Lake trout and salmon advice?

[csfworks]

I'm fishing from a square stern canoe using paddles as power until I get my motor running and I have been trying to troll my local lake in northwestern maine for trout and salmon. I have had a little luck catching brookies up on a really slow stream that feeds the lake trolling with a black and orange wet fly with a little gold spinner on it but it's really too light to troll it on the bigger part of the lake.
My biggest problem is the only bait shop near by that sells anything but worms is only open in the winter for ice fishing. I also have walmart, but I have always been skeptical about anything I buy from walmart, besides for phoebe rigs. Does anyone have any recommendations for me? I don't know if a bigger phoebe would work well in the lake or not.

I know I did see a guy out fishing under power with a small boat and he had (looking from a distance) what appeared to be a bunch of silver dollar sized flashy things on the end of his line. He was also catching lots of fish. Does anyone maybe have an idea of what this was?

 

[Dam2009]

Re: Lake trout and salmon advice?

Salmon fishing out of a canoe is not something I would do personally. The shortest fight I ever had with salmon (off shore) was 30 min... it'll pull your canoe far off shore before you tire it out.

 

[Dam2009]

Re: Lake trout and salmon advice?

As to the bite... try power bait fish eggs you can get at your walmart and attach it to small silver jig. It works for me.

 

[jigngrub]

Re: Lake trout and salmon advice?

I know I did see a guy out fishing under power with a small boat and he had (looking from a distance) what appeared to be a bunch of silver dollar sized flashy things on the end of his line. He was also catching lots of fish. Does anyone maybe have an idea of what this was?

That would be a Cow Bell rig:

cow bell rig - Google Search

 

[LongLine]

Re: Lake trout and salmon advice?

Yep, we call them "cow bells", also refered to as "Lake trolls". Attach a peanut fly, normal trolling fly or even a small spoon behind them & they can be deadly on the Lake trout. Generally fish very slow & near the bottom with them.

Tom B.
(LongLine)

 

[JB]

Re: Lake trout and salmon advice?

I spent a couple of summers on Crescent Lake, ME back in the mid forties. I didn't actually fish for the landlocked salmon but I did spend many hours rowing my cabin mate about. He trolled a fairly large weighted streamer fly with a bit of earthworm trailing on the hook. He said it gave the fly scent and flavor. I can't say he caught a lot, but each one was a spectacular fight on his fly rod.

 

[Bondo]

Re: Lake trout and salmon advice?

Ayuh,.... Agreed,.... Cowbells trolled on the bottom for Togue, 'n streamer flys, up higher, 'n faster for Landlocks...

 

[csfworks]

Re: Lake trout and salmon advice?

So do I let the streamer drag on the surface as I paddle? Or do I just want to be moving slow enough to let it dip under out of sight.
Also the fight isn't so much the problem were I'm fishing. It's called a lake but it's more like a really big pond, only a couple hundred acres. I paddle all over it with my 3 year old son pretty regularly.
I found som of those cowbells at walmart the other day. Should I upgrade to more like a 40 lb test line? I imagne I would have a pretty rough go of it with 10 lb test.

 

[Bondo]

Re: Lake trout and salmon advice?

So do I let the streamer drag on the surface as I paddle? Or do I just want to be moving slow enough to let it dip under out of sight.
Also the fight isn't so much the problem were I'm fishing. It's called a lake but it's more like a really big pond, only a couple hundred acres. I paddle all over it with my 3 year old son pretty regularly.
I found som of those cowbells at walmart the other day. Should I upgrade to more like a 40 lb test line? I imagne I would have a pretty rough go of it with 10 lb test.

Ayuh,.... 40 lb. test is Way excessive,... I wouldn't go over 20 lb. on the reel, 'n 6/ 8 or 10 lb for a leader....

As for the Streamers,...
Try different things,...
Sometimes a split-shot or 2, at the leader connection, gets it down to where ever the Salmon are...
The Salmon are probably quite high up, at the moment, but will be goin' deeper as the season progresses...

Also,... Years back, We had great luck with the spoon lure, Mooselook Wobblers...

 

[greenbush future]

Re: Lake trout and salmon advice?

We run cowbell s deep like 100 Feet down using down riggers on the great lakes. Not really sure how you would get down to the fish, salmon and lake trout are usually very temp driven, that and bait fish. We never run more than 18 lb test for great lakes fishing. You may want to try lead core line to get your baits down to the fish.

 

[LongLine]

Re: Lake trout and salmon advice?

20 Lb test should be enough. I can't imagine a "pond" of a couple hundred acres being able to support many really large fish. 10 lb will get awful strained pulling cowbells. They have a lot of drag.

Tom B.
(LongLine)

 

[mxcobra]

Re: Lake trout and salmon advice?

We Jig from a canoe with plastics, and if you can find a good hole the lakers will bite.

 

[csfworks]

Re: Lake trout and salmon advice?

What are plastics?

 

[mxcobra]

Re: Lake trout and salmon advice?

Bounce these guys of the bottom the lakes love them

 

[rbh]

Re: Lake trout and salmon advice?

Most of the time when we fished for trout in the spring and summer we would use a willow leaf, much like the cow bell, or black and silver speckled flat fish, as the water warmed up the deeper we had to go.
Late summer/fall a wedding ring works amazingly good, with a worm, corn, pease of cheese or roe, anything with lots of pink and red, spawning colours.
Late fall, after the first few frosts use a fly line with a mosquito fly.

 

[wineslob1104]

Re: Lake trout and salmon advice?

I use these:

http://shop.fishhbt.com/images/luhr-jensen dave davis lake troll.jpg


in various "sizes" The color chrome, brass, half and half, sometimes determines what (in trout, Browns. Rainbows, etc....) you'll get. Usually I use the bigger sets, 3-4 small blades with 3 bigger blades in front, with worms, Flatfish, on a 3-4 ft long leader behind, whatever works. The bigger the sets, the deeper you troll.