Trolling report

[Krawler]

We had 5 boats out Saturday searching the area for anything Silver.
Unfortunately the winds were not in our favor, ESE. The worst!
I trolled Cedar Ridge to Methodist.  Ended up 4/6 bows and lakers. Water temp was 65 everywhere but temps were constant all the way to the bottom in 75fow. Temps matters less now but I still have a rod in temp at all times.
Some guys trolled the Hole and Sawlog and others went to Big Sand and beyond.  We all reported good screens of fish but very inactive. The one constant was the bait! It was everywhere. I’m almost thinking some of it wasn’t bait. I hooked into a few bows near Methodist and my line was covered in fleas and we were marking what looked to be suspended bait, could that have been large suspended group of sea fleas?!? I don’t know.
Guys that went the furthest found silver juvenile salmon. 
Jim if you plan on getting out the further you go the better chance of getting in to them. Pm me I’ll fill you in.

Seasons not over yet. If we had another nice day, I’d be out for sure. Sadly I won’t be around for 2 weeks. 

Good luck if anyone gets out

[GeorgianBay MessageBoard]

[Canuck]

Thanks for the update Kris.  I hope to back out this weekend and maybe next.  Was out last Saturday in the hole.  Marked a few but 0/1.  I was out solo and the winds made it really tough to hold the boat straight and at the right speed. Headed back early.

[Grandpa Jim]

Plans to get out this afternoon and evening went up in smoke when the weather report showed wind gusts of 40 K/H. Must be getting old!!

[Canuck]

Its been a really windy September this year compared to most.  Its kept me off the water more than ever and I have a 33ft Sea Ray.  Its not the waves, its the wind.  Its just too hard to fish solo for me.  The wind whips the bow around too quickly and speed control is really tough.  Can't really sit back and relax.  When I get a fish on its a scramble.  Not so bad when I have someone out with me, but it takes the fun out of solo trips.

[Krawler]

Saturday winds look good for trolling.
Get out there and report back!
I won’t be out there

Good luck

[Mars]

Got out on the water on Sunday. Launched out of Collingwood at 8:30am, peeled over to Wasaga beach. Trolled back and forth in front of the Nottawasaga in 60 - 80 fow. No success there, so went over to Tiny beach, trolling in 60 fow. Went 3/3 rainbow trout on smallish green and chrome spoons at 45 and 55ft rigger depth.

 - Thanks Krawler for the recommendation!

[Krawler]

Glad I could help.
Bow fishing like you did should be good for the next month if not longer. Try going 5-10 for shallower in depth every week and follow them to shore. Switch over to small body baits once you get to 10-40fow.
If you want any remaining mature salmon try in shallower10-40ft during low light Near any rivermouth.  Plugs or big body baits flatlining should do the trick.
Always long leads this time of year.

[grampa]

havn't had much luck lately was out today still found surface temps down to 80 feet. went 1/3  lake trout . time to switch gears  . need some advice on bow fishing kris seems to have it figured out the above posts have been helpful may give it a try later this week.

[Krawler]

Winds look good this week to try Tiny beaches area. I’m sure some mature salmon still around and if they are they will be big! These fish spend an extra few weeks feeding On the Bay before they head up the rivers.  Now is the time when they start moving towards river mouths.
 Bows start funnelling down From the middle parts of the Bay, they are in transition now. Perfect time to troll the 50-80fow range.  Don’t forget to try flatlining too.

[Canuck]

I may try Saturday one last time.  Boat gets pulled on the 28th.  Last weekend was a bust.  Marked few fish in the hole and didn't raise a fish or see anyone else get any.   If there are no salmon, might check a few bass shoals on the way back.

[Mars]

So I caught this on Friday morning. I was in 100 FOW straight out from Collingwood harbour. 8lb POW fish weight at 80ft. Same green/chrome lure that I landed the rainbows on.





I think that it's a chinook salmon or is it a coho?? This is only the fourth fish I've landed on Georgian bay (only started this month) and I was out fishing solo, so I wasn't exactly well prepared for identifying it.

I released it because I wasn't sure whether it was too far changed? So that would make it a late stager? Should I have kept it?

[Saugeen Drifter]

It looks like a Chinook. Few ways to tell;
i) Chinook have dots over entire tail, Coho have spots along the top ridge of the tail and a few others but 99% of them only on the top half and very few on bottom half if any
ii) Anal fins (the fin between the anus and the tail), Chinooks fins are longer (inline with the body) then they are deep, Coho's are opposite
iii) Gums, this one is harder to judge; Chinook:gums and inside of mouth are black, Coho:inside of mouth and gums are black and or grey and or white

About your question as a late stagger, who really knows, some salmon spawn in august some in early november, every year is different, there are still fish now making their way up the river, so later than some but before others.

As far as eating goes, depends on how you cook them, by looking at its colour it is definitely turning but if you smoked, pickled it or pressure cooked it which I have done it still is great, if you were planning on frying it in a pan (in my experience) not so great. They are harder to clean though, meat doesn't stay as firm as most of its stored nutrients are being used for reproduction.

Letting it go is always an option, that's up to each individual angler. If you let it go and it swam away no reason not to release it, if the gills were damaged and it was bleeding then it would not have survived, picture shows blood but mouth bleeding is not an issue.

[Canuck]

Recap of my last trip in the Hole.


I forgot to mention something about my last trolling trip in the Hole on Saturday Sept 26th.  We had a big 0/1.  We marked a few fish, but very few.  Didn't see a net raised.  Tried everything and every speed/depth.


On the way back to Penetang, decided to troll back through the shallow bottom of the hole, raising the riggers as we went.  Was running a spoon on one side, and a jumbo white glow Lyman with black dots on the other rigger.  Trolling along in about 60ft with riggers at 40, and that Lyman rod pops hard.  I grab the rod and there is a couple of strong pulls and "snap".  Obvious line break, so I pull up the limp line, crying about losing my Lyman.


Well the line had obvious abrasion right at the end. Just like a toothy critter cut the line.  I know the bottom there is mostly mud, so its not like it hit bottom.  And I am 90% sure there was a fish on for a few seconds.  I think I may have nailed a big Musky and got cut off.


So my ask is that if anyone catches a Musky with a Lyman in its mouth anywhere near the west side of Beausoleil, be a champ and let me have my Lyman back!  OR if you find a large size white glow Lyman, black dots and red cup face floating out there...