I am going to say it again this spring, “Lake Ontario is the best place in the country to catch big brown trout!” Anglers chasing browns here in the spring have a good chance to catch a trophy right on our shorelines of the big lake. Whether it be in a boat or from shore, the numbers and size of the fish you can catch on the right day is impressive to even the most traveled angler.
For the best way to go about contacting these spring browns, I checked in with Brandon White. Brandon, along with Captain Kip Mammano, operates Rochester Sport Fishing Charters. Brandon was gracious enough to email me some tips on how to target these early shallow water trout. Here is what Brandon sent me. “Spring is here, boats are out, and the fish are hungry. Just because they’re hungry does not mean they want the whole enchilada in one bite! Don’t overlook your smaller baits this time of the year. Our go-to spring salmon and trout bait in shallow water is the 3.5-inch Yo-Zuri crystal minnow and even the 2.75-inch version.
The warmest water is most consistently found close to shore and getting as tight to shore as possible is our goal. I’m talking less than ten feet of water. During the spring season, we rarely break the twenty-foot mark and typically stay in the teen depths, with our planer boards cruising under ten feet. In most cases, I want my planer boards within inches of docks if possible! This goes for you shore anglers as well. Casting the crystal minnow from piers, docks, etc. is a great way to get at these same fish. On a breezy day or a situation where you want more casting distance, bump up to the 4.375 crystal minnow for a little added weight and distance.
Fishing such shallow water can easily spook fish, here are five ways we combat this.
#1 – Get your lines away from your boat, send your planer boards out there! (But be courteous to other boaters)
#2 – Increase your lead length. Instead of running your baits 100-feet back, run them at 125 to 150-feet.
#3 – Run a lighter fluorocarbon leader. In the summer we use 20 lb. Yo-Zuri fluorocarbon, instead, tone it down to a 15 lb. leader.
#4 – Run a longer leader, we tie 30-foot leaders. This increases stealth and gives us plenty of leader to retie due to wear and tear.
#5 – Fish “dingy water!” We are looking for “Pea Green Water.” If you can see the bottom, the fish can see you, find a different spot. On the other hand, DO NOT fish “Chocolate Milk.” If it looks like you just ordered a chocolate smoothie, they can probably not see your bait. Again, find a different spot. Search until you find the muddy water mixing with the clear water.
Salmon and trout typically hit very ferociously this time of the year because they are so hungry. To reduce foul hookups, and increase our landing percentage we typically remove both stock hooks and replace them with a single #4 treble hook on the back only. This will also reduce the number of snags we encounter, as the bill is diving deepest and the rear hook is sitting just a touch higher. Our go-to colors in the spring are as follows: Holographic Red Head, Hot Tiger, Holographic Perch, and Candy.”
I want to thank Brandon for passing on some of his hard-earned expertise. The guy knows his stuff. He can also take you bass fishing in the Finger Lakes when the restrictions lift and the season opens.
As far as this monster that has come to wreak havoc, we have wrestled the beast down, but it is far from dead. Now let us not let it up again by getting too careless. Social distancing is the key, though admittedly hard to do in a boat. So, pick your fishing partners carefully. Shore fishing for browns can be very good this time of year, but again, give each other space. As the great philosopher, Moe Howard, often said, “Spread Out!” (For those under fifty please Google)
