Chasing Chinook: A Beginner’s Guide to Salmon Fishing on Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario is the closest world-class salmon fishery to Southwestern Ontario, and chinook (king) salmon are its headline act. These powerful fish grow past 20 and even 30 pounds, peel drag like nothing else in fresh water, and pull anglers back season after season. If you have never trolled the big lake for salmon, this guide will get you started on the right foot.
Meet the chinook
Chinook salmon are open-water predators that roam Lake Ontario chasing schools of alewife. They relate less to bottom structure and more to water temperature and bait, which is why salmon fishing is a trolling game played with electronics, downriggers and a spread of lures. Coho salmon, rainbow trout (steelhead) and brown trout share the same water and often hit the same gear.
Where and when
Salmon fishing builds through summer:
- Mid-summer (July–August): mature chinook stage in open water, often over very deep water, holding at the depth where the temperature suits them.
- Late summer into fall: fish stage off river mouths before their spawning run, concentrating the action.
- Fall: chinook push into tributaries to spawn, drawing shore and river anglers.
Ports such as Port Credit — long called the birthplace of the Lake Ontario salmon fishery — and the eastern basin all produce. Always check the current Ontario Fishing Regulations Summary for seasons and limits.
The trolling system
Catching suspended salmon means putting lures at a precise depth and covering water:
- Downriggers lower lures to an exact depth on a heavy weight, then release them to fight free. The backbone of salmon trolling.
- Dipsy divers drive lures down and out to the side, spreading your presentation.
- Leadcore and weighted lines reach mid-depths without a downrigger.
- Planer boards push lines away from the boat to cover more water.
Pair these with sturdy trolling rods and line-counter reels. We carry Scotty downriggers and the divers and boards to complete the spread.
Lures that catch kings
Three families dominate:
- Spoons — flutter and flash to imitate wounded alewife; the everyday salmon lure.
- Flasher-and-fly combos — a rotating flasher pulls a small fly, deadly on chinook.
- Plugs / cut-bait rigs — bigger profiles for big fish.
Browse salmon spoons and hardware in our lures and tackle selections; we stock proven Great Lakes names like Dreamweaver, Williams and Len Thompson.
Find the right temperature
Chinook seek water around the low 50s Fahrenheit. A temperature probe or a fish finder with a temperature reading helps you locate the thermocline — the band where warm surface water meets cold deep water — and set your lures where salmon live. This single factor often separates a slow day from a great one.
Safety on the big lake
Lake Ontario is large and can turn rough quickly. Carry the required safety gear, watch the marine forecast, and never head far offshore without a seaworthy boat and a float plan. Browse safety essentials in our Outdoors section.
The Lake Ontario salmon calendar
Salmon and trout fishing on Lake Ontario follows a season-long rhythm. Spring belongs to brown trout and rainbows cruising the warming nearshore water and around river mouths, reachable even by smaller boats.
As the lake warms into early summer, fish slide deeper and relate to the thermocline, and the offshore chinook game ramps up.
Mid-summer is prime time for mature kings holding over deep water at a precise temperature.
By late summer and early fall, chinook stage off river mouths before their spawning migration, concentrating the action, and the fall run pushes fish into the tributaries for shore and river anglers. Knowing where you are in this calendar tells you where to start.
Building a multi-line trolling spread
Serious salmon trolling means presenting several lures at different depths and distances at once. A typical spread combines downriggers for precise deep placement (we carry Scotty), dipsy divers to take lures down and out to the sides, leadcore or weighted lines for mid-depths, and planer boards to push lines wide of the boat.
Each tool covers a different slice of the water column. Run line-counter reels on sturdy trolling rods so that once a rod fires you can duplicate the exact depth and lead across the whole spread.
Speed, attractors and forage
Lake Ontario salmon feed heavily on alewife, so your presentation should imitate that baitfish. Spoons flutter like a wounded alewife and are the everyday lure; flasher-and-fly combos throw flash and vibration to draw chinook in and are often the top big-fish producer; plugs and cut-bait offer a larger profile.
Match your trolling speed to the lures — spoons have a forgiving range, while flashers want a steadier pace to rotate cleanly. Vary colours (greens and blues in clear, bright water; glow and UV in low light or deep water) until the fish reveal a preference, then commit to the winner.
The supporting cast: coho, steelhead and browns
Chinook get the headlines, but the same spread takes a mixed bag.
Coho salmon hit spoons and flies, often higher in the column.
Steelhead (rainbows) cruise the upper water and crush brightly coloured spoons run high or on boards.
Brown trout hold tighter to shore, especially in spring. Running lures at varied depths — some high, some deep — lets you catch the full cast on a single trip, which is part of what makes Lake Ontario such a rewarding fishery.
Boat, electronics and safety
The big lake demands respect and the right tools. A fish finder with a temperature reading helps you locate the thermocline where fish hold, and GPS lets you repeat a productive pass and navigate home. Lake Ontario can turn rough quickly, so carry the required safety gear, wear your PFD, watch the marine forecast, and never head far offshore without a seaworthy boat and a float plan.
Browse safety essentials in our Outdoors section, and confirm seasons and limits in the Ontario Fishing Regulations Summary before you launch.
A beginner’s first salmon trip, step by step
A first salmon trip is less daunting than it looks if you keep it methodical. Launch on a calm-forecast morning, motor out and use your electronics to find the temperature break and any bait. Start by setting a downrigger with a proven spoon at the depth your gear shows cold water and marks — often somewhere in the 40-to-80-foot range in summer — and add a dipsy diver running a second spoon out to the side.
Troll a steady 2 to 2.5 mph and watch the rods. When one fires, let the fish run on the reel’s drag, keep steady pressure, and use a long-handled net to land it. Note the exact depth, lure and speed, then duplicate it. Keep your spread simple at first — one rigger and one diver — and add lines as you gain confidence. Always carry your safety gear, wear your PFD, and turn back early if the lake builds.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a big boat to catch Lake Ontario salmon? A seaworthy boat with downriggers makes open-water trolling far more effective and safer. Shore anglers can score during the fall river runs and off piers, but the summer fishery is a boat game.
What is the best lure for beginners? A proven spoon run off a downrigger at the right depth is the simplest, most effective starting point.
When is the best time to fish? Summer through early fall for open-water trolling; fall for the tributary runs.
Gear up at Triggers & Bows
From downriggers and rods to spoons, flashers and flies, we stock the salmon-trolling gear that catches Lake Ontario chinook. Browse our Fishing department with $19.95 Canada-wide shipping on most items, or visit us in Burford and we will help you build a spread.