weeks the Bluffers should be hot, it has a nice launch and you do not need to go very far from shore to catch big kings in 150' of water or so. Good luck.

 

Ya, that skunked.ca forum is good as well

[Reel Nauti Pirate]

.... Uhm... ER.... What Jen said.....