Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Posts Tagged ‘Drift Boat’

Lake Ontario Spring Brown Trout

Posted in Reports, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on March 6, 2016| Leave a Comment »

It is only March 5th and I have already been on Lake Ontario. This is the earliest I have been trolling the lake by about 10 days.  It was a great deal of work to break up the ice at the launch to get the boat in the water. Then we broke through the ice to get to the river and more ice on the river to get to the lake. Even though we only fished for about a hour and a half after it was all worth it when we landed a nice brown trout that weighed in at 10 pounds on the boga grip. The fish was brought home for dinner tomorrow.

Over the next week we are supposed to see some warmer weather which will take care of the ice and should kick the brown trout fishing along the shoreline into full gear.  Today there was very little colored up water due to the lack of run of at the moment. The warmer weather will change that as the remaining snow melts.  I am guessing next weekend will be an excellent time to be on the water.  I will not be on the water Saturday as I will be selling tackle at the Eastern Lake Ontario Salmon and Trout Association flee market at the fire hall in Brewerton.  I am available for a trip on Sunday though.

The tough part of booking a drift boat trip trolling along the lake is it is very wind dependent.  If the wind is blowing hard we can’t fish the lake with a drift boat. However there is always a plan b and c.  We can go to Oswego and troll the harbor or go to the Salmon River or Black River and fish for steelhead.

If you are set on trolling the lake I recommend hiring a charter boat such as Irish Knots Sport fishing or High Adventure Sport fishing.  The benefit of going on a charter boat is that the wind is not as big of a factor. They are able to fish in a fair amount of wind and waves.  The cost will be more but you can also split that cost between 4 to 6 people instead of 2.

Spring brown trout fishing is a trolling trip most of the time. If you are fishing on a charter boat it will definitely be trolling. If you are on a drift boat most of the time we troll but if you wanted to cast that is an option. We could even try fly fishing for them. Trolling will produce the most fish though. I also have two trolling fly rods that can be deployed if you wanted to catch them on the fly.

With warmer weather right around the corner now is the time to think about booking a spring brown trout trip. I will be having my gallbladder removed on the 14th of March so I am not booking any trips until April but I have other guides that I work with that I will gladly set you up with if you wanted to go before April. If you would like to book a charter boat give Chris Yard (Irish Knots Sport Fishing) or Troy Creasy (High Adventure Sport Fishing)  a call and they will set you up for sure.

 

Read Full Post »

Fishing with Tom and Joe 11/14/15

Posted in Reports, Stories, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on November 14, 2015| Leave a Comment »

I had the pleasure of guiding Tom and Joe today. I decided yesterday I was tired of playing the who can get on the river earliest game. Last Saturday I pulled in to the Launch at 3:50 am and was not the first boat in the river. This morning we launched the boat at 5:30. I knew we wouldn’t get the spot I wanted but I also knew we could still get a good spot. We anchored up in a spot I like, started the heater and waited for day light.

Once it became legal fishing time we started casting Finger Lakes Tackle spinners. On Tom’s third cast the spinner stopped dead then took off upstream in the mouth of a nice 6 pound steelhead. Tom did an excellent job fighting the fish and it wasn’t long before it was in the net. They had decided they wanted to keep one to eat so this one went into the box. It was a good thing it did because the rest of the day we had a lot of trouble getting them to the hoop. We did land a nice little brown trout later in the morning though.

Spinners and egg sacks took all the hits today. Talking to people as we made our way down the river it seemed that most people were having a slow day. There were a few drift boats that had a pretty good day though. I know Tom and Joe thought it was an excellent day, as did I. We battled snow, wind, and cold all day yet still managed to hook multiple fish and land a couple. That is a good day in my mind.

Tom and Joe also enjoyed the comfortable seats and the warmth of the heater. Multiple times they complimented the Pavati especially using the doors to get in and out of the boat. I am definitely looking forward to fishing out of it this winter.

Finger Lakes Tackle Spinners doing work

Finger Lakes Tackle Spinners doing work

Happy Customers

Brown Trout and Cigars

Read Full Post »

Some pictures from last weekend

Posted in Reports, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on November 10, 2015| Leave a Comment »

I am a bit late posting but Saturday I set up and ran a 2 boat trip. The fishing wasn’t hot and heavy but we had some action and managed to get one into the net. The guys were very happy as they had struck out on their trip the day before. (It wasn’t with me) The one that came to the net smashed a Finger Lakes Tackle Blades of Steel spinner. We also took hits on beads. Overall it was a great day. The weather was good and we all had a good time.

Sunday I had the chance to be guided rather than be the guide. It was great. I set up the trip for my friend Steve’s bachelor party and we had a blast. We landed 4 steelhead and lost many others. A big thanks to Mike Kerstetter and James Kirkland for taking us down the river.

This is a short report as I am tired but I will say fishing has been a lot like it used to be. You have to work for them but they are there and if you put in a bit of effort you will be rewarded. Spinners and beads have been the hot baits the last couple weeks. Fly guys that know what they are doing are getting them too.

Fishing 001

Fishing 002

Fishing 003

Fishing 004

Fishing 005

Fishing 006

Fishing 007

Fishing 011

Fishing 012

Fishing 014

Fishing 015

Read Full Post »

Salmon River Fishing Report 10/17 – 10/18/15

Posted in Reports, tagged , , , , , , , , on October 18, 2015| Leave a Comment »

I had the pleasure of fishing with Jeff and Brandon on Friday and Mark and Corey on Saturday. We had a great time both days however the fishing wasn’t that great. We fished Altmar to Pineville both days. There were a good number of fish in the top of the river we just had some trouble getting them going.

Friday we only managed to get one to the boat and the best part is we didn’t even hook the fish. We somehow managed to hook into the swivel at the end of a leader someone had broke off while fighting this fish. It was tough to get to into the net as I had to pull it in by hand at the end. We did hook a few others that came unglued.

Saturday we put two fish in the net and lost about 8 others. It probably would have been a much better day if a group of people hadn’t waded out into the river right down from us causing all the fish to scatter. We had anchored up in a good spot with a lot of fish around us and about an hour into day light the people walked right into where they should have been fishing. Many people seem to not understand that you don’t need to go chase these fish around. You can sit back and wait for them to come to you. They want to go upstream if you just let them.

Overall river report:
Fishing is still not great but it’s not bad. If you put some time in you will be rewarded. There are good numbers of salmon spread out through the entire river. The majority being in the upper sections. More steelhead and browns are being caught each day. Again they are throughout the river however more are being caught down low. Egg sacks and beads have been the best bet for the trout. Salmon have been caught on a variety of flies, egg sacks, and lures. Remember it is still single hooks only on the Salmon River for floating lures.
101715 003

101715 004

IMG_1165

20151016_135727

20151016_165406

101715 002

101715 001

Read Full Post »

Salmon River Report 3/14/15

Posted in Reports, tagged , , , , , , , , on March 14, 2015| 2 Comments »

I had the pleasure of fishing with Joe and Natalie today from Altmar to Pinneville. We started at the Schoolhouse pool where were Natalie caught here first ever steelhead a nice 9 pounder that put up a good fight. Joe also hook into a very good fish that would have been his first ever fish on the centerpin if it hadn’t made a hard run right at the boat and broke off.

Overall the fishing was slow today. We hooked five and only brought the one to the net. Most people we talked to on the way down had little or no luck. This time of year can be very hit or miss. The fish are in prespawn mood and the bite is either on or off. Today was mostly off. Actually all of our hook ups came at our first stop. We tried almost everything, beads, sacks, jigs, plastics, and plugs. The best bait was plastics today.

In another week or two the fishing will really heat up as the fish spawn and head back to the lake. Looking at the snow pack along the river and up on the hill we are going to have high water right into May again this year. I am going to offer Walleye and Steelhead combo trips the first week of May. Walleye at night and steelhead during the day. Call for details.

20150314_104358

Read Full Post »

Salmon River Fishing Report 2/20/15

Posted in Reports, tagged , , , , , , on February 20, 2015| Leave a Comment »

The extreme cold weather we have been having has most of the river iced or slushed up. The only section that is fishable is from Altmar to Pineville. The weather is supposed to improve the next two days which should lead to more fishing pressure. However the snow will keep some away.

If you are planning on fishing this weekend I would bring some snowshoes and get away from the parking lots. There is plenty of good water that is not going to be easy to get to. The best way would be by drift boat but if that is not an option snowshoes will get you there. Hiking into the north side of the trestle would be a good bet for sure.

You best bet for baits will be single beads in natural colors or small egg patterns. Egg sacks will also be a good bet in white, pink, or blue. The water has been low and clear. We may get a little run off if temps go above freezing this weekend but it won’t be substantial. Lighter leaders will help also. I would recommend 6 pound fluorocarbon.

Read Full Post »

Salmon River Report 1/1/15

Posted in Reports, tagged , , , , , , , on January 1, 2015| Leave a Comment »

I didn’t fish today but I did take a ride around the upper half of the river after having an amazing brunch at the Tailwater Lodge. There were not many people on the river but those who were did well. There is a good amount of snow in Altmar and it didn’t look like people were traveling far from the parking lots.

Fish were being caught on both egg sacs and beads. The drift boats were also getting fish on plugs. With more snow in the forecast walking won’t get any easier. This is an excellent time of year to hire a guide with a heated drift boat.

Read Full Post »

The Salmon Run is finally here

Posted in Reports, tagged , , , , , , , , , on October 6, 2014| Leave a Comment »

If you have been fishing the Salmon River or just reading reports you know it has been a strange and tough year. After a couple years of earlier than normal runs we have been spoiled. There have been fish in the river all September just not in the large numbers of years past. Many anglers have had trouble figuring out what needed to be done to catch fish in these conditions. Even guides fishing almost every day have been finding the fishing tough. The trick has been to keep moving and cover lots of water. Standing in one spot all day was not going to get it done.

The cold weather and rain we have received over the last few days has help. The fishing has improved daily. The mid and upper Salmon River have been fishing well. Plugs being pulled from drift boats and cast by shore anglers have been producing fish. Also estaz eggs and woolly buggers have been a good bet.

The rain should start bringing the water levels of the small streams up. As of right now most of them still do not have enough water to fish well or even bring the fish into them. There is more rain in the forecast and it is raining as I write this. I will have a better small water report after my guide trip Thursday.

The Black River has fish but not a lot of them. They are doing work on the power generation dams in Dexter so there is no flow coming from them. The water flow is only coming from the over flow dams. This is changing where the fish would normally hold a little bit. There is also not a lot of water running right now.

The Oswego River has picked up over the last few days with good numbers of salmon being caught.

Read Full Post »

Salmon Season Coming Soon

Posted in Reports, tagged , , , , , , , , , on August 6, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Now that August is here we aren’t far away. Within the next couple weeks there will be some fish that enter the river. If you are looking for low pressure fishing this is the time to hit the river. There may not be big numbers of fish in the river but there also won’t be very many people fishing for them. The fishing is not consistent enough for most people to plan a trip to the area so you will most likely be fishing with local anglers.

From the end of August through September fishing at night in the river mouth will be hot. This is a very fun way to catch King Salmon. We slow troll the lake shore on the calm nights. If the wind is blowing we anchor and cast just inside the river. The fish are very fresh and fight hard. I have some open night fishing dates left. If you are looking for a chance to relax and still catch big Salmon give me a call.

The month of September I will be concentrating on the Salmon River in Pulaski, New York and the Black River in Dexter, New York. Both these river have excellent runs of big King Salmon year after year. The Salmon River will be both drift boat and wading trips. The Black River will be drift boat trips only.

Come October the focus will be on the smaller streams that fill with Salmon from Lake Ontario. This gives my guests a chance to get away from the crowds of the main river. It also gives them a change of scenery and a chance to learn new water. Most of these trips are fly fishing. If you want to learn how to fly fish for Salmon this is the perfect time to do so. I am more than willing to teach you.

Open dates are filling up fast so if you are thinking about a guided Salmon fishing trip call now.

Read Full Post »

Rate Increase

Posted in Reports, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on July 17, 2014| Leave a Comment »

As everyone that fishes knows the cost of tackle has been on the rise the last few years. I have held out on increasing rates for the last 5 years but I have been left with no other choice at this point. Due to the increased overhead costs my trip rates have increased by $25 to $50.

I will honor my old prices for all trips already booked and any trips booked before August 1st. I have very few Salmon dates left so call soon.

I work with many other excellent guides so if I am booked I will be able to set you up with one of them.

 

Read Full Post »

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »