By Bill Graves
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Contributed photo Tom Wolters of Madawaska Lake watches his fish finder while trolling deep on Long Lake with downrigger outfits during August. |
August’s hot, humid weather forces trout and salmon to seek deep, cool water, and many anglers to store their rods for a few weeks. A few persistent dry fly enthusiasts flog stream deep holes and spring inlets at dawn and dusk or quietly cruise a canoe around deep wood’s ponds seeking a hatch. Another determined group of fishermen visit the big lakes and dredge the depths for the trophy fish cruising the thermoclines for comfort and bait fish.
Any Crown of Maine lake with outstanding spring trolling also offers reliable hot weather action with the right equipment. Those bragging size brook trout and salmon that beat up streamer flies and small lures and plugs don’t disappear in late July and August, they simply change locations. In many cases the “hot spots” stay the same, but the habitation and feeding depths alter notably, often down to depths of 25 to 40 feet.
Fish need to feed regularly, regardless of weather conditions, so if a sport can put a bait in front of a hungry quarry the tug of war is on. There are two prominent techniques for deep water lake fishing, but they differ greatly in price, equipment, methodology and enjoyment of the fight once a fish is hooked. Trolling lead-core line and using downrigger set-ups comprise the two proven options.
Lead core line is a woven or braided nylon outer coating over a heavy wire inner core section. These lines come in different weights which control how fast and how deep each one trolls. Most lead core lines are color-coded in specific sections, each different color yielding a fairly accurate running depth. If the fish are showing up on the depth finder at 28 feet, a color guide that comes with each line will indicate that perhaps 3-3/4 colors will equal that 28-foot depth for that particular lead core. For a lighter weight line it might be five colors, but once an angler figures it out, trolling the correct depth proves fairly simple.
The downside is the necessity of a fairly sturdy rod and heavy reel to handle the bulky, weighty line and lures trolled at fair speed behind a boat. A good portion of the feel of the fight is lost which would otherwise be enjoyed on lighter gear. On the plus side, lead core equipment is far less expensive and less technical to use than downriggers.
Downriggers come in many shapes, sizes and with a multitude of features, they range in price from $50 to $500. For deep-dredging Aroostook lakes a hundred dollar unit will do everything necessary and last for many years when properly maintained. Some downriggers are clamp-on models that attach to the gunnel, while others can be bolted directly to the boat offering a far sturdier set up. Anglers with more than one boat or those who fish with friends may prefer the easy transfer clamp-on style.
Two outstanding features swing my preference to downriggers rather than lead core for hot weather deep-water trolling. First, heavy downrigger weights that the baits or lures attach to can be set to exact depths within inches, whereas lead core often varies by feet dependent on boat speed, wind, waves and other variable. You can’t catch fish if your flies and lures aren’t very close to their feeding depth on the fish finder.
The second advantage, and most important to most sports anglers, is the ability to use light rods and line so when a strike dislodges the snap-clip from the downrigger weight the fight is really enjoyable. It’s just like spring trolling when you play the fish, but trolling speeds are much slower and you can spot the big fish on the depth and fish finder.
Any streamer fly pattern that catches ice-out fish will work for downrigger fishing. I do prefer bait fish imitations to bright attractor flies this time of year however, as far as lures go, it’s tough to beat Sutton spoons, Mooselook wobblers, red and white dardevles and DB smelt. With downriggers and light fly rods or spinning rods it’s easy to rig two baits to a line; double your chances, double your fun.
While almost any Aroostook lake will produce some action with lead core or downriggers, a few deserve extra attention — Nickerson and Drew’s Lakes near Houlton, East Grand Lake below Danforth, and Long, Square and Eagle Lakes of the Fish River chain. Results won’t be as fast this month as they are in May, but the chances of hooking 3 lb. brook trout and 5 lb. salmon are higher when you go lower. Deep dredging yields dependable action during dog day weather conditions.