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Shane Thomas (Gotguide)
New member
Username: Gotguide
Post Number: 9
Registered: 7-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, May 31, 2005 - 7:21 pm: | |
With the windy rough conditions on Lake Ontario the walleyes were hot.
This was the results- w/ several more lost and plenty more hits.
Ken & Kenny with some NICE walleyes.
http://www.theriverguide.com/image/photos/walleye/images/ken.jpg
The far left fish was the 1st of the night- it hit a F-18 Rap in F/T color. That one was out by the lighthouse you see in the above pics. We had several more on out there on the same lure and on the new blue steel in the F18 Rap. After midnight we moved into shore.- We landed 3 in tight and lost several more. Only 1 brown trout landed but we missed a really nice 1. The skies were mostly clear but around 2:30am the moon came up and soon after the clouds covered it over. The AM fish seemed to bite better then the PM fish. About 1am the wind switched from the W to the SW and made for much calmer conditions.
www.theriverguide.com |
Capt Matt Gutchess
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, February 24, 2003 - 9:32 am: | |
Subject: February fishing report
Hello Fish heads:
I know its been a long time, but there hasn’t been anything to tell you until just lately. This has already been a long cold winter up here along the eastern shore of lake Ontario. We have a lot of snow on the ground and a lot of ice on everything. The Salmon River was damn near frozen solid up until we warmed up just 4 days ago. There was anchor ice and slush everywhere. Last Friday we started to see the temperature rise and the river opened up enough to make it fishable. Over the weekend there was quite a bit of activity around the river from the guys that watch the weather channel religiously waiting for just this moment. From top to bottom there were reports of steelhead being caught. Typical spots, the fly zone, schoolhouse, trestle, Pineville, sportsmans, 81, even the lower town pool which was completely frozen over at one time had an open spot at the tail and the fish were there. The common thread is that all these spots are deep water spots that don’t have a very strong current, these fish can hold at or near the bottom and find water that might be a half degree or more warmer than the surface water. This time of year you are not going to find a concentration of fish in shallow fast running water, it’s to cold and they use too much stored energy fighting the current.
I just told you where to go and now ill tell you what to use. I’ve said it before and ill say it a thousand times, the thrill and the challenge of steelhead fishing is getting one of the greatest game fish there are to bite what you are offering, not to stick it with a hook. Anybody with half a brain can line these fish because their habits and lies are predictable especially this time of year, but can you entice them to bite.
Two things will make this happen, reflex from an outside stimuli (sight, smell, vibration) or the need for food. Reflex bites come when you put something into a fishes strike zone that illicits a response. This response may be positive or negative, he may spook and reposition himself or he may strike, either way you have forced him to respond.
What do I use to accomplish this, Lures fished off of side planning devices (if fishing from shore, or from a drift boat)(sight and vibration), flies that present a large profile especially when tied to leader with a riffle hitch (sight), or heavy metal (i.e.: spoons and spinners)(sight and vibration) and of course you can add smell to any artificial with hundreds of different scents on the market today.
The second part of this equation is the need for food, these fish are on their spawning migration and though they are in the river for much longer than salmon they are still there to spawn. They have stored fat reserves from the summer on the lake and then they gorge themselves in the fall on salmon eggs, so by the time the winter hits they can make it through the cold-water period without having to feed extensively. That’s not to say that they wont take advantage of an easy meal if the opportunity presents itself. Ask any fisherman including a fly fisherman what works best, day in and day out to catch fish consistently and if he’s honest he’ll tell you BAIT! It looks and smell natural, it feels natural when the fish pick it up, hell it is natural and it works, and our fish are conditioned to eat it every chance they get. Nothing beats an egg sack; you get visual stimuli due to egg dies and cures as well as different color netting and smell which can be manipulated or left Au natural.
There I told you where to go and what to use, now you all owe me $250 dollars apiece. I’m kidding but only partly, what I just told you is in part what I go through every day when i'm guiding, a mental checklist. I don’t particularly care how I catch fish just as long as I catch them legitimately. Anyone that tells you that they only use one technique all the time and they are always successful is kidding you and himself; there is no legitimate technique that’s works 100% of the time. Long leaders and tiny flies IS NOT a legitimate technique, and it was made illegal last year with the introduction of the maximum 4 ft leader law. That of course is not stopping people from doing it and now is the time that these fish are there most vulnerable. If you can’t do it the right way don’t do it at all, there is no honor in lining a steelhead but there is untold satisfaction in the moment when one bites what you have offered.
If you have questions or comments for me you can contact me directly at Piratefishingcharters@msn.com
Tight lines
Capt Matt Gutchess
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Capt Matt Gutchess
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, April 08, 2002 - 9:57 pm: | |
Subject: fishing report for salmon river 4/8
Hello Fish heads
It’s April and so far the river is playing a cruel April fools joke. The Salmon River is running high and cold and has severely turned the fish off. The steelhead fishing has been tough to say the least as of late. I fished the river on Friday and Saturday, pulling plugs both days and in two long days of hard fishing I took one bite and landed one fish. The river water temperature was 34 degrees not very conducive to hot fishing action. On Saturday I fished in Oswego and caught two brown trout in seven hours of fishing, not real good either. As I am writing this report it has rained on and off all day but the air temperature is warm, it’s supposed to rain most of tomorrow as well. The good news is that by Wednesday the rain is supposed to stop and it is supposed to get much warmer. The fish are in pre- spawn as well as some of them that are already spawning in the high water. The fish hatchery has already stripped its quota of eggs and the hatchery is absolutely loaded with fish that will soon come back down the river on their way out to the lake. The water doesn’t have to warm that much to get these fish in to an active mode, if we could get this water into the high 30’s or low 40’s you’ll be amazed at how fast the fishing will improve. There are plenty of fish in the river with a whole pile still to come out of the hatchery. This weekend could be the start of some great fishing, LETS HOPE!
We put the Pirate in the water today, its nice to have the big charter boat in the water this early it’s a great back up plan if the river fishing is tough. I can always take my customers out on the lake. The charter will be going strong everyday by the end of April, May and June is prime months on the lake with some of the best fishing of the year. Brown trout, lake trout, and rainbows are what were catching at this time, and at night it’s all about trophy walleyes. We have it all up here in April, May and June don’t miss out on the best fishing on the east coast. There are good dates still available so call today and reserve your spot.
Thanks and good fishing
Capt Matt Gutchess
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Capt Matt Gutchess
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, March 27, 2002 - 9:16 pm: | |
Subject: salmon river report 3/27
Hello Fish heads:
The winter show season is finally over and I couldn’t be happier about that. I’m much better at fishing and hunting than I am at selling myself to the public. I always feel like saying enough with the sales pitch just come on a trip with me and I promise you won’t be disappointed. That is not a realistic approach, but it sure would be easier on me.
Anyway I got home on 3/24 and I fished yesterday on 3/26, god it sure did feel good to get up in the morning with the purpose of going fishing. The Salmon River has been running high for the last week or two. If you remember we had 70-degree weather only two weeks ago, a lot of the snow pack melted and some of the frost started to come out of the ground. This created run off and in turn they opened up the flow of the river. I haven’t heard of this bringing in any silver fish but I do know its moved some of the fish around, yesterday the water went down to what looked like between 1000-1200 cfs, you could clearly see in some gravel spots that the fish had been there under the cover of the high water. Not every piece of gravel had been freshened but quite a few had, and the only three fish that I saw hit all day came off gravel areas. The water temperature is cold 33-34 degrees and it seems its still going to be a little while before things get really hot.
If you are going to go to the river on your own start in the deep pools but if that isn’t paying dividends, move to the transitions and then onto the gravel beds. Keep your distance so as to not spook the beds. Be safe wading the river when it is higher than normal, 33-degree water is no fun to go swimming in and its no joke if you’re alone. Always be safe out there so you can come back to enjoy our great fishery another time.
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Capt Matt Gutchess
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, March 08, 2002 - 12:21 pm: | |
Subject: 03/08
Hello Fish heads:
Its March, the weather is showing signs of breaking our cabin fever is reaching epidemic proportions and we want to go fishing! Now lets relax for a moment and think rationally, spring steelhead season is right around the corner, by the end of the month you will be able to not only cure the need to wet a line but to also work out the arm fighting spring steel. The next two months are not just for show this is prime time, and the fishing will only get better as the water warms up into mid to upper 40’s. Myself and most of the full time guides don’t start fishing in the spring until mid to late march because were on the road all winter doing the sport show circuit. Pirate Charters and Outfitters would like to take this opportunity to thank everybody who came out to the shows; it was great to not only meet potential new customers, but also new friends.
Now lets get back to fishing at hand, if you have ambition to go out on the ice please be very careful, the temperatures have been up and down and the ice is not safe, there’s not a fish in the world that’s worth dying for. The Salmon River is running at normal levels and cold, water temps are hovering within a couple of degrees of the mid 30’s. This means winter conditions still prevail, the rule of thumb is low and slow, fish deep and slow and remember these steelies metabolisms are still very slow. March is a transitional month and thru the course of 31 days these fish will go from lethargic creatures living in 33-degree water into pre spawn, and then out of the depths of the pools and start to actively move and spawn on the gravel shallows. A lot of things are happening in March be willing to adapt to what the fish want. If the fish are sluggish then throw them something that will get their attention, big bright flies, egg sacks, spinners or spoons, those three things will work on all three senses that a fish uses, sight, smell, feel on lateral line. Work on your angling skills that will get these fish to strike, better your skill and the fish will bite, don’t buy in to the dark side that says these fish wont bite, and the only way to get them is to use tiny flies and long leaders and line them as they lay unaware in the bottom of pools. We are anglers, not commercial fisherman, the intrigue lies in outwitting the fish not taking advantage of them.
If your looking for a spring get away we have you covered, march and April we are fishing the salmon and Oswego rivers for steelhead and browns, in may we switch over to our 30 foot charter boat and fish the lake for browns, Lakers and steelhead. May is also the start of MIDNIGHT WALLEYE MADNESS, incredible trophy walleye fishing at night, (great fun). We also offer one on one guided spring turkey hunting on over 500 private acres, NY turkey season is the month of may and you are allowed to take two bearded birds. We can also make combination trips out of anything that we offer and is in season, contact us for pricing and availability of dates.
Visit our web site: www.Piratefishing.com
E-mail: Piratefishingcharters@msn.com
Boat Phone: (315) 263-2233
Thanks and good fishing
Capt Matt Gutchess
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Capt Matt Gutchess
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, February 24, 2002 - 2:40 pm: | |
Subject: fish report 2/24
The Hottest Deal on the Water!
Pirate Charters is offering a special deal this summer on our Lake Charters, book your fishing dates before April 15 and receive a 10 % discount on the charter, book two days and receive 25 % off. This is our way to fight the recession and to get more people involved in the trophy fishing that we have in Lake Ontario.
Now to the fishing report. What little Ice that we have around the region is marginal at best, if your going to go out on it please be very careful this has not been a good year for the hard water fisherman. The good news is that spring is right around the corner. The Salmon River region never really got much snow this year so spring water levels should be medium to low for this spring. That can change in the blink of an eye depending on what becomes of the spring rains.
The Salmon River received one of the biggest runs of fall steelhead that ive seen in 10 years. Late October, November, and early December provided some great fishing and those fish have held over and will spawn this spring in March and April.
The spring breaks down for me in three phases. Late March is the time that I really concentrate on bait fishing the deep pools and the longer runs, looking for Pre-spawn feeding fish. The old saying that nothing beats bait is true. Eggs, worms, and scented plastics will do the trick this time of year.
Second time is during the spawn in early April, when the fish are up on the gravel and actively spawning. This time is a fly-fisherman’s paradise, sight fishing in the shallows for big steelhead. Running big flies with little or no weight across spawn beds, all the while anticipating the strike and the fight that will follow. For the spin fisherman this is the time for heavy metal, spoons and spinners across the beds will give you the needed flash and thump to turn these big fish’s head.
The last time is my favorite time of the year, from the middle of April thru the first part of May. This is the time where most everything works, Bait, Flies, Heavy Metal you name it. These steelhead are post spawn at this point and are headed back to the lake for another year and they are looking for food. This is the time that I like to fish plugs off of the drift boat (Hot Shots, Rapalas, Wiggle Warts, etc.) These post spawn steelhead will absolutely crush a plug. Nothing is hotter in the fishing world than to get into a hole with 5 plug rods out and to have one of them smash over so hard that you cant even get the rod out of the holder. That’s spring fishing!
Pirate Charters has a lot to offer the angler or hunter in the spring. We have spring Steelhead in the River, Steelhead, Brown Trout, and Lake Trout along the Shoreline of Lake Ontario. We have Midnight Walleye Madness in May and June, and you can combine any of that fishing anytime in May with a fully guided spring Turkey hunt. A spring Cast and Blast is a great way to spend a day. Spring Dates are going fast so get the day you want now.
Call: (315) 625-4802 Home
(315) 263-2233 Cell
E-Mail: Piratefishingcharters@msn.com
Good Fishing
Capt Matt Gutchess
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Capt Matt Gutchess
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, September 14, 2001 - 1:55 pm: | |
Subject: fish report 9/14
Hello Fish heads.
This will not be a normal fishing report, after the tragedy that struck our country on Tuesday morning its tough to think of something as trivial as how’s the fishing. The fishing is good in the lake right now and the river will start picking up in the next week or two. This past week has put so many things into a greater perspective. We fish and hunt because that’s what we love to do. Not because we have to catch or shoot something to feel joy, but because we love the natural environment in which these activities take place.
As a group and as a country we need to come together and offer each other support and kindness. As sportsmen we know the value of freedom and peace for ourselves and for the country we live in. How much do we value the time that we spend in the outdoors, alone, with family or with friends? I value my time more than anything in my life; it defines me as a person and rejuvenates my soul. I will not allow a group of terrorists to change my life and fill it with fear, nor will I allow these same people to make me untrusting or hateful towards my fellow man. Maybe now more than ever sportsmen and women need to take an active role and show somebody who has never been introduced to our way of life all the richness and beauty there is to be found in nature. The calming effect and the cleansing feeling that comes from standing knee deep in a river as the morning comes and awakens everything around you. Solitude is your guide and adventure is your compass. In these trying times we don’t retreat into the natural world we reflect upon it for guidance.
I wish that Tuesday had never happened, but we cannot turn back the clocks. Our fears have become reality and now we must not let them overcome us. I hope all Americans can overcome what has happened to us. Unbelievable thanks and prayers go out to all the people in New York and Washington D.C. Especially all the Fire and Policemen and other rescue workers who are working tirelessly to save others and of course those who have lost their lives needlessly. We will not let your lives be in vain.
God Bless America
Capt Matt Gutchess
Black Dog Outfitters
Pirate Charters
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Capt Matt Gutchess
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, September 03, 2001 - 10:27 pm: | |
Subject: fish report 9/3
Hello fish heads.
This report is a long time coming, partly because ive been working everyday, and partly because the fishing has been less than stellar. This will go down as one the most inconsistent and frustrating Augusts anyone can remember. Years like this we as fisherman are quick to start to point fingers at different things that we think might explain the unexplainable. Fish bite and don’t bite, that’s the way things go. As good as we think we are at catching fish we still have to wait for the fish to bite. Fish have brains the size of a pea, we have opposable thumbs and they still make us pull our hair out. Much like women we will never figure them out completely.
For the most part we felt pretty good if we caught 2 or 3 salmon per trip, those are pathetic numbers for prime time fishing. Its now Labor Day weekend and the fish are moving ever closer to the mouth of the Salmon River. This is combat fishing in close quarters and you can put a lot of fish in the boat in a short period of time, this is a time that we can always count on because these salmon have to run up the river.
There are some fish in the Salmon River; they ran water on Sat 1 of September. This push of water brought some fish in as it does every year. The water temperature is still in the mid 70s and that is too warm for those fish to survive, most of them will die of suffocation because of lack of dissolved oxygen in the warm water.
If you are coming up to go fishing in the river right now concentrate your efforts on the deepest pools at first light, fishing tight to bottom where there might be a little cooler water. Later in the day move your efforts to the fast water where the oxygen content is higher and the fish will lay even in the most turbulent of water. Large bright flies on short leaders will get your fly down fast even in fast water. Be smart and fish hard and you will be rewarded.
More next week
Bent rods to all
Capt Matt Gutchess
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Capt Matt Gutchess
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, August 13, 2001 - 11:16 pm: | |
Subject: fish report 8/14
Hello Fish heads.
Salmon season is in full swing and I wish I had better news to report for the middle of August. Fishing is tough right now and we are all hoping that things turn around real soon. No one can know for sure what is going on right now but from Pulaski to Rochester all the reports have been the same, seeing fish and more bait than people have seen in years but no one can seem to make them bite with any kind of regularity. Its one thing if you don’t have any fish with in your daily range to fish to, but when you are seeing numbers of fish on a regular basis and they don’t bite you start to get frustrated. At some point you start to over think all your decisions from where to go to what hot items you put down there.
One Morning were going to go out and it’s going to be a blood bath, you won’t be able to keep a rod in the water. But for all of the customers that have already came on their yearly fishing trip they will have to wait until next year. These are the times when we take a big bite of humble pie and try to remember that we enjoy the act of fishing as much as we enjoy the catching part. Well it sounds good anyway. The fishing can only get better and when it does well be out there putting it to them, will you be there. Remember that the fall LOC derby starts soon so reserve your charter and get a ticket for the derby, your chances are better than in the lottery and there’s a pretty good chunk of change to be won. Next report will be less whining and huger fish stories. Until then good fishing.
Capt Matt
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Capt Matt Gutchess
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, August 13, 2001 - 11:14 pm: | |
Subject: fish report 8/14
Hello Fish heads.
Salmon season is in full swing and I wish I had better news to report for the middle of August. Fishing is tough right now and we are all hoping that things turn around real soon. No one can know for sure what is going on right now but from Pulaski to Rochester all the reports have been the same, seeing fish and more bait than people have seen in years but no one can seem to make them bite with any kind of regularity. Its one thing if you don’t have any fish with in your daily range to fish to, but when you are seeing numbers of fish on a regular basis and they don’t bite you start to get frustrated. At some point you start to over think all your decisions from where to go to what hot items you put down there.
One Morning were going to go out and it’s going to be a blood bath, you won’t be able to keep a rod in the water. But for all of the customers that have already came on their yearly fishing trip they will have to wait until next year. These are the times when we take a big bite of humble pie and try to remember that we enjoy the act of fishing as much as we enjoy the catching part. Well it sounds good anyway. The fishing can only get better and when it does well be out there putting it to them, will you be there. Remember that the fall LOC derby starts soon so reserve your charter and get a ticket for the derby, your chances are better than in the lottery and there’s a pretty good chunk of change to be won. Next report will be less whining and huger fish stories. Until then good fishing.
Capt Matt
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Capt Matt Gutchess
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, August 06, 2001 - 10:10 pm: | |
Subject: fish report 8/6
Hello Fish heads:
August is here and that means salmon season is upon us. People are pulling out their hot spoons; meat rigs and dodger fly combos and chasing the ever-elusive giant king salmon. July by all accounts was a good month for kings and we are all anticipating a good august and September.
Now to the current news at hand. The salmon have scattered and have not bit very well as of the last week. But it is very early in august still. The good news is that the BIG lake trout are biting very well, and so are the brown trout inshore. One major problem again this year is the appearance of the Spiny Water Fleas. These microscopic creatures make it almost impossible to troll with line that’s any lighter than #25 lb. Now for salmon and lake trout that’s really not a big deal, those fish aren’t line shy, but try to consistently catch brown trout that are right now in only 40 ft of water on 25 lb test and it’s not going to happen. On the pirate we have switched all our rods to Ande’s blue in 30 lb test and so far it’s working pretty well. You still pick up some fleas, but not so many that you can’t reel through them.
We fished Thursday thru Sunday last week. Thursday was like watching paint dry. Catching only 3 small lake trout all morning. Friday we headed out to the heavy depths with thoughts of salmon dancing in our head. We searched high and low and deep and shallow and only managed to capture one breeder sow salmon. We added an over 30” lake trout and two more lakers that were in the slot and had to be thrown back. Saturday we had had enough and we went with a whole new game plan. We sped off to the north to fish the shelf west of Henderson Harbor for big Fork Tails (Lakers). We traveled 12 miles north from port and found the Lakers as soon as we came off plane. We did well, but not as good numbers wise, as we would have liked. We caught 12 Lakers and were able to keep 6. Of the 6 keepers 5 of them were over the 30” slot. The biggest that day was 34.5” and weighed 18 lbs. What we lacked that day in quantity we made up for in quality. Sunday we again headed north to laker land because none of the other boats we talked to had done much of anything with the salmon on Saturday. We found where the Lakers lived on Sunday but we had found all the slot size fish. (Lake trout must be 25” or less, or 30” and larger to keep. Any fish that is between 25-30” must be immediately released. These fish are deemed to be the prime breeding size.) We ended up catching 18 or 19 Lakers and were only able to keep 6. But everyone enjoyed themselves. We would like to be catching salmon right now but its slow going right now and we would rather catch a dozen Lakers than maybe not catch a salmon. The salmon will come they always do and when they do were going to make them walk the plank right into our cooler. Bye till next week.
Good Fishing
Capt Matt Gutchess
www.Piratefishing.com
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Capt Matt Gutchess
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, July 22, 2001 - 10:08 am: | |
Subject: fish report 7/21
Lake Report for week ending 7/21
Sunday 7/15
We had a double charter. The morning started off good and stayed steady for the whole charter. In the box that day we had 6 lake trout a brown and a small salmon. We had to throw 5 or 6 lake trout back because they were in the slot. (There is a federally imposed slot limit on lake trout in lake Ontario, in order to keep a fish it must be 25” or less, or 30”or bigger.) It was a little odd to be catching so many Lakers because we were running a high-speed program for salmon, but these Lakers were up out of temperature and feeding heavily. This time of year is known for producing very mixed bags of fish. In the afternoon we managed to get a salmon and two lake trout before the wave action caused some angler discomfort and we were forced to cut the trip short and head back to the dock.
Monday 7/16
Monday morning started off slow, going for two hours without even a knockoff. Then around 9:00am as the sun got high in the sky the fish woke up. From nine to noon we boated 3 salmon, 2 browns (8 and 10 lbs) and 5 Lakers (2 of which we could keep). You never know when these fish will turn on out here, so you must find a group of fish and commit yourself to working them. Don’t just make one pass thru them and if nothing happens keep going. Work those fish from different directions at different speeds with different hot items down there. You can make yourself nuts on that lake if you start tearing all over the place looking for radio fish that someone says are biting like gangbusters. Have a plan out there and stick to it; you’ll be a lot more successful.
Wednesday 7/18
We had friends of ours on the boat today, Sam and Joe Reina. Sammy is our web- site designer and Wednesday was his birthday so we took him fishing. Once on the water we started to put our rigs down. We got the first one down and before we could get the second one in the water the first one had fired and was tearing off at a hell of a clip. These big early salmon are as strong as they will ever be and they fight for all they’re worth. We landed that fish and everybody on board thought we were in for a fast and furious day. Well needless to say that was the last bite for the next three hours. We had fish under us that whole day, and between three other charters that we were talking to there was about 8 bites total that day, sometimes you just can’t win.
This is just the beginning of the salmon season and with every passing day you get more and more salmon in our area. This is shaping up to be another great year. Call or E-mail us and ask about our Salmon Season Blowout Specials. Also check out our new web site WWW.Piratefishing.com
Thanks and good fishing
Capt Matt
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Capt Matt Gutchess
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, June 04, 2001 - 1:47 pm: | |
Subject: Fishing report for 6/3
Fishing report for 6/3
Hello Fishheads.
Last week was much like the week before, very unstable weather and changing wind directions. That’s never a good scenario for fishing. This is usually the time of year when the bait and the Brown Trout move offshore and start to set up for the summer. The bait fish have spawned and are moving back out to deeper water. This is a fun time to fish for the Browns and the occasional King. You will find these fish this time of year in anywhere from 40 to 150 ft of water, suspended somewhere over bottom. This is where you can get creative with your rigging program. This fishing will all be off of riggers or with the use of dipsy divers the surface program will be done once the surface temp gets over 60 degrees. Stackers, cheaters and mini-disks off of your riggers are all options you can use.
Last weekend we took a group of youngsters out on three charter boats, this was a fishing field trip for their school fishing club. These kids are 7 & 8 Th grade and love to fish. The weekend was cold and damp but we did have some great moments. Chris who is 13 fought and landed a beautiful King Salmon that was bright silver and jumped 3 times like it was a Tarpon, the fish weighed 24 lbs. That is a big King for this time of year, besides the fact that it was caught on one of our lightweight Brown Trout rods with 8 lb test fluorocarbon line. We will be checking into seeing if that will qualify as a junior line class record for IGFA. There have been a lot of Kings around already this year and that’s a good sign for the coming king season. Kings usually start by the 15 Th of July and go thru the middle of September. Good dates are still available, so get onboard. Walleyes are still going strong at night, its hard to say how long they will still be there in good numbers, but the water has stayed cold this year and they are still their feeding heavily at night. Lake trout fishing has been slow this whole spring but the brown Trout fishing has been so good we haven’t needed to fish for them. They will start to set up real good as soon as the inshore water gets warm all the way to the bottom in 100 ft of water. As soon as the wind turns back around from the west and sets up our temperature the Brown fishing will start right back up, and the next month and a half is when you get the really big browns 15 pounders are common and some that go even bigger. If you are looking for a trophy brown for the wall June and July are the time to be here.
Start your summer out right with a great fishing trip on Lake Ontario. June 16 Th is opening day of Bass season in NY. We have the best Small mouth Bass fishing on the Eastern end of Lake Ontario with in a couple miles of our marina. We drift bait, use tube jigs, crank baits, even fly fish for them, 50 – 100 bass per day is not out of the question ranging from 17 to 22 inches. This is a great way to take the whole family fishing and keep everybody interested. June 17 Th is father’s day so don’t forget pops. Take him fishing or get him a gift certificate with us so he can go whenever he wants. Thank you.
Bent rods and screaming drags
Capt Matt Gutchess
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Capt Matt Gutchess
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, May 29, 2001 - 2:33 pm: | |
Subject: Fishing report for 5/28
Fishing report for 5/28
Hello fellow Fishheads.
Memorial Day weekend is over and the summer has officially started. We are looking forward to a great season on the Lake. This past weekend was not very good weather wise or fishing wise. The wind has been blowing offshore since Thursday and that means that all the warm water that was along the shoreline got blown out into the middle of the lake, and with the warm water went the bait fish and the Brown Trout that had been biting so well.
Friday morning we fished right in front of our river in 8 to 20 feet of water and the fish were there, at least for a while. We only had two clients on board that morning and we started out hot hitting a double before I even got all the rods set in the water. Very quickly we hit 10 fish landed 7 and kept 6. That all happened by 7:15 am, then we went the three and a half hours we had left in the trip without a bite. The wind was blowing out of the southeast at 15-25 kts and was taking all the temperature and the fish with it. By Saturday morning everybody on the Eastern end of the lake was in full search mode and nobody was finding much. We ended up with two Browns and that was about the normal between all of the Charters, we actually felt lucky, there were a lot of boats that had not taken a bite all day. Sunday and Monday were both the same, not very good.
Its now Tuesday and the wind finally turned around last night and is blowing pretty good right now, that’s exactly what we need, give this a couple of days and well be hitting the fish again big time. The only thing that has been hitting with good consistency has been the big walleyes at night. My partner Capt Matt White took a slammer last week that was 32 7/8 inches with a 17-inch girth, we are still waiting for an official weight from the taxidermist, and we estimated 15 lbs.
On Friday while doing an oil change on the Pirate we found that we had cracked a head on the starboard motor. This was 6 pm Friday afternoon of a holiday weekend. We called Mike from Mikes Marina on Rt 104 b on the Little Salmon River to find out what to do. He stayed open for us while we drove the boat over and pulled the boat on Saturday morning to tear it apart to find out just what had happened. Mike didn’t have the heads in stock and because of the holiday we could not get them until Tuesday, but had he had the part in stock we would have been back in the water by Sunday. Now mike knows were a charter and that we had trips all weekend, but he moved his schedule to get us in and done. That’s how he treats all his customers. We just want to thank Mike, if you need something fixed call him (315) 963-3119. Also we would like to thank Capt Randy Curry from Fish On Charters for letting us use his Boat to cover our Charters on Sunday and Monday. Call Randy at (315) 298-4583. Lastly don’t forget that Bass season opens June 16 Th and Fathers Day is June17 Th so take Dad fishing or get a gift certificate for a charter so he can go whenever he wants.
Bent rods and Screaming Drags
Capt Matt Gutchess
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Capt Matt Gutchess
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, May 23, 2001 - 8:24 am: | |
Subject: Lake Report for 5/21
Fishing report for 5/21
Hello Fish heads
Lets get caught up on all that is going on in the Eastern basin of Lake Ontario. Brown Trout and Steelhead fishing on the Lake has been very good with no immediate signs of letting up. Night Walleye fishing has gotten very good in the last week to ten days. Cooler than normal water temps and ample amounts of bait are holding these big spawners in the shallows for a while to come. There has even been some decent numbers of King Salmon around this spring, that is unusual for the eastern end of the lake this early in the year.
So far the spring has been very good to the pirate with many limit catch days and some very notable fish. Three trophy Walleyes have been taken to the taxidermist already in the last two weeks, One that was 30” and 12.2lbs, one that was 31.6” and 13.1 lbs and one brute that was 31.6” and weighed 13.10 lbs a real slammer walleye. All three of these fish have been caught while fishing for brown trout on the charter boat during the day. We have taken multiple browns over 10 lbs with the biggest of the year being a 14 lb slob taken Sunday morning the 20th of may. Fishing has been so good that I cant believe I still have some open days, but I do and these big fish are waiting for you to come up and take your shot at a trophy of a lifetime.
Brown trout fishing will stay hot until the middle to end of July. Lake trout fishing will start heating up now thru august. Walleyes will stay inshore for another month or so and then head out off shore, and by the middle of July the big king salmon start to show up and the fishing gets red hot in august all the way thru the middle of September. If you’re looking for a family vacation, or a chance to get away with your buddies fishing on Lake Ontario is a great way to spend a summer day. The pirate is a fully equipped 30’ Penn Yan “persuader” with fly bridge. She is equipped with all the latest electronics, color video fish finder, loran c-map navigation system, furuno 24 mile weather radar, strike vision underwater camera (so you can actually watch the big ones bite) a fully enclosed bathroom on board (for the ladies), a roomy v-berth in the cabin if you wanted to take a rest, and a full galley with a refrigerator. The pirate not only looks good but she knows how to catch fish. Don’t be left out, join in on the fun. We can take up to six customers at a time and for larger groups we have other professional Charters that we work with that can help us out. Call or E-mail me and reserve your spot before there all gone. (315) 625-4802 or Piratefishingcharters@msn.com
Thank you
Bent rods and Screaming Drags
Capt Matt Gutchess
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Capt Matt Gutchess
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, April 16, 2001 - 10:33 am: | |
Subject: Lake Report For Week Ending 04/15
Hello Fishheads
The ice is finally leaving the lakeshore and trollers are getting their gear ready for the upcoming season. Boats need to be uncovered, rods put together and new line put on reels. This is by far my favorite time of year. Spring browns on light tackle in skinny water.
We will start first with a little pre launch prep of your boat. If you didn’t change your oil last fall before you stored it than change it now before you start it up, and then change it after about 50 hours. Oil is cheap, motors are not! I always start my motor in the yard with a hose hooked up, this way I can tune anything and let the motor come up to temperature while flushing out all of the pickling solution that I put in the block and manifold. Nothing worse than getting all your gear ready and when you get the boat in the water it wont start because you haven’t done a thing to it since last fall. Check plugs and at least clean them if not change them. If you stored the boat with less than a full tank of gas than fill it and add a can of dry gas. As trollers we ask a lot more from our boats and motors so we need to take care of them better.
Now to fishing. Spring Brown Trout are drawn to the shallows of the shoreline by spawning baitfish. These baitfish become easy prey to schools of marauding browns. The shore water warms first and these fish are seen cruising in 0 – 10 ft of water looking for the all you can eat buffet. Catching browns in the spring is the easy part, finding them is more difficult. The Eastern Basin of lake Ontario is very flat and shallow much like a bowl. There is not much in the way of structure especially in Mexico bay so where do you start your search for browns, Creek and river mouths. With the exception of the warm water “BUBBLE” discharge at nine-mile nuclear plant the only warm water infusion will be supplied by one of many tributaries that dump into Mexico bay. This is a good place to start fishing.
Now you’ve found a place to start, even before you put a lure in the water 2 key pieces of equipment that will greatly increase your success is a good speed unit and a temperature sensor. Speed kills, and going too fast is an easy way to ensure that you catch no Brown trout. 1.5 to 2.0 is a good range but you have to pay attention to the fish. If you are running all small spoons and stick baits than before you run it out let 5 ft of line off the tip and watch the action of the lure over the side of the boat. Is the lure spinning too fast, does it have a nice side-to-side action. Slow presentations are crucial to catching browns in cold water.
So now you have picked a spot to start trolling. You have used your temp gauge to find the warmest water in the area, and your speed is good, now what to use and how. Stick style straight crank baits, and lightweight trolling spoons, are the ticket. The general consensus is to go small while your going slow. I’m going to tell you that’s not the case, especially very early in the season. The baitfishes that are in these shallows have not spawned yet so they are the biggest they will ever be in the course of the season. Brown trout are cannibalistic feeders, and don’t for one-minute think a 4 lb Brown wont smack a 4-5 in lure. The medium size Smithwick, Thunderstick, and Rapala in size 9 and 11 are great off planer boards stretched at least 100 ft. Remember you want your lures far enough away from the boat so that they are running out there in clean (undisturbed) water away from the noise of the motor and the hull. Spoons should be lightweight and able to run at slower speeds. Alpena Diamonds, Needlefish, Evil Eyes, are all good examples of spring spoons. If I had to choose three spoons for spring Browns they would be: Glow Green, and Silver Blue Alpena, and a fire tiger gold belly Needlefish. Clear water, muddy creek water doesn’t matter they will catch fish. On the Charter boat we run three riggers in the spring, and I stretch my spoons out from 75 to 90 ft behind the ball. I will also run six lines off of the planer boards (3 per side) stretching them 100 to 150 ft or more at times. If you’re in an area of heavy traffic you may be forced into shortening your spread. That is a crash course in how to get started catching spring browns.
One nice thing about spring fishing along the shoreline is just that you’re close to shore. This is a very big lake and very unforgiving at times. Fishing in the shallows is open to everybody and you don’t need a big fancy boat to do it in. BUT you do need to be smart about when not to go out on to the water. Unfortunately people drowned on the lake every year because they go out in unsafe conditions. Know your limits and your boats limits and all of us will have another enjoyable and successful year chasing after the trophies of Lake Ontario.
Prime dates are still available for a trip aboard the “Pirate” a fully equipped 30 ft Penn Yan predator w/ fly bridge. Browns and Lakers are starting to bite, so act now.
Bent rods and screaming drags
Capt Matt
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