Fishing report · September 24, 2026
12 Chinook Salmon in One Ontario Trip — September 24, 2026 Report
Updated:
Ontario Zone 17 | Lake Ontario tributary | 2 anglers | 12 Chinook
Summary
On September 24, 2026, two anglers caught 12 Chinook salmon on one trip in southern Ontario: 11 in a Lake Ontario tributary in Zone 17 and 1 directly in Lake Ontario. In Oshawa, air temperature ranged from about 11 °C in the morning to 19 °C in the afternoon, with high pressure around 1033–1034 hPa. The moon was a waxing gibbous at 97.3% illumination. Lake Ontario water temperature measured by the Ajax buoy ranged from roughly 17.5 to 18.5 °C.
On September 24, 2026, two anglers had an exceptional day during the fall Chinook salmon run in southern Ontario: 11 Chinook landed in a Zone 17 river, plus one more Chinook caught directly in Lake Ontario.
In total: 12 Chinook salmon for two anglers in a single trip.
The exact river is intentionally kept confidential, but the trip took place in the corridor of Lake Ontario tributaries between Port Hope, Cobourg, Bowmanville and Oshawa, an area known for its fall salmon migration.
Lake Ontario Chinook stage near river mouths in late summer and early fall before entering tributaries to spawn. The Government of Ontario also notes that Chinook become very aggressive and territorial when they run up rivers in the fall.
Conditions observed on September 24, 2026
- Air temperature
- About 11.1 °C at 6 a.m., rising gradually to about 19 °C at 2 p.m. Clear skies through the day (Oshawa observations).
- Lake Ontario temperature
- The buoy off Ajax recorded about 17.5 °C early in the morning and roughly 18.5 °C in the afternoon. This is lake data, not river temperature, which was not measured.
- Barometric pressure
- High: about 1033 hPa at daybreak, peaking near 1034 hPa in the morning, then easing to about 1030 hPa by evening (Oshawa).
- Wind on Lake Ontario
- Mostly East to East-Southeast. About 13.6 knots at 6 a.m., then generally 8–12 knots. Waves around 0.7 m early, easing later (Ajax buoy).
- Moon
- Waxing gibbous — 97.3% illuminated, two days before the September 26 full moon.
Day results
- 2 anglers
- 11 Chinook in the river — Zone 17
- 1 Chinook in Lake Ontario
- 12 Chinook total
Why we record these conditions
This report documents a productive day under a specific set of conditions: high pressure, clear skies, east wind, a nearly full moon and late September, with Chinook already in the tributaries.
A single trip obviously can't show that any of these conditions causes better fishing. The point is to keep the data and compare it with future trips.
Sources: Oshawa Weather Stats (air, pressure), NDBC buoy 45159 Ajax (lake, wind, waves), Time and Date (moon), Government of Ontario (Chinook behaviour).
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