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: