Setting out a Lake Ontario Trolling Spread

Setting out a Lake Ontario Trolling Spread

By

Capt. James Samia

   When first getting out onto the lake on a charter, setting out a Lake Ontario trolling spread in an orderly fashion in the least amount of time is of utmost importance. The sooner the lines are placed in the water, the sooner your chances of catching fish go up. As a charter captain, obviously I want my clients to have a great time and catch fish. This article will discuss the methods that we use to get our lines in the water as quickly as possible.

    A lot of times I run my charters without a first mate. So, this is the method that I use when I am alone and fishing with clients who do not want to actively participate in putting out the lines. It will work in calm or rough seas, at least for the first two thirds of deploying the trolling spread. How many rods that are included in the trolling spread will depend upon how rough the seas are as well as what species of fish we are looking to catch.

   The first two rods that go into the water are the dipsey diver rods. With no other rods to get in the way, this is the best time to let these typically long lines out without them getting tangled. Here’s how I do it. Keep in mind that the dipseys are directional and are supposed to be fished either on the port or starboard side depending on the directional setting on the back of the diver. The rods are placed in their appropriate holders and the lines are allowed to bleed out against the drags which are set so that the line bleeds out slowly. Doing it this way allows me to multitask. It will take several minutes for these lines to get out to the desired amount which at this point, I don’t even know how far that needs to be yet. The next line that I put in the water will tell me what I need to know.

    The next line to go into the water is the probe rigger. This will let me know where the desired temperature is that I want to target. Once I know how deep the temperature is, I then can figure out how many feet of line I need to let out on the dipseys to get to the desired depth. Remember that the dipseys are bleeding out against the drags. If the temperature is reel deep, I may loosen the drag settings to let the dipsey lines bleed out faster. There is a feeling to this that comes with experience. Knowing where the temperature is located, is  paramount to fishing success.

   Depending on how far the dipseys have left to go to get to the desired depth, I will either stop and set the drags on them, or continue on and set the second or third downriggers. Again, this will be dictated by how deep in the water column that you need to fish. Once the dipseys and riggers are set, the last lines to be put into the trolling spread are the long lines off the boards. What gets put out here, and the  how and when, depends on where the temperature is in the column and if you know in advance before heading out onto the lake where the temperature is.

   If I know in advance where the temps are either through local contact with other charters or coming back out on the lake from a previous trip, I will modify how I go about setting out my trolling spread. The lake conditions will also play a part in this decision. If I am planning on running my Big Jon Otter Boats, I will let them begin to bleed out manually against a loose clutch on the planning board reels. They get put in the water after I find temperature with the probe rigger and if I am in search mode looking for fish. If I’m on fish and I know I’m going to get bit, I will wait on putting out the big boards as I can usually generate enough action with the riggers and the dipseys.

 If it’s rough out, I will forgo the big boards and run a long line off the transom or “down the chute” as we call it. If the big boards have been deployed, the long lines, just by their nature, have to be let out one at a time. My method of deploying copper rods can be found here. Note that deploying long lines takes time and so doesn't fighting the fish that bite on them. For that reason, when at all possible, if I can catch fish without using long lines or using very few of them, all the better.

   Being able to multitask when setting out a Lake Ontario trolling spread  enables us to get our lines into the water that much quicker and gets us fishing that much sooner. If I’m running with a first mate or have clients that want to be actively involved in deploying the spread, that can make things go faster,too. We usually incorporate the additional help by sectioning off the boat either port or starboard, or by putting each person on an individual rod based upon their skill level.

   If you would like more information or tips on lake Ontario Fishing, please check out our website at www.acecharters.com. We also have a fishing info and tips section your welcome to view,too.