Fishing and Outdoors in WNY: Lake Ontario just keeps on giving

By Capt. Frank Campbell

Director of Outdoor Promotions for Destination Niagara USA

I feel as if I am repeating myself, but the Lake Ontario salmon bite is on fire! King salmon fishing is about as good as it gets.

Good to very good action is being reported lakewide in 50 to 350 feet of water, using a mix of spoons and flasher and fly/cut bait combos. Fort Niagara, Wilson and Olcott all are reporting the same success for vessels heading out of those ports.

The key is to find the thermocline, and you will find bait and fish preying on that bait. Recently, the thermocline seems to be 40-50 feet down, but that can change with wind and current. To get the baits into the strike zone, anglers have been using a variety of controlled depth methods including downriggers, dipsey divers, lead core and cooper lines.

In addition to king salmon, coho salmon and steelhead, lake trout and an occasional brown trout are showing up in Lake Ontario boxes. These species can be targeted with the same presentations as the kings, but at different locations in the water columns with browns and lake trout being more bottom-oriented, while steelhead and Cohoes often occupy the higher zones of the water column.

As phenomenal as the fishing is, there seems to be a lack of boats taking advantage of the great catching opportunities Lady O is providing right now. On the water recently, I found myself as the only boat within miles out on the Niagara Bar, as we were blessed with steady action over the course of two days. If you don’t own or have access to a boat, it is a great time to take advantage of one of the great charter captains we have in the area. Not only will they supply the boat, but also all the equipment needed to spend a day on the water and pursue salmon and any other species you may want to target.

Destination Niagara has a full listing of Niagara County charter captains, which can be found at www.niagarafallsusa.com, under the “Things to Do” section.

Knowing that we have world-class fishing, a few organizations have taken the opportunity to raise funds for their not-for-profit agencies again this year through fishing tournaments. On Aug. 2, Catching Dreams Charters (www.catchingdreamscharters.org), and on Aug. 16, Reelin’ For a Cure (www.reelinforacure.com), will be looking to raise money for two great causes.

Catching Dreams offers children battling pediatric cancer the opportunity to head out on the water with local charter captain for some fishing and for a few hours to forget about the challenges they face every day. I have witnessed how the therapeutic day on the water works and gives these kids a chance to smile. Capt. Ned Librock works tirelessly to raise dollars for this great organization, and he still has room for a few boat sponsors for the tournament. If interested, please reach out Ned for more information either through their website or by phone at 716-870-5326.

Reelin’ for a Cure also raises money through a fishing tournament on Lake Ontario and donates funds to different women’s cancer organizations, with this year’s beneficiary being We Can Row. Another unique aspect of the event is all the teams are comprised of women, and they have some fun while raising dollars. If you are interested in additional information or looking to participate, please contact Stephanie through their Facebook page at Reelin’ for a Cure.

Please take a minute to check out both of these worthy charitable causes.

I hope to see you enjoying the local outdoors. Every week, I produce a fishing report, Niagara County Fishing Hotline, which you can access online at www.niagarafallsusa.com or by simply calling 716-282-8992, ext. 4, to hear what’s up in the world of fishing. It is updated every Wednesday.