Man, is it ever hot outside.   

Right across central Canada the weatherman is predicting more record breaking sweltering temperatures with daytime highs in the mid-30s Celsius (mid- to high-90s Fahrenheit).  But with the humidity factored into the equation, the humidex or "feels like" temperature is predicted to be well over 105-degrees Fahrenheit.  And there is no relief in sight.  

 How is an angler to stay cool?  

Well, one great way is catching huge Chinook salmon in Lake Ontario with the CN Tower and Toronto Skydome as your backdrop.  Even though the weather is sweltering hot, lake conditions are such that the salmon fishing is nothing short of explosive.    

According to top salmon stick Michael Tamburro, this year's salmon season has been "interesting" to say the least.  

Because southern Ontario received so much rain this spring and the earlier part of the year was cooler than normal, giant Lake Ontario hasn't warmed up like normal despite the current heat wave.  In fact, Mike tells me the lake is still relatively cold and the thermocline lacks any real definition.  So, in this hot sweltering heat it is like trolling on a natural air conditioning system.  

With so much of the lake offering the big kings ideal water temperatures in the 42 F to 52 F range you can connect with Chinook as shallow as 25 feet, all the way down to 120 feet deep.  


(Tamburro caught this beautiful 22-pound king the other day using copper line and a clip-on planer board)

"The range is so broad," Michael says, "that it is important to have a variety of lures in multiple depth ranges.  The best way I've found to do that right now is by using copper line behind clip-on planer boards that target salmon spooked by the boat.  My most productive lures with the copper line system have been Lyman plugs and Moonshine spoons, especially the Bullz Eye and Mongolian Beef."  

According to Tamburro, another hot presentation is using 30-pound test multi-stranded stainless steel line with #1 Luhr Jensen dipsey divers.  Bad Tad and Flounder have been the hot colours in the Moonshine spoon category behind the dipsies.  

"And more salmon anglers need to fish a flasher-and-fly behind the dipsey," says Tamburro.  "It is a super hot technique right now.  I am using one of the new Moonshine flies with a spinner up front. Standard flies like the Atomic are also working well, but the spinner-fly seems to be giving the salmon something new, something that they haven't seen before.  The Blue Smoothie behind an 8-inch white flasher and an 8-inch Spin Doctor in Mountain Dew have been especially productive."  

For some strange reason, Tamburro says that predominantly white lures have been knocking the socks off Lake Ontario salmon this year.  Letting out between 100 and 200 feet of line with a number 3 setting on the #1 dipsey has also been a crucial part of the program.  

"The key to catching salmon is always covering water in the big kings’ preferred temperature range," says Tamburro, "and the best way to do that is by adding a temperature probe to your downrigger.  Cannon, Fish Hawk and Sub-Troll are all great models that let you fine tune your presentation."  


(Trolling a flasher and fly combo behind a dipsey diver was the ticket for this 25-pound king)
 
So, if you're sweltering from the high heat and oppressive humidity, here is a prescription straight from the Fish Doc to cure your heat-stroke woes: go troll up a bunch of giant king salmon in front of the Toronto skyline in Lake Ontario.  The unique weather and water conditions have never been better to hook the fish of a lifetime.