Capt. Frank Campbell caught this salmon with a MagLip plug
New York State is blessed with diverse and dynamic freshwater sport fisheries with which few states can compare. With more than 7,500 lakes and 70,000 miles of streams and rivers, angling activities abound. At the top of this list, when it comes to angler attraction for both residents and non-residents alike, is the Great Lake of Lake Ontario.
Lake Ontario is New York’s Mount Everest when it comes to the state’s outstanding sport fishery. It leads the way in angler usage, and correspondingly, in economic impact. For the seven counties that border Lake Ontario, including Niagara, Orleans, Monroe, Wayne, Cayuga, Oswego, and Jefferson, a total of nearly $570 million in revenue was realized from sportfishing annually based on a state angler survey collected from 2017 – with much of that the result of this Great Lake. Fishing is big business and a cash “fish” for the counties and the state.
At the top of the list of angling headline acts is its vibrant Chinook salmon fishery. However, public perception is often controlled by its salmon stocking efforts and how the program is progressing.
The lake’s Chinook salmon (often referred to as king salmon) fishery is primarily supported by wild reproduction and supplemented with stocked fish. About two-thirds of all these salmon are naturally reproduced while one third come from the Salmon River Fish Hatchery. In 2026, the lake will receive a 5% increase in salmon stocking along New York’s shoreline. That means over 1.2 million salmon will be planted this year.
To help gain maximum benefit from stocking efforts, seven different pen rearing projects continue to be utilized along the lake for holding salmon, from the Niagara River to the Black River. This year, that will include 865,000 Chinook salmon, all coordinated through individuals, fishing clubs, and charter captains. Salmon are placed in the pens for three to four weeks to increase their survival rates (by better than two to one) and to help the imprinting process. A total of 300,000 salmon are released directly from the Salmon River Fish Hatchery when the fish grow to the right size. Another 82,000 salmon will be directly stocked in the lake, resulting in the 1.2 million-plus total for the complete stocking pie.
The increase in stocking has a direct correlation with a more favorable outlook on the lake’s forage base, especially relative to the alewife population – the number one food source for Chinook salmon. Researchers are predicting that the alewife biomass will likely increase for the next few years thanks to a record collection of Age-1 alewife in 2025.
Brian Klice of Cuba, NY with 24 and a half lb. salmon the spring LOC Derby winner
When you figure in the other salmonid species that include rainbow trout/steelhead, brown trout, lake trout, and Atlantic salmon, over 2.8 million salmon and trout will be loaded into the lake this year for enthusiastic anglers to catch. Stockings traditionally take place in April.
April is also the time of year when the lake fishing is starting to take off from the standpoint of the fishing fraternity. As the water slowly warms, salmon and trout will start to feed and become more aggressive. It’s a great kickoff to the open water season from the Niagara River to the St. Lawrence River and all points in between.
One of the most popular attractions on the lake – from April to September – are the many fishing derbies and tournaments. Leading the way are the Lake Ontario Counties (LOC) Spring, Summer and Fall contests that will be offering over $140,000 in cash for the winners. The spring derby this year is May 1-10, and more information can be found at www.loc.org. These are events won by simply catching the biggest fish overall. Every year, it seems like someone catching their first salmon ever, or their first-time fishing Lake Ontario walks away with a big check. These derbies are huge economic engines for the lakeshore communities, bringing in fishermen and fisherwomen from far and wide.
Fishing tournaments are also popular, where teams of anglers compete for cash and merchandise prizes by catching multiple fish (based on tournament rules) with accumulating weights. Tournaments can be found in just about every county along New York’s Lake Ontario.
We mentioned the big fish that are available in these waters and Lake Ontario has a reputation for producing HUGE fish. State record catches are many from this prolific water, including state record catches for Chinook and Coho salmon, brown trout, rainbow/steelhead, and Atlantic salmon. When you include the St. Lawrence River, add in muskellunge, smallmouth bass, and walleye. Yes, big fish are just around the corner!
You can do this all on your own if you have a boat available to you. There are plenty of launch ramps all along the shoreline, beaconing you to give them a try. Don’t have a boat? You have plenty of options there, too!
The first recommendation for fishing in the lake (whether you have a boat or not), we encourage you to hire a charter captain to sample this amazing resource. One valuable contact is the Lake Ontario Charter Boat Association (www.lakeontariocharterboatassociation.com), a professional group of licensed skippers. Another important website is the Lake Ontario Sportfishing Promotion Council (www.lakeontariofishing.com), offering a complete list of skippers that each county tourism office has available.
Another suggestion is to take advantage of the numerous shore fishing opportunities that exist from one end of the lake to the other. There are plenty of public fishing spots that include piers, fishing platforms, tributaries and more.
Joining a fishing club is a great way to learn about the lake and get started. The Lake Ontario Trout and Salmon Association (www.lotsa1.org) is the go-to group in the western part of the lake, while the Eastern Lake Ontario Salmon and Trout Association (http://www.elosta.org/) covers the eastern end of the basin. Both are inexpensive options for what you can get out of them.
Of course, Lake Ontario and its tributaries are much more than salmon and trout fishing opportunities. It ranks among the best black bass fishing destinations in the country. Muskellunge, northern pike, walleye, yellow perch, carp, and panfish are just some of the other species available to the fishing community. The outdoors is also celebrated with gateways to camping, boating, birding, biking, and hiking throughout the region.
The Lake Ontario Sportfishing Promotion Council, representing New York State’s Lake Ontario communities, works with regional partners and New York Sea Grant to support recreational fishing and showcase the lake’s world class potential. The fishing is only part of the overall attraction to this area … but a big part! Find out more about LOSPC at www.lakeontariofishing.com. See you on the water!