Skip to main content

2017 Was One for the Record Books


As Winter refuses to let go of her hold on the Northeast, we have had a few reminders of Spring. This has brought about thoughts of drag screaming, line-peeling king salmon!!! It has long been said that the King is the engine that drives the Lake Ontario fishery. In those terms the 2017 King Salmon fishing was an engine out of a race car!

Every year since 1985, the DEC has conducted a survey of boats fishing Lake Ontario between April and September.

The summer of ‘17 was one for the record books. According to the DEC’s preliminary Lake Ontario Fishing Boat Survey for 2017, “Despite limited access to the lake, those able to fish experienced good to excellent fishing quality. Chinook salmon catch rate reached a record high, and coho salmon catch rate was among the highest in the 33 years surveyed. Rainbow trout catch rates improved from recent years across much of the NY shoreline. “

Chinook Salmon – The 5.5-month lake-wide catch rates for Chinook salmon were at the highest levels between 2003 and 2017. The 2017 catch rate (0.14 fish per angler hour) was a record-high, and a 54% increase over the 2003 to 2016 average. The increase was primarily due to excellent fishing during July and August in all regions and above average fishing in much of the lake into September.

The DEC’s extensive record-keeping confirms that the four most popular species among Lake Ontario anglers are: 1.) Chinook salmon; 2.) brown trout; 3.) rainbow trout; and 4.) coho salmon. Last summer, the catch per angler hour for these four species combined increased 45 percent from the 2016 estimate!

If you still haven’t been to Oswego County to experience our incredible fisheries, just take it from our Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner- "The New York State waters of Lake Ontario provide a world famous recreational fishery for trout and salmon, and our numbers show that fishing success is as good as it's been in decades," Commissioner Basil Seggos said. "Lake Ontario consistently ranks as the most heavily fished water in the state and provides some of the best angling opportunities in North America. I encourage all anglers to fish this magnificent waterbody for large trout and salmon in 2018."

So if you haven’t experienced our spectacular fishery, you might want to make the trip!! This should be another year for the record books!!!

Licensed charters depart from marinas in Oswego, Mexico Bay and Selkirk. For a list of charters and guides, and current fishing conditions go to www.visitoswegocounty.com/fishing.

Stay tight and keep up the chase!
Capt. Andy Bliss






Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Salmon River Steelhead Forecast

Salmon River Steelhead Forecast As a temperature start to warm after    long cold winter the first signs of spring Are the reports of spawning Steelhead in the tributaries of Oswego County.    Steelhead which are a form of searun Rainbow Trout stocked in the Great Lakes. They spend most their adult life in the waters of Lake Ontario returning in the fall & winter months to spawn in rivers and creeks that flow into the Inland sea. Even though the steelhead enters the rivers in the fall and winter the majority of the spawn takes place from mid February through late April. Once hatched they spend the juvenile stage in the river returning to the lake when they reach 6-9 inches. Prespawn fish are very aggressively feeding to build up energy to go through the rigor spawning process. As well as post spawn fish trying to put back on body mass after wearing themselves out from the spawn.  With the large number of fish that enter the tributaries, the spawn is carried ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Lake Ontario Brown Trout Forecast

Lake Ontario Brown Trout Forecast Now that life is starting to get back to normal , I hope the fishing on Lake Ontario will follow suit. As I write this, we are currently in our summer transition. The lake is starting to warm up and the fish are starting to slide out to find the water that they prefer.   With the events of the spring of 2020,   the fishing pressure on Lake Ontario was very minimal. This creates an exciting summer. I am anticipating larger than normal brown trout and great salmon numbers! With back to back years of incredible salmon fishing, a lack of pressure this spring and lots of food available, the summer brown trout fishing on the eastern end of Lake Ontario should be one for the record books. If you’re looking to get that wall hanger brown trout, 2020 should be your year! Once the lake has settled into its summer time condition, has a set up thermocline and the fish have settled into their summer homes, it’s time to start hunting the fo...
Post a Comment
Read more

Near Shore Brown Trout will be aggressive & Hungry After a Long and Cold Winter

The April showers remind me of the next great fishery here in Oswego County that is about to kick off, the nearshore brown trout bite. As soon as the ice clears the ramps, brave souls launch their boats in search of the first open water trolling on Lake Ontario in over six months. They are typically greeted by aggressive, hungry brown trout searching for the warmest water around. The water along the shoreline warms the quickest. Whenever the water along the shoreline is stained or cloudy, it warms more quickly under the sun’s bright rays. On a typical day chasing early trout, you find a mix of year classes. Most of your bigger fish will be “post spawn” fish. You will be able to tell by how skinny they are, along with being more colorful. While many that you catch are on the smaller side, they are the best eating! A typical day trolling the shore will include running multiple lines of planer boards, in-line or fixed mast style, shallow down-riggers or even just flatlines....
Post a Comment
Read more