2014 Boat Buyer`S GuiDe - Lake Champlain International

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NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2013
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November/December 2013 page 1
®
Fishing the Frost Bite
For anglers who brave freezing
temperatures, the openwater
lake trout and salmon action
is hot on Lake Champlain
in winter.
The author and Pat Church
caught this big winter
lake trout while trolling at
Champlain Bridge.
-Photo by Todd Flint
Shoveling snow off the boat
ramp is one of the hallmarks
of the “Frost Bite.”
Photo by Todd Flint
By Shawn Good
T
hey call themselves the Frostbite Fleet, and they have names
like Crazy Ivan, Icedawg, SuperCab, Instigator, Reelax, Digitroll and 4Cs. The unique and cryptic list of “Frostbiters” reads
like a Robert Ludlum novel, but the real people attached to
these monikers are no spies harboring state secrets. In fact, they are some
of the nicest, most forthcoming anglers I have met in a long, long time.
The folks who consider themselves part of the Frostbite Fleet are
members of a tight-knit community of fishermen whose favorite winter
pastime is to ply the icy depths of Lake Champlain—by boat.
While everyone else is hitting the slopes, Frostbiters are catching
landlocked Atlantic salmon pushing or exceeding 10 pounds and lake
On The Water
page 38
Pat Church fights a December lake trout.
trout well beyond that, with the occasional
giant steelhead or football-sized brown
trout thrown in for good measure.
In recent years, the Lake Champlain
coldwater fishery has been hitting heights
never seen before, and it’s poised to explode even more in the next few years. And
believe it or not, there’s arguably no better
time to take advantage of this exceptional
fishery than in the dead of winter.
Braving the Elements
For many years, the die-hards of this exclusive club have chased winter salmon and
lakers more or less in solitude, seemingly
impervious to the sting and bite of the bitter
temperatures.
Only the harshest New England winter
weather seems to keep these guys off the
water. On most days in December, January,
and even through February, a small flotilla
-Photo by Shawn Good
of boats can be seen trolling the ice-free
waters of Lake Champlain’s central basin,
where the lake is its widest and deepest.
However, due in no small part to the
eagerness of Frostbiters to share it with
others, the word is out on the spectacular
openwater winter fishing that has developed in recent years on Champlain, and
the flotilla has steadily grown.
Still, it takes a special kind of person to
tow a boat and trailer over wintry roads
into an unplowed snow-covered parking
lot, back down a slippery concrete ramp,
launch a boat, and break 40 yards of ice to
reach the unfrozen waters of Champlain—
all in below-freezing air temperatures!
Clearly, it’s not for everyone. However,
for those brave souls willing to gear up
properly and brave the elements, winter
trolling on Champlain can pay big dividends.
On The Water
Being more of a bass and pike guy, stories
of the Frostbite Fleet intrigued me. The
more I heard about them, the more curious
I became, until one day I decided I needed
a better understanding and appreciation of
this unique angling opportunity and the
folks hooked on it.
So, last December I spent a blustery,
cold, but incredibly successful day aboard
a vessel fittingly Christened the Crazy
Ivan. I met owner Todd Flint of Salisbury,
Vermont and his friend (and frequent first
mate) Pat Church of Milton, Vermont, at
the State Boat Launch across the bridge in
Port Henry, New York.
It was still dark at 6:30 a.m. when Todd
backed his 19-foot C-Dory in and turned
the outboard over, letting it idle on the
trailer for a few minutes to warm up. A thin
Grady O’Connor shows off a big winter
salmon on Lake Champlain. -Photo by Todd Flint
layer of skim ice covered the harbor inside
the breakwall, but beyond that, it was open
water as far as you could see.
Once underway, we motored southeast,
and I watched on Todd’s Lowrance HDS
5x as the depths dropped into 50 plus feet
of water, then leveled out.
To my surprise, he slowed the boat down
to a crawl, passed the helm over to Pat, and
began setting up an array of downriggers,
dipsy divers, and flatlines off inline planer
boards. I was under the assumption we’d
be fishing much, much deeper water.
“In the winter, with no thermocline, the
fish can be anywhere, but really, they follow the bait,” explained Todd. “Find the
stacks of alewife and you’ll find lakers and
salmon all around them. Then, it’s only a
matter of time.”
We trolled south for some distance,
zigzagging as we went, but Todd wasn’t
With lines in, it’s a good time to take in a
winter sunrise on Lake Champlain.
-Photo by Shawn Good
November/December 2013 page 39
This pair of landlocked salmon was taken on a cold January day.
-Photo by Randy Colomb
While most fishermen have put away their boats for the season, the dedicated few who
make up the “Frostbite Fleet,” like Todd Flint and Bill Bryden, catch fish all winter long.
Photo by Reggie Swenor
happy with the sparse baitfish activity on
the screen. Back at the helm, he swung
the boat around and headed north, taking
a bearing that would bring us over the
outside tip of a mid-depth bar extending
off the Vermont shore.
As the bottom came up, baitfish began
to appear on the screen, appearing as a
solid band on the graph, 10 feet off the
bottom, 10 feet thick. The bait school was
so dense, it looked like we were getting a
bottom echo on the screen. Smiling, Todd
said, “Get ready.”
Almost on cue, a rod fired, then another.
I grabbed one and Pat grabbed the other.
We both battled heavy fish that were dogging hard for the bottom. “Lakers,” grunted
Pat, as he continued battling his fish with
a big smile. “A salmon would have been
airborne by now!”
Losing one and boating the other, we
knew the fish were in the area, and as long
as we could stay on the bait, Todd figured
we’d be onto fish for a good while. Todd
Crazy Ivan Lures
A few years ago, Todd Flint and Pat Church were frustrated with the availability of spoons and color patterns they considered effective on Lake Champlain’s
landlocked Atlantic salmon. So, taking matters into their own hands, they
created Crazy Ivan Lures. They personally hand-paint each and every pattern
offered on their website, not to mention the hours of field testing involved to
ensure every lure is a fish catcher! Visit them at www.crazyivanlures.com.
let me steer for a bit while he and Pat began salmon, with me boating the only one of
working the spread, moving from rod to the day—a beautiful 21-inch silvery rocket
rod. Some downriggers were brought up that ended up in my oven that night.
shallower, others dropped deeper, as they
In a brief lull in the action that day, I
tried to find the magic depth.
asked Todd and Pat what it was that makes
Line counters were checked on the winter trolling on Champlain so appealing
dipsy rods, but not adjusted. “117 feet to them.
back. That’s what we run. Not 115. Not
“This is a religion out here,” said Todd.
120. You make sure the line counter reads “It’s no different than any other winter
117,” joked Todd. Or was he? Every time sport. People ice fish, downhill ski, snowa dipsy rod went off and it was my turn, he mobile … we just choose to chase fish out
made sure it was at 117 when I set it back of our boats. If you prepare for it, dress for
out. Over the 6 hours we
were on the water, the
dipsy rods saw way more
action than the downriggers, so maybe he was on
to something!
We managed to stay
on the bait most of the
day, and the fishing was
steady. We boated over
30 lake trout, many going
over 10 pounds, and we
lost another 20 or so that
we couldn’t handle. All
monster fish, I’m sure!
We also went 1 for 4 The thick band of baitfish just off the bottom is a good sign
that feeding lakers and landloc ks are nearby. Photo by Shawn
on landlocked Atlantic Good
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it, it can be comfortable.”
Added Pat, “It’s a bit serene, peaceful
even, out here in the winter, despite the
cold. There’s no one else out here, not
like summer. The snow and ice changes
the way the lake looks. It’s a beautiful
thing. And, as long as I can get my
boat on the water, the fishing is on. It’s
spectacular all around!”
The author caught this
21-inch salmon off a shallowrunning dipsy diver.
Photo by Pat Church
The Good Old Days
Are Now
Longtime winter troller Randy Colomb
of Vergennes, Vermont, has been chasing trout and salmon on Champlain for
nearly 30 years, and has seen the worst
the lake has to offer. But now, he and
everyone else are experiencing what is
quite possibly the best salmonid fishing
the lake has ever provided.
“In my mind, it really has become the
premier salmonid fishery in the region,”
says Randy. “The lake trout and Atlantic
salmon seem to be getting bigger and
bigger every year. It’s just world class.”
James Ehlers, Executive Director of
Lake Champlain International, the host
of the annual Father’s Day Derby, agrees.
“Ten-pound lake trout used to be all the
rage on Champlain, but those days are long
behind us,” says Ehlers. “You only have to
look at the LCI Father’s Day results over
the last 10 years to see the amazing increase
in size of Champlain’s salmonids.”
As a clear example of this, Ehlers points
to a 10.37-pound lake trout that won its category in the 2004 LCI Father’s Day Fishing
Derby. That same lake trout would have
landed in 77th place in the 2013 Derby.
From 1st to 77th in 9 years. “It’s just an
amazing success story,” says Ehlers.
Much of this can be attributed to the
implementation of a successful sea lamprey control program, according to Brian
Chipman, a Vermont Fish and Wildlife
Department fisheries biologist who works
on Lake Champlain.
“Prior to getting an effective sea lamprey
control program in place, landlocks rarely
lived beyond their second lake-year. And
lake trout, though longer lived, were small
and skinny, suffering high incidences of
sea lamprey attacks, and high rates of
mortality.”
But now, trout and salmon survival and
conditions have improved dramatically,
and the fishery and fishing has exploded.
“Our fall assessments this year showed
an abundance of older, larger fish. We
handled a lot of salmon in the 4- to 6-pound
range, and several in the 8- to 10-pound
range” says Chipman. “This suggests that
more salmon are surviving beyond their
second year in the lake after being stocked
as 7-inch yearlings.”
That’s very good news for Champlain
anglers.
“We started out in little tin boats, dragging lead core around,” he recalls with a
laugh. “We were crazy back then. But, we
were catching fish, and it was so much fun
that I eventually gave up hunting entirely
so I could focus on late fall and winter
fishing.”
That fun hasn’t changed. It’s actually
Frostbite Evolution
It was sometime around 1985, recalls
Randy Colomb, when he and a few
other friends realized that they could catch
salmon in the open water of winter. With
no closed season for lake trout, landlocked
Atlantic salmon, steelhead or brown trout
on Lake Champlain, the opportunities were
there, and they just had to figure out how
to take advantage.
grown as the fishing has improved, and as
more anglers have joined what they now
call the Frostbite Fleet.
“It’s a friendly, sharing community of
fishermen,” remarks Randy. “We all help
each other out, especially those new to the
sport. It’s not like a lot of the other types of
fishing where people are secretive and try
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November/December 2013 page 41
Ken Pidgeon trolls an ice line on Lake Champlain in early February.
Fishermen can expect to break a little ice on their way to the fishing grounds.
Photo by Reggie Swenor
to keep everything to themselves.”
rough conditions that sometimes develop
There’s even a strong contingent of quickly.
Frostbiters who live in Quebec, says
Winter fishing for salmon and trout on
Randy, making the trip down to mid-lake Lake Champlain is much like fishing for
Champlain numerous times throughout them in early spring, though the fishing
the winter. “These are all great guys, and gets better as the water gets colder, with 42
they’ve fit right in. They buy licenses, visit degrees being “magic,” according to both
shops, buy food, gas. It supports the whole Todd and Randy.
region. And it’s all because of what the
To find the fish, anglers should always
fishing has become.”
set up their spread to cover multiple water
For the most part, the days of fishing out depths and slowly adjust as the fish tell you
of open, 14-foot aluminum boats are over. where they are. It usually doesn’t take long
These have been replaced with enclosed to dial in a preferred depth for the day. It
cabins and canvas tops and sides. Many helps to have good quality electronics to
guys run propane space heaters inside as mark bait, helping narrow down highOnTheWater-Nov-13
copy.pdf
1
7/31/13
3:59 zones
PM
well. Larger
boats with deep
hulls are
percentage
to troll. Most guys find
generally recommended to handle the trolling speeds between 1.8 and 2.5 mph
C
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On The Water
page 42
Photo by Rob Thorne
to be most effective.
Access and Safety
Lake Champlain is a big lake, and learning
how to access and safely navigate it in the
winter is essential. Nestled between the
rolling valleys and foothills of Vermont’s
Green Mountains and the rugged Adirondack Mountains of New York, the lake is
120 miles long and 12 miles wide at its
widest point, with an average depth of 64
feet and a maximum depth of 400 feet.
The winter trout and salmon trolling
takes place almost exclusively in the lake’s
central basin, mostly because it’s the deepest part of the lake and that’s where the fish
are, but also because this area rarely freezes
over. With 100 to 300 feet of water found
just boat lengths from shore, it takes a lot
to cool this giant thermal mass down to
the freezing point. On top of that, the long
north-south fetch and the open expanse
of water exposed to the prevailing winds,
which seem to blow from the northwest and
the northeast simultaneously, generate both
current and surface disturbance, keeping
the ice at bay.
There are two public boat ramps on each
side of the lake in the central basin that generally don’t freeze in. On the Vermont side
of the lake, most winter trollers use Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department access
areas at either Converse Bay (Charlotte) or
Chimney Point (Addison). On the other
Millard Flint holds a nice December
steelhead caught on Champlain.
Photo by Todd Flint
side of the lake, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has
public ramps in Port Henry and Westport.
Winter anglers should always put safety
first. Fish to your ability and comfort level,
and don’t push it. Staying in touch with
others out on the water can be a life-saver.
Nearly every Frostbiter has a marine CB radio tuned to Channel 68. For both first-time
and experienced winter anglers, Colomb
recommends an introduction and a radio
check as soon as you launch, and a sign-off
when you pull out at the end of the trip.
The winter-trolling community keeps
tabs on each other at all times while on the
water, and there’s always a lot of radio chatter. Anglers are quick to help each other out,
whether it’s announcing changing weather
and lake conditions, informing everyone
when they find a hot location with active fish,
or unlocking a key depth and lure pattern.
Keep in mind that State of New York
boating regulations require all boaters
aboard vessels under 21 feet in length to
wear personal flotation devices between
November 1 and May 1 while on New York
waters of Lake Champlain.
Winter Boat Care
Fishing on the open water of a partially
frozen lake is not without its mechanical
challenges.
First, it’s imperative that wheel bearings are well maintained and packed with
grease. A good set of Bearing Buddies
are your friend. Any other grease fittings
on your trailer, generally found on your
axles and tongue, should be lubed at the
beginning of the season and checked often
throughout the winter.
If you don’t want split hoses and broken
pumps, you should also plug up livewell
and baitwell drains with rubber stoppers to
keep water out.
When ice forms along the shoreline
in front of the boat ramp, Randy advises
against just backing in to break the ice—
you’re apt to break off your trailer lights
that way. Instead, break holes in the ice at
the ramp first with a shovel or ice chisel to
make an opening. Once your trailer is in,
start the motor and let it run to warm up.
Once the tell tale starts streaming water,
put your motor in forward gear and blow
the ice out to the open water in your prop
wash. It will then be clear to launch.
Aside from warming up the motor, the
other benefit of letting the boat sit on the
trailer in the water is that it will ensure your
boat actually comes off the trailer when
The Frostbite Shootout
Just as the Daytona 500 marks the beginning of the NASCAR race season,
the Frostbite Shootout has quickly become the unofficial announcement
that the “Frostbite Season” has arrived. Generally held the first Saturday of
November, this bragging-rights-only derby will celebrate its 5th year this November, the last four of which have been marshaled by Randy Colomb. The
derby format is as friendly as the Frostbiters who participate, and is open to
anyone who wants to join with no entry fee! Contestants, usually two or three
to a boat, can launch out of any port they want, starting no earlier than sunrise. Everyone meets up at 1 p.m. at Point Bay Marina on the Vermont shore
for a tailgate BBQ and to determine the derby winner. The single heaviest
landlocked Atlantic salmon over 20 inches in length is awarded the Salmon
Trophy. The winner gets his or her name engraved on the attractive piece of
hardware, and keeps it for the year, and hands it over to the next winner the
following year.
For more information on the Frostbite Shootout, visit the Lake Champlain
United website at www.lakechamplainunited.com. The website also has a
very active fishing forum with over 1,100 registered members.
you’re ready to launch.
Todd says that on more than one occasion, it was so cold out when he put the
boat on the trailer, the boat froze solid to
the bunks, and the next time he tried to
launch, it wouldn’t come off. “Even after
soaking in the water at the ramp for 25
minutes, it was still frozen to the trailer.
My boat was floating my trailer 4 feet off
the lake bottom!” laughed Todd. “I couldn’t
believe it. I finally had to climb out onto the
wheel-well and pry the boat off.”
At the end of each trip, it’s important to
drain as much water out of the motor and
the rest of the boat as possible. Once in the
lot, Randy will trim the motor all the way
down, draining most of the water from the
lower unit. Once the water stops draining,
he’ll start his outboard and let it run 15 to
20 seconds. Finally, he runs all onboard
pumps to cycle water out of them.
By following these simple steps, Randy
says he has never had mechanical issues
related to freezing water in 25 years of
winter fishing on Champlain.
And finally, remember that road salt
can wreak havoc on your trailer. A quick
spraydown in a car wash on the way home
isn’t a bad idea.
If you’re an angler who enjoys exciting fishing opportunities regardless of the
weather, and you think you have the grit,
mettle, and sheer stubbornness to join the
Frostbite Fleet, give Lake Champlain a
try this winter for unbelievable trout and
salmon action. Despite the freezing temperatures, you’ll be rewarded with some
of the hottest action of the year.
Shawn Good is an avid Vermont angler, and a fisheries biologist with the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department. Among other duties, Shawn works on Lake Champlain’s salmonid restoration program, including
helping implement the sea lamprey control program.
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November/December 2013 page 43