| T.R | Title | User | Personal
Name | Date | Lines |
|---|
| 1490.1 | Day One ..... | WFOV12::WHITTEMORE_J | Out for Trout | Fri Sep 07 1990 11:11 | 83 |
|
This years fishing excursion to 'The Big O' was yet another memorable
experience. I had anticipated our couple of days fishing would be, at least
in many basic respects, a repeat of the trip the 'girls' and I took back in
1988 (the 'girls' are 'fishless' Joe Bettro, and Garry 'wall hanger' Cousins).
I couldn't have been more wrong!
A couple of days prior to our planned departure I called Cpt. Doug Crane
of the COH�O (Coho-2) to check on how the fishing had been of late, local
weather etc. I was with a bit of apprehension that I listened to him tell
me that they 'weren't into them like the last time' we were up. The salmon
hadn't really started to show for the pending runs and the fishing had been
spotty - they were having to 'work for them'.
The captain told me that his Monday client (we were booked on for Tuesday
and Wednesday) had had to cancel so, if 'the girls' and I could make it up
for Monday we were welcome to fish. 'The girls' and I talked it up and agreed
to try for a Monday afternoon ETA in Sodus Pt. NY. We stepped up the timetable
for grocery shopping, getting together at my place, packing etc. and were on
the road by 10:00 Monday morning. JB piloted up for an uneventful 275 mile
trip in his NEW 'PathFinder'. The closer to Sodus we got the more threatening
the weather looked. When we stopped for lunch there was enough of a wind that
I wondered, not aloud, whether or not we might be blown off the lake.
We arrived in Sodus about 15:30 got some stuff together, found Cpt. Doug
at his boat - a 27' <mumble mumble mumble> - and were under way by 16:30.
On our way out of port we made some small talk, got reacquainted, and then
got down to business - 'So Doug - how's the fishing been lately?'. We were
told that the lake had really cooled off with a front from Canada that had
passed over the week prior, there were no schools of bait fish to be found,
the Kings were 'spotty', and the fishing was 'hard'. Well - that sounds real
encouraging at 05:00 in the afternoon under cloudy (real cloudy) skies with
a steady off shore wind and one to two foot swells.....
We ran out a couple of miles then Cpt. Doug throttled back, gave the helm
to the mate, and started setting up. In stark contrast to our last visit;
when we fished strictly off down-riggers (at about 90') with hammered
spoons, Doug set out a planner-board off each side and setup five rods on each
all hung with 'J-Plugs'. The water temp. on the top was in the low forties
and there was no real thermalbar as you went deeper so the plan was to
troll the surface with long lines (approx. 120') out behind the planners.
The fishing had been so 'hit or miss' that we did not use the fish finder -
not a good sign (why look for bait fish when there aren't any!).
More than an hour later, as conversation - and spirits started to lag,
a line stripped out from its clip and the whole boat leaped for the rod (the
predetermined 'batting order' was GC, JB, then ME). Garry was quickly given
the hand off (from Cpt. Doug - I think) and played a nice 4# Brown Trout to
the boat. O.K. - nice start but ..........
A good hour and a half later we connected with our next fish. We woke
JB up as he was 'on deck' and watched as the drag spoke for the first time
on our trip! Yep - time to clear the other lines and play a fish. We had a
grand time for the few minutes it took JB to bring to boat a nice 21# King
Salmon! That's better - took ya' long enough but that's better. Now that
'the girls' were out of the way I was on deck and just waiting for a real
reel burner.
I was in the same holding status when we turned in for the night. Not
bad for a four hour quick trip when the fishing's 'hard' - 4# brown and a
21# king.
Cold-cut sandwiches for supper, smoke a couple of beers, BS about the day
and speculate about tomorrow, set the CHEAP alarm clock we just bought at the
five-and-dime for 04:30, and call it quits around midnight ......
Stay tuned for 'day two' and 'day three' coming soon to a VDT near you!
Joe Whittemore - From where the Westfield
Meats the Westfield
By the Westfield
In Huntington (MA)
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| 1490.2 | Day Two .......... | WFOV12::WHITTEMORE_J | Out for Trout | Mon Sep 10 1990 12:17 | 98 |
|
The day started out bad; the damned alarm didn't do off and no one
woke up until 05:45 - we were supposed to be at the boat at 05:15! DAMN!
We rushed around grabbing some food, beer, warm cloths etc. and
bolted out the door and down to the docks. Got a quick fill of the Thermos
at the new 'McDonnald's Snack Shack' (for 78 cents!) and hit the boat. Cpt.
Doug wasn't bothered in the least that we were 45 minutes 'late' - we
were.
We headed out of the bay under solid clouds and onto the lake where
the swells were running the same one to two feet. The wind was still up and
the weather still held the threat of rain. We again set out the planers,
this time with four rods on each side, and dropped in a couple of down
riggers. The water temp. was still low forties on top with no clear breaks
on the way down. The two down riggers were setup just under ten feet and
we trolled east. It was obvious from the radio chatter that no one was into
anything other than 'hit or miss' fishing.
Time passed - conversation lagged - a rod popped it's clip - the boat
rolled and ........
A ROD POPPED IT'S CLIP! I'M ON DECK! THIS MUST BE MY 40+ POUND KING!
Well - not quite but it was a respectable 6# Lake Trout and enough to
take the edge off the morning - and the lead in the 'biggest trout pool'.
OK - that got our attention - now let's fish .....
Back under way and in no more than twenty minutes a rod pops it's
clip and JB - the closest to it - snatched it up and set the hook once
before, with all due reluctance, passing it off to Garry. Yep! It's a good
one. Clear the lines and let the battle begin!
This one's a reel smoker! Taking line at will. Garry's standing
there, the rod bent double in his hands, the reel giving line with a scream
and a dumbfounded look on his face! I'm getting concerned here as this fish
is running real good and there's only so much line on one of these reels!
I'm thinking GC's gona get stripped clean. Tighten the drag a little bit -
hold the rod tip high - ok - she's slowing - stopped - yank - yank - yank -
she must be down there pulling line fin-over-fin. Pump and reel - pump and
reel Garry's gaining some line back ..............
SKREEEeeeeeee Off she goes again! WTF? Check the drag - damned
tight - another blistering run and then a stand off! Garry'd gain a couple
of yards of line back (20# Stren) and the fish would yank - yank - yank -
yank it back foot by foot. Garry's getting tired! Is the fish? Yes! Garry's
got her within 20 yards of the boat! She lolls on the surface and LOOK AT
THE SIZE OF THAT TAIL! Come on in baby ..... easy .....
SKREEEEeeeeeeee! Not this again! Another run but she's beaten! Now
it's just a matter of getting her to the boat and into the net - still a
strong fish - at the transom now - hold the rod high, step back one pace,
two, Doug sweeps with the net and into the boat with a .........
Thirty Five Pound - One Ounce
KING SALMON !
Wholly Ship! That's a fish (all 42" of it)! FAT! Garry almost
stained his pants! He's got the wall hanger he'd hoped for - dreamed
of! Fourth minutes or more from hook-up to boat! What a fish!!!!!
After shootin' some pictures, hootin' and hollerin', and back-
thumpin' it's back to business as Bettro wants one of them babies! Set the
rigs back out sit back and relax - if you can - and wait. and wait. and
wait.......
Well - we finished out the day with four more nice fish; JB
was next up and boated an 8# Laker - enough to put me out of the trout pool.
Then I boated my first King of the trip - a 'small' eighteen pounder. Garry
next nailed a 19# king, and JB finished out the day with a nice 20# King.
It had been a long day of hard fishing and we finally headed into
port with me left 'on deck' for the next morning. Garry's 35 pounder caused
quite the stir! We unloaded quite a haul that afternoon; just over 100#
across six fish. Given the current conditions we'd had a very successful day!
We went back to the cabin we were renting, scrounged up a BBQ grill
and cooked up a mean supper of steak, mushrooms, rice, and beans. After
supper we headed down to the bar, more for traditions sake than anything
else, and the girls proceeded to get boiled.
GC turned in just before midnight. JB and I had a long walk/talk
and called it quits around 01:00 am. Before I settled in I set the alarm
for 04:30 (no easy task on that CHEAP damned clock).
|
| 1490.3 | I'm Hooked - Play Me! | MEMORY::TATOSIAN | The Compleat Tangler | Tue Sep 11 1990 23:48 | 3 |
| Jeezus, Joe! Don't keep us in suspense! Lay Day Three on us!
D.
|
| 1490.4 | Work break ........ | WFOV11::WHITTEMORE_J | Out for Trout | Wed Sep 12 1990 09:55 | 3 |
| Re: .3
Gotta earn the mony to pay for the damned trip too ya know!
|
| 1490.5 | Day Three ... | WFOVX8::WHITTEMORE_J | Out for Trout | Wed Sep 12 1990 12:23 | 170 |
|
<<<< Day Three >>>>
The day started out bad; the damned alarm didn't do off (again) and
no one woke up until 05:00 - we were supposed to be at the boat at 05:30!
DAMN!
We rushed around grabbing some food, beer, warm cloths etc. and
bolted out the door and down to the docks. Got a quick fill of the Thermos
at the new 'McDonnald's Snack Shack' (for 78 cents!) and hit the boat just
at 05:30. Cpt. Doug showed up a few minutes after us.
Time out here for a little background ......................
Two years ago when I made the arrangements for our first trip I did
so on the recommendation of a local acquaintance of mine. At that time I
tried to convey to Cpt. Doug that 'the girls' and I were competent fisherman
in our own rights and that we were more interested in the overall experience
as opposed to just 'meat' fishing. We had a great trip and by the end of
it were doing most of the handling of the gear ourselves (as opposed to
the mate doing it)
..................................... so - with that in mind -
We had agreed the day before that today, our last day out, we would go
without a mate and that 'the girls' and I would do the setups etc. etc.
The morning was completely overcast, foggy, and a steady drizzle was
coming down accompanied by a constant - stiff - breeze. Drab, Dismal, Dank
day.
We headed out into the lake with about 1/4 mi. visibility over swells
of 1' to 2'. The reports from other boats were of nothing other than fog.
After a brief 'how to' from Doug we set out the two sidepaners and hung
four rods off of each (only four licenses on the boat today) and again
we waited. The surface temp. was the same cold 43� - 46�. Nothing marking
on the fish-o-graph.
Wait - wait - wait.
Our heading in conjunction with the breeze combined to make it damned
impossible to escape the drizzle. Doug went below and returned with a full
rain suit for himself and each of us.
We waited and waited ..... 'the girls' got quiet and started to show
a little green behind the gills - Dramamine anyone?
JB's about asleep on the engine shroud, GC's standin' to one side with
a soulful GREEN face and I'm just about ready to start hoping for a good
blow as an excuse to get off this dead water without paying for the boat
ride when one of the rods pops off it's clip.
I'm on it quick and just as quick it's apparent from the feel of things
that this is not my 40+ pound king. It was, though, a respectable 11# lake
trout. Back on top of the trout pool I go! Fare enough.
GC's on deck now and, as seemed to be his fashion this year, he was into
a good fish within half an hour of taking the plate. This fish seemed to
have some size to it so JB and I cleared the other lines and ran in the side
planers. Garry loosened the drag just a bit and played with the fish for a
few minutes - fine with me; enjoy it while you can - and after a couple of
nice runs boated a 22# king! Nice fish.
I need to tell ya here that after the lines were cleared I took the
helm and was piloting the boat while 'the girls' and Doug worked the fish
at the transom. As I relinquished the helm to Doug I shot him a big
fish eatin' grin and said "Thanks for lettin' us play with your boat
Doug!". I know he knew I meant it too.
Well - according to some squawk on the radio there was a very pro-
nounced thermobreak out a mile or so farther into the lake with 40+�
water on one side and 60+� on the other. We set a bearing for the break
and trolled out to see what there was to see. I've never seen a break
before and I was impressed. There was a very clearly defined scum line
zig-zagging across the lake as far as I could see. The water on the cold
side was noticeably more choppy than on the warm side and the break line
itself was punctuated by little swirlpools that left no doubt but that
this was moving water.
We set about fishing the break. According to Cpt. Doug the break was
moving shoreward at about one mile an hour. We did lazy passes up and
down the line, back and forth across the line. Turned on the fish-o-graph
and didn't see a damned thing other than the bar itself. After a couple
of hours of this it was time for a change.
We pulled the gear out of the water and headed for the only patch of
clear sky in sight.
What we found was a little oasis of clear sky over about 2 square
miles of lake - with more than a few charter and private boats working
there. We, once again, set out the planers, three rods on each, and two
down riggers at fifteen feet, with one rod each, and sat back to wait.
But not for long!
A rod popped its clip and as I was on deck (and still paying attention)
I was on it quick. It felt like a good fish but I still knew it wasn't my
40+ pound king. There was, however, something about the way this fish was
fighting; felt like it was shaking its head, that made me suspect it was
a trout and not a king. I feel that because we kept underway for this one
that the fish was drowned too soon and without being able to show its full
measure - ah well; next time I'll speak up ("Give me neutral and let me
play this fish damn it!"). We did boat it and it was a trout - a 12# 14oz.
laker! Nice sized trout yes?
We set the couple of rods that were cleared back out along with the one
that had just been hit and GC went back on deck. True to form - within a
half of an hour Garry was holding a rod that seemed to have a good fish
attached to it. I was piloting the boat and JB and Doug were clearing the
other rods. Garry was holding his own against the fish and, as is their
way when the fishing's hard, Cpt. Doug told me to call for 'Orcha' on the
radio and let them know we were into a good fish. I keyed the mike;
me - 'Orcha - Orcha CoHo2 here ......'
Orcha - 'Yeah - what's up?'
me - 'Doug said I should give you a shout to make sure
you can still see us'
Orcha - 'Yeah - we see you - you into a fish?'
me - 'Ah - never mind ...........'
A break-off! Now that's the first break-off we've had in the two
times we've been up here! Tough break Garry (pun intended).
Well - let the three minute rule prevail - JB's on deck (three minutes
into a fish and you've had your turn).
We headed in for the day at 14:30 - 15:00 with no more bragin' to be
done.
All in all it was another memorable trip.
Once again Cpt. Doug had put more (and I have to say - honestly - bigger)
fish onto the boat than would have been expected given the 'status quo'. But,
most importantly, once again Cpt. Doug had provided us with a first class
fishing experience.
We packed our gear, we packed our fish, we said our 'good bye's and we
hit the road for home.
I WILL BE BACK!
Joe Whittemore - From where the Westfield
Meets the Westfield
By the Westfield
In Huntington (MA)
|
| 1490.6 | And the final score is ......... | WFOVX8::WHITTEMORE_J | Out for Trout | Thu Sep 13 1990 12:53 | 16 |
| Batting Order: Garry Cousins - Joe Bettro - Joe Whittemore
Mon Tue Wed
16:30 - 20:30 06:00 - 16:30 05:30 - 15:00
------+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------
G.C. | (04#bt) | 35#01ozks (19#ks) | (22#ks) break-off
------+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------
J.B. | 21#ks | 08#lt (20#ks) | 21#ks <o.d.>
------+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------
J.W. | <o.d.> | 06#lt (18#ks) <o.d.> | 12#14ozlt (11#lt)
------+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------
Key: ks - king salmon <o.d.> - left 'On Deck' at the end of the day
bt - brown trout (xxxx) - 'guestimated' weights (all others
lt - lake trout are actual weight at the dock)
(-: ozks - ounce king salmon ozlt - ounce lake trout :-)
|
| 1490.7 | 1991: Spring Lake Ontario Fishing | MSBVLS::RADICIONI | | Mon Apr 01 1991 07:32 | 14 |
|
We're heding to FairHaven and the Lake Ontario area to fish the
piers and the shore lines on April 11th.. Maybe try the rivers,
too..
My question is, "Is this to early or is it a good time to fish for
lakers and browns off the piers and shoreline" ???
Any advice for some Spring Rookies ...
Arnie
226-60417
|
| 1490.8 | launch the heavy metal from shore | USRCV1::GEIBELL | NOTHIN LIKE FISH ON ! | Tue Apr 02 1991 08:27 | 13 |
| Arnie,
They are catching browns, steelheads, and rainbows off the pier's
at sodus point NY, try cleos or any other heavy trout spoons so you
can throw them further. try chartruse, orange , neon blue&silver,
or greens or golds.
have fun fishing
Lee
|
| 1490.9 | Oh Boy, Oh Boy !! | MSBVLS::RADICIONI | | Wed Apr 03 1991 07:29 | 6 |
|
Thanks Lee, I hope there still around on the 11th..
Keep me imform..
Arnie7
|