Taking a break...

[joejv4]

...from crappie fishing over the next month or so. The salmon are starting to run up Lake Ontario tributaries, and I want to get a few during this once-a-year event. I'll get back to crappie once I've got some salmon steaks and fillets in the freezer. And if I manage to get a 40 pounder, I'm getting it mounted so's I have something on the wall to show up my wife's 38" pike!

[Buffy]

You ARE taking your camera aren't you??
Vicarious fishing is so sad. How do you fish for them?

[REDBOAT]

I know this is a crappie site... and those are definately not crappie.. but post your results anyway! Here my result from Labor Day weekend.

http://www.crappie.com/gr8vb3/showthread.php?t=46177

I wish I could have spent a week up there

-REDBOAT

[joejv4]

Buffy - will have to take pictures back at the truck since it's what I call "crick fishing" and involves plenty of wading.

To fish for them, we use either egg sacks or sponges that look like egg sacks. Enough splitshot on the line to keep the bait near the bottom in the current.

Cast up current and let the rig bounce its way along the bottom. It's lots of fun once you hook into one. They pull like a freight train and will give you an awesome aerobatics show. Not like a bass, these guys jump 2-3 feet out of the water.

The salmon that run are all around 4 years old and range anywhere from 15 to 40 lbs. Most of us use Medium heavy to heavy action rods with big spools of 14 - 17# test line. Big spools because they can pull a lot of line off in a hurry. I've seen fish fight for half an hour before finally being landed.

Redboat - for sure I'll post pics of any fish we get.

I hooked into a couple kings in the Oswego River Sunday (but lost them) and my buddy managed to land a 29" brown just before we called it quits for the day. Tuesday, I went trolling with my father in law off the mouth of the Salmon River. We only got one fish on and didn't mark very many on the sonar, but up in the river where we launched, they were jumping all around the boat. Made me wish we had brought something other than trolling gear (special regs in the river on hook size, number of hooks, etc).

The kings (chinooks) are in spawning colors - brown instead of the silver color you see out in the lake. So the spawn is definitely starting.

We're going to see what's up in one of the smaller tributaries close to home this weekend. It's probably running a little low (dry summer), but there's a good chance there will be some fish in. I'll be sure to share our results!

[crappiekid24]

Yea post pics! Especially if its a 40lber! Im still looking for a 20lb here on Lake Michigan in Illinois.

[sac-a-lait]

send me some of the homemade custom smoked stuff and I will take you on a trip you will never forget.

[joejv4]

gotta get myself a good smoker first!!! Right now we marinade them then toss them on the grill mmmmmmmm! Maybe I should ask around and see if anybody I know has a smoker. I know I love smoked salmon.

[FisherMike]

I do it all the time and people go nuts over it.
I just smoked up a big batch and took them up to my American Legion Post. Almost have to throw them in the door and run. Those people are savages. Good savages though.

[joejv4]

One of these days I'll get around to joining the Legion. Waiting till our last kid is grown so I will be able to be an "active" member. With the stuff I get involved in because of my son, I wouldn't be able to be very involved in the local post - and don't like the idea of only partially committing to things. If I'm in, I want to be all-in, if you know what I mean.

I'd be willing to bet that a couple of the guys at the legion might have smokers... hmmm ... I know a lot of them, that might be a good avenue to see about borrowing one

[FisherMike]

Especially if you want to share a little of the product.