Hurling Hardware: Spoons and crankbaits are overall favorites for nearshore salmon and steelhead, though bait-fishing, trolling, and flycasting can be effective, too, in many situations. In any case, it’s a good idea to armor up your lures with stout trebles, since one vicious strike by a steelhead can wreck a lesser hook. On Lake Ontario, Kormos has had good luck with Wolverine Tackle’s 3/4-ounce Silver Streak CJ Wobbler spoon in glow, beefed up with a stronger split ring and a Gamakatsu treble. For plugs, he often casts a large Reef Runner Rip Shad, but at times he finds the J13 Rapala in gold fluorescent red or firetiger the best option. He always spools with 50-pound-test PowerPro braided line.
Kormos is adamant that speed is the key to success when fishing spoons, and he recommends a deep approach, keeping the lure moving slowly, 4 or 5 feet off the bottom. “If the spoon is spinning, it’s worthless,” he says. “If you’re not snagging bottom every few casts you’re fishing too fast.” Most Lake Michigan anglers agree, noting that you want a spoon to flutter, not rotate.
On Lake Erie, Lewis is partial to Wolverine Tackle’s Silver Streak Cobra or a CJ Wobbler, both in 5/8-ounce and blue-silver. He also throws crankbaits, favoring the Reef Runner Rip Shad in Mooneye Minnow, along with a #7 Rapala Shad Rap painted white, or a Rapala Glass Shad Rap in Glass Shad.
He fishes breakwalls and piers around Cleveland, typically targeting the 9- to 18-foot zone. To refine depth preference, he counts the spoon to the bottom on his first cast. On his second, he begins the retrieve one second sooner, repeating this pattern with each subsequent cast, keeping track of his countdowns until he contacts fish and a pattern begins to develop.
Cranks can be retrieved at a quicker pace than spoons, though a steady retrieve is also key. Jed Litwiller, who guides with Morlock on the east coast of Lake Michigan, fishes Storm ThunderSticks or ThunderStick Jrs. in firetiger, chartreuse, or glow. “I use a medium to fast retrieve depending on water temperature,” Litwiller reports, ”and the warmer the water, the faster we crank.” He keeps the retrieve speed steady but changes direction by moving the rod tip from one side to the other. “I often hit a fish just after swinging the rod tip,” he says. “That change in direction triggers strikes from following fish.”
On the rocky western shore of Lake Michigan, avid salmon angler, luremaker, and outdoor writer Marc Wisniewski likes the effects of a west wind. In summer, he’s found that west winds often cause alewives to school near shore, drawing king salmon. He fishes between sunset and midnight, casting from shore into the 6- to 8-foot depths with 5/8-ounce Luhr Jensen Krocodile spoons or chrome 3/4-ounce Luhr Jensen Cast Champ spoons, touched up with glow tape or Component Systems SuperGlow paint. He warns, however, not to overdo the glow. “I found I was getting kings on my last few casts before recharging the paint,” he says. “Now I put on just a hint of phosphorescence.”
In those waters during fall, Wisniewski also has success with spinners. During November, in the area’s clear, swift rivers, he slowly works an orange Mepps #3 or #4 Aglia spinner or a #4 Aglia Long in quick currents on a light leader to entice coho.
Bait Up: On Lake Erie, Lewis sometimes goes for nearshore steelhead, fishing jigs and chunk spawn under slipfloats. He prefers Brad’s Jigs in 1/32 to 1/64 ounce because they’re made for steelhead, using 2x strong hooks. He rigs them on a 6-foot leader of 8- to 10-pound fluorocarbon, suspended below a Raven float.
