LOCALadk Magazine

SPRING Spring is the best time to fish from small boats, canoes, and kayaks. Aer ice-out, plumes with relatively warmer water will form on the lakes in front of creek and river mouths. e runoff water will be cloudier, even muddy, which makes the fish less spooky and draws in an abundance of baitfish. Salmon prefer smelt and have relatively small mouths, so small- and medium- size spoons and stick baits in silver or silver mixed with blue or bright colors trolled behind planer boards or simply flat-lined right on the surface work well. ough trolling is a tried-and- proven method, casting spoons or bait under a float can be done using any size boat or from shore. Bait selection including live minnows, night crawlers, or spawn sacks are all good choices. Fly fishing with streamer patterns that match smelt is another option. My favorite spots in a plume are as close to the creek mouth in the early morning; then, aer sunrise, it's the color change line where the plume-stained water intermixes with the clear lake water. Be vigilant of bird activity feeding on bait. ese lakes are also stocked and have native populations of Brown, Rainbow, and Lake Trout, so if the salmon are finicky that day, the same tactics will apply for them. e tributaries of Lake Champlain— notably the Boquet, Ausable, and Saranac rivers—see salmon and trout chasing bait right up into the river, so this would be a great opportunity for wading shore anglers. Canoers and kayakers can venture into the lower end of these estuaries, taking advantage of places larger boats can't access. SUMMER As the water's surface warms, Landlocked Salmon retreat deeper into the water column to the upper portion of the thermocline. is is when having downriggers to reach this zone is key. Salmon are nomadic roamers, and finding them involves knowing their past patterns coupled with electronics. I've been fortunate to fish with Russell Pray aboard Trolling Tina Charters. ey have a great handle on the salmon fishing in Lake Champlain. I'm also in the fishing buddy circle of Captain Joey Greco of the father/son team of Justy Joe Charters, who specialize on both the South and North basins of Lake George with a three-boat fleet. Russell states that July and the first two weeks of August are the best time for larger fish. He seeks 55-56 degree water, oen found around 50- 60 feet in the water column. Yet Russell will always have a spoon down 25-30 feet early in the morning to find salmon chasing up for bait. is is a trick I oen see Captain Joey executing on Lake George, which leads me to believe it's a great tactic on some of the smaller and less frequently fished lakes. Both captains also highly encourage dabbing smelt oil (Smelt-Rite or Fat Sauce) on their bait. Russell claims that about half of his big fish have come by using Dipsey Divers. Dipseys (which are a small directional diving disk) would be a great option for new boaters to start with, as they are inexpensive and don't require anything other than having strong rod holders and a specialized rod/reel combo. One key detail Russell mentions is using a long leader to his bait, oen but not always a spoon. Captain Joey Greco had a phenomenal 2020 on Lake George, connecting on most trips with big brood stock salmon that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife planted last spring. When fishing with Captain Joey, I notice he's constantly monitoring his electronics for large bait pods and then adjusting his offerings accordingly. Minutes aer using one of his maneuvers, I landed a 9 ½ lb. brute that leaped at least three feet out of the water about half a dozen times last June. Check out Justy Joe's website, Newyorkfishing.com, for more details and great photos. Wow! at beautiful dime-bright fish you just hooked jumped again. It's jumped five times already, and when it's not three feet clear of the water, it's pulling out the drag on your reel faster than a Corvette. LOCALadk 28

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