Posted by Great Lakes Fishing Podcast on 15th Dec 2025
East End Kings, Lake Trout, and Precision Trolling on Lake Ontario
Insights from Captain Casey Prisco of Dirty Goose Sportfishing
The east end of Lake Ontario offers one of the most diverse and challenging fisheries anywhere on the Great Lakes. From spring brown trout and early-season king salmon to trophy lake trout and late-summer staging kings, anglers who fish this region need versatility, precision, and a deep understanding of constantly changing conditions.
On Episode 240 of the Great Lakes Fishing Podcast, host Chris Larsen sat down with Captain Casey Prisco of Dirty Goose Sportfishing, a veteran Lake Ontario captain based out of Pulaski, New York. The conversation covered everything from spring king salmon opportunities and summer basin fishing to meat rigs, cowbells, lake trout tactics, and why accurate speed and temperature data from a Fish Hawk probe is non-negotiable on the east end of the lake.
What followed was a masterclass in real-world Great Lakes trolling.
A True East End Fishery: More Than Just Salmon
Fishing out of Mexico Bay and the Salmon River region gives anglers access to nearly every major Lake Ontario species. According to Prisco, that diversity is what makes the east end of Lake Ontario so special.
“You want smallmouth? You can catch them. Browns? Kings? Lakers? They’re all here,” Prisco explained. “The only thing we don’t see in big numbers until later is steelhead, unless you run offshore.”
Kings migrate into the area because the Salmon River hatchery draws them in to complete their life cycle. Add in structure, current, sandy bottom, and nearby tributaries, and the result is a fishery that can change daily—or hourly.
The tradeoff? Weather.
“Fifteen to twenty out of the west down here can be four to six footers or worse,” Prisco said. “That same wind might be two-footers on the west end.”
A skilled crew, good decision-making, and accurate data are essential.
Spring Kings: A Bonus When It Happens
Spring king salmon fishing on the east end isn’t guaranteed—but when it happens, it can be incredible.
“In the last few years, we’ve been lucky,” Prisco said. “Last year was probably the best spring king bite I can remember. They showed up and never left.”
Those bites often start around Mexico Bay near the Nine Mile Point area. If one king shows up, more are usually close behind. But they can disappear just as quickly.
Prisco recalled a trip during the COVID years when the crew limited out on kings in less than two hours—only to return two days later and find them completely gone.
When spring kings are present, they’re often caught while fishing brown trout programs on light tackle, making every hookup an event.
“A king on a 10-pound test and a light rod—that’s a rodeo,” he said.
Mid-Summer to August: Silver Fish vs. Staging Kings
As summer progresses, the king salmon fishery begins to change. By mid-August, anglers often see a 50/50 mix of silver fish and staging salmon.
“There’s a point where they stop caring about temperature,” Prisco explained. “They’re in ‘let’s go to the river’ mode.”
While silver fish can still be found near the thermocline, staging kings will slide into much warmer water—sometimes 60 to 64 degrees or even higher. Prisco adjusts his spread accordingly.
Early in the morning, he’ll run gear higher in the water column, especially on divers and coppers. As the sun rises and fish slide deeper, the entire spread follows them down.
And by this point in the season, the program becomes very clear.
Meat Is King in August
“When it’s August, every rod is going to have a piece of meat on it,” Prisco said. “Atomic meat—tough to beat.”
While spoons or J-Plugs may occasionally find their way onto a rigger, meat dominates his late-summer spread. He prefers real herring over artificial alternatives, emphasizing that presentation matters just as much as the bait itself.
“If the roll isn’t right, it’s coming back in,” he said. “You’re wasting your time if you don’t get that right.”
Prisco runs his meat behind eight-inch paddles, Stinger chips, Oki attractors, and Dirty Goose Twinkies, using a mix of Atomic and Diabolical meat heads. His most trusted color?
“Bone,” he said. “Glow head with crushed tape. It’s in the water every day.”
As staging fish show up, he transitions to brighter, flashier combinations like Davis Destroyer, Primetime Pete, Steel Gator, and other high-contrast options designed to trigger reaction strikes.
Water Clarity, Current, and Why Fish Hawk Matters
Water clarity on the east end of Lake Ontario is often extremely clear—what many anglers refer to as “black water.” But clarity can change quickly when tributaries like the Salmon or Oswego Rivers push stained water into the lake.
What doesn’t change is current.
“We get a ton of current here,” Prisco said. “A little bit of wind moves temperature all over the place.”
That’s why fishing without a Fish Hawk simply isn’t an option.
“You might be going three miles an hour on the surface and one mile an hour down 80 feet,” he explained. “Without a probe, you’re guessing—and guessing doesn’t work here.”
Prisco has seen thermoclines move 40 to 50 feet in a single six-hour charter due to changing wind and current. Real-time speed and temperature data allow him to react instead of chase yesterday’s conditions.
Lake Trout: A World-Class Fishery
Lake trout play a major role in the east end fishery, especially in spring and early summer. They typically arrive in early April and can be found anywhere from 65 to 180 feet of water near Nine Mile Point.
As bait shifts north toward the dunes, lake trout follow—and so do Prisco’s boats.
“By the end of the season, we might be 16 to 18 miles offshore chasing them,” he said.
Average lake trout in the area run 7 to 12 pounds, but true trophies are common. Fish over 15 pounds are regular catches, and 20-plus-pound fish show up every season.
Prisco has even spent multiple days targeting trophy lake trout for derby anglers, catching dozens of fish over 15 pounds in specific offshore areas.
Cowbells, Bottom Contact, and Active Trolling
One of Prisco’s favorite—and most effective—ways to target lake trout is with cowbells.
Last year, Prisco and his girlfriend, Elaine, purchased Hammerhead Tackle, a respected cowbell brand originally built by Jim Piano. Today, they’re manufacturing new colors and patterns designed specifically for Lake Ontario lake trout.
Fishing cowbells is anything but passive.
“You’re banging bottom constantly,” Prisco explained. “Bring it up three feet, hit bottom, bring it up three feet.”
He typically trolls between 1.6 and 1.8 mph, running cowbells near the bottom with a spinning glow and a fly trailing behind on a short lead. Every turn, current change, and speed adjustment matters.
“It’s work,” he said. “But it’s fun work.”
And yes—kings occasionally hit cowbells too.
Lake Trout on the Table
Lake trout sometimes get a bad reputation as table fare, but Prisco believes that reputation is undeserved.
“It’s all about how you take care of them,” he said. “Bleed your fish. The smaller ones are excellent eating. The bigger ones—smoke them.”
In blind taste tests on his boat, smoked lake trout often beat king salmon unanimously.
Learning from Those Who Live It
Prisco closed the conversation by discussing the East End Salmon and Trout School, a hands-on educational event held in Mexico, New York. Unlike generic seminars, the school is taught by captains who fish Lake Ontario every day—and nothing is held back.
“If you ask it, we’ll tell you exactly what we’re doing,” he said.
From kings and cohos to steelhead, browns, and lake trout, the goal is simple: help anglers fish smarter, safer, and more effectively.
Final Thoughts
Fishing the east end of Lake Ontario demands adaptability, precision, and trust in your data. As Captain Casey Prisco made clear, success comes from understanding current, speed, temperature, and fish behavior—not chasing yesterday’s reports.
And when conditions are constantly changing, tools like Fish Hawk don’t just help—they’re essential.