It helps that the current is insane there! But I don't necessarily agree. I catch wild lakers up in Maine, the Adirondacks, and Canada, and they ripppp drag. Definitely do not compare to steelhead though.
Lakers are like reeling in a dirty boot filled with cement. I've lost count of how many I've hooked and landed down at the Lower over the years...probably 100 or more. Ditch the floats and fish for them like bass...you can get them on 1/2 oz jigs and plastics even easier than beads. Spinners and other hardware will get them as well, but will cost you a lot more when you snag and lose them to the rocks on the bottom. Don't use rods lighter than 8-17 lb test range...Medium or Medium-heavy 8.5-9.5 ft rods work best and generally won't break as long as you're not going heavier than 15 lb test line which is all you need down there. Noodle rods 11 ft+ meant for float fishing steelhead (generally rated for 4-12 lb test line) will break as the current can literally double the weight and pull strength of those fish. Lakers were in much thicker this year in early Dec due to the warm Fall we had here in Western NY. Water temps cooled much more slowly this year.
I know this is gonna sound funny, but I purposely go to the Niagara to float fish them. It’s a unique fishery and you can’t really do that anywhere else. I catch enough lake trout on lures elsewhere so I don’t really have the desire to fish for them with lures there. I fully am aware that I’d land bigger fish with heavier tackle but it’s just not the same to me. Maybe I’m weird 😅
This technique works anywhere on the niagara! Spot doesn’t matter. But my float is 15-25’ up. It’s important to vary depth because the biting fish could be anywhere in the water column. I use 15-17lb for my topshot, 12lb for my shot line, and 10lb for the bead line
Hey! So we use 15-17 pound mono topshot attached to mainline braid, this is for your bobber stop to slide on. Mono is great because it’s abrasion resistant and it’s stretchy (would not recommend mono if you don’t have a long rod, otherwise you may miss bites from the stretch). I use 30 ish feet of the mono so you can fish as deep as 30’. I never really go deeper than 25’ but it’s nice to have extra space. Then you put a slip float on, we use 1 oz floats. They’re not 1 oz but can hold 1 oz. Then tie your topshot and mono to a 3/4 oz trolling weight that has a swivel on either side. Then around 2’ of 12lb fluoro with roughly 7 grams of weight on it, we usually go with a top-heavy shot pattern (so more split shot towards the float and it gets more spaced out towards the bead). Then a micro swivel, then 2’ of 10lb fluoro with a double bead rig. Basically just two charetreuse beads fished like a double nymph rig.
Simplified version: Yea so for a 1 oz lead, from the bottom up I do - Bead 2-3ft below swivel on 10lb - 2-3ft shotline with 7g lead on 12lb - 3/4 oz trolling lead - float with bead above and below it. These are micro bobber stop beads not trout beads. They help keep the bobber from sliding over bobber stops
We fish anywhere from 10-25 feet! It’s important to change depths often to find out where the biting fish are sitting. They’re usually sitting everywhere in the water column so it’s important to have the ability to change.
Thanks for watching everyone! Don’t forget to comment if you have questions and please subscribe if you enjoyed!
You have the best net man ever.
Great video, can't wait to try out the niagara fishery next year.
Thanks man! Pull up next year and we can go together!
Great vid. Bro
Thank you!
That drag is sooooooooooo smooooooth
Great vid
Fighting lake trout is the equivalent to reeling up a 5 gallon bucket full of water.
It helps that the current is insane there! But I don't necessarily agree. I catch wild lakers up in Maine, the Adirondacks, and Canada, and they ripppp drag. Definitely do not compare to steelhead though.
good ole lamasnap lol.
Lakers are like reeling in a dirty boot filled with cement. I've lost count of how many I've hooked and landed down at the Lower over the years...probably 100 or more. Ditch the floats and fish for them like bass...you can get them on 1/2 oz jigs and plastics even easier than beads. Spinners and other hardware will get them as well, but will cost you a lot more when you snag and lose them to the rocks on the bottom. Don't use rods lighter than 8-17 lb test range...Medium or Medium-heavy 8.5-9.5 ft rods work best and generally won't break as long as you're not going heavier than 15 lb test line which is all you need down there. Noodle rods 11 ft+ meant for float fishing steelhead (generally rated for 4-12 lb test line) will break as the current can literally double the weight and pull strength of those fish. Lakers were in much thicker this year in early Dec due to the warm Fall we had here in Western NY. Water temps cooled much more slowly this year.
I know this is gonna sound funny, but I purposely go to the Niagara to float fish them. It’s a unique fishery and you can’t really do that anywhere else. I catch enough lake trout on lures elsewhere so I don’t really have the desire to fish for them with lures there. I fully am aware that I’d land bigger fish with heavier tackle but it’s just not the same to me. Maybe I’m weird 😅
Nice job Jeremy! What color beads do you typically have best luck with for browns and lakers?
Chartreuse or green usually!
What water depth are you fishing and how far off the bottom are you running?
We fish 15-25 feet just depending on where the active fish are currently. And usually just off bottom like a couple inches
Awesome video. How high is your float ?
How many pound is your line ?
Where do you park to get to that spot ? I’m heading there from Toronto.
This technique works anywhere on the niagara! Spot doesn’t matter. But my float is 15-25’ up. It’s important to vary depth because the biting fish could be anywhere in the water column.
I use 15-17lb for my topshot, 12lb for my shot line, and 10lb for the bead line
@ 15-25 inch or centimeter?
@ninos431 15-25 feet. We use bobber stops to set depth with the slip floats
@ I can also bottom bounce at that depth or it’s too snaggy ?
@ninos431 too snaggy. Lures work too just gotta keep them off bottom
Drop the bead setup!! I’m a steelhead/laker newb haha
Hey! So we use 15-17 pound mono topshot attached to mainline braid, this is for your bobber stop to slide on. Mono is great because it’s abrasion resistant and it’s stretchy (would not recommend mono if you don’t have a long rod, otherwise you may miss bites from the stretch). I use 30 ish feet of the mono so you can fish as deep as 30’. I never really go deeper than 25’ but it’s nice to have extra space. Then you put a slip float on, we use 1 oz floats. They’re not 1 oz but can hold 1 oz. Then tie your topshot and mono to a 3/4 oz trolling weight that has a swivel on either side. Then around 2’ of 12lb fluoro with roughly 7 grams of weight on it, we usually go with a top-heavy shot pattern (so more split shot towards the float and it gets more spaced out towards the bead). Then a micro swivel, then 2’ of 10lb fluoro with a double bead rig. Basically just two charetreuse beads fished like a double nymph rig.
Simplified version:
Yea so for a 1 oz lead, from the bottom up I do
- Bead 2-3ft below swivel on 10lb
- 2-3ft shotline with 7g lead on 12lb
- 3/4 oz trolling lead
- float with bead above and below it. These are micro bobber stop beads not trout beads. They help keep the bobber from sliding over bobber stops
What depth do you let the bobber sit at? How many feet?
We fish anywhere from 10-25 feet! It’s important to change depths often to find out where the biting fish are sitting. They’re usually sitting everywhere in the water column so it’s important to have the ability to change.
@ thank you
Is this on canadian side? If so where do you park to access this spot. Thank you
US side, sorry!
who the hell cares about stocked lakers 😂 go fish for steelhead
Looks like you were under gunned there.
A little bit!
Eighth
Tenth
Second
Sixth
First
All fish were snagged 😡
Fourth
Fifth
who’s this Faeshen guy and why is he spammingN mods delete!
Third
Seventh
Ninth