Lake Ontario brown trout

[captdick]

I started a thread on the freshwater forum that I think would be better here. I thought that since spring fishing isn't far off, we could share some techniques to improve our catches this year.<br>We start targeting browns early in April. At that time of year, the browns are searching out the warmest water around and that is usually right near shore. We troll the 5-20' depth with an eye on the surface temp probe reading looking for "hot" water. "Hot" water may be only 43 deg., but it is 2-3 deg. warmer than the surrounding water.<br>Common lures at that time are stickbaits like Thunderstick Jr.'s, #7 Rapalas, etc. Good colors are chartreuse, orange, firetiger, black/silver. Sometimes we add a splitshot to the line about 4' ahead of the lure to drop it a little deeper.<br>Let's hear your tip!<br><br>Capt. Dick Dennie of Landing Zone Charters on Lake Ontario

[captdick]

Some real good info in your post, especially for small boats and relatively low cost gear. You mentioned "lucky craft pointer minnows". I am unfamiliar with these. Are they stickbaits? What are good colors and where do you get them? Have you compared them to other stickbaits for success?<br>Another point that those targeting early season brown trout should watch is water color. In the early morning around sunrise, you can troll most any shallow water and pick up browns. With today's super clear water in Lake Ontario, browns are spooked out of the shallows as the sun rises in the sky. This requires changes on our part. Moving slightly deeper (15-20 ft.) may be the answer, but better yet is to search out water with less clarity. Browns seem to feel a security when in water that "has some color". Other terms you will hear are "stained water" & "dirty water". This water can often be found in areas of stream runoff or water riled by wave action. Be carefull not to spend too much time in water that is very muddy. It can be too dirty for browns also. Another good technique is to move out until you find the area where the dark water meets the clear water and troll parallel to this intersection. This is called "trolling the mudline".<br><br>Capt. Dick Dennie<br>Landing Zone Charters<br>[http://www.lakeontario.org/landingzone]