Mid-Week Update

Well, I have a day that I am not on the water so I figured I would give a short update.

In short, the fishing remains incredible.  This season is absolutely spoiling all anglers who are experiencing it.  Conditions change and the fish continue to bite, it's a wonderful thing!

The Dixie Dandy continues to find the best bite offshore.  300 to 650 fow seems to be the most productive, as the inshore fisher remains unstable due to wind.  As of now, we have a stretch of very little wind through the week.  This could help stabilize the inshore fishery, which would be great on the gas gauge!

A mixture of baits have been in the program, due entirely to a seemingly ever-changing thermocline.  Yesterday morning we began fishing sub-100 feet down and by 5 hours later our rods were all fishing above 75 feet down.  ATOMMIK Meat Rigs  have been crucial to success when fishing deeper, while a spoon program seems to insure our success when fishing a bit higher in the water column.  Color selection seems to change on a daily basis, but UV Green and Purple Mirage rigs have been favorites.

It looks as if we may have some heavy west wind coming this weekend.  All I can say is, that's certainly coming from the right direction!  If we can continue to find great fishing through a Northeast blow, I'm thinking we will do OK with a West!

We still have plenty of good August and September days available on the Dixie Dandy, don't miss out on this phenomenal fishing!

The Oswego King Salmon Crushfest Continues!

Fishing remains off the charts!  Whether you come for a morning or afternoon on board the Dixie Dandy, it seems the bite remains unhindered.  

We continue to search the deeper waters, looking for a few points of bait and working those areas.  Keeping our rigs in water sub-50 degrees seems to be one of the keys to success.  Another, as usual, is  ATOMMIK. Like a broken record I'll say, cycle through your rigs, find what works and keep them in the strike zone.

July 2017 Update -- Lake Ontario Fishing is Excellent!

...and that may be an under statement!

Oswego, NY, among many other ports on Lake Ontario, has consistently produced great King Salmon fishing, day in and day out.

As the season progresses, it seems the fishing is only improving.  This is not only exciting for our current trolling conditions, but also for what is in store for the tributary fishing as well.  It is very clear that the mild winters have been kind to our bait fish population, and in turn our predators.

Keys to success for the Dixie Dandy have been persistence in staying on feeding fish.  Once you stumble on the hungry ones, stay with them.  Not much experimentation has been taking place at the transom, a few good rigs have produced fish after fish.  One huge part of our catches has been the ATTOMIK Meat Rigs.  They just work.  Another Stud has been the ATOMMIK Stud Fly.  It works on the morning, afternoon and evening.  Accurately named.

As we slide in to August, there are still plenty of prime dates available on the Dixie Dandy.  Don't hesitate, if you want to come experience Lake Ontario trolling at it's finest, now is the time!

As I said before, I anticipate awesome King Salmon fishing this fall.  Night Trolling dates are filling fast, as well as our day time fishing.  Don't wait to get your date, I enjoy getting everybody out on the water!

See ya out there!

Spring 2017 Update

Oh boy, did I leave some space in between reports or what?!

It turned out to be a busy fall and winter for me, that is for sure.  As most of you know, I also own and operate a tackle company, Great Lakes Steelhead Co.   , which really took a jump in business size this past year.  

Fear not though!  Plenty of time was spent on Lake Ontario and it's tributary waters!

Another culprit to lack-luster formal reports would be the facebook page.  Rayno's Fishing Excursion's Facebook Page tends to be updated daily with fishy photos and what not.  If you haven't already, throw us a like on there!

With that being said, I will make a true effort to get back to a weekly written report.

So, anyhow, to the fishing!  Here's a bunch of shots I got through the season.

Fishing for King Salmon in the southeastern corner of Lake Ontario turned out to be very productive.  With the lower water in the fall, we poked around the tributary mouths in the lake for most of the fall...what a blast!  There is still nothing quite like getting those big critters to whack a plug!

Steelhead proved to be a grind that required patience and persistence.  You got your shots every day and you had to make them count.  This trend continued through the winter and in to spring.  As I anticipated, the month of April proved to be precipitation heavy and the Salmon River flooded out for a few weeks.  As the water level decreased, the dropback fishing picked right up.  Our 2016-2017 river season was interesting, and fun, as usual!

As the river season came to a conclusion, it was time to look forward to trolling the lake.  As most of you know, I am a proud member of the Cold Steel Fishing Fleet and Captain of the Dixie Dandy.

So far this season on the lake has shown itself to be very productive.  Our warmer than average winter has been nothing but an asset for our fishery.

I anticipate the fishing will only continue it's trend and be great throughout the season.  As of now we have plenty of productive dates open on the Dixie Dandy.  Brown Trout, Lake Trout, Steelhead, King Salmon and Coho Salmon aren't safe this year!

Here are some shots of fish from the previous season on the lake.  I can say, wholeheartedly, that I am really looking forward to trolling the big water with everybody this year!  If you haven't filled in a date yet...don't hesitate!

Another season to consider will be in full swing in the coming week....Walleye!

Come hop on board the drift boat and troll into the evening hours for Lake Ontario's gigantic Walleye.

So that's the squeeze from the past months!  I hope to see everybody real soon on the water.  Don't just read the report...make it!

See ya out there.

Fall 2016 Update

Another salmon season has flown by!  2016 will certainly go down as an interesting year, as we dealt with a drought in the area, leaving us with fewer fishing options than normal.

No problem here though!  We got creative and found plenty of biters through September and October, lots of rods moving and smiling faces on board this year.  A big thank you to all who spent time with me on the water and I am looking forward to our next excursion!

As I mentioned, we were experiencing a pretty rough drought through September and October...Until now!

The rain dancing paid off and we now have copious amounts of water at our finger tips.  I am incredibly excited for the next few months, we will have plenty of fishing options but I don't expect I will have to venture far from the Salmon River, the fishing should be outrageous!  

Judging from my observations while trolling Lake Ontario this summer, we should have a much stronger run of steelhead than the last couple years.  Couple that with fair water conditions and we are looking at one hell of a season.  Can't wait!

I still have some excellent November and December dates open, if you haven't booked some time on the water...Don't wait!  This is going to be a fantastic fall!

See ya out there!

Big Water Trolling Comes To An End...

and out comes the drift boat!

Lake Ontario finished up with an exciting finale of crazy fishing conditions.  It was incredible to watch the hot hand be passed throughout the marina.  It just goes to show you how dynamic the Oswego fleet is in their fishing, but also illustrates how talented every boat is.  

The Dixie Dandy found it's success with the typical program...stay fluid and be willing to mix up presentation and fishing grounds.  A-TOM-MIK flies became incredibly important through the end of August and beginning of September, namely Green Crinkle, Big Fin, Hammer and TG.

As I have expressed in previous reports, I am very much looking forward to our river season.  The sheer number of fish being seen in the eastern basin has heightened my expectations.  Over the next week I will be trading in the attractors and flies for the glow lures...night fishing here we come!

I am hoping to see everyone on the water this season, but I cant stress enough not to wait to schedule your days.  Every day I book more!  I still have some great salmon nights and days left, so get in touch!

It's looming right around the corner...Steelhead!  I'm ready, are you?

See ya out there!

Summer 2016 Update

As usual, the summer has flown by.  Oswego has experienced a roller coaster of a fishing year so far.  Overall, I would say it's been a successful season to this point.  

As with any fishing, we are chasing around proper conditions (reasonable water temperature, bait) which has led to some offshore (400-700 feet of water) adventures mixed in with the typical inshore fishing.  As of now, all things point to an exciting conclusion to 2016's season on the lake.  I am very excited for the coming weeks!

As of now, there are still some prime dates available on the Dixie Dandy.  Cold Steel Sportfishing would be more than happy to have you on board!  Don't hesitate to contact me and find some time to enjoy Lake Ontario before the season wraps up.

Fall will be here before you know it!  As I have predicted earlier this year, I am excited for this coming river season.  The number of steelhead and salmon sure seems to be considerably higher than last season, good fishing ahead!

I am filling dates regularly, if you haven't reserved some time on the water, don't wait!  I hope to see everybody on the water!

-Captain Zack

A Long Awaited Update!

Well, it's been months since I have written any sort of report, my apologies! I will try to give a summary of the river season finale and the lake season so far.

As we pushed through  a thinner year as far as steelhead numbers go, the same mantra continues to prove true.  Persistence pays.  Fishing your runs, slots, holes and pools with what you know works relentlessly.  

Fortunately anglers aboard and myself were able to find a nice groove through the remainder of the season.  Covering water and staying sharp on the rods were the obvious keys, as with any tougher fishing conditions.

Keeping anglers smiling and the laughs rolling, we were able to bring many great fish to the net this year.  At the conclusion of my 2015-2016 river season I was eager to troll Lake Ontario, but left with a pulling desire to slide the boat off the trailer again.  2016-17 river season will be a good one!

As we have trolled our way through half of the lake season, fishing aboard Cold Steel Sportfishing's  Dixie Dandy has been good!

As of now, we are getting a handful of shots at solid king salmon then, usually, we slide in a bit more shallow for a late morning of brown trout fishing.  I have seen a lot of quality fish coming over the stern and I am looking forward to the rest of the season on the lake!

If you haven't booked your July or August date yet with us aboard the Dixie, you better get on it!  Take your shot at some of the best fishing of the year, below are some prime examples from the 2015 season.  Don't wait!

Although it's only early July, now is the time to start thinking of the river season.  I want to stress to my regular customers not to wait to pick their days, I am filling dates regularly and I appreciate our days on the water!

Night trolling for salmon as well as daytime river fishing is right around the corner!

Winter Update

Here we are, creeping right into March! 

The fishing has remained it's constant, a grind most days with the potential to reap plenty of reward if you're on your game.  The theme of this year!  Personally, I don't mind it.  Look at these fish and how we fish for them and it's easy to see why they're to be appreciated.  

As of late, I've stuck with stand-by winter time offerings, not too much experimentation. Throw on what you have confidence in and keep the presentation tight.  

As I review the season to this point, I can only feel optimism.  Winter was fairly mild until just recently (then Lake Ontario made up for lost time), angling pressure has dwindled to practically nothing (cream rises) and the Lake Ontario ice cover was far less compared to the last few years.  

Personally, I can't wait for our spring fishing, I think we have a lot to look forward to.  Between getting creative on our steelhead fisheries and the feisty brown trout swimming around the lake, we should be plenty busy.

My final note on the fishing...people may forget how young this fishery is (less than 50 years old).  There are no constants quite yet, the ecosystem is ever-changing.  My advice...roll with them!

See ya out there. 

Winter Steelhead Is Coming!

Although, some days feel more like it than others.  

The Salmon River grind continues! We are working for our bites and putting together good days through a little persistence and patience.  

Covering lots of water and fishing every pocket has been my plan of attack, recently.  Make a few drifts and make them count.  No laziness on the rods allowed these days!

Regardless, the time on the river has been very fun.  The weather has held out, the crowds are dwindling and we have seen our share of quality fish.

I've been lacking in the photography department, but I have included the pictures I did manage to get below, enjoy!

I expect the fishing to remain about the same throughout the winter months.  With a mild December forecasted, I am looking forward to more time on the water!

I still have some weekdays available the third week of December and on if anyone is interested.  

See ya out there!