Damn Good Lake Ontario Fishing Guides

Lake Ontario might be the smallest of the great lakes, but it is certainly still great. Still in the top 15 largest lakes in the world by size, Lake Ontario is home to tons of game fish that are perfect for a trip. While you are fishing for most of the species in this lake, a few key things to keep in mind are bait, water temperature, and the depth of your lures. Many guides use downriggers to help them lower their baits to reach the fish, but you can also use divers or weights.

Due to the size of the lake and the amount of water to cover, many anglers choose to troll the lake in the warmer months in search of trout and salmon. Both of these fish species can reach mammoth sizes and landing one is no easy task. These fish have been known to straighten hooks and break lines, which is part of the draw of targeting these powerful fish. Salmon are well known for their delicious meat but lake trout are also a quality fish to eat.

These vicious predatory fish can truly crush baits and make your heart race. Pike are more common and can be caught on a variety of tackle. On the other hand, the elusive musky has earned a reputation as “the fish of 10,000 casts” because of its difficulty to catch.

Pike will range from shallow cover to being suspended in deep water. With such a wide variety of environments, the tackle used to target pike will vary just as much. Lures, spoons, and live bait are all great options for success.

Musky grow huge but are a surprisingly fickle and picky eater. Musky have been known to follow a lure all the way back to the boat on to turn and swim away. Because of this anglers targeting musky have developed a technique of dragging their bait in a circle before pulling it out of the water to recast just in case a musky decides to strike. If you want a challenge like no other take a trip to Lake Ontario and target musky.

Smallmouth bass are common throughout the lake and are a popular game fish for the area eating everything from artificial lures to soft plastics and live bait. Largemouth can be found in Lake Ontario but not in open water which makes them very uncommon. Walleye can be targeted in a variety of ways with casting or trolling being the most popular. Walleye are also widely regarded as one of the best freshwater fish to eat and the anglers in the area celebrate the opportunity to keep a few for dinner.

Due to the size of the lake, conditions in the center of the lake can be substantially different from the shore. Our licensed and insured guides know these waters like the back of their hand and watch the weather reports diligently, and will make sure you make it back safely to shore with some awesome pictures and a ton of fish.