Damn Good Lake Ontario Fishing Guides

The best fishing trips in Lake Ontario are:

• Angler's Edge Outdoors guided by Joseph S.
• Sich's Guide Service guided by Joseph S.
• Blue Doggie Charters guided by Jarod B.
• Ny Northcountry Bassin guided by Bill L.
• Hammerhead Charters guided by James P.

Our Damn Good Guides currently offer 43 trips in Lake Ontario, and the most popular trips in the area are Salmon & Trout Fishing guided by James, Salmon & Trout Trolling guided by Dennis, and Lake Ontario Fishing - Small Boat guided by Derek.

Our guides in Lake Ontario are rated a 5 out of 5 based on 9499 verified reviews on Captain Experiences.

All guides on Captain Experiences are vetted by our team. You can access their reviews, click through trip photos, read bios to get to know them, and preview trip details like species, techniques, group sizes, boat specs and more.

Looking for kid friendly guides / fishing lessons in Lake Ontario? Check out our beginner and family friendly guides in Lake Ontario.

Deep Sea fishing is the most popular type of fishing in Lake Ontario as well as lake fishing, river fishing, and nearshore fishing.

The most commonly sought after species in Lake Ontario are: 1. brown trout, 2. chinook salmon, 3. lake trout, 4. coho salmon, and 5. rainbow trout.

The most common fishing techniques in Lake Ontario are light tackle fishing, trolling, and artificial lure fishing but fly fishing and bottom fishing are popular as well.

Prices in Lake Ontario can range anywhere from about $450 to $1,700, but the average price for a half day trip in Lake Ontario is $780. The average price for a full day trip in Lake Ontario is $1,040.

Hiring a guide provides a number of benefits and many choose to book a fishing guide for a combination of experience, local knowledge, convenience, and cost-effectiveness.

Working with experienced fishing guides who know the best local spots and techniques can dramatically increase your odds of a great day. Having someone who is on the water every day and knows the area like the back of their hand is going to give you the best chances of success.

Booking a guide is also more cost effective, especially if you only get out a handful of times per year. When you consider all of the costs you would incur on your own such as the price of a boat, maintenance, insurance, gas, high-quality gear and tackle, repairs, and more, you’ll find that DIY is sometimes not worth the expense.

Even if you’ve got a great setup already in your home waters, booking a guide also provides a great opportunity to experience new techniques, new locations, or even a chance at a new target species to knock off the bucket list.

The most popular season for fishing in Lake Ontario is fall, and most anglers book their trips 68 days in advance.

See here for more information on fishing licenses in Lake Ontario, bag limits for target species, and fishing season regulations in Lake Ontario. When in doubt, your guide will always know all the relevant rules and regulations in Lake Ontario.

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.