Pictured here is Ben Criss from Scranton P.A. with a 22 pound Atlantic Salmon. Ben was fishing with his father Dave Criss on one of Lake Ontario's Premier Sportfishing Operations aboard the charter boat BUC-A-ROO with Captain Ron Penna & Captain Chas Townsend. They had an amazing day on the water catching Brown Trout, Lake Trout, Chinook Salmon, Steelhead, and the last fish of the day was this spectacular 22 pound Atlantic Salmon.

  Ben is having this one mounted on his wall by Mountin' Man Taxidermy. This is a real trophy and also set a new record for the largest Atlantic Salmon caught aboard BUC-A-ROO. For those of you who would like to know what lure was used it was a spoon called the Grape Picker. It's a purple spoon with a white ladder back.

  Atlantic Salmon are stocked by the DEC in Lake Ontario, Lake Champlain, Cayuga Lake , and Seneca Lake.. At one time they were a native species to Lake Ontario, but years of over fishing, pollution and degradation of spawning streams brought about thier demise. Since very little natural reproduction occurs, annual stocking is required to maintain a desirable population size.

  In the spring, Atlantic salmon are found in the shallower waters. Once water temperatures reaches the upper 50's, they will move offshore into deeper water. Here they will feed heavily on smelt and alewives. Fisherman looking to target Atlantic salmon will use downriggers, lead-core line, and dipsey divers to get the lures to the desired depths.

  The state record Atlantic Salmon was caught by Mike Dandino from Lake Ontario on 04/05/97. This fish was taken on a Bomber Long A and weighed an amazing 24 lb. 15oz. Due to the efforts of a lot of concerned fisherman and their participation in the the pen rearing projects the atlantic salmon have increased their numbers greatly. Most fisherman will release Atlantics when they can. Reduced competition for food with kings and coho salmon has resulted in many atlantics taken in recent years that are pushing 20 pounds.The best area of the lake to concentrate on for Atlantics would be the Oak Orchard Area in the spring and early summer months.

   The following links break down the best fishing options according to the month of the year. Certain times of the year present excellent fishing opportunities for differnt species and can help make the best of your limited free time.