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Salmonids:
Record
Breaking Salmon and Trout of the Seway Trail
by David
MacNeill Illustrations by Peter C. Thompson
Each year, thousands of
anglers from all over the world visit NY’s Seaway Trail,
a sportfishing Mecca, in hopes of landing trophy-sized trout
and salmon—or salmonids—from majestic Lake Ontario
waters and from the lake’s innumerable tributaries,
as well as other inland streams and lakes. Ingredients to
this success include the quality of the Trail’s watersheds
and efforts of dedicated fisheries staff from the State Department
of Environmental Conserva-tion (NYSDEC) who oversee the management
of these highly prized salmonid fisheries. The salmonid species
found along the Trail are Pacific species such as chinook
salmon, coho salmon, rainbow trout (and its stream run version—steelhead),
plus Atlantic salmon, lake trout and brown trout. On rare
occasion, another Pacific species, the pink salmon, is caught.
In headwaters of the Seaway Trail streams, brook trout, the
NY State fish, are frequently caught. In addition, naturalized
populations of brown trout and rainbow trout are common in
stretches of these streams. Most state records for these fish
were set in Seaway Trail waters.
CHINOOK:
Chinook or king salmon are the largest species stocked into
the Lake Ontario system and are highly prized by anglers.
The Seaway Trail boasts the largest chinook salmon ever caught
east of the Mississippi, weighing in at an incredible 47 lb
13 oz. They are voracious predators and eat three times their
own body weight in small fish to reach these large sizes in
the lake. They provide excellent lake fishing year round but
are most often caught in between the spring and fall. As adults,
they return from the lake into their home stream in the fall
where they provide trophy fishing opportunities for stream
and bank anglers. Chinooks are a large silvery fish, with
spotting on upper half of body and all of the tail.
COHO:
While present in smaller numbers, cohos also provide a lake
and tributary fishery. Coho are smaller than chinook, averaging
7-9 lbs, but the Seaway Trail boasts a world-record coho which
was caught in 1998, weighing in at 33 lb. 7 oz. Both coho
and chinook salmon die after spawning. Coho are less spotted
than chinooks, have a thinner tail stem and have a white coloration
around the gums. Chinook have black gums.
RAINBOWS:
NYSDEC stocks three types of rainbow trout, the third Pacific
salmonid species found along Seaway Trail waters: domestic
rainbows which reside in a lake and two stream-run or migratory
types stocked into Lake Ontario waters called the Skamania,
a summer run/spring spawning fish and the Chambers Creek,
a winter-run/spring spawning fish. Skamanias provide late
spring early summer troll fishing nearshore in the lake and
summer tributary fishing. These lively fish reach the 20 lb
mark. Washington strain fish also provide a lake and a stream
fishery. They begin their stream run in October which peaks
in November. These hard fighting fish linger in the tributaries
winter through early spring, when they return to the lake.
Typical sizes for these fish, depending on age range from
5 to 12 lbs.
 STEELHEAD:
It is estimated that 30% of steelhead in Lake Ontario waters
are of natural origin. The state record rainbow was a 26 lb
fish caught in Lake Ontario. Steelhead are generally a more
slender fish than chinook, with a light mouth lining. Spotting
on the upper half of body is distinctive and in a regular
pattern on the tail fin.
LAKE TROUT:
Lake trout, were once native to the Great Lakes waters but
became extinct during the 1950s from overfishing predation
by the sea lamprey, a primitive blood-sucking fish that was
introduced into Lake Ontario during the early 1800s. Lake
trout have been stocked in Seaway Trail waters since the early
1970s in an attempt to create a self-supporting population
and to provide deeper water fishing opportunities. There have
been some encouraging signs of successful reproduction during
the last decade. Lake trout are long lived species with specimens
living beyond 7 years. The Seaway Trail boasts the state record
for lake trout at over 39 lbs. Lake trout are easily distinguished
from other species by their pattern of light worm tracks along
a green or grey background.
ATLANTIC SALMON:
Historically, Atlan-tic salmon were also native and very abundant
to the Seaway Trail watershed but became extinct by the late
1800s by overfishing and stream habitat changes. Atlantic
salmon are stocked in smaller numbers because they are more
difficult to rear in a hatchery, and relatively few adult
fish return to stocking sites. Although they play a smaller
role in the area fisheries, they are still highly esteemed
by anglers who catch them.
The fish provides lake
fishing in the spring, but enter streams between June and
November where they provide a stream fishery. They are most
easily misidentified with brown trout because both species
have similarities in body markings but markings are reduced
in the salmon. In addition the brown trout has a larger head
and a stockier body build. The NY state record is 24 lbs 15
oz, caught in Lake Ontario.
BROWN TROUT: Brown
trout, a Euro-pean introduction, are another important species
that are eagerly sought by anglers. “Browns” tend
to remain closer to shore than the other species and create
an important spring fishery. Growth is excellent in the big
lake as shown by their football body shape. Because they are
closely related to Atlantic salmon, misidentification is common.
The state record is a 33 lb fish from Lake Ontario.
BROOK TROUT,
the only species that is still native to New York State are
closely related to lake trout. Although reduced in numbers
in certain waters, brook trout have bounced back from stocking
efforts. In the Seaway Trail, brookies are found in headwaters
of streams. They are the smallest salmonid species present.
PINK SALMON:
Pink salmon are rarely encountered by anglers along the Seaway
Trail because they are generally stocked in upper Great Lakes.
Because they feed on invertebrates and smaller fish, pink
salmon reach a smaller size than other Pacific species, generally
less than 20 inches and around 4 lbs. Males during the spawning
season take on a distinctive hunchback appearance. Pinks salmon
have large spots on the back and tail.
Because these Seaway Trail
fisheries are precious resources, angling regulations help
conserve the fisheries by controlling catches of these species
by minimum sizes, numbers harvested and fishing seasons.
One important part of these
regulations is an angler’s ability to properly identify
these different species because over the course of their life
and between seasons, their appearances can change dramatically
and can cause misidentification. New York Sea Grant recently
developed some high quality artwork that will help clear up
some of this confusion. Be safe, and good luck fishing in
the world-class Seaway Trail waters.
David MacNeill is a
Fisheries Specialist with the New York Sea Grant Extension
Program at SUNY Brockport For the past 15 years, he has been
actively involved in extension programs related to Lake Ontario
fisheries issues including sportfish identification, proper
sportfish utilization, fisheries sustainability, cormorants,
and lake ecosystem changes.
Peter C. Thompson,
a native of Maine, is a noted freelance artist based in Syracuse,
NY. His illustrations and paintings focus primarily on fish.
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