Adios You Flying Pig You

Got out on the water at Converse yesterday with Matt, a real fun guy to fish with.
Slow going with lots of shakers and perch was the menu for the day.
Target species: Champlain Landlocked Atlantic Salmon!

We got our lines in the water about 7:30, trolled Thompson's for a while with a dry release or two, shakers and yellow perch.
Tolled over to Split Rock and then headed South. Lots of marks on the screen, pretty much all over, but couldn't get much to hit.
We hung between the Unicorn and Split Rock throwing everything we had at them. Finally a slide diver lite bite set on 1.5, a #2 ring added, 160 feet of line out and a custom taped honeybee MP6 fires.

The line screams from the reel, a great run.
If you've ever fished slide divers, your well aware the drags are already set fairly tight to hold the diver, this fish was pulling line like a big yellow fin tuna connected to a freight train!
I gained some line, then off it goes again, another great run, screaming drag, rod doubled up. I began to gain more line and felt the fish come loose...
"It's off" I say to Matt, "NO...It's not, LOOK!" he says.
We see this monster salmon, 150 feet or so behind the boat, rocket thru the air, waving, laughing, mocking us. It was gone, it had spit the hook while bulleting up thru the water column, and just wanted to tease us.
Adios You Flying Pig You.
I'm POSITIVE that would have been my new personal best Champlain Landlocked!

We then turned south, headed along the NY shoreline to enjoy the scenery and wash some more lures. Dockside Ben is fishing with Northernnighmare along the Vermont side and they report loosing a big fish on a big spoon. "Purple/Pink with black and a white stripe" Ben says. Not satisfied with anything I have to match that, I break out my Tamiron tape and begin to make up a custom lure.
Just as I'm getting up to grab a rod to change up, the rod fires.
Fish on.

It feels nice, but it feels like a lake Trout. My light Daiwa Heartland Kokanee rod is doing the job and making it all the more fun. The fish stays deep, (55' down) head shaking, pulling, not wanting to raise to the surface. Finally it comes up and it doesn't look so much like a laker. I didn't get a good look at it but Matt does,,,

"It's green" he says, "Man it's a Steel-head!" " ahh but I've really never seen one" he Adds...

We laughed at that for what seemed like an hour while the fish decided to make a run...

Back to the boat I bring it and Matt slides the net under it. A very beautiful, clean, bright silver Landlocked. A fat football 22" clean, heavy. Finally, a fish for the box. A fish we end up sharing. A nice thick fillet each.

Our speeds ranged from 2.3 to 2.8 mph/GPS depending on the current, and we fished over deep water, greater than 150 feet, fishing from 40 to 80 feet down.

The lure that the fish took was a custom Honeybee MP-6 that I had taped up.

I gave the lure to Matt, I want him to feel the pull next time.

I'll make up another, or two, or seventeen!

Matt shot a short 50 second video while we were out. 

Great Lake Champlain scenery on a hot summer day. 

Check it out:

Fish on, fish H8 me.

Raz

Adios You Flying Pig You