Fishing Lake Ontario out of Port Dalhousie.

Port Dalhousie sits where Twelve Mile Creek meets the south shore of Lake Ontario, at the north end of St. Catharines. It's a real working harbour, not a marina built for looks, with a fishing history that goes back a long way and fast access to the water where salmon and trout actually hold.

Why Port Dalhousie for Lake Ontario fishing

The Canadian Coast Guard's List of Lights locates Port Dalhousie light 539 near the outer end of the east pier and lists seasonal light characteristics. The City of St. Catharines places the inner range lighthouse at 80 Lighthouse Road and says its present tower was built in 1898 and decommissioned in 1988. The two lights do not both guide boats today. The south-shore trench off Port Dalhousie is prime Chinook water when the kings stack in cold, deep water from July through October. Anglers come from across Niagara and beyond for a Lake Ontario salmon trip, and Port Dalhousie is one of the more accessible launch points on the western end of the lake.

How this guide works

This guide is published and kept current by Living Websites, a Niagara-based web-services company. The information here is drawn from publicly available species data, Ontario government fishing regulations, and general Niagara charter market knowledge. It is not affiliated with any specific charter operator, and it publishes no price for the work.

Before booking any charter, confirm the operator holds current Transport Canada certification for the vessel and crew. Check Ontario's current fishing licence rules for your age and residency. Ontario and Canadian residents under 18 or 65 years of age or older may use a qualifying government-issued licence, permit, certificate or identification card that shows their name and date of birth as a deemed fishing licence. Most non-Canadian residents, including those 65 years of age or older, need an Outdoors Card and recreational fishing licence; other exceptions apply.