On July 21, 2012 Ed Bortree from Jermyn PA was on his first trip to Lake Ontario with some friends. Up until this point Ed was mostly a bass and walleye fisherman but that may be about to change. Ed is pictured here with his first ever King Salmon it weighed in at 26 pounds. It was caught on a on siggs fly behind silver flasher about 4 miles offshore while fishing aboard the BUC-A-ROO July and August are the prime months to fish for King Salmon as they are feeding heavily before the fall spawning runs.

   Lake Ontario is the 14th largest lake in the world. Lake Ontario is 193 miles long and 53 miles wide, with 726 miles of shoreline. Its average depth is 283 feet, and its maximum depth is over 800 feet. At one time the lake was nearly dead but in the last 30 years it has seen an amazing change. The severe pollution has stopped and the use of pesticides has been resolved.

   The DEC has been stocking trout and salmon for over 20 years now. It was hoped that someday they would establish a self sustaining populations. The lake trout, brown trout and the steelhead do have a significant amount of natural reproduction, but not enough to stop the stocking programs. Very little reproduction of king salmon occurs naturally but coho salmon have had significant success on a few occasions.

  Lake Ontario has many Charter Boats available to let you enjoy a wonderful day of fishing on Lake Ontario. Most charters target trout and salmon. Some charters also fish for smallmouth bass, walleye, yellow perch, and muskellunge. Charters range in price and duration most offer half and full days fishing with prices ranging from $300 to $600 depending on the species you are fishing for and the number of passengers that will be onboard.

  If you are looking for a trophy to hang on the wall, chances are you can get one while fishing from a charter boat. Most captains are on the lake daily and are well aware of current hots spots and lures. They also work together and share info to help keep the clients happy. Should the weather turn bad and your trip end prematurely most captains will pro rate the trip or in some cases reschedule another day.

  The Charter Boats on Lake Ontario are well equipped with the best fishing tackle money can buy! They also have the latest in electronics, with GPS, radar, fishfinders, cell phones, some even feature underewater cameras hooked to the downriggers that show the fish chasing and hitting the lures. Some captains also have a VCR hooked up to record the fishing action under the water for you. A few of the charter captains even provide free fishing photos or will record your trip with a camcorder upon request.

  The Charter Boats season usually starts in early April and runs until the end of September. Spring fishing in April and May is usually done by trolling stickbaits and spoons off of planner boards. As the water warms up more in May and June the fishing will slowly move off shore. For the rest of the summer Downriggers, Dipsey Divers, and Leadcore Lines, will become the main methods of targeting trout and salmon. July and early August will find most of the best fishing off shore. Near the end of August the fishing will move inshore again as the trout and salmon begin to stage for spawning runs.

   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.