---A look back at 2008 and the 2009 forecast are at the bottom of this page ---

Fishing Report 6/23/09

Well we're back from the West end leg of the Pro-Am circuit. With a pair of 3rd place finishes we are in great shape heading into the final two events.
The Niagara event started off with tough fishing due to constant East winds. Having 1 fish in the cooler by 8am and hearing from a few other boats that fishing was tough, we decided to move on to plan B. Well it was the right move. We landed two more Coho in the next 45 min. Then it got Crazy, between 9:15 and 9:45 we landed 9 more Coho, one being 16 1/2 lbs! Filling out our limit, after the day one weigh-in we were in 5th place.

Day two started off a little better with the fish coming at a steadier pace but, the coho's were a bit smaller. We then doubled on a pair of Kings 10-14 lbs. With 9 in the cooler by 9:30 we decided to try for a few more bigger fish in hopes of moving up the leader board.. Well the that move paid off too as we broke off a big King quickly after making a change. We rest and that same rod doubled over again, after a 15min fight we had a 24 1/2lbs King in the bottom of the boat! our next pass produced two more quick fish and we were boxed out again, this time by 10:45!

At the weigh in we watched the day one leader come in with a good box and beat us by 4 points. Then one of our biggest competitors came in with a big box that was good enough for first, we missed out on defending last years win by 7 points. But, we did end up with the biggest fish of the tournament and for the tough fishing we were glad that we were able to adapt and put together such a great finish!

Off to Oak Orchard... Well we thought the fishing in Niagara was tough, welcome to the Oak!  The first day of practice we fished for over 11 hours and landed fewer than 10 fish, not good.  Day two wasn't much better but, we did hear some good reports, I don't know if that is good or bad. On day one we took the advice of one of our good friends and headed west to where we had some Kings the first day of practice.  We never got into the kings but we managed to find some large Steelhead and plenty of under-sized fish including a 23" Atlantic.  When day one was over we were in 6th place, just 20 points out of 3rd.
Day two started off a little better with steady action and fewer throw backs.  Then we took a 14&1/4lb laker.  We continued our pick hoping the leaders were having a tougher day, but on day two unfortunately they weren't.  We caught our 12 fish by 11:30 and were headed in with high hopes!  We managed to move up to 3rd again!
After the two tournament totals were added up, we missed the West End Cup by 8 points! Oh well!
I want to give a big thanks to our team members who never got down during the tough times and were always on their game when the chances came.  A good team makes fishing these events a lot of fun for Tom and me. I also would like to thank all of our sponsors with their support all things are possible, Tom at A-TOM-MIK Flies, the best trolling fly on the Great Lakes, Rob at Fat Nancy's brings us out anything we might need, Michigan Stinger spoons, Pro-Troll flashers, Shimano rods and reels, Scotty Downriggers, Owner hooks and Walker Deeper Divers. --Capt. Andy Bliss

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A look back at 2008 and the 2009 forecast
Well 2008 was a rollercoaster year! By far our steadiest fishing the last few years has been our salmon river Steelhead fishing. Between the large numbers of steelies and covering 5 to 7 miles of river with our driftboat, most trips have brought nothing but smilesto our customers. A recent trip even started at 14 below zero and we still managed a good day. With warmer days ahead, we look forward to the rest of this season to be great. Book from now until early May.

The 2008 lake charter season was a battle against the weather. Constantly changing weather and strange prevailing winds, kept the fish either on the move, or scattered! The days when it all came together was a bloodbath! The rest of the days were a matter of being persistant and taking advantage of your bites.

Starting with Brown trout in the spring strange prevailing easterly winds took the bulk of our young 2 to 5 pound Browns to the north and east of oswego, chasing schools of bait that were drifting with the currents. Days that we stayed near home we would work hard to catch 4 to 10 fish in the 4 to 10 pound range. Nice browns but low numbers. Days that we made a long run to the northeast(over 20 miles) we caught all the 2 to 5lbers you wanted with an occasional bigger fish thrown in.

By July not only were salmon starting to show up, but it seemed like all of our Browns returned, Taking up residence in their normal summer haunts in 70 to 100 feet of water, from Oswego east into Mexico bay. Its amazing how quickly things change in the big lake but after a tough spring it seemed like up until mid August you could head northeast to 90 feet of water and troll east and catch Browns all the way down the line!!! Add in some Chrome Kingsand Steelies and July was a great month!

August-September on the east end means one thing......staging adult King salmon, looking for their home rivers. Once again strange weather and currents on Big O made it feast or famine fishing again. To give you an example of what goes on out there lets take a look at water temps. When Salmon fishing we are looking for 40 to 50 degree water for the most part. During the 08' season these temps were constantly fluctuating. One day you had 40 degrees down 100 ft over 150 ft of water. A day or two later you had 40 down 20 ft over 45 ft of water. These conditions keep the fish scattered and moody! Believe me its as bad for the captain as it is for the customer to catch 2 fish one trip and then 15 on another, but its the nature of the beast on a big lake. Kind of the bigger risk/bigger reward theory. So that said, we had some great salmon days in 08, but we had some challenging ones as well. We hope many of you will re- join us in 09 and look towards steadier fishing.

September -November river fishing- After 22 years guiding on the Salmon river this time of year has pretty much come down to my regulars re-booking their days. Whether its streamside for big Kings in the Douglaston salmon run, or drift boating for chrome Steelhead this is a great time of year!!
Cool mornings usually followed by warm afternoons, along with beautiful fall foliage make for great days on the water. There are always a few openings, so newbies can always give us a call.

Obviously we are in tough economic times for many and we hope you can find it in your budget to join us in 09' We held our prices last year despite skyrocketing fuel costs. And now with prices leveling off we will be able to keep the same prices again this year. If it would help anyone to make a lake trip we would allow you to add a 5th or 6th person at no charge.

I am attaching a few pics from the season and hope to hear from all of you soon. If you can't make a trip in 09' I hope you drop us a line anyway and stay in touch.

Water Reports:
Salmon River projected flows

Salmon River actual flows (USGS)

Oswego River actual flows (USGS)