Need help catching fish near Toronto

[riguitin]

                 Hello everyone this is my first post so bear with me

I am new to Lake Ontario fishing on the Canadian side near Toronto

I have an older try haul fiberglass 16 foot  boat with a 70 ho motor. Last year throughout august  and September I went to lake Ontario out from port credit and had no fish to show for it. This is what I did any suggestions would help thanks a million.

                As I am still new at lake Ontario I feel a bit nervous going far from shore lol I am an avid boater been fishing in boats for at least 10 yrs even down south.

This is the equipment I have one downrigger and a bunch of different dimpsy divers lures spoons and flies. What I need from you guys is a advise on what depth to target and what depth I should run my lures and if possible how far from shore thanks a million in advance thanks.

[wilderness953]

dimpsy divers?

[JimB]

You've never made a typo wilderness? Pretty sure he meant Dipsy Divers...

I'm very new to this as well, so bear with me....

I'm going to guess that the Canadian side of the lake has pretty much the same opportunities as our side of it does.

At this time of year, Brown trout and other salmon will be found near the outlets of streams. Most will fish stick baits in 5-15 feet of water.

You can use your downrigger by just letting the ball down 2-3 feet, and running a stickbait a good distance behind the ball (browns are a bit "shy"

so most let out at least 50' of line.

You can also buy small side planer boards that will help get your lures away from the side of your boat. https://www.google.com/search?q=side+planer+boards&sourceid=ie7&rls=com.microsoft:en-US:IE-SearchBox&ie=&oe=

A few rod holders will make life easier for you as well. There are a TON of brands out there, and a lot of them are not that expensive, and are easy

to mount.

As far as later in the season. One thing that will make life easier is a decent depth finder. You need to at least be able to see what depth the

bait fish are at, or even better, mark some fish. The simple answer is where the bait fish are, most likely there are fish near that depth.

Most people troll at 1.5 to 2.5 mph, depending on a whole bunch of stuff like currents, wind speed, wave action, etc. If you don't have gps, just try trolling

at your lowest throttle setting, and occasionally bump it up a bit to vary your speeds.

How far from shore you go is up to you, and of course the topography of the lake. You can target Lake Trout on the bottom all year, and they can be found

at almost any depth. On our side, I know someone that uses a kayak to troll for lakers. Buy some "cowbells" and "peanuts" (a lure)

and let your cannon ball hit the bottom. Let out a few more feet of cable, and wait for a strike.

With dipsy divers and downriggers for other species, most use flies or spoons. Google your dispy diver size, and find a "depth" chart. That will tell

you how much line to let out to reach a certain depth.

The most important thing if you do go out, and are nervous....life jacket obviously. Cell phone/marine radio. Letting someone know where you are heading.

Knowing the short term forcast. Hot muggy days in August, late afternoon? Most likely don't want to be a few miles from shore. T storms come up

quick, and can be brutal. There will be a LOT of days where the lake is either flat, or just a light chop. Don't be fooled however, it can build

up quickly.

Ask around the docks/launch where you put in. Almost everyone there will be happy to give you advice, and answer question as to whats hitting, where,

and on what it's biting.

Sorry for the novel. Hope some of it helps a bit?

[Creekrun]

I have been fishing the Canadian side for 20 plus years out of Port Hope targeting mainly kings and steelhead. We

mainly fish this port in early July through the middle of August. At that time of the year, most of the fishing is relatively close to shore. Out of Port Hope, one only has to go out one mile or two to hit 85 to 100 feet of water so if you pick your day your small boat will be just fine.

We mainly run riggers with spoons and if the temperature is right we will run stick baits such as bombers or rap alas off flat lines for steelhead which may be higher in the water column. If the water is too warm for surface activity, we stack spoons on our riggers to cover more of the water column. As the summer progresses, this area becomes more of an off shore fishery.

We have never targeted lakers but have caught a few over the years. We have never caught a coho on that side but the steelhead and king fishing can be wonderful.

port hope is approximately 65 miles east of Toronto. Hope this helps.

There are also other ways to catch these fish running lead core or copper but we like the sport of light rods . We seem to catch as many fish as those running the heavy stuff.

[riguitin]

Guys thanks so much for the reply it helps allot the only reason I a nervous about going out far i have 1978 evinrude 70 hp on the boat it has never given me any problems what so ever but u never know 

thanks a million 

and happy fishing

[Blue Knight]

I've been fishing Lake O for thirty odd years, mainly out of Port Credit where I had a charter service. Last year on the west end including Port Credit was not a good year. I started off in 1975 with a 16 foot with a 10 hp motor. In the Spring I suggest you travel west down to St Kitts and put in at Delhousie or Port Weller. Good Spring fishing for Steelhead, Browns and Chinook. Lots of Rubber Boots (Lakers) down there too and you don't have to go too far out to get fish. Body baits and spoons work great but before you buy any other tackle the first thing you need to buy is a VHF radio! That'll help you hear where the fish are hitting and mainly for safety!

[Kuba]

Riguitin: where do you live? Try heading out of lakefront park/lakeview. Much nicer(newer) ramp. PM me, i will take you for a fishing trip late may/early june and show you some "spots".

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