Lake O King Salmon, Steelhead and more (8/13/16-8/14/16)

[JDTuna]

My friend Daryl and I decided to do something a little different this weekend and head up to Lake Ontario to fish for the big kings that should be getting ready to stage soon. Made plans a little over a week ago to head up and fish Sat and Sun mornings. We were joined by Daryl's girlfriend Michelle and our friend Andy. However, as we got closer to the weekend the forecast was looking pretty bad. I began to wonder if we'd actually be able to fish. Friday came and there was no word of cancelling so we left NJ for the big lake.

Saturday August 13:

As soon as we arrived at the marina, we were hit with a sudden downpour. It moved fast, and soon we pushed off the dock and headed out. We got set up, and before we could get all the lines out one was screaming. Michelle had never caught a king, so she was on the rod. After a tough fight, the net was slipped under a big 24lb king, which was already beginning to look dark.



We reset, and spent a little while dodging a massive thunderstorm that had rolled in. About an hour later, another rod went off. I grabbed the rod, and it was immediately evident that it was a much smaller fish. After a short fight, a steelhead was welcomed aboard.



Not long after, we hooked another fish that screamed drag off the reel. Unfortunately, another boat was following us way too closely and the fish ran right into their gear and broke off. Ended the morning with Daryl and Michelle putting two more small kings in the boat (released the smaller fish) and headed back in under sunny skies and slick calm water. Spent the afternoon visiting the Salmon River Hatchery, which was pretty cool.

Sunday August 14:

We were not sure what to expect given a dismal morning forecast and some wind out of the west. As we got out onto the lake, there was considerable wind and chop. We made our way out, and began setting out the rods. Before we had all the rods out, one began screaming. I picked up the rod, and this was obviously a good fish. It was back and forth for a while, with the fish taking a lot of line. Soon, it appeared right behind the transom but the fight wasn't over yet.

The building seas and west wind made handling the boat very difficult. As the guide leadered the king and prepared to net the fish, the boat pitched and the fish wrapped the leader around the downrigger cable. In the scramble to grab the net, a lure got caught in it and rendered it unusable. To make matters worse, the fish was just barely hooked. Running out of options, it was only a matter of time before the leader frayed and broke or the hook pulled. Jumping into action, the guide reached over the transom, slipped his hand under the gill and yanked the salmon into the boat. After some very tense moments, the fish was in the boat. It was a big, beautiful dime-bright king salmon.





We reset, and got slammed by a heavy downpour. As luck would have it, another king hit but the hook quickly pulled. Shortly after, Andy caught and released a nice rainbow. We continued to troll in the increasing wind and building seas for a while, but with the worsening conditions and lack of action we packed it in early and headed for the barn. Despite the weather and the fact that Fishing was a little slow, we still managed a nice mixed bag and had a great trip!

Some weather shots:

[Chrisper4694]

awesome fish man...once again, sorry i didn't come hahaha. instead i had to fish the hopatcong catfish contest i had already signed up for. they should just rename it bullhead contest haha.

again, awesome fish, congrats on another successful trip!

[FASTEDDIE29]

That fishery is one of the best around! Love it! Great trip JD! Used to do a couple of those a year on the Waterwolf! Good times except for the unpredictable weather! Haha, some of he biggest waves I've ever seen in person were on Lake O! Pretty nuts! Good looking SALMONOIDS and really nice Chromer!

How deep were you guys fishing and were you marking lots of schooling Salmon? The rivers are bone dry up that way! Well they were! Need some good rain to get the river fishery going!

Well done again TUNA MAN!!!

[Esox Luciano]

Damn JD, great looking haul again!! That pic of you holding the king is awesome man!! Another stellar report!

[HerringKing]

Awesome trip man!! def. on my bucket list.

[Capspath83]

Massive fish! Congrats on the catch man!!

[JDTuna]

Originally Posted by FASTEDDIE29

That fishery is one of the best around! Love it! Great trip JD! Used to do a couple of those a year on the Waterwolf! Good times except for the unpredictable weather! Haha, some of he biggest waves I've ever seen in person were on Lake O! Pretty nuts! Good looking SALMONOIDS and really nice Chromer!

How deep were you guys fishing and were you marking lots of schooling Salmon? The rivers are bone dry up that way! Well they were! Need some good rain to get the river fishery going!

Well done again TUNA MAN!!!

Thanks man! Didn't pay attention to depth, but we were marking plenty of fish. Yeah, the rivers were definitely low. There was a little rainbow, but might not have been enough. Hopefully, they get more rain soon.