Newest Salmon Stocking info. DEC. Ouch!

[Char_Master]

Thiaminase breaks down thiamine, which is more commonly called vitamin B1 and is an essential nutrient. Alewives are high in thiaminase. Trout that eat alewives can experience vitamin B1 deficiencies, which leads to reproductive failure. It's species-specific and depends on how much of the diet is comprised of alewives, among other things.

Thank you for the clarification!

[rdebadts]

The loc could do its part by making lakers a division in the fall!!!!!

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[GAMBLER]

The loc could do its part by making lakers a division in the fall!!!!!

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I have tried ever since they took them out and Dave will not budge......

[Gill-T]

Haha, I won't tell, but that's good to know when I'm out deep looking for chrome and Atlantics .

I

Do a lot targeting Atlantics do ya?

[rolmops]

Interesting topic here. I have to ask, has the reintroduction of Ciscos even been considered by New York or Ontario? I have multiple problems with relying on Alewives as the dominant forage population, including that they're invasive, they're intolerant of severe cold, and they're not a healthy forage species, especially for Salvelinus genus species (i.e. Lake Trout, which often develop thiamine deficiencies from consuming too many Alewives). On the other hand there's Ciscos which are native, very tolerant of the cold, and a healthy forage species for everything in the lake (Lakers, Salmon, Steelhead, etc) because of their higher fat content. If you look at the facts, the Cisco is truly the ultimate cold-freshwater baitfish and they once thrived in all of the Great Lakes before the invasive Alewives came along.

Personally, I'm much more fond of Lakers. To me, nothing beats the fight of a big 25 pound Char heading straight for the bottom like a sinking freight train that you just can't turn around until it lets you. I also think they taste better, I've only eaten a couple Lake Trout that I fatally hooked because I want to preserve the population, but man, they tasted better than any Trout or Salmon I've ever eaten, maybe even better than Walleye, the taste was comparable to a Brook Trout for those of you who have eaten them before. But I know I'm a minority here and most people would rather catch Chinook Salmon. I still love Salmon, but Lake Trout will always be my personal favorite.

I also noticed that there isn't much talk at all on the US side of the lake of Atlantic Salmon, which along with Lake Trout and Ciscos are the only other native Salmonid in the lake. I only caught a single Atlantic out of Lake O on my trip this year but it was easily the hardest fighting fish I caught and had to be over 20 pounds. Who can't love a fish that runs for 395' and then hauls at least four feet out of the water almost nonstop? Atlantics seem to be much less dependent on Alewives than Pacific Salmon are and often being referred to as 'The King of Fish', it seems like the DEC and MNR would be much more enthusiastic about restoring this species, yet there is little effort put forth to do so. Maybe people are just stuck in their old mindsets and are resistant to accept that the lakes have changed drastically over the past several decades and that they will continue to change in the future. Or maybe I'm just crazy. Thoughts?

A few years ago (3) about 25000 ciscos were released into Irondeqoit Bay

[Char_Master]

Do a lot targeting Atlantics do ya?

Caught my first one this August that had to be over 20 pounds so now I'm addicted! Sadly there's no where I fish on a routine basis with them so I'm going crazy waiting for another opportunity to fish for them.

[Gill-T]

They run the Salmon river in May and again in September.  People who target them are very secretive and protective of them. Cayuga and Seneca Lakes have fishable numbers.  You may be waiting another decade before you catch another one in Lake Ontario.

[Char_Master]

They run the Salmon river in May and again in September.  People who target them are very secretive and protective of them. Cayuga and Seneca Lakes have fishable numbers.  You may be waiting another decade before you catch another one in Lake Ontario.

I wasn't aware that there were enough of them to support any sort of decent run, that's good to know. If it wasn't so far to the Salmon River for me then I'd check it out in May. Hopefully the Atlantics make a come back within the next decade, they're one of the best fighting fish I've ever caught, maybe even harder fighting than Lakers and Chinooks, but I also caught a pretty big one so that may be why it felt like that.

[Kotaztrafy]

The article states, "it's not lack of nutrients". It's alewifes are at their max northern limit in the great lakes. Any further north, they would just not survive. So every hard winter kills off alewifes. That's what I got out of it anyway.

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OK I misquoted The article states:

"It is important to note that this situation is not the same as the alewife population collapse in Lake Huron, or the continuing alewife decline in Lake Michigan. Reduced nutrients leading to less alewife food and fewer alewife, combined with too many predators, are thought to be key factors leading to predator-prey imbalance in the upper lakes. In Lake Ontario, for now, we have sufficient nutrients to support alewife and their food.  The current issue appears related to poor alewife reproduction in 2013 and 2014, combined with high predator demand for alewife."

 

I Guess I just don't believe that all the other lakes have the same problem but for a different reason, nutrients. Just like I don't believe the biologist who told me the mass of Carp I seen jumping around my boat in Elk Creek Lake Erie were not Asian Carp. They were carp he said, he didn't know what kind, only they weren't Asian... They were. 

 

Dirty Great Lakes and an evasive species the mussels clean it up and take over. Now clean water but too many muscles cleaning too much. Then the sudden mysterious invasive species that eats mussels, the goby. Now don't eat the walleye and other fish because they eat goby. 

 

Did I miss a part in the article that talked about commercial harvesting? It's not fishing.

 

The Alewives do die off annually and there used to be piles of them on the shores. So the double talk i see is that .... Suppose there aren't enough Alewives because they are being killed buy the cold water up north (which may be the way it always was before global WARMING).But the problem isn't the cold killing them to extinction. It's that there is not as many of them as there used to be. So one can not say that the cold is killing them off or they are at their max because it contradicts the idea that there is not as many of them in the first place....?

 

Take it from there boys......

Edited September 17, 2016 by Kotaztrafy

[Gill-T]

I wasn't aware that there were enough of them to support any sort of decent run, that's good to know. If it wasn't so far to the Salmon River for me then I'd check it out in May. Hopefully the Atlantics make a come back within the next decade, they're one of the best fighting fish I've ever caught, maybe even harder fighting than Lakers and Chinooks, but I also caught a pretty big one so that may be why it felt like that.

When you gain more experience on Lake Ontario you will change your tune. Kings fight 10xs harder than Atlantics.

[Char_Master]

When you gain more experience on Lake Ontario you will change your tune. Kings fight 10xs harder than Atlantics.

Perhaps, considering by largest King was 6 pounds. But, we'll see

[Rich D]

Caught my first one this August that had to be over 20 pounds so now I'm addicted! Sadly there's no where I fish on a routine basis with them so I'm going crazy waiting for another opportunity to fish for them.

Do you have a pic of this fish?? Would love to see pic of a 20lb Atlantic.

Capt Rich

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[Xxx]

Ya, I'd love to see that pic. To me they are the nicest looking fish swimming, in the trout department. Now a walleye on the other hand still takes the cake, O'L Marble Eye is the best looking fish period!!! Of course that is my opinion!!!

[ITS A FISHAL]

Do you have a pic of this fish?? Would love to see pic of a 20lb Atlantic.

Capt Rich

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X2

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[Char_Master]

Do you have a pic of this fish?? Would love to see pic of a 20lb Atlantic.

Capt Rich

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Sadly, no. Lost him a couple hundred feet back and I was in a state of near depression for the next week lol. Had him close a few times then he decided to run 395' back and start tail walking, trashed the spoon pretty good!

[ITS A FISHAL]

Sadly, no. Lost him a couple hundred feet back and I was in a state of near depression for the next week lol. Had him close a few times then he decided to run 395' back and start tail walking, trashed the spoon pretty good!

How did u know it was a Atlantic, some have problems identifying when they actually have them on board. Just curious.

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[Silver Fox]

Yeah , no doubt! Lol

Lake Ontario salmon fishing charters

[Char_Master]

How did u know it was a Atlantic, some have problems identifying when they actually have them on board. Just curious.

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It was unmistakable, silver body with a grey back, black spots scattered over the top, typical Atlantic head shape with the very slightly upturned bottom jaw. Also never seen a Steelhead or Chinook clear 5' out of the water before, man that was a sight, permanently ingrained in my memory from that trip.

[ITS A FISHAL]

It was unmistakable, silver body with a grey back, black spots scattered over the top, typical Atlantic head shape with the very slightly upturned bottom jaw. Also never seen a Steelhead or Chinook clear 5' out of the water before, man that was a sight, permanently ingrained in my memory from that trip.

No that's great. Don't doubt you. Great job. But on the contrary, Steelhead are my favorite on aerobatics,(freshwater). IMO, steelhead take that cake hands down.

Atlantics are good but not like a steelhead.

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[Char_Master]

No that's great. Don't doubt you. Great job. But on the contrary, Steelhead are my favorite on aerobatics,(freshwater). IMO, steelhead take that cake hands down.

Atlantics are good but not like a steelhead.

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I'll have to catch a few more Atlantics before I can make a decision ether way, but I suppose that's a good problem haha.

Edited September 19, 2016 by Char_Master

[Captain Carl Bish]

Somehow this tread went from DEC to Atlantics....Here is one of the largest I had the privilege of slipping a net under.  Over my 30 years fishing LO, I would estimate a total of maybe 50 landed.  Not a one of them in over 150 feet of water.  The only thing more rare than an Atlantic is an Atlantic out deep.

 

 

 

 

 

[ITS A FISHAL]

Somehow this tread went from DEC to Atlantics....Here is one of the largest I had the privilege of slipping a net under. Over my 30 years fishing LO, I would estimate a total of maybe 50 landed. Not a one of them in over 150 feet of water. The only thing more rare than an Atlantic is an Atlantic out deep.

atlantic.JPG

Now that is one beautiful fish, healthy. Nice job Carl. Nice to have the young one witness that beauty.

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[Xxx]

Somehow this tread went from DEC to Atlantics....Here is one of the largest I had the privilege of slipping a net under.  Over my 30 years fishing LO, I would estimate a total of maybe 50 landed.  Not a one of them in over 150 feet of water.  The only thing more rare than an Atlantic is an Atlantic out deep.

 

 

atlantic.JPG

Now that's a slammer of a fish!!! Congrats on your outting, while catching that brute!! And a special moment for father& son. That will be in Jr's head for many Years, he was their and they don't forget

[TileMan Dan]

Have yet to catch one of those but really want to.

[Char_Master]

Somehow this tread went from DEC to Atlantics....Here is one of the largest I had the privilege of slipping a net under.  Over my 30 years fishing LO, I would estimate a total of maybe 50 landed.  Not a one of them in over 150 feet of water.  The only thing more rare than an Atlantic is an Atlantic out deep.

 

 

atlantic.JPG

I'd say that's about the size of the one I lost. That's an incredible fish man, hopefully I get another shot at one like that some day.