Hustle the east

Salmon and trout anglers used to concentrate their efforts on western Lake Ontario, from Scarborough to Port Dalhousie. Over the last couple of decades, however, the lake’s east­ern basin has been getting much more attention. Launch ramps from Whitby to Kingston offer an entry point for excellent fishing. Chinook and coho salmon, steelhead, brown, and lake trout are all tar­get species. And each section of the approximately 200 kilometres of shoreline on this side of the lake has its own unique angling attributes. Here’s what you need to know to take advan­tage of this robust fishery. 1. Kingston to Prince Edward County Eastern Lake Ontario is a laker hotspot. Clients of Mike Tschakovsky, who operates All The Rage Charters, (alltheragesportfishing.com), had an outstanding year in 2023. Spring and winter often produced 40 to 50 lakers on an eight-hour charter and on good summer days in July, clients landed more than 20. “As soon as the ice disappears and allows us to launch, we fish the waters around Amherst Island’s western and eastern ends,” he said. “As the water warms over the end of March to the end of May, laker action shifts towards the shoals in open water to the south, including Big Bar Shoal, Pigeon Island Shoal, and even further out to the main Duck Islands.” Finkle’s launch near Bath is popular and close to Amherst Island. It stays reasonably ice free. “From June to September, lake trout hold at depths from 70 to 120 feet near structure to adjacent flats. Depending on water temperature, planer boards with lead core, Dipsy Divers, and downriggers are effective. A small laker would be six to nine pounds with our average laker between 10 and 12 pounds,” Tschakovsky added. 2. Wellington to Wicklow Beach Anglers are drawn to this section of shoreline due in large part to the concentration of underwa­ter structure that attracts fish. The Prince Edward County headland extends out into Lake Ontario, forming islands and shoals. In April and May, salmon concentrate in the southwest corner of the lake due to warmer tem­peratures and prey fish concentration created by inflow from the Niagara River. Chinook and coho start to migrate in an easterly direction along the US shoreline and then some turn north to the Prince Edward County shoreline in early June. This migration repeats each year with some minor vari­ations based on weather. Scott Walcott operates Bay of