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Author Topic: Late season trolling Richardson Lakes  (Read 9476 times)

Jethro

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Late season trolling Richardson Lakes
« on: Aug 21, 2014, 01:36 PM »
I don't usually fish for trout and salmon in September, but have a last minute weekend trip to Richardson planned next month. Any help is appreciated as far as how deep I might have to fish, what colors, or any tactics that might help make for a successful trip. I usually fish lead-core lines, will I be able to get deep enough or should I prioritize buying some downriggers?

Slammin_Brookies!!

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Re: Late season trolling Richardson Lakes
« Reply #1 on: Aug 21, 2014, 03:58 PM »
I'm staying  at South Arm Camp ground for the next 3 days. I'll PM you on my return Sunday. Fishing as stayed good though early mornings and evenings from reports I have gotten.
If you're too busy to fish...........You're too Fa..king busy!

TunkTroller

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Re: Late season trolling Richardson Lakes
« Reply #2 on: Aug 21, 2014, 10:57 PM »
30-40 feet deep. Live or very recently deceased bait behind a 00 or larger chrome dodger.  Faster fishing than any other time of year. 1:30-2:15 pm prime time for larger fish.  5pm-on for regular run

Jethro

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Re: Late season trolling Richardson Lakes
« Reply #3 on: Aug 22, 2014, 07:21 AM »
Appreciate it both of you guys!! I wasn't aware you could use live bait there? Smelt I assume?

TunkTroller

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Re: Late season trolling Richardson Lakes
« Reply #4 on: Aug 22, 2014, 08:16 AM »
I'm not at all familiar with the lake. Better check on the laws. I was just assuming you could use bait there.

Emeralds and Goldens will work fine this time of year

jrelaxin

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Re: Late season trolling Richardson Lakes
« Reply #5 on: Aug 22, 2014, 08:38 AM »
dead bait like rangely.....i'll be up there as well ........frosty donuts in the well.
Donut a day and I'm ready to play
 Dave

Jethro

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Re: Late season trolling Richardson Lakes
« Reply #6 on: Aug 22, 2014, 01:01 PM »
I can't figure out how to sew those d**n frozen smelts so they have good action! I'll probably stick to flatfish lures and streamer flies.

TunkTroller

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Re: Late season trolling Richardson Lakes
« Reply #7 on: Aug 22, 2014, 01:10 PM »
The action of a smelt or minnow isn't nearly as important this time of year. Behind a dodger it doesn't matter at all. Your action comes from the dodger.  Unlike spring I won't run a minnow without one this time of year.  The fish are active and healthy. The dodger really fires them up even when they are not actively feeding.

If you have to run them bare and have issues tuning your smelt then you can buy cut bait heads or buy some thin wire and use it to thread down the middle of your smelt.  Then bend the wire. Wall ah

Steel Nuttz

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Re: Late season trolling Richardson Lakes
« Reply #8 on: Aug 22, 2014, 01:32 PM »
How far back do you put your bait from dodger?  Sometimes my dodger swings back and forth, and my bait doesn't move...
Thanks...Hey, I guess they're right - senior citizens, although slow and dangerous behind the wheel, can still serve a purpose.  I'll be right back.  Don't you go dying on me!

sebagosalmo

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Re: Late season trolling Richardson Lakes
« Reply #9 on: Aug 22, 2014, 02:47 PM »
Quote from: jrelaxin .frosty donuts in the well.
[/quote


Best donuts around  ;D  especially the crawlers, if you get them up in Brunswick at 6:00 am when their freshly made and warm  :thumbup_smilie:

One of the train host in Brunswick,  brings them to our train crew daily  :clapping:

TunkTroller

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Re: Late season trolling Richardson Lakes
« Reply #10 on: Aug 22, 2014, 07:00 PM »
How far back do you put your bait from dodger?  Sometimes my dodger swings back and forth, and my bait doesn't move...

It's going to vary with the size of the dodger. The bigger the dodger the longer your lead will be for the same action achieved on a small dodger with a shorter lead. There are some rules of thumb but honestly the best way to get your idea lead is by trial and error. Tie it on and see what it looks like running beside the boat.  You will eventually get so used to them you naturally know how much length you want.

The larger the object your towing behind the dodger the less movement the dodger imparts on it. Another consideration is depth. When fishing real deep I like to have a longer lead between the dodger and bait. Your trolling in reduced visibility and the fish sometimes need it slowed down. 40 feet and deeper I'll run anywhere from 12 to 16 inches on a 00. When trolling 40 feet to the surface I like a lot of action. On a 00  that would be roughly 12 inches on length. I'll keep cutting that down to sew on new minnows and usually tie on a new length when I get down to 8 inches or so. At that point the minnow is moving really fast side to side. You wouldn't think a fish could grab it but they do. Sometimes the short lead helps eliminate hit and runs. They don't get a good look at it and just have to hit it to find out what they are dealing with.  When trolling flies you can get a lot more action with longer length.  Same goes for big dodgers. A number 1 or 2 will give a minnow action 3 feet back. Another thing I do is run heavy line on my dodgers. 12-15 pound test. The thicker line translates a lot more action than say 6 or 8. The added visibility of larger line isn't an issue behind the dodger. Give that a try first. You will notice a marked increase in action over your current setup if your running lighter line.  There's some tricks to dodgers that make them more effective.  They have some new ones I love that run off to the side like a planer board. I think they are under utilized as fish tools. They can kill some of the fight in some scenarios but they can also bring in 50 fish some days vs 2 or 3 without them.

cchase

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Re: Late season trolling Richardson Lakes
« Reply #11 on: Aug 23, 2014, 11:30 AM »
I would stick with bright colors this time of year. Orange and sliver, cooper and orange. DB smelts, mooselook wobblers, and harry lures. I fish up that way a lot and never fish bait. 2.5 -3.0 mph and remember this time of year fish are starting to stage for the fall run. Dont get hung up on depth too much this time of year the thermocline breaks up as the nights get colder and days get shorter.

TunkTroller

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Re: Late season trolling Richardson Lakes
« Reply #12 on: Aug 23, 2014, 12:14 PM »
If you want to go up there and catch 5 or 6 fish do this ^^^

If you want to go up and slam out 30 or 40 a day with a bunch of fat males in the mix follow my advise to a T. The thermocline hasn't broken yet and it won't be by this weekend. Regardless you want to target the 30-40 foot area anyway. Otherwise you going to be peeling hook out of 12-16 inch fish all day. Those little babies they stock in the spring hit all day long this time of year along with any naturally re producing babies. I actually start at 45 and 60 and work my way up as it gets closer to sun down till I'm at the 30-40. One huge mistake people make chasing salmon is not going deep enuff. Preconceived notions of salmon living from the thermocline srat. to the surface are ideas that should be tossed.

The fish are actively feeding for weight and that's to your advantage. Live bait always out produces fake stuff. Whether it pulls out the much larger fish one day or numbers the next there's nothing better when the person fishing it KNOWS what they are doing. Behind a dodger and with fish willing to move quickly for a meal you don't have to be skilled at sewing on a perfect roll this time of year. So if you had trouble hooking into them before with live bait throw your fear out the window. 

cchase

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Re: Late season trolling Richardson Lakes
« Reply #13 on: Aug 23, 2014, 01:09 PM »
Well Live Bait In any of the Rangeley lakes will get you a ticket. Yes Salmon and brook trout are actively feeding putting on weight. Maybe youve spent more time up there fishing then I have this year (I highly doubt it but its possible). This year has been a little different then years in the past rivers up that way have rarely gotten above 60 that along with night time temps in the 40's and heavy rains past couple of weeks has the water cooling off faster then normal. Guys that fish bait up there always make me smile they put all this time and effort into sewing in the spring and fall but the reality is when fish are feeding aggressively any who KNOWS the body of water or KNOWS what they are doing will catch 20-30 fish on lures and streamers big fish as well. The high flows last week brought a lot of fish into the rivers. That along with early staging and yoy's dropping back theres alot of fish out of the deep holes and at the mouths of the rivers. Frozen smelts to me is a huge waste of time. Its a personal preference. For the record I have out fished live bait many of nights and the opposite has happened as well.  I will tell you conditions are a lot more like mid September up that way then mid August.   10-30 fow is plenty 5-10 feet below the surface. you will catch plenty of salmon and brookies up there on lures.

jrelaxin

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Re: Late season trolling Richardson Lakes
« Reply #14 on: Aug 24, 2014, 04:44 PM »
Was a little slow but steady sat up there, orange was the ticket and water was 66 sat morning but fish were still deep a few at 35 feet but caught all 9 colors down.
Donut a day and I'm ready to play
 Dave

 



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