Loughborough Lake Help

mac24 · **Posted:** Tue Jan 21, 2014 10:20 am

Good morning everyone. I recently moved from Belleville to Napanee and have found myself fishing loughborough lake. After a couple trips out I still don't seem to be having much luck. Lake trout are new to me through the ice as most of my winters are spent chasing gold on quinte. I have been fishing the lakers in loughborough in 80'-100' of water and seem to be marking plenty but cannot seem to connect. Any advice? Also I have heard that the lake has crappie in it. I was just curious if anyone would be able to share some friendly advice on what part of the lake to start my search for crappie. Not looking for hotspots or anything just a general area or water depth. Any advice on loughborough ice fishing is much appreciated, and I would be happy to exchange for some info on Quinte eyes.

Dog Lake · **Posted:** Tue Jan 21, 2014 11:28 am

PM sent

Gone Fish'in · **Joined:** Thu Feb 25, 2010 10:42 am **Posts:** 1047

I could use a PM as well Dog Lake.

I went to Loughborough for my first time last Friday fishing from anywhere between 75-95 fow, marked tons and worked alot of fish from the bottom but couldn't get them to commit?

I didn't have my quad with me but I saw 2 quy's head to the narrows and within 2 hours they were back with their limit and stopped by our hut. Smelt is what they were hammerin them on.. I got a few tips with lures as well and will make adjustments my next trip there. I'll be bringing my Honda as well.

My wife makes good sammich's.

Dog Lake · **Posted:** Tue Jan 21, 2014 1:06 pm

Check your inbox.

TheDL · **Joined:** Thu Jan 27, 2011 11:13 am **Posts:** 435

Well, I haven't been fishing loborough much this year as it was really tough bite last year but the year before I did excellent nearly every trip out there. I do think it's getting too much pressure and they've stopped stocking it so that's not helping. Getting away from the crowds will help. Dont be afraid to try shallower too. On days where the 70-100fow hasn't worked I've gotten them as shallow at 15 fow in the weeds on the north end east of the swampy creek.

I'm sure you've heard this before but white tubes are good. Speed reeling away from the fish when they show up on the sonar can get them biting. If you can find smelt with the head on (good luck, let me know where!) you're set. I've tried smelt from the grocery store with no head and barely got a sniff - got a few with the head on and seemed to make all the difference in the world. I've even taken old smelt out of the stomach of my catches, froze them and hooked those the back of a white tube with good success.

I could sure use some tips for Quinte...never got a hog walleye through the ice and I don't get out there much anymore with the new baby and having moved north of brockville so I could use some tips. Lay it on me...I went to Huff's on Saturday and fished shallow and deep from 6am to 2pm without a bite! I'll be back next weekend, probably for the last time until spring.

EvesR · **Posted:** Tue Jan 21, 2014 1:23 pm

I haven't been this year, but have caught many over the last few years since they opened the season. We use the silver sided fish for bait which you can buy at No Frills at bayridge dr. I hook them with a gumball jig (get them ones with the strong hooks). I only use the back half of the bait and hook it through so the jighead looks like the head of the fish.
They can also be caught in shallower water, we have caught in 10FOW on the shoal closer to the division st end.
As for the stocking of Loughborough, I talked to the MNR guy in charge of the Kingston area stocking program and asked why no lake trout were put in the previous year. His response was they had a shortage that year but Loughborough will continue to be stocked with lake trout for the foreseeable future.

bigbassmon · **Joined:** Thu Aug 29, 2013 9:54 am **Posts:** 31

Mac24, feel free to pm me next time you plan on heading out. I'm right down from the launch on the west end and always looking for company out through the week. Been doing ok out there. Can't promise anything though as you just never know, but DL is on the button. I tend to fish a little deeper, but they are finicky.

BATMAN · **Posted:** Tue Jan 21, 2014 8:14 pm

Mac,

If you are fishing in 80-100 ft of water, that is a good start. You need to do what the locals do.

Buy yourself some fresh smelts from your fish market or get hold of frozen smelts from any grocery store.

Tie on a treble hook and 1/2 oz plus weigh to your line. Bait up with a full smelt. Drop the smelt to the bottom.

Free spool you reel and put a small red ribbon on your line. Lake Trout will pick the smelt right off bottom.

When the red ribbon disappears and your line peals off your reel, wait till it stops, then set the hook.

Reel your fish in. lol Oh ya, make sure you defrost a few smelts before you go fishing.

BATMAN :mrgreen:

OVFisherman · **Posted:** Wed Jan 22, 2014 1:33 am

I have only fished Loughborough Lake a couple of times without much success, in the bay off the Kepler end. I used dace, but from most things I have read concerning Loughborough is that smelt are the preferred bait there. Seen lakers caught there, just not by me. If you get a "hankering" to try for Splake, you could try Upper Rock Lake off Opinicon Road. I have had better luck there than Loughborough.

jignpigman · **Joined:** Sun Nov 14, 2004 10:32 am **Posts:** 217

Crappie are mainly coughs on the eastern part of the lake east of Division st. The lakers were good at first ice but have slowed a bit lately Batman your smelt rig is bang on but the only downfall is most fish will be gut hooked and you will have your two fish and be done. I use this occasionally when I want one to eat, similar to the ribbon I use a bait caster click the button and adjust the tent ion so it will frees pool with little to no resistance. Instead of the ribbon I slice thin rounds of cork from a wine bottle then put a slit half way through it. You can then slide it on your line and it will not impede you from reeling in. A friend of mine showed me this I always keep some in my floater suit and sometimes I use the wife's nail polish to make them more visible. I live right at Davidson beach and agre with the white tubes and white grubs. Lakers respond to very fast retrieved baits. When you have a looker trust me you can't real fast enough, many times you need to trigger them by doing this. They will chase fourty to fifty feet then slam your bait. A smelt slid in your tube is a good choice. Head on smelt are impossible to find these days, I no this as I am the owner of that no frills and believe me if I find a supplier I will get them and post. The one thing you can try is if your flasher lights up like crazy have a rod ready with a small silver spoon and send it down. It won't last for long but schools of smelt have come back the past two years and can be caught then used to catch dinner. There are several humps down towards the narrows heading towards division st. that can be good as well as the shallows you have to move around and find them. This is the fourth year the season has been open here. There is zero reproduction so if stocking declines so will the fishing very quickly! I release most of my fish but I no there has been a lot of fish taken over the last three years so the stocking is needed. This lake was opened by the ministry in the hope that poaching in other lakes where there is natural reproduction would decline so it's in their best interest to continue with the stocking. Good luck if anyone is on the lake I will be in the green 500 arctic cat with the rod holders on the side and possibly with a Frabril hut in tow.

Gord

jignpigman · **Joined:** Sun Nov 14, 2004 10:32 am **Posts:** 217

For those looking Glenburnie grocers just got in some head on whole smelts. Division st and Unity rd. big bag for 4.99.

4weight · **Joined:** Wed Jan 12, 2011 12:15 am **Posts:** 40

Hook and a shiner! Can pound lakers all day long! I'm partial to the red hooks too.

Comit · **Posted:** Tue Feb 11, 2014 5:06 pm

Is using dead smelt legal? I am finding conflicting information....
http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/stdprodconsume ... 178932.pdf this document is old but it says live or dead is illegal.
http://www.invadingspecies.com/invaders ... bow-smelt/ this says it is ok to use dead except in certain zones.
I spoke with someone yesterday who's dad is a conservation officer and was told it is illegal on certain lakes here and not others.

I assume it is legal now as this years regulations guide specifically says in Zones 1,4 and 5 that smelt cannot be used as bait. The page that says it is illegal is from 2006 and also says only 1 line can be used in Ontario for ice fishing except on the great lakes which is now 2 unless otherwise specified.

Comit · **Posted:** Tue Feb 11, 2014 5:18 pm

jignpigman wrote:

For those looking Glenburnie grocers just got in some head on whole smelts. Division st and Unity rd. big bag for 4.99.

2lb bag frozen.

Comit · **Posted:** Tue Feb 11, 2014 5:28 pm

Was there on Friday and again on Sunday, Three bites on Friday, got one to the hole and lost it on the edge of the Ice. I was using White tubes and Gulp large smelts. Sunday, Just lookers. Only got one bite all day. They would come up 10 feet and look but would not chase at all.

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Loughborough Lake Help

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