2012 Episode Synopsis
by Charlie Wray

Episode 218: Spin-N-Glo Lakers & Agitator Salmon

Today, the Mercury Marine Destination takes us to the St.Catharines side of Lake Ontario for Lake Trout. Lakers can be a load of fun, but attention to detail can turn a slow day into a memorable one, and with unexpected storms and high winds, this is going to be a tough one. Charlie fires up the RAM and after a short drive, launches his  2150 Crestliner Sportfish SST. This is the largest of the Crestliner fleet and being powered by the Mercury Verado 250 hp, this is one serious Great Lakes fishing boat.  As with all Sportfish models, this has the casting deck on the front that easily turns into a bow rider for family fun, as well as the beautiful conversion bench seat that folds down into a large casting deck at the back of the boat. Looking at this boat equipped for serious fishing, one would never guess that within seconds, it could also be the perfect family fun boat. I have seen my share of anglers having problems on even good ramps. A proper tow vehicle is needed, even if you think your underrated vehicle can manage for short trips.  The old thinking, “it can handle it”, or “it won’t hurt it”, “the lake is only a few minutes away” doesn’t make up for oversized boats and small underpowered cars. Pick the proper tow vehicle for the weights you are towing, not just the distance.

Joining me today is Dave Duffin from Johnson Outdoors and son Noah.  I had Dave and Noah out a few years ago on a beautiful day, and the forecast was supposed to be similar today, but the winds and storms sure didn’t hear the forecast. I was already at dockside wearing my Viking professional raingear when Dave and Noah arrived, and with the clouds breaking up, we decided to take a stab at it.  Getting wet takes the fun right out of it, a good quality rain suit will keep you dry and enjoying the days that are a little damp. I have had my fill of very expensive Gortex suits failing, the Viking products are awesome, 100% waterproof without the crazy costs.  The big 2150 Crestliner Sportfish pounded the waves down and we were fishing in no time, but the bite was slower than usual from the storms. After a few trolling runs dragging the bottom with gang trolls and Spin-N-Glo’s, the fish started to turn on and get larger as well.  One of the sure signs that the bite has slowed, is the fish caught are on the smaller side, rather than the consistent 8 – 15 lb fish. Just about the time Noah had a 20+ lb beauty fall off the hook just short of the net, the wind picked up again and the clouds got dark, time to head in. You don’t take chances on the water, especially the Great Lakes.

As Dave and Noah headed for home, I lingered and took my time putting gear away and getting ready for the trip home myself, when the wind and clouds just simply changed for the better. I looked at my cameraman, we looked at the sky, and back out we went. Sorry Dave, I didn’t plan on this, but what started as a windy, stormy day, ended up sunny and dead flat calm, I couldn’t believe it, not a cloud in the sky. Not only that, but the fish turned on as well. Dragging the bottom is always productive for Lakers, and the Rooster Trolls with a tantalizing Spin-N-Glo dancing 18 inches behind the last spinner can drive them wild. After seeing the difference the UV coated Spin-N-Glos made last season, I wasn’t about to change and stayed with my #2 size.

This is a technique and fishery that can be fun and exciting for all if a few details are followed. When dragging the bottom, the standard round cannonballs work the best for rolling and bouncing around the lake floor, and the reflective Lake Troll is sure to call them in. Be sure to play with the sizes, some days larger blades out produce the smaller, and some days smaller is the ticket as today, and I am sure the UV coating on the Rooster Trolls added to the success! The cannonball stirs up the bottom debris, the flashing blades of the lake trolls look like minnows and shiners picking up a free meal, and this is more than even the laziest Laker can stand as they move in for a free feast themselves, and pick off the floating, flashing Spin-N-Glo. Make sure your trolling speeds are slow, and I mean 1.5 – 1.7 mph.  As much as I love trolling with the Mercury Verado, I need to use my 9.9 Mercury Pro Kicker to get down this slow.  When you troll too fast, you don’t let the Spin-N-Glo’s float and it gets dragged down into the bottom and fouled in debris and slime, no good.

I also re-tie all my bait rigs with the incredibly tough Seaguar Fluorocarbon leader material. If you don’t think this makes a difference, try it. Not only is it abrasion resistant, but invisible to the fish. With the rigs dragging bottom, you need this abrasion resistant help.  Regular mono will quickly get nicked and Seaguar will save the day when those monsters slam your bait.  Since the Seaguar is invisible, diameter isn’t the issue, and with these fish getting bigger each year, 30lb test gets the nod. I also change the hook to a Mustad Ultra Point #TG76BLN KVD Treble hook. This is actually still a triple grip, but a new 1 X strong and very light in weight, so it allows the Spin-N-Glo to dance even more.  The big plus with the Triple Grip configuration, is that it locks in and is incredibly hard to shake out, even from a twisting, line wrapping Lake Trout. Get use to the rod bouncing as it drags and skips across the bottom, contact is very important!! Fishing in even 70 feet of water usually requires 80-85 feet of cable out on the Cannon downrigger to accommodate the additional drag from the Lake Trolls. Hits might only be a slight change in the bounce of the rod, to an all out screaming reel, but you will quickly learn the difference.  To ensure solid hookups, and to eliminate false releases, make sure you have your lines firmly set in the release clips.  It also helps to have fast downriggers like the Cannon Digi Troll 5. It is such a treat for them to stop automatically at the water level. So many times hands are full and action in the boat is frantic for anyone to watch what the downrigger is doing, stopping automatically is easy to take.

I have wanted to run additional lines while fishing this way, to pick up bonus Salmon, but it has been next to impossible, two lines dragging bottom and at 1.5 – 1.7 mph is too slow for flashers. What worked perfect for me today is the new Hot Spot Agitator! This triangular shaped flasher, does not make the usual circular, corkscrew spinning action, but slowly spins on the line, 2 to 4 feet ahead of your bait. It doesn’t give your bait or lure any addition action. What it did was attract fish like crazy! Every time I used it, it caught me fish! Trolling slow, or even at Salmon speeds, it works! Incredibly, it pulls very easy without much resistance at all on the line, unlike a flasher. Today, even at the slow speeds, I rigged up some cut bait, bent to have the perfect action at the speed I was trolling and let it out the back of the boat on my braided Tuf-Line XP set up.  What I also did to help it get down to the Salmon zone, was attached a Jet Diver on a 3 way swivel so it helped pull the Hot Spot Agitator and cut bait down to the 40 foot zone.  So if you can picture this, I have my braided line tied to a 3 way swivel, from the bottom of the swivel, I have a Jet Diver on an 18 inch dropper line.  Tied to the back swivel, I have 3 feet of 40 lb Seaguar Leader material, then my Agitator, then 4 feet to my cut bait. This worked great and nailed me a few bonus Salmon this day, even at the slow Lake Trout speeds!!!

Not only are the trusty Okuma Catalina line counter reels used for this, but also the Okuma Convector Great Lakes rods.  This graphite wrapped, E-glass rod has incredible feel, light in weight, tough as nails and features the perfect action for downrigging!!   The line counter reels serve many purposes. Not only is a smooth reliable drag needed, but repeating the exact productive leads each time, can mean the difference of a great or poor day. Even being off a few feet can be the difference between success and complete failure. For the bottom bouncing, reels are loaded with the new 20 lb test Seaguar Abrazx Fluorocarbon line.  Not to be confused with the tough stiffer leader material, this new line is a remarkable breakthrough in Fluorocarbon main lines. This line is thin, strong and offers incredible abrasion resistance, many times over what you would find with mono lines. Not only for dragging the bottom, but the damage release clips can inflict on your lines are greatly reduced, this Seaguar Abrazx is incredible! Forget braided lines here, the slight stretch from the lines are needed when dragging the bottom to prevent frequent false releases, and to absorb the shock. If you see a red knob on some of the Okuma reels, this TSC (Tension Spool Control) setting is awesome, this is basically an independent drag setting for your reel while it is in free spool, so you can lower the weights hands off the rod and reel. When you engage your reel back into gear, your drag is not affected, only when in free spool.  Far too many folks mess with the spool control knob to lower weights when downrigging and this messes up your perfect drag setting resulting in snapped lines.  Never again with the Okuma TSC knob on the Catalina and Clarion reels.

Downriggers are great and one of the best ways to present lures to deep dwelling fish. The Cannon Digi Troll 5 is not only a fast downrigger, but can offer an assortment of features for those who ply the large bodies of water.  Not only can you operate this downrigger from your Humminbird fishfinder with a Cannon Link, but without any clips on the downrigger line, the downrigger weights stop automatically at the water’s surface.  A big help when frantic fish action is on the go!  The Cannon also has a built in ion control, so you can control the electrical field around your boat and help excite the fish. Many boats have electrical leaks that travel down the downrigger wires and scare fish, this nifty system allows you to regulate any problems and create attractive levels. Cannon has also developed a new line of adjustable rod holders and track system, this fantastic system is a must for any serious angler, as you now can position your rods exactly where you want them. With the Humminbird 1198C large screen, you won’t miss any action, and with the built in GPS feature, you can track productive runs perfectly.

Trolling speeds are crucial, and both the fuel efficient Mercury Verado 250 hp and 9.9 4 Stroke Kicker motor were used today for ideal speeds. This is one detail that cannot be over looked.  This is a slow, in your face trolling method that slow speeds, between 1.5 and 1.7 mph are needed. Not necessarily because of the activity level of the Lakers, but with faster speeds, the floating Spin-N-Glo’s get dragged down into the debris and are quickly fouled. Sometimes it feels like you are not moving, especially when the lake is flat calm, but don’t make the mistake of speeding up, it doesn’t work. Also make sure you pay attention to trolling directions, don’t just troll aimless.  Often times the Lakers will have a preference on direction due to currents, etc.  Troll along the break, up the break, down the break, you will notice obvious preferences.

Continue to Episode 219

Go Back