Lake Ontario VS BC salmon

West coast springs (20 lbs +) you typically have to clear downriggers and other rods to land your fish and sometimes have to give chase for larger fish . I don't see that on any great lakes fishing shows .
 
The quality of that boat suggests that the poster should have NO problem affording a west coast fishing experience. lol
 
Fishing is fun any way you look at it.

Over the years I have had several clients who have fished all over the world. I had a few Great Lakes Charter Captains and old Captains on board at various times and one time I had two at once.

We were fishing at Langara and all of them had their minds blown on the first afternoon... They couldn't get over how hard the fish were fighting and we were just catch and release for cookie cutter 21-23 pounders for the first afternoon. At the time those were Langara cookie cutters. At the end of the 4 day trip I think they all left with 4 mid-high twenties each and one bonked a 37 because it was the only legit 37 he believed he would ever fight himself.

The general consensus was that Great Lakes fish fight like they don't have a heart beat.

Lots of fun.
 
looks like there are more springs there than here, pretty dismal when lake Ontario has more pacific salmon than the pacific ocean, LOL
 
West coast springs (20 lbs +) you typically have to clear downriggers and other rods to land your fish and sometimes have to give chase for larger fish . I don't see that on any great lakes fishing shows .
we usually clear on anything 28 and up.. common fish here are 18 - 25 lbs so most can be worked through the rods still out
 
What's the meat like? What do Great Lake springs eat? Does the flesh have color. How is the fat content. Curious...
 
Great vid. Thanks for sharing your side of the chinook fishery. That boat looks like a lot of the offshore type boats you see around the world. Very nicely rigged and outfitted. Very cool :cool:.
 
What's the meat like? What do Great Lake springs eat? Does the flesh have color. How is the fat content. Curious...
the meat doesnt get quite as red pinkish, but in the spring its very firm. obviously doesnt contsin as flavourful a taste but thats simply because they are a year round fresh water fish. cohos have a significantly tastier mean and is super red! best cut by far from lake ontario.

the pacific salmon that we have in lake ontario docnot usually build up a fat content because of thier short life cycle however right along the Y bone there is usually a very think later that comes right off with the y bone when filleting.

appreciate all the feed back guys! i really do respect all your interest as my dream is to get out west one day!
 
Great vid. Thanks for sharing your side of the chinook fishery. That boat looks like a lot of the offshore type boats you see around the world. Very nicely rigged and outfitted. Very cool :cool:.
il send the kind words on to Nick Foxcroft the owner of the boat! he put in countless hours to get it where it is today and still continues to. its a 1977 post 42ft and most of all the welding and fabricating has been done by himself since he grew up working at a motorcycle shop.
 
Lake Ontario Chinook and Coho are great looking fish - no sea lice - clean and bright. Daily limit on Chinook back there has been 5 (when I last fished out there years ago) yes seems shocking, but it is 5. Most people that go out on a charter EXPECT the get there limit. Check out the Great Ontario Salmon Derby - runs from July 2 to August 20. Week one winning fish was 34.18#'s - not so small.
No seals, no sea lions, no whales, no commercial fishing of any kind, makes for a great sportsfishery! The scenery may not be as nice, looking at the CN Tower can get boring, but they do have fish!
Check it out
Stosh
 
GUESS Why Atlantic Salmon are almost extinct in Lake Ontario - commercial fishing! Big surprise!
Chinook, Coho and Steelhead were brought out from the West Coast, raised in hatcheries and released by Canada and the U.S. Amazingly they have begun to reproduce naturally - not enough to support a 5 per day limit, so most are still hatchery raised - and it goes on. Well over 30 years! Hate to think, that if we are not careful, Lake Ontario may be the place to fish -
Stosh
 
I grew up fishing the Great Lakes and it sure is a good fishery. It does have it's management issues too. Overfishing wasn't the only reason for the disappearance of Atlantic though. The industry on the iake destroyed habitat and poisoned the rivers. The Don River had one of the biggest runs on the lake until 1902 when the last one was seen. We have to be mindful of this too. I sure do miss fishing for monster Browns and Lakers near the shorelines.(
GUESS Why Atlantic Salmon are almost extinct in Lake Ontario - commercial fishing! Big surprise!
Chinook, Coho and Steelhead were brought out from the West Coast, raised in hatcheries and released by Canada and the U.S. Amazingly they have begun to reproduce naturally - not enough to support a 5 per day limit, so most are still hatchery raised - and it goes on. Well over 30 years! Hate to think, that if we are not careful, Lake Ontario may be the place to fish -
Stosh
 
This is an interesting thread for me. I recently accepted a position with work that had me relocate to Ontario. We purchased a log home on 50 acres, trying to dull the pain of moving from Vancouver Island to Toronto (I am not a city guy and dreaded the thought of living in the GTA). The place is a 25 min drive to Lake Huron and a little over an hour to Lake Ontario. I was ready to sell the boat and kiss my fishing days goodbye until I started doing research and found out you could catch.. Of all things.. Chinook salmon :) I'm happy to announce I'll be towing my boat out soon and have plans to enter the Owen Sound salmon spectacular derby in August. If anybody has some tips for a west coast guy trying to catch east coast springs please pass them along! And if you're out there keep a lookout for the Fish Whisperer on the Great Lake.. It'll be the only boat with radar and a prawn puller I'm guessing :)
 
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