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Species Distribution
Coho salmon rebounded and should improve with stocking efforts by
the Ministry. There are documented reports that coho salmon are Naturally reproducing in selected North shore streams. Exact numbers Are inaccurate but these coho should improve the salmon fishing. The natural salmon are smaller in size around 6 lbs. Maximum compared to the hatchery coho that average 8 to 10lbs with several in the 17 to 18lbs range.

 
Natural reproducing Steelhead population is down over 30% and could cause problems in the near future. Our Ministry is concentrating steelhead stocking in the Western basin of Lake Ontario and letting the Eastern basin survive on the natural steelhead stocks.
With the returning spawning steelhead numbers dropping steadily, with increased American pressure on the steelhead population, and a

full 5 fish daily limit the steelhead population should decline as quickly as it did in Lake Michigan during the early 90's
A  2 steelhead limit should be imposed on Lake Ontario for the 2000 season.

New York DEC has increased Chinook stocking to 1.6 million from 1.2 million. It seems like a small increase but that increase should improve Chinook fishing starting in the next few years. Hot spot fishing for kings will be the ticket.  Following their annual migration patterns will generate bumper catches through-out the summer.

Silver or black bladed spoons with chartreuse base tape with a silver prism or laser tape has effectively out produced all other lures. The second most productive colour combination for prism tape was the purple laser base with a blue cracked ice accent tape.
This tape combination and the black spoon with double orange tape was the most productive on chinook salmon. The blue and pink combination landed 9 king salmon in 6 days in early August then slowed down. Orange then picked up as the water clarity decreased.
The Eppinger # 361 combination of kelly green and chartreuse landed 48 steelhead during mid August.

Kelly green mini predators as our favorite stacking lure traditionally has no prism tape and accounted for 48 fish. Eppinger also make a green pearl Flutterchuck spoon that produced quite well with 18 steelhead. Underwater Camera work hasn't produced  data indicating a preferred tape combination as yet, but the  study continues