Fishing the
Moosehead
and Sebec Lake
Region

By Captain
Steve Lemieux

This Month:
Brown Trout fishing at Lake Ontario

     It’s early February and I’m in the process of filling up trips for Brown Trout fishing at Lake Ontario for this coming April and May. The anticipation of getting back on the “Mickey Finn” and probing the waters along the Southern shore of the lake is almost more than I can stand. While I sit thinking about the upcoming season, I can’t help but think of the similarities in the spring trolling methods used at Lake Ontario and the methods I use after ice-out at Moosehead Lake. I thought this would be a good time to write about a typical day of spring fishing at Lake Ontario.

     A normal day starts in the small restaurant in the front of the Sodus Bay Tackle Shop. Some of the best breakfasts I’ve had have been consumed in those booths. The restaurant is filled with charter captains and their clients, all filled with the anticipation of the upcoming day of fishing. Charter captains discuss their strategies for the day, while some of the anglers who have fished there before, explain what the fishing is like to those who have not.

     After everyone gets their stomachs filled and we make sure they all have fishing licenses, we load up into the vehicles and take the short ride West along the Lake Road to Pultneyville Marina, where the “Mickey Finn” , a 25 foot Penn Yan, sets waiting for us. Pultneyville Marina is a small marina located on Salmon Creek just a couple hundred yards upstream from Lake Ontario. There are just a few boats that fish from that marina in April, which helps fishing in that area by cutting down on the boat traffic.

     After loading the clients and our gear into the boat, we have a quick safety discussion and then head down the creek to Lake Ontario. The great thing about fishing from this marina is that on most days we start fishing as soon as we hit the lake. The shoreline from Sodus Bay to Rochester holds lots of Brown Trout, Coho Salmon, Steelhead and some King Salmon and Lake Trout. There are lots small coves and creek inlets to hold the fish in the area. The cove at the mouth of Salmon Creek is no exception to this rule. Lots of times We’ll go down the lake to the East about ½ to ¾ of a mile and turn the boat back towards the West and then set lines. This lets us get most of the lines in the water before we get back to the mouth of the creek. Lake Ontario water temperature is quite cold at this time of year and the warmer water from these creeks usually attracts lots of fish.

     Once the boat is headed down the lake, the planer boards go over-board. The side towards shore goes in first. Usually, that side is more productive because the water is usually warmer as you get closer to shore. This is because the sun is able to penetrate that water and heat the bottom. I grab a couple rods from the top of the boat. There will be ten rods in the rod holders on the hardtop, all rigged with small stickbaits, ready for use. We use floating stick baits such as Storm Jr. Thundersticks, Yo-Zuri’s and the Mega Bite “Twitchin-L. These baits are shallow runners, which allows us to get the boat into five or six feet of water. They also float when you stop, so if we get a big one on, we can stop the boat if needed to fight the fish. 

Now, let’s get back to setting lines. I use line counter reels to make it easier to let out multiple lines. I reset the counters to zero and get a couple lures going out behind the boat, one on each side. I loosen the knob on the planer reel and let that board out 100 feet or more towards the shoreline. By this time, the lines on those two rods are back near where I want them. We like to run them back around 200 feet, especially in clear water conditions. These fish in shallow water can be spooky if the water is clear. I’ll then grab one of those rods, connect the line to the release clip and let it slide out almost to the planer board. That rod gets set in a rod holder, and the next rod gets connected to it’s release clip and sent out to within about 20 or 30 feet of the first one. This process is repeated until four rods are set on each side of the boat. 

Usually by this point, someone on board screams something like “fish on!” or “there’s one!” I’ll look up to see one of the rods bent over and throbbing. Someone grabs the rod; reels down to get tension and sets the hook.  The rod bends hard and the client then holds steady pressure on the fish as the boat continues forward. The forward movement of the boat steers the fish to a position back behind the boat. Then the engine is throttled back and the rod is gently lifted high and then lowered as the line is reeled in. This “lifting and cranking” continues until the fish is brought to the net. A nice football shaped brown trout (6 or 7 pounds) is lifted over the transom. Everyone makes comments about how fat and heavy the fish is. Most will say it’s the biggest Brown they have ever seen. I then tell them that while it’s a nice fish, it’s just an average Brown for Lake Ontario.

We quickly dump that fish in the cooler and get that line back in the water and reset in another planer board release clip. Now the other planer board is let out and we begin letting out lines for that side. “There’s another one!” screams one of the anglers. That rod is grabbed and another fish is on. As the hook is set, the fish explodes out of the water about three feet into the air. “Steelhead” I cry. “Keep tension on him, don’t let him get into that next line, keep that rod up high!” are orders I shout out. Finally, after four or five jumps, the fish stays beneath the surface and becomes easier to handle. Just then, another rod goes. “Here, it’s your turn” I say as I pass that rod to the next guy in line. The fights continue and anglers keep swapping positions as that steelhead darts back and forth behind the boat. After a while, both fish come over the transom. One is a beautiful silver Steelhead of about 10 pounds and the other another fat Brown about 4 or 5 pounds. 

By this time we have passed the mouth of Salmon Creek and we only have two or three lines in the water. So much for being all set up by the time we reach the Creek. It’s very common to put four or five fish in the cooler before getting all the lines set. The fish are usually very active just at and just after daybreak.

    Finally, we will get all the lines in the water, maybe putting another fish or two in the cooler in the process. We always stay in one area as long as fish are hitting. When the action slows we will move further down the shore, usually towards the West, where Ginna Power Plant sets on the shore of Lake Ontario. The plant uses lake water to cool their turbines and the resulting hot water is discharged back into the lake. This produces an area of water that is about 10 degrees warmer than the surrounding area. Bait fish and game fish are usually very abundant here. 

When the plant is running at full capacity, that warmer water creates a large current that boils out into the lake. Things can get very exciting in a very short time when the planer boards pass through this area. On more than one occasion, I’ve passed through this area and had no rods left in the water when I came out the other side, having strikes on all 8 rods. I recall one day last spring. I had Garry Sherry from New Hampshire, his dad and some of his friends on board. We noticed gulls diving into the discharge area of the plant and took a troll through that area. Two or three fish were put in the boat on the first pass. There was only one other boat working the area, so we pulled in one of the planer boards and just fished with five lines, four on the planer board and one straight behind the boat. This allowed us to make short circles and stay close to the warmer water discharge. Action was simply amazing. Two or three times we fired all five rods as we passed through the discharge. It was automatic. Just as soon as the planer board exited the current the lines would start popping. 

By mid afternoon, we had ten nice Browns in the cooler and had released several others. Needing two more in the cooler we decided to make one more pass and then head back to the marina. It was a damp cloudy day and all the previous action had drained our energy levels. We turned the “Mickey Finn” around and pointed her bow towards the power plant. Just like clockwork, the first rod fired as the planer board left the current of the discharge. “There it is!” I said. That fish was hooked up and started towards the boat. Another rod went off but no one was home on that one. Then it happed. The flatline straight behind the boat tightened and the rod buckled as line started coming off the reel. “Grab that one!” everyone screamed at the same time. The first fish, a 5 or 6 pound Brownie was netted and tossed in the cooler. The battle continued on the other fish and finally he was coaxed to the back of the boat. I slipped the net under him and lifted a very fat 12-pound Brown over the transom. You couldn’t have planned it any better. We pulled in the remaining two lines and headed back towards Salmon Creek. Back at the marina, several pictures were taken of the limit of nice browns and some single shots of the “big boy”. Then I went to work with the fillet knife and we drove back to the house on the shore of Sodus Bay for a couple celebratory drinks.

      While this fishing seems very easy, at times we are reminded that it is called “fishing” and not “catching”. This is when the experience of a good guide comes in handy. There are several things that charter captain will do to put fish in the boat. He pays attention to water color. Finding an area of cloudy colored water can sometimes be the difference between a great day and an average one. Browns love that stained water. They feel hidden and are less spooked by the boat, lines, swivels, etc. Knowing what color lures to use makes a big difference. 

When they are feeding heavily, they will hit anything, but when they are not, lure color can be the difference. In clear water, use natural colors like black/silver, black/gold, natural perch, or brown or rainbow trout patterns. The Yo-Zuri Crystal Minnows can be very good at times in clear water. In cloudy water go with brighter colors like flo. orange, flo. green or chartreuse. If you want to pick up a steelhead or two during the day, always have a couple flo. orange or flo. red lures out. Most of the steelhead we take are on these colors. Don’t be afraid to put baits back 250 feet or more in clear water. This will help if fish are spooky. Try not to use line heavier that 15 pound test so that fish will not see your line. You can go as light at 8 pound, but a big King Salmon could strike at any time. That might not be enough to hold him.  

     Great fishing like this is very common at Lake Ontario in April and early May. As the sun starts to warm the water on Lake Ontario’s Southern shore, fish start to become very active after a long cold winter. They are hungry and very cooperative with the anglers. While on most days Brown Trout will make up the biggest part of the catch, it is very common to take Coho Salmon, Steelhead, Rainbows, Atlantic Salmon and sometimes a King Salmon will bless our presence. Most of the fish you will catch will be in the 5 to 7 pound area but we usually put some in the boat every day over 10 pounds. We’ve put Browns up to 19 pounds, Lakers over 25 pounds and Salmon up to 38 pounds on board the Mickey Finn. If you like spring fishing and top water action, you’ve got to come try this. Trophy Lake Trout fishing is also fabulous at this time of year. A trip like this is quite inexpensive compared to most guided trips you could go on and you will have a hard time finding better fresh water fishing anywhere in the U.S. The spring L.O.C. fishing derby takes place at the end of April into early May. This adds more excitement, knowing that your next fish could bring you up to $10,000.

     Don’t be afraid to put these trolling techniques to use on your favorite lake. I use these very same techniques and many of the same lures with great results on Moosehead Lake, to put fish in the cooler for my clients up there. Check out our web site at http://www.mickeyfinncharters.com/ to see more pictures and get more information about our fishing trips at Moosehead Lake and Lake Ontario. Be sure you look at the “Spring Brown Trout” page to see some of the “Big Boys” we’ve taken from Lake Ontario during April and May of the past few years. Give me a call or drop an email to me for more information or to book your trip of a lifetime. If you come to Lake Ontario, be warned that you will want to come back again and again for years to come. Open dates are limited, so don’t delay.

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