Nearby buoys
2026-10-19 13:30 UTC · NOAA NDBC 4403586
2026-10-19 16:30 UTC · NOAA NDBC 45012
2026-10-19 16:00 UTC · NOAA NDBC 45135
2026-10-19 16:00 UTC · NOAA NDBC 45139
2026-10-19 16:00 UTC · NOAA NDBC 45142
2026-10-19 16:00 UTC · NOAA NDBC 45151
Latest NOAA NDBC observations. Satellite and in water readings may differ.
Fishing Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario is the smallest of the Great Lakes by surface area but one of the deepest, and that depth makes it a cold, clear lake with a well earned reputation as a world class salmon and trout fishery. This is freshwater, so there is no shelf break, no canyon and no saltwater here. The fishing runs on temperature, wind and the shape of the shoreline, and the chart is how you find the band of water that holds the fish on a deep, temperature driven lake.
Temperature structure is the whole game on Ontario. Through the summer the surface warms and a strong thermocline sets up with depth, separating the warm surface layer from the cold deep water below, and the salmon and trout hold tightly to the temperatures they prefer. Finding the band of water in the right range, and the edges where warm surface water meets colder water, is how you put lines in productive water instead of trolling blind over a big cold lake. The SST layer is built to show where that warm water and those edges are sitting.
Wind driven upwelling is a defining feature here. On a deep lake, a sustained wind along the shore can pull cold deep water right up to the surface and push the warm surface water offshore, swinging the surface temperature by many degrees in a day. That upwelling can concentrate bait and fish along the edge where the cold and warm water meet, and it can also scatter a bite that was working the day before. Watching the temperature after a blow is a big part of planning on Ontario. In spring, the nearshore water warms first and a thermal bar can set up, concentrating bait early in the season. Note that Ontario does not carry the ocean bathymetry depth readout that the saltwater coastal regions have, so use your own lake charts and electronics for depth.
Seasonally, anglers here typically target chinook and coho salmon, which drive the lake's reputation, along with steelhead, brown trout and lake trout. The fish follow the temperature and the bait through the season, often suspended over deep water and relating to the thermocline and the temperature edges. None of it is guaranteed. Seasons, runs and regulations change every year, so always check current rules.
The move on Ontario is to read the surface temperature and the edges, pay close attention to what the wind and upwelling have done, and set up on the band of water holding the temperature the fish want.
What you get with ReelTemps
- Sea surface temperatureFind the temperature break
- Chlorophyll-aSpot the green-to-blue color seam
- Composite & single passBlended picture or the freshest overpass
- CompareTemperature and color side by side
- Depth readoutFathoms and feet on hover, tap or mark
- Currents & buoysSee the water move and ground-truth it
- Route, ruler & waypointsPlan the run and save your spots
From the water
I've tried every temp map out there and they all feel like they were built ten years ago. I'm not exactly a tech guy, but this one actually makes sense the second you open it. First time using it, I marked a break in about 30 seconds the night before and boated bluefin right on it the next morning.
Used to burn half a tank driving around looking for color change or a solid temp break. Now I check ReelTemps before I leave the dock and I know exactly where I'm going. Less time driving around guessing, more time with lines in the water.
Albacore season used to mean a couple hours of homework the night before and just hoping it held up. Now I do most of my research that morning and pull it up on my phone if things change once we're out there. Makes calling an audible a lot easier.