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Landlocked Salmon Advice

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From looking at your rental about quabbin I'm assuming you are boating. I'm not an expert with landlocks but I have some experience. I've trolled DB smelt spoons with success. Orange with black dots on overcast days or low light and Purple and Silver during high sun. You can troll with just mono (6lb test) on any light spinning outfit. In March through early April you may find landlocks in the top part of the water column. especially during the morning. Just make sure you have a small barrel swivel on the spinning outfit to deal with line twist. Metal is not the only way to catch Landlocks. You can troll small rapala swimmers and small plastic like 2-3" finesse on a jig head. Your trolling speed will be slow. I normally troll between 1-1.5knots. If you see salmon jumping on open water on smelt or if you have electronics that shows salmon under the boat, don't be afraid to jig.

 

If you need to go deeper you can invest in a jet diver. Jet Divers or dipsy divers will help control your depth. You'll need a 10-17lb line to take the pull but it's pretty accurate once you set it up. To get accurate I recommend an inexpensive line counter reel.

 

You can also troll smelt. Keep the smelt alive in a glass jar with a lid. Most of the freshwater bait stores around the quabbin will have smelt rigs for trolling. Troll SLOW.

 

These are some basics to help you get started. Hope it helps.

 

 

 

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MH i agree 100% with riddler. Only thing I can add is to restate about a slow troll. I'm not sure how slow the rental boats will troll down to. It may be worth brining a 5 gallon bucket and rope to drag behind the boat to slow it down if need be. Also, some other tactics I employ are mooselook wobblers ( usually in orange or chartruse) or if you have the option of trolling fly rods with grey ghosts. Grey ghost are dealy on landlocks. If you let out your line 100' then troll and rip the line 2 to 3' to give a surge affect! Hope you have a great time. Dont forget to bring some small mouth gear! If the trout n salmon arent biting the small mouth fishing there is fantastic!

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the above is all good advice. I'm mostly a fresh water guy and have targeted these fish for 30+ years. I also love the MW's and DB's but don't be afraid to set a few lines out and also attach a tandem fly. I trolled with fly rods....just like the action and the fight and make sure you take Riddlers advice about the barrel swivel. Line twist will F up all the line you deploy. These fish are acrobatic as all get out and so much fun to catch. I've also had some success on slow days with trolling shields with a cralwer at the end. There are so many ways but really, the more rods at various depths in the water column will give you a good shot at location where they are. Keep changing your program till you find what they want consistently. NEVER troll in a straight line. I can't tell you how many times you troll straight and come off a swing R or L, and whack! I think someone said you will have a rental. Not sure what they are equiped with this time of year, you can mostly flat line on the top. The majority of them will be in the top 5 feet of the water column as they will be very active on tip till May. If you can get some planing boards, use them to spread out your offering and cover more water. SLOW is key and don't keep the boat in a straight line....had to say that one more time. Good luck and let us know how you make out!

Lobster Troll #28
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Quabbin is usually pretty windy....in the tin rental boats you can get blown around real easy. It's almost impossible to troll @ a desired speed (you'll see).

Also get a couple of those dodgers/flashers (Dicks has them) and tie a streamer about a foot behind it w/ fluoro.

If there on the surface you can always drift w/ a livelined shiner....(and eat lunch). :D

"The Further a society drifts from truth, the more it will hate those who speak it." George Orwell

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i have an anchor with about 50ft of anchor chord, i understand they're pretty strict about what goes in and out of the quabbin, you think it will be an issue if i bring that along if its so windy or do you think they'll let me use it?

 

I wouldn't anchor for salmon....they are constantly on the move. As bb1 said, drift a shiner if it's too windy, don't anchor. You will cover more water drifting. Don't forget to leave the bail open on your rod. When you get a run, wait.........when the salmon has it after a good stretch, fold the bail, wait for the line to tighten up and sore lip the bastid! Good luck.

Lobster Troll #28
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You can catch salmon from an anchored boat at Quabbin. Early in the season set your shiners 5 feet below a bobber and let them swim around. After the water warms a bit I would just throw out a shiner with no weight or bobber on the line. Even caught a couple on night crawlers. Early morning or cloudy days are best for action near the top of the water column.

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You can catch salmon from an anchored boat at Quabbin. Early in the season set your shiners 5 feet below a bobber and let them swim around. After the water warms a bit I would just throw out a shiner with no weight or bobber on the line. Even caught a couple on night crawlers. Early morning or cloudy days are best for action near the top of the water column.

 

Not saying you can't but why anchor and let the shiner swim around when you can drift and let the shiner swim around and cover more water. To each their own but that's a lot of water and I'd take my chances covering as much of it as I can especially since the salmon are constantly on the move.

Lobster Troll #28
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Do not get caught with smelt, unless you caught them in the quabbin. The dcr and fish and game frown upon that. Shiners ok, smelt no no. I live 25 min from gate 31, We fish all year long there. If you want salmon Single hook through the lips of a shiner start near the power lines zigzag your way down to the islands and work around there. The rental boats will troll down slow enough but some guys do bring a bucket or drift sock to pull to slow them down even more. if you have a portable FF it helps, so do clamp on rod holders and seat cushons. if you want shoot me a PM and I could give you a better starting point. Mid week is best but when the salmon are up top there are people there no mater what, but weekends are CRAZY from opening weekend through the end of may. Tight Lines, Kris

Luck is where preparation meets opportunity!!!

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Do not get caught with smelt, unless you caught them in the quabbin. The dcr and fish and game frown upon that. Shiners ok, smelt no no. I live 25 min from gate 31, We fish all year long there. If you want salmon Single hook through the lips of a shiner start near the power lines zigzag your way down to the islands and work around there. The rental boats will troll down slow enough but some guys do bring a bucket or drift sock to pull to slow them down even more. if you have a portable FF it helps, so do clamp on rod holders and seat cushons. if you want shoot me a PM and I could give you a better starting point. Mid week is best but when the salmon are up top there are people there no mater what, but weekends are CRAZY from opening weekend through the end of may. Tight Lines, Kris

 

You fish in the Quabbin all year :confused: :confused: :confused:

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