Help on lake Ontario

So....finally bought a boat that’s Great Lakes worthy. Now comes the whole new learning curve of salmon fishing from a boat.
I ask for help to give me some starting advice. I don’t have downriggers yet, hopefully I get by this first year with a few deep 6 divers.
I am not after a honey hole or coordinates. Rather maybe a pattern to follow in spring summer fall (if there is such thing) or even what to look for. All i found on the web so far is to look for schooling baitfish. That’s kind of vast, I mean its a big big lake.
Anyhow, I will stop typing and hopefully some of you can chime in here to point me in the right direction.
Thx in advance and tight lines!

Find outflow water that is stained...warmer that is.

start there and work your way. if marking fish and not caching switch speeds and baits.

in spring you can flat line, use small dipseys and or boards

you can start anytime now and do not be afraid to fish shallow.

I have no idea on where you intend to fish so some of this info may not apply

gl

Well first of all you'll do just fine with the divers! That's all we had for the first couple of years and still caught tons of fish. Just make sure you do big loops when turning around to avoid tangles. I'm not familiar with deep 6 divers, so I can't say anything g about them, but I hope they work good for you.If you get the "magnum dipsy diver" which is just a dipsy with a bigger outer ring attached.. you can actually buy just the rings, they'll get you down 100' although I'd say it's probably more like 90. I don't know a ton about temps, but that's where you'll find them, in desired temps being around baitfish won't hurt either. You'll notice patterns on your fish finder at what depths they sit at, you'll see when you're out there. That's the temp that they like. Also, something that messed me up at first, on the divers they say you get such and such depth with such and such line out going I think around 3mph. If you want salmon stay between 2-2.5 mph, sometimes they like it faster but normally if you go quicker you're in to rainbows. As far as depths and where they are in the water column go, it constantly seems to change, and to be honest everyone will have a lot of different opinions. In the summer I usually do well in say 90 feet to maybe 150 feet of water but that changes sometimes too. Also if I can give you one tip, make sure you try out some black spoons, you won't be disappointed. I'm no expert by any means, and am fairly new to it in the grand scheme of things, but I hope this maybe helps. I love fishing out there and am fairly new to the board so I'm definitely excited for all the posts this summer!!

Most of my fishing is on Simcoe or Georgian Bay, but I try to get to Lake O 3 or 4 times in June/July/August.

I always go to Bluffers Park in Scarboro--DURING THE WEEK-- I'm retired and stay away from the weekend crowds. Good launch, not too crowded on week days and free parking until 5 PM and I'm usually heading back to horseshoe Valley by then.

I usually head straight out to about 40-50fow and start fishing, either continuing to head out or parallel to shore, depending what shows on the sonar or where the Cormorants are feeding. Sometimes they are shallow, sometimes deep. I've gone out to 300fow some days. I run downriggers and Dipseys.

My boat is only 16.5 feet, so I pick my days, those with light offshore winds are perfect. Watch out for strong winds from the SW, S, E and SE.

Since I don't have a kicker, I also try to make sure another Board Member is out there in their boat as well and we stay in touch by cell phone. Who is getting fish and who isn't as well as the safety aspect if someone is in trouble.

I usually troll at 2.5mph and switch lures regularly if no action.

In July and August the Water Fleas can be bad. I normally run braid, but switch to mono when the fleas are bad.

Keep watching the sonar!!

Hope this helps.

SDC

Depending on time of year, salmon are caught in depth ranges of 7 to 300 Fow

your best bet is to get out there and fish when you can.

trolling speeds vary from 1.5 to 2.6 for most part and depends on what you are running

I start chasing them in April and my favourite salmon are the spring ones.

Spring salmon are best for eaters, fall salmon are like roadkill

Thank you guys / gals very much for taking the time to help me out here. Some great info here. Sounds like fun and now just itching to hit the water! I learning curve for sure, but i got time!
Thanks again and tight lines!
Ohhh....as far as lures go, is it spoons and plugs mostly? I read about hoochies (a squid looking thing) also, but there’s no squid in Lake Ontario!?!? How about flies? Are flasher a must?

Sorry for just bombarding with questions....hahaha

Thx again

Look up "spin doctors" they're the popular thing lately. Run a fly maybe 3 feet behind the spin doctor. A hot combo the last couple of years seems to be green frog pattern spindoctor with green atomic flies. If you can get atomic flies they're really nice. It seems to be either or, so it's nice to have both. Spoons usually get the most use in our boat. Also Sent you a PM

Everything works at different times of the year. tons of flashers and flies, plus hoochies and meat rigs.....you will need it all sooner or later

your best bet is to get out with a board member and get the learning curve going..then you can venture out solo, but not recommended.

big water body, so safety first.

Hahaha.....yep fishing for sure!
Sounds like the boat is the least expensive piece of equipment...lol. I get the fact that eventually this will become a “religion”, I was just trying not to break the bank right off the get go. Given the fact that I live in Milton, I am able to spend the most time on Lake Ontario as opposed to any other lake really (aside maybe Guelph). That was the reason behind getting a “bigger” boat and venturing into a kind of fishing I never done before.

Great info guys...
Is it possible to jig for salmon..
I can't see why not but I'm a complete newbie to salmon fishing and have no gear yet for it..

I would invest in good metal rod holdrs if the boat doesnt have any if I were you. With the dipsies theres a lot of pressure especially when big fish hits. Since you are in Milton a Jordan harbor/ Niagara bar areas are usually good in the spring andare closer to you.

You've got solid advice so far. South shore between Niagara and Hamilton is usually the first area to heat up in Spring.

Google "spoon pullers" and fill your brain. Good buy and sell section if you're looking to get started on the cheap.

Some have had limited results with jigging. Since salmon are generally on the move a lot you need to keep on top of them.

besides, there is nothing like seeing a dipsey fire with a mature salmon

Shank

You got that right.

See that rod slam back, if you are lucky, but you are sure going to hear that reel screech. Music to my ears.

Ralph

I learned a lot from this book, both theses guys are well known Michigan charter captains, they talk about the “ group dynamic” the whole spread and how it affects things, one line working off another, I can’t say enough about how important I feel it is in a good day of Great Lakes fishing, definitely worth the $ if you’re just starting out....surprised to hear the speeds you guys troll, my preference is on the higher side, 2.8-3, listen to what your cables and your rods are telling you....good luck