Angler Andrew Cyrus of Massachusetts shows off a beautiful Sebago Lake salmon taken while fishing with Tom Roth. Tom Roth / For Lakes Region Weekly

I picked up the Cyrus father and sons team at Point Sebago as the sun was lighting up the big bay. We motored out to one of my favorite spots and started setting lines. I typically run two downrigger lines for lake trout and two fly rods for salmon, but the salmon have gone a little too deep for fly lines in the past few weeks. Instead, I switched to lead core lines and because we had three clients and myself, I opted to set four lead core lines out. The first lines run off my planer boards. These, for those unfamiliar, are essentially small boards that are attached to the boat at a mast, sent out with a connecting cord on a reel. You send the planer board out on each side of the boat and then attach the lead core line to a clip, after you’ve let out your preferred amount of line.

I let out six to eight colors of lead core and then attached the clip. Six colors equate to 180 feet of line as each color is 30 feet long. The lines follow the cord down to the planer board and this serves to keep these lines away from the boat so they don’t tangle. When a fish strikes, the line comes off the clip and you play the fish. Finally, I set out a rod with lead core line off each side of the boat so that a total of six lines were in the water. When these things run well, it’s great fishing. When they get tangled, it’s a mess.

I was using a mix of my favorite lures as I have had the best luck with lures this season. On the downriggers, I had Northeast Troller spoons, one orange and one green. On the planer board rods I had pearl-colored Mooselook wobblers. Finally, on the lead core lines off each side I had Northeast Troller Wonderbread pattern lures. All these lures have been catching fish this summer, so I was optimistic.

Tom Roth is a freelance outdoor writer who lives in Raymond on the shore of Sebago Lake. He has been fishing and hunting in this region for more than 30 years and is a Registered Maine Guide.

The fishing was slow to start, as it has been since the water really warmed. Surface temperatures were 80 degrees, but a quick check on the buoy monitoring water temperatures and oxygen levels (go to Sebago Lake Monitoring Buoy at the Portland Water District website, pwd.org) showed that from 43 to 63 feet deep, the water was in that magic 45-50 degree range that salmon like. My lead core lines would be covering that depth range just perfectly.

After several strikes, Dad was first up with a small salmon, but he had fun reeling it in. Next up was Andrew with a beautiful salmon, one of the largest we boated this summer. Finally, brother Ryan ended the trip with another decent fish.

The salmon and lake trout are still biting, despite the warm water temperatures. You must go deep, so lead core line or a downrigger is a necessity. I’ve been running lures, but I wager to bet that live bait would work well, just troll it slower. So far I’d have to say this is the best salmon year on Sebago in decades. Hopefully the trend will continue.