Great Lakes salmon fishing can look complicated.

Walk through the parking lot at a Lake Ontario boat launch and you’ll see boats loaded with downriggers, wire divers, leadcore, copper, flashers, flies, spoons, meat rigs and boxes containing hundreds of different lure colors.

But catching more salmon doesn’t necessarily require adding more equipment to your trolling spread.

Sometimes the answer is exactly the opposite.

In Episode 291 of the Great Lakes Fishing Podcast, recorded at the Greater Niagara Fishing Expo, host Chris Larsen talks with three experienced Lake Ontario charter captains about how they build and adjust their trolling programs.

Captain Vince Pierleoni of Thrillseeker Sportfishing and Captain Matt Yablonsky of Wet Net Charters begin the conversation before Captain Anthony Ellis of Redemption Charters joins the show.

Their discussion covers everything from leader lengths and slide divers to spoons, meat rigs and late-season fishing. But one lesson keeps surfacing throughout the conversation:

Successful anglers learn what works in their program, pay attention to what the fish are telling them, and make adjustments when conditions change.

A Strong Lake Ontario Fishery

The conversation begins with a look back at the 2025 Lake Ontario season, including an impressive crop of coho salmon.

Pierleoni says information from fisheries managers indicated that approximately three-quarters of those coho may have been naturally produced.

That's encouraging news for the Lake Ontario fishery.

The captains also saw tremendous numbers of young alewives. That abundant forage appeared to benefit several species.

Yablonsky noted that brown trout seemed heavier and young salmon were growing quickly. Healthy young Chinook salmon entering winter with good fat reserves could translate into impressive fish as those salmon mature.

The captains were also encouraged by the condition of Lake Ontario's brown trout and steelhead.

All of those factors create optimism about the future of the fishery.

How Far Behind the Downrigger Ball?

One of the most common questions among anglers getting started with Great Lakes trolling involves downrigger setbacks.

How far should your spoon run behind the ball?

For Yablonsky, there isn't one magic number.

He often begins with different setbacks on his riggers — approximately 20, 25 and 30 feet — and allows the fish to tell him which presentation they prefer.

If the 30-foot setback begins taking fish, he can lengthen the others.

Pierleoni takes a similar approach but isn't afraid to shorten the distance in stained water.

When visibility is reduced, salmon may investigate the disturbance created by the downrigger weight. Running the lure closer to the ball can sometimes trigger those fish.

The larger lesson is important: don't automatically run every downrigger exactly the same way.

Give the fish choices and look for patterns.

Leader Lengths for Divers and Long Lines

Leader length also changes depending on the presentation.

Yablonsky is well known for using slide divers. When fishing spoons, he may run them as much as 38 feet behind the diver before sliding the diver back to the wire.

Flasher leaders are considerably shorter.

His simple rule for those presentations is roughly two arm lengths — approximately 12 feet.

For leadcore and other long-line presentations, both captains generally start with leaders in roughly the 30- to 40-foot range.

But once again, these aren't absolute rules.

If one rod continues producing fish with an unusually short or long leader, pay attention.

As Pierleoni explained, sometimes fish simply "go against the grain."

Why Slide Divers Can Be So Effective

Slide divers provide another advantage beyond allowing anglers to run long leaders.

Once the diver releases, it can slide on the line instead of remaining fixed between the angler and the fish.

That can be especially helpful with energetic fish such as steelhead and coho.

When a steelhead races toward the surface, the angler isn't necessarily forcing the fish to drag a fixed diver through the water.

Yablonsky likes the diver's release set tight enough to help drive the hook home before it trips.

Once released, the fight becomes much more directly between the rod and the fish.

Don't Overlook Late-Season Lake Ontario Fishing

Many recreational anglers begin putting their boats away by September.

Pierleoni and Yablonsky say they may be missing some excellent fishing.

During late September and October, the nearshore water can remain surprisingly warm. Farther offshore, anglers can encounter sharp temperature breaks.

Those breaks can concentrate baitfish, and predators follow.

Yablonsky fishes out of Wilson, New York, while Pierleoni operates from nearby Olcott. The influence of the Niagara River can help create productive temperature structure throughout that portion of Lake Ontario.

Steelhead and immature Chinook salmon can concentrate around these breaks, creating excellent fishing with considerably less boat traffic than anglers experience during summer.

Stable weather can make the fishing even better.

Magnum Spoons Aren't Just for Big Kings

Another interesting observation from the previous season involved spoon size.

Yablonsky found that magnum spoons produced fish through much of the season — including smaller salmon.

Pierleoni agreed.

The likely explanation was forage.

With large mature alewives available, bigger spoons closely matched what salmon and trout were already eating.

Even brown trout sometimes attacked magnum spoons and flasher-and-fly combinations.

It's another reminder that anglers shouldn't automatically select lure size based only on the size of the fish they're targeting.

Match the available forage.

Getting Started With Meat Rigs

When Captain Anthony Ellis joins the conversation, the discussion turns toward one presentation that intimidates many recreational anglers: meat rigs.

Ellis manufactures artificial trolling strips through Broken Rod Tackle and has spent considerable time developing his own meat program.

His biggest recommendation for someone getting started is simple:

Remove as many variables as possible.

Ellis prefers a meat head that doesn't require constant tuning. That allows him to concentrate primarily on trolling speed rather than wondering whether each bait is rolling correctly.

Want a slower, lazier presentation?

Slow down and potentially lengthen the lead.

Want more action?

Increase speed.

The fewer variables an angler has to troubleshoot, the easier it becomes to understand why a presentation is — or isn't — catching fish.

The Biggest Mistake New Trollers Make

That idea led to perhaps the most valuable discussion of the entire episode.

New Great Lakes anglers frequently look at successful charter boats and attempt to duplicate everything they see.

They run spoons.

They run flashers and flies.

They run meat.

They add long lines.

Before long, they have a complicated spread without fully understanding how any individual part of it works.

Ellis recommends doing the opposite.

If you're struggling, simplify.

Start with spoons.

Learn the trolling speeds that give your spoons the action you want. Learn how your downriggers behave. Learn how your boat responds to turns, currents and changing conditions.

Once you're consistently catching fish, add another presentation.

The same strategy can work if you want to concentrate on meat. Build a meat program, determine the speeds at which it works and then find spoons or other presentations that operate effectively at those same speeds.

Don't simply copy someone else's program.

Build your own.

Yesterday's Hot Program May Not Work Today

The 2025 coho fishery provided a perfect example of why anglers need to keep adjusting.

Early in the season, the coho could seemed almost reckless.

As the season progressed, those fish became considerably more selective.

Ellis described eventually downsizing flies until some presentations contained little more than a tiny piece of tinsel behind the attractor.

The fish hadn't disappeared.

They simply stopped responding to the same presentations.

Ellis even experimented with using a SpinFish as an attractor with a tiny fly behind it, creating a smaller and less aggressive presentation.

It started catching fish.

That willingness to experiment is critical.

As the captains explained, anglers shouldn't assume that because something worked yesterday, it will automatically work tomorrow.

Let Temperature and Bait Lead You to Fish

Weather changes make those adjustments even more important.

A strong northeast wind can completely rearrange Lake Ontario's temperature structure and move bait.

Charter captains don't always have the option of waiting for perfect conditions. They have customers on the boat and need to find fish.

That means paying attention to clues.

What was the water temperature leaving the harbor yesterday?

What is it today?

Did the previous day's fish continue moving deeper throughout the trip?

Where would the wind likely push the productive water and bait?

Your Fish Hawk can provide valuable information before the first lure even goes into the water.

Instead of blindly returning to yesterday's waypoint, use temperature, wind direction, bait, and the previous day's observations to predict where the fish may have moved.

Build Confidence in Your Own Trolling Program

Perhaps the best advice from Episode 291 is also the simplest.

Develop confidence in your own program.

Pierleoni recommends anglers spend money on tackle that complements techniques they already understand rather than constantly chasing whatever someone else says is hot.

Ellis agrees.

If spoons are working for you, improve your spoon program.

If you want to learn meat, concentrate on meat until you master it.

Then expand.

Great Lakes trolling doesn't have to be complicated.

Start with a manageable spread. Learn how your equipment works. Watch your speed and temperature. Pay attention to the bait. Listen to what the fish are telling you.

And when yesterday's program stops producing, don't be afraid to change it.

Because the best Great Lakes anglers aren't necessarily the ones with the most tackle.

They're the ones who recognize when it's time to adjust.

Listen to Episode 291 of the Great Lakes Fishing Podcast presented by Fish Hawk Electronics for the complete conversation with Captains Vince Pierleoni, Matt Yablonsky and Anthony Ellis.