lake ontario browns/Lakers tips

[monkeyman2269]

My dad got a nice boat last year that has down riggers. I was wondering what kind of lures and depth u guys fish for browns. Is it still a little to early or should we try soon

[Gump]

Boats are already getting them.

  Shallow water this time of year.

 The key to finding the fish is finding pockets of slightly warmer water.  These most often occur at the mouths of streams and bays that warm faster than the lake.  Also look for color or stained water, it is usually warmer and the browns like to ambush bait in murky water.  For lures you can simply flat line rapalas and stickbaits but also run some spoons only a few feet down on the rigger balls.  For the next couple of weeks there is no need to go deeper than 15 ft. of water in my opinion.   Run about 75' leads behind the boat and even further if the water is clear.  Planer boards help.  If you don't have any, look into some of the small in-line planers you can purchase without breaking the budget.  I'm sure other guys can add to this, but this is a brief rundown of how most guys run their early brown programs.

[Mac Attack]

That pretty much covers it Gump.

The planer boards allow you to run flat lines up real shallow.
5-15 FOW

I like longer leads than 75' personally.
150-200'
Browns are wary and long leads seem to help.

We are headed out tomorrow morning.
Launching at Olcott.
It's gonna be cold but the wind is looking like it will lay down real nice for us.

Mac

[Thor]

Does anyone use attractors when trolling for browns (e.g. flashers, dodgers, cowbells, etc.)?  If so, how do you use them and with what lures?

Thank you.

[jeffro9023]

Sounds like all the info you need has been given, there's really no rhyme or reason where you'll find em just troll different depths and you'll pick em up

[reeleyz]

I would definitely run a mix of spoons and sticks. Some days they prefer one over the other.

I find them in smaller pockets. I troll until I hit one then turn around and work that area for a while.

Good luck.

[jeffro9023]

Color of lure doesn't matter as long as  its @#$%  &  +-&%$#...ugh I just can't say it!!!!

[broadhorizons]

There is definitely a pattern to finding them...find the warmest water and you'll find them, stream inlets and and shallows warm up fastest. Then focus on wind direction and determine which way it pushes the warm water from its source/stream. By doing that, you just made the lake a lot smaller.

[jeffro9023]

Dang, color of lure not visible 

[AON09]

I fish Ontario out of sodus last week friday and we had 6 rods out 4 with stickbaits off planner boards and two on the riggers with spoons. We boated 37 browns and only 2 were caught on the spoons, everything was hitting on the stickbaits. Id post a picture but I havent figured it out yet.

[trapper2000]

jeffro  ....looking at your picture ,one of the few times I seen lake Ontario  FLAT!  and a brown that's not a shiny football ....

 now I HATE trolling but  living close  to the big lake I might have   done it a time or two .....mix  stick baits  up with spoons  till you  figure what is better that day  spoons my best  color is silver with blue...stick baits   silver  and blue  perch  silver  black 

with a small boat  or planner boards you can come shallow and often that's where they  will be early in the morning  as the daylight  gets brighter they will drop further out ...big thing  warmer water  but  clean water ...stay on the clean side of mud lines

any area bait shop or the guys at bass pro or gander can steer you to anything you need

[Mac Attack]

Browns are not like walleye.
They typically don't move out from shore as the sun gets higher.
They are not light sensitive like walleyes.
As long as the bait and the warm temps are near shore, they will stay there all day feeding.

[slamboney]

Anyone know what the ice chunks look like out of Mexico? 

I run a couple Michigan stingers black/silver or the OJ pattern on the riggers just deep enough to keep them below surface.  Hard to beat a black and silver rapala on the boards. 

[broadhorizons]

Mexico was packed right in yesterday, no accessible lake from Mexico Pt. Launch. On Monday, the edge of the ice was at Oswego. To the East was packed in, west was open.

[jeffro9023]

jeffro  ....looking at your picture ,one of the few times I seen lake Ontario  FLAT!  and a brown that's not a shiny football ....

 now I HATE trolling but  living close  to the big lake I might have   done it a time or two .....mix  stick baits  up with spoons  till you  figure what is better that day  spoons my best  color is silver with blue...stick baits   silver  and blue  perch  silver  black 

with a small boat  or planner boards you can come shallow and often that's where they  will be early in the morning  as the daylight  gets brighter they will drop further out ...big thing  warmer water  but  clean water ...stay on the clean side of mud lines

any area bait shop or the guys at bass pro or gander can steer you to anything you need

Every once in a while you catch a flat Lake O day. I'll be getting out very soon probly this week...can't wait to go to bed at night hearing the gentle sounds of the mighty old squaw repeating in my head LOL