Posted by Chris Larsen on 29th Jan 2021
Toronto Area King Salmon Fishing
Toronto is known for its skyline featuring the iconic CN Tower, a rich cultural and performing arts scene, the Maple Leafs, and the Blue Jays. To the fishing community, Toronto is synonymous with big king salmon. Captain Ian Britton from Kings on the Run Sport Fishing calls the Toronto area waters home. He docks in Bluffers Point Marina, just east of Toronto in Scarborough.
Fishing around Toronto has its advantages and disadvantages. “We’re fortunate to have some structure out here. We have a really good area on this side of the lake, on the north shore. As far as the pressure goes, there are tons of boats on the water. Not as much this year as in previous years. But we have big tournaments, big fish, and good times.”
Toronto is also the most populous city in Canada. With all of those people on the water, patience can be a virtue. “You just be courteous to everyone. It’s as simple as that. There are a lot of new, young novice anglers out here. We all started somewhere and somehow. As long as you’re patient and try to predict what’s going to happen… obviously, with that many boats around things go sideways sometimes. But it’s good. The best thing to remember is that everybody starts somewhere.”
Britton is based out of Bluffers Park Marina. This area is well known for its great structure. “The name Bluffers Park Marina is because of the bluffs or cliffs that we can see from the lake. They are a few hundred feet high. A couple of miles offshore we have another bluff underneath the water. As most anglers know, structure is a lot of things. For an open basin lake like this, it’s pretty rare to have some structure. It holds fish and bait. We get currents. That’s why I’m here. In my eyes, it’s the best fishing opportunity during the summer months.”
Britton likes to get out of the harbor early and have lines down and ready when the sun crests over the lake. “We’re allowed two rods per angler here but it doesn’t mean we always need to run that amount of rods. In the morning I like to have some quick action. Maybe a couple of Dipsy Divers with flashers and maybe a fly, or some meat and some glow material. As the sun comes up, go to something that is a little more reflective that will draw the attention of the salmon to come in and see what we’re offering.”
Lake Ontario is world-renowned for trophy salmon. The Toronto area may be one of the best destinations in the Great Lakes to reel in a true giant. “Our fish are almost four years old here. The last year of their life they pretty much double their size. Our mature fish this year are anywhere from 14 to so far the biggest fish on the lake is 32 this year… so 14 to 32 pounds. They all have individual personalities. Some of the teenagers fight harder than the mid-20s fish but there’s nothing better than hearing that drag scream out from a king.”
Big kings capture the headlines but Bluffers is also a fantastic multi-species port. “Our main draw is the king or chinook salmon. We have its cousin, the coho salmon. We have a great stocking program for that fish. It’s probably the most sought after meat fish in our lake but the kings would be sought after for the fight. We have steelhead, browns, and lakers. We have an Atlantic salmon program. We call them unicorns, we get a few every year. But the main three that I target are kings, coho, and steelhead.”
Captain Ian Britton is a recent guest on the Great Lakes Fishing Podcast. To listen to the entire conversation, click the player below or click here to visit our podcast page.