Shallow Lake O trout casting from boat?

[landry]

Anyone here cast for Browns, steelhead, lakers and salmon in the shallows from a boat?

Was thinking of launching next week and fishing some shallow trout. Not a fan of trolling and was thinking I could chuck some spoons, swimbaits and jerkbaits near Dalhousie!!??

Would love to hear your experiences/insight of you don't mind.

Thanks

Landry

[OhioFisherman]

Only limited experience with Steelhead, but the water is cold, should hold oxygen well, so there isn't much need for them to be deep?

[wormdunker]

I would think with this mild weather the guys will be hitting Port Dalhousie, Port Weller & Jordan soon. The browns will be in shallow, but most guys are trolling for them.

[spincast]

I know at least one guy who caught a brown this week chucking spinners from his dock,

[dave524]

I catch all three shorecasting between Fifty Point to Grimsby pier, numerous parks and road allowances that dead end at the lake . Cleos , Crocs , Alligators and white curly tail jigs all take fish.

[singingdog]

I think casting is often more effective than trolling. I have had many days - not on Lake O mind you - where the only hits I was getting were on the drop: killing the retrieve and letting the spoon or swimbait fall vertically.

[porkpie]

My experience is similar to above. When I was a teenager I used to shore cast Lake Ontario in the spring and fall. I never caught a laker or a salmon in the spring myself, but browns and steelhead yes. I can't see why it wouldn't work from a boat.

[dave524]

30+ years living walking distance from the Grimsby pier and several other spots, get quite a few lakers in the spring and the occasional coho from shore. Don't ever recall a spring chinook from shore but get them in the fall when they start sniffing around the creeks and harbour mouth with spawning urges. Browns are the main fish with lakers number 2, bows seems to lurk closer to outflows in spring cause of the spawning thing.

[fishermccann]

Many folks do it in front of the Pickering nuke plant with great results.

[chris.brock]

There's no reason why casting won't work,

 

but with trolling you can cover more water with your bait in the strike zone

[Headhunter]

I have had some luck casting Lake O from a boat. Drifting out a few hundred yards from the mouth of feeder streams, staying stealth and chucking Cloe's has netted me some Brown action.

I would be using a good long casting rod and chucking that thing out as far as I could. Again, as these fish are shallow, i think drifting is a better option than trolling as I feel that the sound of the motor will spook these shallow fish.

HH

[BillM]

I dunno if much beats trolling with planner boards in the spring (especially for browns) but you should have no problems getting into a few fish by casting. You'll definitely have to put the hours in as the fish need to come to you (as opposed as you getting to the fish when trolling)

[landry]

Thanks for all of your input guys. Really appreciate it.

I like trying new things. Gonna go Saturday if winds are good.

The Dalhousie launch is closed on Satirday so I will have to launch elsewhere. Anyone know if the launch by that rusty old ship at Jordan is open??

[Steve]

yes. it is.

[landry]

Great. Thanks

[Freshtrax]

See ya there in a blue f150 and a clapped out 16 ft tinner.

[landry]

Freshtrax - if we go I will see ya there:)

[landry]

Thanks for the help guys - especially Bondar and Josh.

Went out of Grimsby - went 0 for 2. Lost a laker and a brown at the boat, both on cleos.

Was still fun and home by lunch.

There were other boats out trolling - not sure how they made out.