Bronte - 25 June (Evening)

[wallacio]

The 2010 Lake Ontario Salmon season is off to a "big" start - numerous 30lb+ fish have been boated to date and we aren't even into July yet!

 

Dying to get out there in hopes of tangling with a Tyee (30lb+ King), I was lucky enough to be invited out with my buddy Ben G. For a young guy he really, really knows his stuff and was the week two winner of the Great Ontario Salmon Derby last year which netted him a brand new Lund. Also joining us was Ben's GF Mel who is not afraid to mix it up with the Lake O monsters.

 

Bronte was our destination on late Friday afternoon with plans to fish right well past sunset. It was pretty much a picture perfect day on the water, barely a whisper of wind and glorious sunshine. With that said, these conditions can make for tougher fishing especially during the earlier hours but we didn't mind.

 

We set up in 110-140 FOW, running flasher/flies on copper wire diver rods and spoons on the riggers down 45-75'. We had rods firing pretty much the entire evening, with mostly Steelhead as well as shaker and teenaged Chinooks keeping us busy. We did drop a few bigger fish including one which I opened up a very solid Owner hook on(???) Ben was a good host but I knew he wanted to give me the gears on that one (and rightly so!).

 

As dusk approached, we were happy with the trip but didn't put fish of any size in the boat so we stuck with it on the hunch that the big ones would snap out of lockjaw mode and would turn on under the low light conditions. Boy were we right! About 9:15, all hell broke loose and we were into more large fish than we could keep up with for about 45 minutes. I put two in the boat in rapid succession, both of them in the mid to high 20's and were a riot to fight on Ben's absolutely mint Islander Mooching reels (you don't see many of them outside of BC) which he always runs on his rigger rods!

 

My first: High 20's

 

 

Another good one:

 

 

After resting my arms and with both Ben and I frantically working to keep rods re-set, a rigger rod fired yet again and we knew it was a good one. Ben's GF Mel usually is happy to fight smaller fish but after some encouragement she was up to bat and in the end she fought the biggest fish of the evening like a pro. With it being dark by this point, we had no idea just how big the fish was until we netted it...a 30lb fish and Mel's first "Tyee". Unfortunately I only have a release shot and will have to upload a pic of Mel with her fish when I get the pictures from Ben.

 

Mel's Tyee getting set to go home:

 

 

All fish were released strongly. We didn't bother with pics of the Steelhead or smaller Salmon to ensure that they would get back into the water quickly.

 

I for one can't wait to see how this season shakes out - there should be some monster fish by the time August rolls around...perhaps someone will boat one over 40lbs this year?

Edited June 27, 2010 by wallacio

[highdrifter]

What? No billboard and stringer pic??!!

 

I hope to tie into those on the fly come September..

 

Very noice!

 

cheers

HD

[SlowPoke]

We heard the Tyee call on the VHF, congrats!

Couldn't ask for a better evening to fish.

[Twocoda]

Nice clean fish ...Good shottin

 

I think its was 95 or 96 the last time i pulled a 40 +# fish out of Big O ...if your prediction is right ...it might mean comming down there for some fun on the lake and even in the river with the float gear this fall

 

I love the fight on a mooching reel....

 

Good on ya

[wallacio]

We heard the Tyee call on the VHF, congrats!

Couldn't ask for a better evening to fish.

 

Was that you guys eavesdropping on 17??? Thanks - yep, couldn't have asked for a better way to spend a summer evening!

[SlowPoke]

Was that you guys eavesdropping on 17??? Thanks - yep, couldn't have asked for a better way to spend a summer evening!

Scanning all night and trying to show Percher where the fish were! LOL

[danbouck]

Nice fish!

 

I have to get out there this year

[a.cortellessa]

maybe i should fish for salmon? haha