Why fish out of Port Dalhousie.

Port Dalhousie sits at the mouth of Twelve Mile Creek on the south shore of Lake Ontario, in the north end of St. Catharines. It is a working harbour with a long fishing history, and for a charter it has a few things going for it that matter.

Fast access to the good water

The south-shore water where the salmon and trout hold is a short run from the Port Dalhousie piers. That means less time motoring out and more time with lines in, which is the whole point on a half-day trip. When the kings stack up in the cold water off this stretch in summer, a Port Dalhousie boat is right on top of it.

A harbour with history

The two lighthouses at the end of the pier, the inner and outer lights, have guided boats into this harbour for well over a century. It is a piece of old Niagara, an easy place to meet, and a pleasant spot to come back to at the end of a morning on the water. The marina has the launch, parking, and the basics you need before a trip.

A short drive from across Niagara

• St. Catharines and Thorold. Right in the backyard, a few minutes from the pier.
• Niagara Falls and Niagara-on-the-Lake. An easy half-hour, a common morning drive for anglers headed out of Port Dalhousie.
• Welland, Grimsby, and Lincoln. Well within range for a day on the lake.
• From farther out. Plenty of crews make the drive from across the GTA and the Golden Horseshoe for a Lake Ontario salmon trip, and Port Dalhousie is one of the more accessible launches on this end of the lake.