Lake Ontario Salmonoids - Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge

BMAC · 10-13-2012, 07:06 AM

As someone who fishes La Jolla once a year with my Brother and enjoys reading the fishing stories on BWE while I'm unable to fish during the winter- I thought I would contribute a bit to the forum.

I had been fishing Lake Ontario for a while with limited success but last year ( after my brother and I spent 3 days paddling after the DH in his Hobie) My Brother and I went out and made the upgrade and got Hobies. This proved to be the ticket for big water fishing for me as it allowed me to add a downrigger and increased my trolling range considerably. Average day on the water for me is 7-10 hrs of trolling and when you're pulling spoons in 50-90 depth and have to keep pace at 2-2.5mph paddling isn't ideal.

Average day is about 3 fish with a good day being 7-8... My apologies for the bad pics - There is only a handful of guys here who even go out on the lake in kayaks and as such I fish alone the majority of the time.

This was the first mature Chinook of the year for me so I had a beer - Why not?

Good Look at a smaller Chinook

Brown Trout

Big Dark Chinook (38 inches)Getting Ready to Run up the River

Better View of it in the net

My Buddy Clint from North Carolina who worked hard ( paddling my old P13) for this Coho Salmon that went straight onto the grill!

The Big Chinook Salmon are a lot of fun. We are in deep water and don't have kelp, dolphins, seals, sharks etc to deal with so I only use a 17 lb weighted rod and 20 lb flouro leader.

I normally run one line deep for Chinooks and run another lighter rod ( bass rod) higher in the water column for Rainbow Trout - Much smaller than the chinooks but I seem to catch a handful of them every time out. They fight hard for their size normally bust at least one jump 3-4 feet out of the water.

Small one but a cool pic of the Toronto Skyline

And of course - You gotta get out there early as the bite often shuts down in the afternoon.

It was a banner year on Lake Ontario for me but this is the pic thats going on my wall - You are all so lucky to be able to fish La Jolla - Tight Lines

kayakhunter · 10-13-2012, 07:20 AM

That Great Lakes Salmon fishery has always intrigued me. Sick.

blitzburgh · 10-13-2012, 07:36 AM

TOO COOL!

Thanks for the report!

mtnbykr2 · 10-13-2012, 07:55 AM

Wow, this was a great report, nice fish porn, beautiful scenery, I can almost smell em cookin, thank you for the report, gonna have to get there sometime
and try my hand at that chinookage....

ful-rac · 10-13-2012, 09:37 AM

Wow!!! F-irvine lake! Awsome nice pictures! Looks like you had some great fishn out there!

vincentek9 · 10-13-2012, 10:11 AM

where is this lake ontario?!?!?!?!

dorado50 · 10-13-2012, 10:17 AM

Beautiful fish...I bet that place freezes over once winter sets in

T-Rex · 10-13-2012, 10:52 AM

Healthy looking fish! Thanks for sharing.

bus kid · 10-13-2012, 01:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vincentek9

where is this lake ontario?!?!?!?!

just a little east of LJ

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Ontario

mtnbykr2 · 10-13-2012, 01:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bus kid

just a little east of LJ

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Ontario

...

....

roby · 10-13-2012, 07:49 PM

Beautiful pics...

Nice, healthy looking fish...

PE.rider · 10-14-2012, 12:55 AM

Try using a line-counting reel for trolling the edge of the drop-offs like you're using a down-rigger.

Thanks for the great report and fish porn!

lowprofile · 10-14-2012, 10:59 AM

that would be awesome to do sometime.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bus kid

just a little east of LJ

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Ontario

and just south east of Ontario itself.

have you really never heard of the great lakes, aka the HOMES lakes?

Huron. Ontario, Michigan, Erie and St Clair?

Poxy Boggards · 10-15-2012, 03:15 PM

Wow, those are some beauties! Congrats on the epic season! What time of year is the best to fish for the chinooks out there? Another place to fish has just been added to the bucket list.

Those Rainbows look like Steelhead to me. No par marks below the latteral line.

GHOSTHUNTR · 10-15-2012, 04:05 PM

Wonderful fishery you got there, the rehabilitation of the Great Lakes is remarkable. I hear the brown trout fishing is fantastic as well.

BMAC · 10-15-2012, 04:59 PM

The Brown Trout Fishing is OK on the north Side but apparently is unreal in the South end of the Lake near Rochester NY.

Anytime in the summer is a good time to fish for Salmon. A lot of guys fish the river mouths in the fall for staging kings but I find the fresh silver kings you can get from May-August fight way harder.. You need to go further offshore but Its worth it.

Rainbows vs Steelhead... Thats a complex subject and even the experts dont always agree.. In the great lakes they are stocked and may even be a hybrid of rainbow and steelhead.. hard to say... they colour up when they get in the river and look more like rainbows..

The main baitfish in the lake are Alewife and there are tons of them. Last time I was out I trolled through a cloud of them the length of a football field and your downrigger rods shake because the line is bumping into them. Its pretty easy to catch them but its actually illegal to use alewife for live bait.. Makes no sense to me.... Anyway since you can only run a cut bait plug I find its just as effective and easier to troll spoons...

THE DARKHORSE · 10-23-2012, 04:51 PM

All I've got to say is that if this guy tries to get you into a jackpot for money, for biggest fish, most fish, or first fish of the day---run!

Seriously, run as if your life depends on it. If every client was a fish magnet like this gentlemen I'd be rich.
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
Nice report my man. It's always cool seeing fish from another world. Especially after hearing so much about them. They're beautiful!
,
,
,
I'm not going to lie, though, if I ever came out I'd be itching to put a circle hook in one of their noses and toss 'em back in. You know, just to see what happens?

steveooo · 10-23-2012, 10:58 PM

Not sure how I missed this one either

Awesome pics. Looks like I need to add another place to my "bucket list" of fishing destinations. Do you ice fish it when it freezes up?

Keep the reports coming.

kanuk · 10-26-2012, 08:18 AM

Those are definitely some beautiful fish, no doubt!

Hopefully next year I'll have a post like this (obviously, with a bigger king hehe...)

Good job bro - see you soon in the great white north.....

10-13-2012, 07:06 AM	#1
BMAC Junior Join Date: Jul 2011 Posts: 6	Lake Ontario Salmonoids As someone who fishes La Jolla once a year with my Brother and enjoys reading the fishing stories on BWE while I'm unable to fish during the winter- I thought I would contribute a bit to the forum. I had been fishing Lake Ontario for a while with limited success but last year ( after my brother and I spent 3 days paddling after the DH in his Hobie) My Brother and I went out and made the upgrade and got Hobies. This proved to be the ticket for big water fishing for me as it allowed me to add a downrigger and increased my trolling range considerably. Average day on the water for me is 7-10 hrs of trolling and when you're pulling spoons in 50-90 depth and have to keep pace at 2-2.5mph paddling isn't ideal. Average day is about 3 fish with a good day being 7-8... My apologies for the bad pics - There is only a handful of guys here who even go out on the lake in kayaks and as such I fish alone the majority of the time. This was the first mature Chinook of the year for me so I had a beer - Why not? Good Look at a smaller Chinook Brown Trout Big Dark Chinook (38 inches)Getting Ready to Run up the River Better View of it in the net My Buddy Clint from North Carolina who worked hard ( paddling my old P13) for this Coho Salmon that went straight onto the grill! The Big Chinook Salmon are a lot of fun. We are in deep water and don't have kelp, dolphins, seals, sharks etc to deal with so I only use a 17 lb weighted rod and 20 lb flouro leader. I normally run one line deep for Chinooks and run another lighter rod ( bass rod) higher in the water column for Rainbow Trout - Much smaller than the chinooks but I seem to catch a handful of them every time out. They fight hard for their size normally bust at least one jump 3-4 feet out of the water. Small one but a cool pic of the Toronto Skyline And of course - You gotta get out there early as the bite often shuts down in the afternoon. It was a banner year on Lake Ontario for me but this is the pic thats going on my wall - You are all so lucky to be able to fish La Jolla - Tight Lines Last edited by BMAC; 10-13-2012 at 07:23 AM.

10-13-2012, 07:36 AM	#3
blitzburgh Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Menifee Posts: 2,509	TOO COOL! Thanks for the report! __________________ ”The beauty of the Second Amendment is that it will not be needed until they try to take it.” ~Thomas Jefferson.........maybe

10-13-2012, 07:55 AM	#4
mtnbykr2 Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: newbury park ca Posts: 2,323	Wow, this was a great report, nice fish porn, beautiful scenery, I can almost smell em cookin, thank you for the report, gonna have to get there sometime and try my hand at that chinookage.... __________________

10-13-2012, 09:37 AM	#5
ful-rac Emperor Join Date: May 2009 Location: Buena Park Posts: 3,649	Wow!!! F-irvine lake! Awsome nice pictures! Looks like you had some great fishn out there! __________________ There's nothing colder than yesterday's hotdog.

10-13-2012, 10:11 AM	#6
vincentek9 MAYNEE-YAK Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: So Cal Posts: 533	where is this lake ontario?!?!?!?! __________________

10-13-2012, 07:20 AM	#2
kayakhunter Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Orange Posts: 207	That Great Lakes Salmon fishery has always intrigued me. Sick.

10-13-2012, 10:17 AM	#7
dorado50 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: La Jolla Shores Posts: 1,626	Beautiful fish...I bet that place freezes over once winter sets in

10-13-2012, 10:52 AM	#8
T-Rex Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Rancho Santa Margarita Posts: 770	Healthy looking fish! Thanks for sharing. __________________

10-13-2012, 07:49 PM	#11
roby CEO of Team Roby Join Date: Sep 2010 Posts: 905	Beautiful pics... Nice, healthy looking fish...

10-14-2012, 12:55 AM	#12
PE.rider Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: OC, CA Posts: 234	Try using a line-counting reel for trolling the edge of the drop-offs like you're using a down-rigger. Thanks for the great report and fish porn!

10-15-2012, 03:15 PM	#14
Poxy Boggards Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Posts: 146	Wow, those are some beauties! Congrats on the epic season! What time of year is the best to fish for the chinooks out there? Another place to fish has just been added to the bucket list. Those Rainbows look like Steelhead to me. No par marks below the latteral line.

10-15-2012, 04:05 PM	#15
GHOSTHUNTR Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Poway Posts: 160	Wonderful fishery you got there, the rehabilitation of the Great Lakes is remarkable. I hear the brown trout fishing is fantastic as well.

10-15-2012, 04:59 PM	#16
BMAC Junior Join Date: Jul 2011 Posts: 6	The Brown Trout Fishing is OK on the north Side but apparently is unreal in the South end of the Lake near Rochester NY. Anytime in the summer is a good time to fish for Salmon. A lot of guys fish the river mouths in the fall for staging kings but I find the fresh silver kings you can get from May-August fight way harder.. You need to go further offshore but Its worth it. Rainbows vs Steelhead... Thats a complex subject and even the experts dont always agree.. In the great lakes they are stocked and may even be a hybrid of rainbow and steelhead.. hard to say... they colour up when they get in the river and look more like rainbows.. The main baitfish in the lake are Alewife and there are tons of them. Last time I was out I trolled through a cloud of them the length of a football field and your downrigger rods shake because the line is bumping into them. Its pretty easy to catch them but its actually illegal to use alewife for live bait.. Makes no sense to me.... Anyway since you can only run a cut bait plug I find its just as effective and easier to troll spoons...

10-23-2012, 04:51 PM	#17
THE DARKHORSE Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Seven minutes from the launch! Posts: 987	How did I miss this!?! All I've got to say is that if this guy tries to get you into a jackpot for money, for biggest fish, most fish, or first fish of the day---run! Seriously, run as if your life depends on it. If every client was a fish magnet like this gentlemen I'd be rich. , , , , , , , Nice report my man. It's always cool seeing fish from another world. Especially after hearing so much about them. They're beautiful! , , , I'm not going to lie, though, if I ever came out I'd be itching to put a circle hook in one of their noses and toss 'em back in. You know, just to see what happens? __________________

10-23-2012, 10:58 PM	#18
steveooo Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 1,921	Not sure how I missed this one either Awesome pics. Looks like I need to add another place to my "bucket list" of fishing destinations. Do you ice fish it when it freezes up? Keep the reports coming.

10-26-2012, 08:18 AM	#19
kanuk Junior Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: UTC Posts: 25	Those are definitely some beautiful fish, no doubt! Hopefully next year I'll have a post like this (obviously, with a bigger king hehe...) Good job bro - see you soon in the great white north.....