16 replies to this topic

[mcsteve]

So 2013 is here and everyone is excited to get it on hard water. Being one who never could get into ice fishing this is when I start thinking about what I need too do to my gear for a better soft water season.

I had a great time getting back i into trout on Lake Erie and Ontario this year with the new boat. Doing so has made me realise I have some deficiencies in my gear which, for the most part, has been gathered for shore and small boat use. So I am hoping some of you with much more tenure on the lakes would help with some educated opinions for a couple of my gaps in knowledge.

How do you deal with the fleas? Several times out in lake O I have ended up with a wads of these glogging up the eyes of my rods. My rigger rods are set up with 20 lb mono as I have always loved the feel and stretch of using mono. However, it has been suggested by a buddy thati should be using a braid to keep the fleas off. I would have thought that the smoother mono would have kept them off better but, based on my results this year, I am likely wrong n that thinking.

Also, has anyone posted, or is there a good thread on how to setup for using flies and flashers on the big lakes? I have dropped by Bass pro, Sail and Northern over in Kitchener and am now thoroughly confused. There are more options for this setup than there are versions of boats out there.

For all you hard water enthusiasts i I'm looking forward to all of the pics that should be staring very soon and personally I am getting set to start hitting the shows. The boat show starts in just under 2 weeks, then the big sports show in PA and then the Toronto fishing/sports show. New toy time!

[NiagaraSteel]

There's a pic of the downrigger setup. I'm not sure if you ment putting the fly on your downrigger setup or just trolling it behind on a fly rod.

Hope this helps! If you have any other questions about that post it or shoot me a PM.

[NiagaraSteel]

That pic doesn't seem to be working

[mcsteve]

That's the setup I'm talking about and for spoons I've done pretty well in 2012. I guess my question comes down to the flasher fly combo. Is there a combo that works best? No specific colours but I have seen flashers that are fast spin, slow spin, large, small, rectangular and fish shaped. The list goes on and on. For those of you doing this kind of down rigging, if you needed to start you tackle collection fresh, what would be the "need to have" styles on your list? Also, should I be calling these flies?

[AnglerAnonymous]

Those fleas are brutal, I almost forgot about them its been so long since ive been on Lake Ontario

[NiagaraSteel]

Those fleas are brutal, I almost forgot about them its been so long since ive been on Lake Ontario

Are these "fleas" alive?

[mcsteve]

Very much alive. They have a long tail that hooks onto the line and just keep bunching up as you real in your lie.

[NiagaraSteel]

Very much alive. They have a long tail that hooks onto the line and just keep bunching up as you real in your lie.

Wow

[AKnook]

Anyone have photos of this? I never heard of them before.

[FishingNoob]

Anyone have photos of this? I never heard of them before.

x2

[NiagaraSteel]

Anyone have photos of this? I never heard of them before.

x3

[NiagaraSteel]

I love soft water

[grubman]

Are you refering to the spiny water flea another invasive from Europe?

http://www.dec.ny.gov/pubs/53554.html

Are you getting them as bad as this?

http://www.orilliapa...nvasive-species

Best thing to do is clean your boat totally and never go back to an infected lake. I didn't know they've invaded Lake Simcoe also. They are here to stay, thank you Europe.

[troutddicted]

mcsteve,

Honestly, go to Tightlines Tackle in Pickering and talk to anyone there, they will set you up. They set me up with everything I needed and gave me great advice. Not sure how far it is for you but its worth the trip, call ahead to make sure they are open.

For the fleas you can buy flea flicker line... its an oval shaped line which DRASTICALLY decreases the amount of flea build up. No more gummed up guides on the rod I love Spin Doctors for flashers and I mostly pull flies, occasionally spoons, Bright, parade type colors on bright days and darker colors on cloudy days. Find the bait balls and circle them. I usually have one rigger set at 40 - 60 ft and another 60 - 90 ft, depending on what you want to fish for.

[troutddicted]

I don't think this is the same flea because these have long tails, but it looks similar to this and can build up even thicker...

[NiagaraSteel]

I don't think this is the same flea because these have long tails, but it looks similar to this and can build up even thicker...

Yuck that looks like a tiny dog's dump after it ate a rabbit and some thousand year old mushroom.

[mcsteve]

Dozer, that looks exactly how my line was looking last summer. It got so bad one day I bet I cut my line 8 times.