Lake Ontario Salmon Fishing

Maximus · Post by **Maximus** » Thu Jul 07, 2016 8:24 pm

Am I the only one who didn't know there was salmon in lake ontario ?
I associate salmon with oceans.

JimW · Post by **JimW** » Sat Jul 09, 2016 3:04 pm

Maximus wrote:QR_BBPOST Am I the only one who didn't know there was salmon in lake ontario ?
I associate salmon with oceans.

Yep Sandy, salmon in Lake Ontario.

A strain of Atlantic Salmon where native to Lake Ontario for years, they were wiped out due to over fishing over, pollution and habitat changes years ago. Native lake trout populations crashed due to lamprey.

Back in the 1960's and 1970s after pollution reduction efforts started and lamprey control the governments looked for fish to stock Lake Ontario. Altantic salmon numbers world wide were low, so the looked at Pacific Salmon species (Chinook, coho and pink salmon), rainbow trout and brown trout and began stocking.

The Great Lakes are still stocked with some non-native salmon, but the non-native fish also naturally reproduce as well.

the Ontario government switched their focus a few years ago to re-stocking Atlantic Salmon, with the hopes of re-establishing natural reproducing Atlantic Salmon back to Lake Ontario.

Now a days, Lake Ontario has a world class salmon fishery, with the Chinook Salmon being the main player, trophy fish in the 30-35 pound range are the target for most anglers. You can also catch coho salmon, rainbow trout, brown trout and native lake trout, plus anglers are starting to catch a few Atlantic Salmon as well. All within a few minutes of the CN Tower!!!

I was out fishing with a few buddies again yesterday. No monster fish but, we caught around 20 salmon, with a few in the 20 pound range, and I barely know what I am doing.

I added a photo of a 18-20 pound chinook salmon I caught yesterday. This one had a lamprey attached to it, you can see the mark where it was attached, fell off when fish was brought into the boat.

I also attached a photo of our salmon catch from this May from my student fishing trip.

JimW

kenya · Post by **kenya** » Sat Jul 09, 2016 3:10 pm

What's a lamprey? Some kind of sucker fish.

Maximus · Post by **Maximus** » Sat Jul 09, 2016 3:55 pm

Jim, that was awesome. Thank you for that.

Maximus · Post by **Maximus** » Sat Jul 09, 2016 3:56 pm

So that circular hole is where the lamprey fish is attached?
Will it kill a fish eventually?

ross · Post by **ross** » Sat Jul 09, 2016 4:08 pm

Lamprey eel --

Maximus · Post by **Maximus** » Sat Jul 09, 2016 4:19 pm

Omg! That picture Ross is what my nightmares are made of. Disturbing.

JimW · Post by **JimW** » Sat Jul 09, 2016 10:30 pm

As Ross posted a lamprey is a type of eel. An invasive species parasitic eel. Years ago it decimated Great Lakes Trout, but control measures have greatl reduced its numbers. They feed off the fish and weaken it, possibly causing death.

I have been salmon fishing 4 days this year, we have caught around 90 salmon, 2 with lamprey attached and a few with old lamprey scars.

JimW

Maximus · Post by **Maximus** » Sun Jul 10, 2016 8:07 am

Jim,

I'm curious. How did they deal with them? I could google lol

Maximus · Post by **Maximus** » Sun Jul 10, 2016 8:10 am

http://www.invadingspecies.com/invaders ... a-lamprey/

Found this, but no real 'method' of how they rid them.