UTERMuskellunge fishing in Lake Ontario
In Lake Ontario, muskellunge peak May and September–November and are around May–November, spawning in May, according to Fish Scouter's month-by-month season calendar. May: The Bar and the river mouths — spoons and plugs in the warmer brown water.
No note for October — see the months around it.
Muskellunge in Lake Ontario, month by month
- JanuaryNot here
- FebruaryNot here
- MarchNot here
- AprilNot here
- MaySpawningNiagara Bar kings; browns and coho everywhere shallow. The Bar and the river mouths — spoons and plugs in the warmer brown water.
- JuneAround
- JulyAround
- AugustAround
- SeptemberPeakThe Salmon River run peaks. Pulaski — egg sacs and flies in the pools; Atlantics in the run too.
- OctoberPeak
- NovemberPeakFall steelhead and browns in every tributary. Beads and egg sacs; Lower Niagara steelhead from shore or boat through spring.
- DecemberNot here
Where to fish muskellunge near Niagara Bar, Olcott, Rochester
The trophy salmon lake: the Niagara Bar's spring kings, open-lake trolling for kings, coho, steelhead and lakers, the Salmon River at Pulaski with the biggest run on the lakes, the Oswego and the Lower Niagara for winter steelhead and browns, and the eastern basin's smallmouth around Henderson Harbor and the St. Lawrence.
Fish Scouter charts 31 lake spots in the Lake Ontario map area — the kinds muskellunge hold on.
What to use for muskellunge
- Minnows (fatheads, shiners)Hooked lightly through the lips or behind the dorsal on a #6 to #2 hook under a slip bobber for crappie, perch and walleye; a big golden shiner on a 2/0 to 4/0 for largemouth, pike and stripers.
- Leader10–20 lb fluorocarbon
- Hook#2–3/0
- Jig head1/8–1/2 oz
- Braid10–30 lb
Feeds in 38–82°F water, best at 55–75°F.
Questions anglers ask
When is the best time to catch muskellunge in Lake Ontario?
Peak season is May and September–November, with fish spawning in May (often a closed or catch-and-release window — check the rule). Muskellunge are in Lake Ontario May–November.
Where do muskellunge hold in Lake Ontario?
Look on lake, river — around Niagara Bar, Olcott, Rochester, Sodus Bay, Oswego, Pulaski.
What is the best bait for muskellunge in Lake Ontario?
Live bait: minnows (fatheads, shiners). Minnows (fatheads, shiners): Hooked lightly through the lips or behind the dorsal on a #6 to #2 hook under a slip bobber for crappie, perch and walleye; a big golden shiner on a 2/0 to 4/0 for largemouth, pike and stripers. Tackle: leader 10–20 lb fluorocarbon, hook #2–3/0, jig head 1/8–1/2 oz, braid 10–30 lb.
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All about muskellunge · Lake Ontario, the whole year