Charleston Lake on Saturday

Post by **Moosebunk** » Sun Jun 13, 2004 11:11 am

I can't see an adipose fin on that fish. Probably a stocked fish, but a nice one nonetheless.

Charleston Lake might just be next years Fish-Hawk gathering hole

Post by **JimW** » Sun Jun 13, 2004 2:02 pm

Nice fish Xenos, we couldn't find any larger fish all our fish we 2 to 3 pounds. My co-worker that lives on the lake caught and released a 10 pound fish last week. I hope to get out one afternoon this week (I work 10 minutes from the lake) to tie into a bigger fish.

I have only fished the lake a few times for lakers and bass but it is a beautiful lake and I highly recommend people check it out, there are several boat launches, cottage rentals and a Provincial Park.

Actually, now that I think about it I take that back don't go there for trout or bass fishing, its no good, try somewhere else, that way there's more fish for me.

JimW

Post by **topwater** » Sun Jun 13, 2004 2:47 pm

XENOS
You have to hate when those new ridges form right where your trolling

Post by **Muskiemagnet** » Sun Jun 13, 2004 5:36 pm

Great report guys, I fished Charleston Friday with some good success. We boated 9 lakers (all natural) and lost about a dozen.

Xenos, I hope my information helped put you onto some of those fish.

Charleston has three type of lakers in it. 1. naturals no clipped fin. 2. Natural stocked fish, these are fish raised in the hachery but were born from egg and sperm collected from natural lakers netted in the fall. These fish have an anal fin clipped. 3. Regular stocked fish. These have a pectoral fin clipped and will not spawn like the stocked naturals.

Markus, let me know when you can come up. I'll start polishing my lucky spoon.

Post by **Xenos** » Sun Jun 13, 2004 5:45 pm

I fished where and how you told me, the only change I made were the lures.

P.S. Thank you, If I was more considerate I would have posted that 10 posts ago.

Post by **Muskiemagnet** » Sun Jun 13, 2004 6:03 pm

Xenos, my pleasure. I'm glad to have been a help. I'm curious, what time was the action hottest? Usually the crack of dawn is great but it seems late afternoon has been good also. Morning was good for us Friday although we saw lots of fish boated around 2-3pm on our way back to the truck.

Post by **Xenos** » Sun Jun 13, 2004 6:44 pm

I launched at around 5:30, started trolling just before those islands, Heading toward the eastern water. Picked up 3 in 15 minutes, on a 28 Frog (these were the largest). Passed the island and lost it, as well as 5 others. Ok now Iâ€™m not feeling too well. Forgot my vest back home so Iâ€™m out of swivels. I Know what to do. I spend the next 20 minutes cutting up leaders and making the 9 swivels I need. We get set back up and work the eastern water only pick up one more. At around 10 we decide to head back while working the Athens end of big water. No sooner do I change up the lures and a triple happens. I pull up the plotter and mark 2 way points. Now for the next hour or so we just keep going back and forth over this 100 yard area. With each pass we pick up another 2. We headed out at noon with an excellent days fishing.

The points were

44 33.140
75 59.439
And

44 32.855
75 59.819

Post by **Muskiemagnet** » Sun Jun 13, 2004 6:56 pm

Gotta love it when the fish are stacked up like that. Countless times I've spent a whole day trolling over one small spot turning every 50 yards , getting fish every pass.
Looks like the morning bite was hot again.

Post by **Dartee** » Sun Jun 13, 2004 7:51 pm

Was at Charleston today as well.. Didn't do to bad either. Started the morning about 6:30 off the shoal by frizzle island. Boated 3 lakers @ approx 3lbs each and 2 football small mouth close to 3 1/5lbs ea. When the wind started to pick up, headed over to donaldson bay and trolled the east side between the shoal and shore and also the shoal at the mouth of the bay. Boated 2 more and lost 4 others.
Ran a little too close to the shoal and while bringing in the line too check for any unwanted weeds, spoon got hit hard. Surprised the heck out of me, at least 75yrds of line got pealed off before I got it stopped and turned around, got about half the line back, felt 2-3 solid thumps then gone. Never got to see it but suspect it was one of Charleston's large Northerns.
Fished for another hr then headed in by 11:30.
All fish were released to gain a few more lbs.

Post by **JimW** » Sun Jun 13, 2004 8:23 pm

Great reports guys,

now I just need to find a GPS.

JimW

Post by **Xenos** » Sun Jun 13, 2004 8:51 pm

Sorry the fish are not there anymore, but I tell you fishing with a GPS rocks. Many times I have sworn by it, epically when you pass over a good school of bait fish, you can zig zag the crap out of them taking the salmon that are feeding. And when a triple happens you know there stacked as Muskymagnet would say. Hit that waypoint and just keep working it.

Post by **Northern King** » Mon Jun 14, 2004 2:03 pm

Jim W, its good to see that people still practice catch and release. My family has a cottage on Charleston lake and I fish there all the time. I know how hard it would be for me to release a ten pound trout. If people would realize how big that fish might become in the years to come they would release a fish like that too.

Well Saturday I caught a nice 3.0lb natural. Seems like plugs and small spoons seem to be working the best lately on Charleston.

I can't wait for the bass season to open as well. Charleston has some huge smallies and largies. Last year I hooked onto a whopper smallmouth of 5+lbs.

Post by **tinbanger** » Mon Jun 14, 2004 4:05 pm

Travelling to Kingston in a couple of weekends and would like to try for some smallies on Charleston Lake.
Anyone have directions to the nearest boat ramp to Kingston.

Tinbanger

Post by **Jigs** » Mon Jun 14, 2004 4:14 pm

Did anyone see fishermen jigging for trout, or does everybody troll for them??

Don't have downriggers, so jigging is probably the only way I can go.

Any info appreciated.

Regards: Jigs.

Post by **Northern King** » Mon Jun 14, 2004 4:22 pm

Jigs, You really don't have to have a downrigger to fish for trout. I use lead core line and it works good. You can also try to just drop your line with some big bell sinkers or egg sinkers and troll like that. I have used a pink lady diver or dipsy diver and they work pretty good too. You just have to have so much line out when you are trolling without downriggers.

I have heard that jigging works well for lakers but I have never had any success. Anyways good luck.