Favorite Salmon/Trout Lures, techniques

[kawishiwi]

Hi all, My son and I will be fishing Winni this summer for Salmon and we are rank beginners.
Seems like AJs bait and tackle should be our first stop but I wanted to hear individual opinions as to what works best. We will have fly rods, line counter reels, trolling rods, downriggers, side planers. So far it seems like streamers and flutter spoons are most used. Surprised at few references to plugs. Anything you are willing to share would be appreciated. Ive seen fishwinni.com to learn of the magic of the "wonder bread" spoon color, automatic jiggers, etc. Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

[pjard]

The specific time of year makes a big difference. You say "summer" but when exactly do you plan on fishing?

[MikeF-NH]

from reading your post, it sounds like you have all the gear needed to be successful and are now just looking to dial in the final details. As mentioned in the previous posters' response, the exact week of summer you are fishing can make a difference depending on if the thermocline is set up or not.

Other than date, you seem to be "trolling" for exact lures and locations. AJ is the BEST source on the lake for not only knowing what is working...but also having it in stock. His knowledge is from experience and good lures sometimes change week to week so I would make your first stop on the lake to be his shop to pick up the best lures/flies that AJ is reporting for that time of year.

Dont be disappointed if nobody broadcasts GPS coordinates on this site or fishlakewinni.com. That info is hard earned and well protected. Giving that info out on a message board pretty much guarentees dozens of more boats in that area the following season and scorn from those who might fish that area. FishLakeWinni users have learned this and have stopped posting spots HOWEVER, you can search the archives very easily to find posts several years old during the time you will be at the lake to see where people have fished in the past. Reading those posts is a great way to spend time during the cold winter so I don't want to take that experience away from you.

Note that summer salmon fishing is an EARLY morning game. If you aren't setup when first light hits the water, you are missing most of the good fishing for the day. You should be wrapping up in time for breakfast.

Good luck out there!

[kawishiwi]

The specific time of year makes a big difference. You say "summer" but when exactly do you plan on fishing?

Thanks for the info.
Boat goes in first of May. Plan to fish to Oct.
I appreciate the GPS coord secrecy, didnt expect that level of detail, and probably wont share any hard won "spots" that I might be lucky enough to discover. :) Gonna have big lowrance iron on board so that and time spent on water should help with the where. Now the timing seems to be the trick. Sunrise @ ? , with Copper/orange/black spotted/blue/wonder bread spoons, green/gray/blue streamers....? M.P.H, ? depth/thermocline? ... Piece of Cake! :emb: :confused: Well, really, if I catch 1 Salmon this year I will declare that a victory :D

Is there an evening Salmon/trout bite at all?

[ishoot308]

One recommendation I will give you with whatever lure you buy is do not go too big! Many people make the mistake of buying lures meant for the great lakes and are simply way too big for the small salmon and lake trout we have in Winni. Anything larger than 2 3/4" will only impede your catch ratio in my opinion.

One lure I would recommend in an assortment of colors is the DB Smelt or AJ's copy of it. It's the perfect size and very thin which allows for great action at all trolling speeds slow or fast. Anything with orange seems to work well and kind of a "go to color" through the season on Winni. There are many many others as well.

As far as flies go, that is really dependent on the time of year. I prefer a small single hook (size 6) streamer type fly that replicates the current baitfish, I.E. the White Perch Fly when they are feeding on White Perch fry etc, etc.

Edited to add: The above is mainly for Salmon fishing. For Lake Trout, my favorite lure is the Kennebec Lure in a hammered gold pattern trolled slow (less than 2 mph).

As others have already mentioned, AJ's can be a big help to you.

Good luck and hope to see you out there!!

Dan