Lake Ontario Wish List

Capt. Ernie Lantiegne worked as a fishery biologist/manager for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation for 22 years. During that time he was involved in the management of fisheries in Lake George, Cayuga Lake, Lake Champlain, and many other large New York waters.

With Since the early 1970s he has operated a charter fishing business on Lake George, the Finger Lakes, Lake Champlain, and Lake Ontario, where he and his son Randy continue their business today. With this background, here are some of his thoughts on the salmonid management program in Lake Ontario today.

Recently, an outdoor writer friend contacted me for information on fishing Lake Ontario. In the course of our conversation, he asked, Is there anything different you would do if you were in charge of the Lake Ontario fishery management program? After a quick comment expressing my heart felt gratitude for the opportunity to fish this lake rather than the burden of responsibility for managing it, here are just a few of the things I told him were on my Lake Ontario Wish List.

Brown Trout Quality : More Big Fish

In eastern Lake Ontario, brown trout are a major part of the salmonid fishery, especially from April through June. In the mid1990's, when yearling browns were still stocked from shore, cormorants devastated some of the stockings, increasing mortality and reducing the quality of the fishery. At the demand of anglers and businesses, DEC resurrected a barge stocking program designed to scatter plant yearling browns offshore, improving survival.

Despite this stocking, the proportion of trophy size browns from, say, 8 - 16 lbs. and larger have definitely decreased in recent years. These larger browns are older than 2 years of age, most having survived at least one year of spawning. My catch records clearly show a decrease in the proportion of older, larger browns. This could be confirmed through the DEC's creel census records. There has definitely been an obvious change in the past 10 years. These larger browns are the quality segment of the lake fishery, and their absence from the population detracts from the quality of the spring brown trout fishery, impacting use and enjoyment.

The NYS DEC stocks Rome Lab strain brown trout in Lake Ontario. The majority of 2-year old browns of this strain mature and spawn in October and early November. Since this strain of browns will live up to 6-8 years. With the rapid growth rate browns exhibit in Lake Ontario, there should be plenty of time for these fish to reach trophy size, right? Right, unless they are removed from the population as 2-year olds, before they get the chance to reach trophy size, and therein lies the problem.

In recent years, brown trout fishing in tributaries in the fall has become increasingly popular. The Rome Lab strain of brown trout matures and spawns as 2-year olds in late October and early November. Ten years ago, this never posed a problem, because the average angler targeted spawning chinook salmon, and was happy catching a big king in any condition by any manner. Now, the novelty of chinook salmon snagging has worn off, and focus has switched to brown trout. Even, though, spawning browns have a serious case of lockjaw in early fall, and don't bite readily until they spawn, thousands are taken by lifting and lining.

This increased harvest has drastically reduced survival of spawning 2-year olds reducing the proportion of older aged fish in the population, diminishing the larger, trophy class browns caught, and negatively impacting Lake Ontario's salmonid fishery, especially in the Eastern Basin.

I WISH..., the DEC would take the steps necessary to improve our brown trout fishery, by producing more larger, older aged trophy browns. Could this be accomplished by stocking a brown trout strain that did not mature and spawn until adults matured at three years of age or older? From it's existing Rome Lab brown trout brood stock, could the DEC select browns of that strain which mature at an older age? Could Seeforellen brown trout, once stocked but abandoned by DEC, be propagated in a furunculosis free hatchery environment and restocked. Seeforellens, now stocked by Wisconsin, have produced several state records over 30 lbs., plus lots of angler interest and excitement.

Capt. Ernie Lantiegne with the fruits of the eastern Lake Ontario brown trout fishery, a nice brown and an excited angler.

Brown Trout : Small Salmon River Hatchery Fish Limit The Fishery

The big numbers of trout and salmon that are listed each year in DEC's Lake Ontario stocking lists are impressive, but the fact is, they don't mean a thing without considering the size and health of the fish stocked. Most anglers and business people associated with the Lake Ontario fishery do not realize there is a serious problem with the size of the brown trout that are raised and stocked by the Salmon River Hatchery. That problem is negatively impacting Lake Ontario's brown trout fishery, especially in the Eastern Basin.

DEC studies in a number of waters have shown that generally the larger and healthier the brown trout yearlings stocked in a water like Lake Ontario, the better the chance for survival, and the greater the contribution to the fishery. DEC has also shown that yearling browns survive better than smaller fall fingerlings. If a brown trout yearling is too small, it's chance for survival is reduced. If it does survive, it probably won't grow as well or as large as fish stocked at a larger size. In either case, the stocking of subpar yearling browns will detract from the quality of the fishery.

A quick check of the numbers and sizes of brown trout yearlings stocked by mostly the Caledonia, Rome, and Salmon River hatcheries over the past few years shows the problem. Let's go back to 1997 and take a look at brown trout stocking records. That year, 53% of the yearling browns stocked in Lake Ontario were produced by the Caledonia Hatchery, and they were beautiful fish averaging 153 grams or 9.4 inches. That same year, 42% of the browns were stocked by the Salmon River Hatchery and they averaged 83 grams or 7.7 inches, about half the weight and almost two inches smaller than the Caledonia fish. Stocked browns from the Rome Hatchery in '97 averaged 104.6 grams and 8.3.

From 1998 through 2000, brown trout yearlings stocked by the Caledonia hatchery averaged 9.34 inches. Browns from the Salmon River averaged only 7.9 inches, and browns from the Rome Hatchery averaged 8.3 inches. A major difference with serious consequences.

To make matters worse on the east end of the lake where the spring brown trout fishery is so popular, Salmon River Hatchery fish are stocked from Fair haven east, while Caledonia and Rome Hatchery fish are stocked west of Fair haven. In 1999 and 2000, an average of 62% of the browns stocked in Lake Ontario were from the Salmon River Hatchery. While the remainder were mostly from the Caledonia and Rome. The west end of the lake gets the nice fish. The east end of Lake Ontario gets the runts from the Salmon River Hatchery.

Another problem, the Caledonia Hatchery has historically produced the largest browns stocked in Lake Ontario and from 1981 to 1999 stocked an average of 51% of all New York brown trout yearlings in the lake. In 2000 they stocked a record low, 12% of the total browns. Why, because production there has now been geared toward larger 2-year olds for put-and-take stockings in streams. The result, even more smaller browns for Lake Ontario.

Compounding the problem even further, is the concern about cormorants in the east end of the lake, and whether smaller yearling browns are more vulnerable to these fish eating birds than the larger stocked browns.

I WISH the DEC would improve our brown trout fishery by making changes necessary at the Salmon River Hatchery to increase the size of yearling brown trout stocked in the eastern end of Lake Ontario, or that they would split the brown trout stockings from the Caledonia, Rome and Salmon River Hatcheries and stock equal numbers from each hatchery in each end of Lake Ontario.

This yearling brown narrowly escaped the jaws of a cormorant. Are small yearlings more vulnerable to all predators?

Coho Salmon : Not Enough of These Exciting Fish

Coho salmon are one of the most exciting species of Lake Ontario salmonids to catch. They are crazy fish that love wild, gaudy colors, hit close to the boat, and fight with reckless abandon. They provide an inshore spring fishery, especially, in western Lake Ontario, and supplement the late summer chinook fishery particularly in the Eastern Basin in years like 2001, when overall chinook numbers were down. Cohos are also very aggressive when they enter tributaries on their fall spawning run, and hit lures and baits readily, providing lots of action for river anglers.

Since 1996, according to DEC's lake wide creel census an estimated 8,000 cohos per year have been harvested in the lake. During that time, each year the DEC has been stocking about 90,000 yearling cohos in the Salmon River and 155,000 fall fingerling cohos in 6 other locations including Sodus Bay and 5 creeks and rivers. Experience has shown that returns from stockings of yearlings is generally better than from fingerlings.

I WISH the DEC would expand the coho fishery by taking a hard look at the coho program, and evaluate the relative contribution of yearling and fall fingerlings presently being stocked. If the fingerlings aren't contributing adequately, then DEC should replace stocked fingerling cohos with yearlings, or the DEC should drop the fingerling coho stocking and proportionately increase the stocking of another salmonid species.

Skamania Steelhead : A Special Lake Ontario Sportfish

Every single reason why DEC originally stocked Skamania steelhead is still valid and has been proven over the years to greatly contribute to the overall Lake Ontario salmonid fishery. Highly prized by both lake and river anglers because of their large average size and fighting ability, Skamania strain steelhead are special in the eyes of anglers and create a lot of additional interest and excitement.

Skamania strain steelhead have proven their worth in the fishery management program. As DEC expected, they mature at an older age and reach a larger average size than our standard strain of steelhead when they first run rivers to spawn. They are summer run fish, in June, staging in the lake in shallow water off tributaries, and running rivers to spawn. They prefer warmer lake temperature than standard strain steelhead, and are commonly found in 60 - 65 degree water. They also tend to stick closer to home than standard strain steelhead, and are much more commonly caught in shallow water in the spring or in the thermocline intersect just offshore in the summer than their Chambers Creek strain counterparts which wander much further in midlake.

Despite the attributes of this special strain and their popularity with anglers, DEC has had problems producing good Skamania fishing. When Skamanias were stocked in small streams like Catfish Creek, contribution to the lake fishery was excellent, but poaching in the stream was a problem. When the Catfish Creek stocking was switched to the Salmon River, catch in the lake declined to almost nothing. Whirling disease and other hatchery problems also created problems. DEC reached a point at one time where they even considered discontinuing the Skamania program altogether.

I WISH..., the DEC would recognize the special angler appeal Skamania steelhead have and take whatever steps are necessary to safeguard the existing broodstock and expand the Skamania management program.

These are just a few of many potential ways to enhance Lake Ontario's great sport fishing, and recreate a fishery that once attracted international attention. Everything is in our favor. The full potential of Lake Ontario's fishery has never come close to being attained, and it could become bigger and better than ever. Do not be misled into thinking the Hey days are over. Issues like outdated fish health advisories, chinook salmon stocking rates, walleye restoration, Salmon River steelhead studies, Seeforellen brown trout reintroduction, landlocked Atlantic salmon management, and others should be addressed. We have just barely seen the tip of the iceberg. All it will take is a sound, imaginative fishery management program with a solid funding base and broad support.

Capt. Ernie Lantiegne fishes the Eastern basin of Lake Ontario out of the Little Salmon River aboard his 28' Baha, the Fish Doctor. He has fished the lake since 1977 and has guided on other NY waters since '72. He also worked for the NYSDEC as a fishery biologist/manager for 22 years. Ernie also operates two drift boats on local rivers. He and his wife Carol, own and operate "Gone Fish Inn", a bed and breakfast exclusively for anglers.