Downrigger alternative

[Mmacro]

I am taking my summer vacation soon and will be up at Lake George N.Y. There is some great Laker and landlocked salmon in the lakes up there, but that time of the year it's downrigger fishing. I just can't see trying to work a downrigger, a rod and paddle at the same time. I found this post on another site. What do you think?
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Thought I'd throw one more trick at you, that might work for you at Irvine.

Often this time of Year at Castiac stripers suspend down between forty and sixty feet. I've tried downrigging for them but have had better success using heavy jigs.

Take a heavy ball jig in a 4 to 6 to 8 ounce size.
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You run ten inches of line up to t3way swivel and feet feet of line back to a small lure like a floating rapala. For stripers I like to use a BBZ shad behind it but the idea is to use a light weight lure that stays up high with lots of action. Drop it down and troll with it just like your fishing a downrigger.

Never taken trout with it but I have caught stripers, and my take is the jig just adds fish attraction unlike a dowregger ball or plain weight.

[Mark]

I think you’re pushing the limits of kayak fishing with that rig. But you’ll never know until you try.

Lake George has smallmouth bass. You won’t have to go as deep to find them.

Also, there are many ponds nearby in the Adirondacks. I vacationed at Lake George about 10 years ago. It’s a beautiful area. I’m sorry that I cannot remember the specifics but I hired a guide to take me on a canoe bass fishing trip into one of the secluded Adirondack ponds. It was a great experience.

Enjoy your trip.

Mark

[Turtle135]

Lake George is one of my favorite places on this green earth! But I have not been up there in forever and a day. I suspect the place is much more developed than it was back in the day.

What I did was search for fish with my fish finder, then vertical jigged a silver spoon to them. The lakers I caught were within 5-6 feet of the bottom in about 35 feet of water (if I remember correctly). I would let the spoon hit bottom then rip it upwards a few feet, then let it flutter back down to the bottom. You pick a spoon that will allow you to fish fairly vertically (more wind, heavier spoon).

Also landed some monster yellow perch with this technique.

Good luck!

[Mmacro]

Dave,
Thanks for the advice. My great grandfather purchased the property almost 100 years ago, right up on the Hudson River between Warrensburg and Stony Creek. I'm going to be up there almost three weeks this year and really want to hit Lake George and 13th Lake. Both sound promising.
The smallmouth fishing is off the chart on the river. I can catch them (and fallfish) all day long. I'm really looking for some lunker fish. I think I will try both: trolling the ball jig while looking for the deep water fish and then jigging the heck out of them when I find them.