Local Voices: A Fish Tale

Fishing is one of Niagara County’s top leisure activities. Find out what a day on (and off) the water looks like for local charter captain Joe Oakes.

With over 30 years of fishing experience on Lake Ontario and seven-plus years of running Salmonboy Sportfishing, a Lake Ontario charter fishing company, there’s no one better than Joe Oakes to take you out for an adventurous day of fishing near Niagara Falls.

Pictured: Joe Oakes (right), owner of Salmonboy Sportfishing

Time Well Spent

Growing up in Wilson, NY, Oakes can’t remember a time when he wasn’t fishing, and there’s still nothing he’d rather do with his time. Even when he isn’t leading charter fishing excursions through Salmonboy Sportfishing, he can be found on the water reeling in trophy trout and salmon.

  • Gone Fishin’: As Oakes says fondly of his hometown, “I wouldn’t be living here without Lake Ontario.” The lake is known for offering up one of the finest trout and salmon fisheries on the Great Lakes. The Lake Ontario fishing season usually begins with the ice thawing in early April and runs through the end of September. Brown trout and lake trout tend to be caught in the spring while salmon and steelhead trout are on the hook when the weather turns warmer.
  • Pound to Pound: While king salmon caught in the lake can reasonably weigh up to 20 pounds, Oakes recently caught one that topped out at a whopping 37 pounds! For those looking for something more manageable, a typical trout should come in under 10 pounds.

Chart the Course

While some charter clients are more focused on having fun and enjoying the scenery, Oakes says that everyone coming out with him should “expect to catch a fish.” He takes particular pride in the customers who come back repeatedly to fish with him, even allowing him to watch their children grow over the years.

“I've had this particular family for five, six years,” he recounts. “I remember when their kids were small and I had to help them with their poles and pulling in the fish. And now the kids do everything. It's almost like they're going to put me out of a job!” But for Oakes, that’s the joy of his company. “To see them grow and do everything and understand everything is pretty cool.”

No wonder Oakes feels the best part of his job is “making people happy.” As for what makes him happy, he’s a self-described “massive outdoorsman,” taking every opportunity to get outside and explore the beautiful terrain of Niagara County with his kids and dogs. And yes, he spends his downtime indulging in his greatest passion, fishing, both on the lake and in the Niagara River — which is known for some of the best trout fishing in the world, too!

I wouldn’t be living here without Lake Ontario.
Joe Oakes
Salmonboy Sportfishing

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