It's been a loooooong winter.
Other than for the one amazing outing with aaron fishing the pier heads reported in January, there hasn't been much fishing going on...Last saturday i decided come hell or high water, I was going fishing. Well, ramps around here were still frozen, so to the pier I went. I sat in the rain for 3 hours casting cleo's...no luck.
I decided I hadn't had enough punishment, so I went back again Monday night after work. Same deal. Same spot. Cleo's from the pier. No fish.
I was determined though to catch a fish. I went back again Wednesday night in the rain. this time i was sure i was going to catch a fish!
nope. no fish.
Well - I guess I just wasn't going to catch a fish from the pier. It wasn't meant to be.
Saturday I decided I was going in the boat! Did a quick scouting mission, and a spot in hamilton harbour open and ready to go.
Plan was to head out into the lake. Unfortunately the west winds had broken up a bunch of ice and plugged up the entrance to the lake.
So I tried...of course...but failed miserably! Plan B. Brian and I decided to hit a shoreline where some warm water discharges often hold fish....well, with the down turn in hamilton's steel mills, what is left isn't pumping anything out...we gave'r a shot anyways.
Four outings, four skunks.
It's ok.
At least I caught fish with Aaron right?!!
Today it was time to regroup. Weather was supposed to be crap. NW winds make a mess of the south shore. But I knew if I really wanted a good shot at a big brown, that's where I had to go.
Fishing solo, I launched at the crack of 10:30am. I got out of the channel and found a sloppy pond. lake ontario can be such a nasty girl in March....however, i figured, hell with it i'm going... Stopped at my favorite early season brown spot...same place that gave up my pb last year. I just love fishing the skinny water shorelines this time of the year.
I set out two inline boards. I had a number of rods with me that I wanted to play with...
but to start it was simple, a jointed fast trac and a jointed j13...the shorelines were mud...no mud line, just pure mud...but better than crystal clear water i figured...
I was trolling in 12' of water, with my outside board running about 14' and my inside board running about 8'. I was running west, straight into the winds...solo....not the most comfortable conditions...
until the oh so sweet song of the drag sounded. my outside board had taken a halt. awesome. slowed the boat down and proceeded to enjoy the battle. This fish had taken the shallow diving fast trac rigged with a plainer board on my 7'5" loomis nrx. So much fun.
The fish was battling hard. I just preyed it was a brown and not a laker...Well, my prayers came true, cause after a tough netting job, I netted my first brown trout of the year...and what a brown she was! When I lifter her over my gunnels, I knew it was the biggest brown to ever grace my lund. Measured her first, 35.5" !!! Big female - post spawn.
One of those moments that make all the crap worth while...solo and getting pounded by lake ontario --- all worth while!!!
I almost considered quitting and going home at that point. My day was made. However, I kept on working the water, and boy I'm glad i did, the browns were on fire! I ended up with 8 or 9 browns ranging from 2lbs to 10lbs...fun stuff.
Whether your on the Eastern section, the north shore, or the west shore, get out there, run your shallow cranks on your light tackle ... and have fun!
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