Lake Ontario Salmon Fishing…, for Atlantics!!!

Biologists estimate this 23 1/2" Atlantic boated on 4/30/10 is 2-3 years old.

In a recent Atlantic salmon blog,  I said I would be back with more info when and if I received further details on any management changes that might have resulted in the recent increase in the number of Atlantic salmon we’ve been catching in Lake Ontario this spring.  Those very interesting details are now available.

A little background…, In 1983, the NYSDEC stocked 45,000 landlocked salmon in three different L.O. tributaries and these fish, along with others stoced the next few years produced some surprisingly good salmon fishing , with some fish in the double digit weights.  Unfortunately, this fishery declined, despite additional stockings in following years of a variety of different strains and sizes of landlocked and Atlantics. 

After 2001, despite various landlocked and Atlantic salmon stockings by New York State and the Province of Ontario, the catch of landlocks dropped off to close to zero, and on my charter boat we saw an average of about one per season, , sometimes sublegal, sometimes larger than the 25” size limit, the largest 13.5 lbs.

 I had heard that not much had changed with the landlocked salmon or what biologists are calling Atlantic salmon management program in New York State, but major changes had been made by the Province of Ontario.  When I received the information I asked for about Ontario’s salmon management program, it became very clear why we’re seeing more Atlantics.  Canada’s stocking increased from  199,062 fry and fall fingerlings in 2005 to 836,898 fry, fall fingerling, yearling, and even 698 adult  salmon in 2009, all so-called “LaHave/Harwood” strain Atlantics, a major change in the program. In contrast, the NYSDEC stocked 74,000 Atlantics in 2009.

Although New York and Ontario biologists don’t yet know if the increased number of landlocks is a result of Ontario’s intensified management program, that certainly(emphasis) appears to be the case. 

My guess is also that we may be seeing the beginning of a spectacular Lake Ontario fishery for Atlantic salmon, and, hopefully,  the successful restoration of this once native species in Lake Ontario.  Historic written accounts tell about native landlocked Atlantic salmon in Lake Ontario up to 47 lbs.  Adult fish in the fall were so abundant in tributary streams that spawning salmon in gravelly river fords spooked horses pulling wagons.  Spawning Atlantics were even speared onto wagons for use as food, and even fertilizer for gardens. 

If it happens, hats off to Ontario’s fishery biologists and their historic accomplishment.

Lake Ontario Salmon Fishing Report, May, 2010

Lake Ontario salmon fishing on May, 7, 2010..., Lori got the best of this big boy!

Yes, if you’re wondering and haven’t been out fishing for them, there are some kings and cohos around outside Oswego Harbor.  So far, the numbers haven’t been big, but the size has.

Steve Farrell caught the first one, about 20 lbs.,  of the 2010 season aboard the Fish Doctor on the morning of May 4.    It came on a “Casper” flasher/fly fished on a clear Dipsy on a 7′ roller Dipsy rod.  Another king about the same size was also boated that morning along with browns and lakers.   The second king hit a black venom Mauler.

On May 6, Jethro Pease, Ben, Jason, and Jim  took two more kings along with browns, lakers, cohos and Atlantics.  Riggers, Dipsys, and copper all produced fish, but the two kings came on a thumper rod with a chrome glow dodger and purple/silver fly with a glow sardine insert. 

Then, on May 7, it was Colby Classic grand prize winner Steve LaDue’s friend, Lori, who put the biggest king of the season in the net.  Lori’s fish weighed 22.5 lbs. and hit an NK 28 Diehard at 65 feet on a rigger.  Steve, Lorie, Jay, and Joe also boated some cohos on spoons and flies out in the depths.  They were feeding on yearling alewives and smelt in the top 30 fow.

Not a lot of kings out there, but some nice ones…, enough to make things interesting if you’re entered in one of the derbies!

Lake Ontario Brown Trout Fishing Tips from the Fish Doctor

Here’s a simple lure color selector  that will help you catch more spring browns, and it probably won’t cost you more than 10 cents, if you happen to have a spray can of fluorescent paint around.

Fishing Lake Ontario for spring brown trout can be a challenge at times, especially when it comes to lure color selection.   Variable water color and turbidity complicate the matter even more.  Your favorite spoon or stickbait may be deadly, but if you don’t have the right color in the water, you’ll probably end up going home with a nice clean cooler.

There are some basic recipes for lure color selection based on water clarity, which generally revolve around the rule of thumb…, natural colors like silver, black/silver, black/gray, Tenessee shad, and others in clear water, and lures with more color, with some chartreuse, green, or fluorescent orange in the color pattern, in more turbid the water.  The more turbidity and less visibility, the more color, until you reach near solid chartreuse or orange colors.

That’s fine, if you can figure out exactly what the turbidity is.  If you’re fishing the mouth of a large river like the Oswego, where I do much of my brown trout fishing, the water is commonly turbid or colored most of the time.  If it has been dry and river flow is low, the water in the plume of the river mouth is fairly clear.  If it has been rainy or there is a lot of snow melt, flow is high and the water color can be quite muddy.

Look over the side of the boat on a clear, sunny day with a slight ripple on the lake surface, and the color of the water on an average day might not seem too turbid.   An hour later on the same day, with no actual change in the water color, under overcast skies and a glassy surface, the water will probably look more turbid to you.  Sometimes, it’s just difficult to eyeball this and figure out exactly what the conditions are.

To make life easier(MLE) for myself, and make my lure color selection more effective when I’m fishing spring brown trout, I paint one of the five 6 lb. cannonballs I use on my riggers in the spring fluorescent red.  This give me a water turbidity indicator when I lower it down in the water and check my depth indicator on the rigger when the brightly colored ball disappears from sight.  I call it my COLOR-SEELECTOR.

I have my favorite color patterns, just like you do, and have developed my spring brown trout color selection formula around a combination of what I see with my COLOR-SEELECTOR, overhead light conditions, and what the fish tell me after I put lures in the water.  If my COLOR-SEELECTOR READS(fl. ball disappears) 6-8 feet, and it’s moderately overcast,  I’m going to fish my favorite silver/blue Flutterdevle.  If it reads 3-5 feet, I’m going to fish a silver/blue/green Two-Tone Flutterdevle. 

It works for me, and for 10 cents, how can you go wrong?  The bonus…, if there are any cohos around, they love to snuggle right up close to that red ball and hammer a brightly colored spoon or plug 3 or 4 feet behind it!

A fluorescent red 6 lb. cannon ball, the perfect Color-Seelector for spring Ontario brown trout

Lake Ontario Salmon Fishing Report, August 25

Paul Collis with a hefty king salmon that hit a fly trailing a ProChip 11

When you’re aboard the Fish Doctor salmon fishing in Lake Ontario, you’ll notice one thing…, 11″ ProTroll flashers and Fish Doctor Sushi Flies rule in late August and early September.

One of the reasons…, big flashers catch bigggg staged kings.    With a $20,000 LOC Derby grand prize up for grabs thru September 7,  biggg kings are where it’s at!

Lake Ontario Salmon Fishing Tip, Sushi Flies

An early morning king that hit a Purple Passion flasher and glow green Fish Doctor Sushi Fly on August 13, 2009.

If you’re not fishing 11″ Pro-Troll flashers and Sushi flies for Lake Ontario salmon, you’re missing a bet.  These 11-inch “Big Guys” and flies baited with Familiar Bite alewife strips have been our go-to rigs aboard the Fish Doctor lately.  If  you’ve fished cut bait behind these big attractors in the past, you know the color combos.

Lake Ontario Salmon Fishing Report, August 12, 2009.

Lake Ontario salmon fishing has had it’s ups and downs in the past week since August, 6, 2009.

If you had been onboard the Fish Doctor on August 6 with the Huttner party, you would have thought you were in salmon heaven.  With kings scattering in the 140t0 160 foot area west of Oswego where Capt. Ernie had been fishing the previous three days, it was time to do something different.  Shortly after departing the dock at 5:00 AM, the Fish

This Lake Ontario salmon made Ron work up a sweat when it hit a Prochip flasher and fly on 500 feet of copper

Doctor was on plane headed northwest of Oswego Harbor to deep water in search of bait, kings, and steelhead.  With the fish finder basically void of any fish marks after a 20 minute ride, the Huttner crew was on the verge of mutiny.  But as we approached 500 feet of water, the 10″color Sitex lit up with the marks of alewife schools, kings, and steelhead.  A few hours later, with a limit catch of kings and steelhead in the coolers, the Fish Doctor was headed back to Port. 

After three days of good fishing in deep water, the bait and kings scattered and it was back to hunting mode.  On August 11, the Norris party from Maine found themselves in king salmon heaven once again, with good numbers of kings in 130 feet of water.  Jessica, Ron, and Jeremy caught some dandies that day.  Anxious to return to the same area, the crew was surprised that the fish were gone, with a tally for the first couple hours of fishing of 0 for 2.  A catch of browns up to 9 lbs. and a 14 lb. laker saved the day.

The king salmon fishing the past week?  Definitely a riches or rags deal.  When will the mother lode show up???

Lake Ontario Salmon Fishing Report - July 17

Lake Ontario fishing charters are enjoying some of the best salmon fishing of the charter fishing season right now out of Oswego Harbor.  Just ask Dan Walters and his wife Laurie, who fished aboard the Fish Doctor on July 17 with sons Tyler and Zack, and they’ll tell you they caught some beautiful chrome silver kings up to 20+ lbs, plus a nice laker.  The kings they caught were really putting on the feed bag, crammed right full of adult alewives, with a pot belly to prove it.

It took some patience and persistence, but once we found them in 200 to 4oo feet of water, the action was hot and heavy.  Green ProChips with baited glow green Sushi Flies were the hot item, along with an Oak Orchard favorite, the 42nd spoon.

Lake Ontario Salmon Fishing was hot and heavy aboard the Fish Doctor off Oswego on July 17, 2009

Lake Ontario Salmon Fishing Report - July 15, 2009

Lake Ontario salmon fishing is super right now. This salmon hit a "Goldie Hawn" spoon on 7/1509

If you’re thinking about a Lake Ontario charter fishing trip and you’re thinking about salmon fishing, the chinook salmon fishing out of Oswego is sizzling right now.  Even though the salmon bite was slow late last week and fishing conditions were tough over the weekends with strong westerly winds, that has all changed now.

Limit catches were reported by several Oswego boats on June 14, and fishing was good again today, July 15.  On a brief midmorning scouting trip today, prior to a charter tomorrow, it took only 5 minutes to boat our first king salmon.  Within 15 minutes two nice browns were also caught and released.

Good salmon fishing is all about weather and water conditions, with a bit of cooperation  from the fish as well, and it’s all happening right now out of Oswego.