Greater Niagara Region (www.Niagara-USA.com)
By Bill Hilts, Jr.
Lake Ontario and tributaries – In the tributaries off Lake Ontario, Burt Dam and 18 Mile Creek are producing some nice steelhead and browns on either egg sacs or jigs tipped with a wax worm and fished under a float. The water has been stained according to Wes Walker at The Slippery Sinker so use brighter colors to entice the fish to hit. Wilson was still supporting around six inches of ice and there were 10 huts on the hard water last weekend. A mix of panfish, perch and pike were being reported. Caution is advised after the recent warm snap. If you want to find out about what’s happening with Lake Ontario, the next State of the Lake meeting is scheduled for March 19 in Lockport at Cornell Cooperative Extension Niagara. Mark the date. The tribs to the east are also holding some nice trout. Keg Creek was open and flowing; Johnson Creek had open water from the lake to the dam at Lyndonville; and the Oak was also holding steelhead and browns with limited fishing pressure. The LOC Derby paper is now out and the website will be posting videos from the LOTSA Expo soon. Check out www.loc.org for info.
Lower Niagara River – The Lower Niagara River is starting to turn back on again as mid-week action produced a good mix of trout, including some impressive trophies. Capt. John DeLorenzo of Niagara Falls reported a 19 pound steelhead earlier in the week. While most of the boats have been doing well on steelhead, they’ve also reported a mix of brown trout and lake trout from the same waters – from Devil’s Hole to Fort Niagara. Capt. Vince Pierleoni of Newfane reported two different drifts where they boated four species of fish! Water color has been decent the past week.
Upper Niagara River – Not too much to report in the fishing department. However, the Buffalo Bills Boat Show is underway at the Buffalo Bills Field House in Orchard Park, with plenty of boats on display from end zone to end zone. It’s free parking and the cost for admission is just $7. Kids 12 and under are free. The show is open to 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, as well as 5 p.m. on Sunday. Check out www.buffaloboating.com. In addition, the Western New York Outdoor Adventure Expo is set for the Erie County Fairgrounds in Hamburg March 7 to 10. This is a huge event that also offers free parking. There’s a little bit of everything at that show. Log on to www.sportandtravelexpo.com for all the details.
Lake Erie and tributaries – The Buffalo Boat Harbor had a few tents and hard water anglers on the ice at mid-week. Caution is advised. Small to medium-sized streams should be in good shape by the weekend. With the cold water, fish slow and deep with egg sacs, egg imitation flies or jigs tipped with a spike or wax worm. The Catt was high and muddy. Today is the first day that the stretch of water flowing through the Seneca Nation lands will be open back up to anglers.
Finger Lakes-Inland Waters
Oneida Lake – Two outstanding reports from two different groups of people this week who took advantage of some great hard water action along the north shore. Mark Mika of Newfane hit the Constantia area and struck yellow gold in 18 feet of water – yellow perch and walleye. The size of the perch was up to 16 inches and they caught more than 20 walleye. Blue and silver Jigging Rapalas or variations of those worked best. Rob DeVoe hit the Cleveland area and they enjoyed similar success in 28 to 36 feet of water on both perch and walleye, catching ‘eyes up to four pounds. Green variations tipped with fluorescent glow worked best for them. Remember that the daily limit on walleyes is three per person, minimum size of 15 inches.
Chautauqua County (www.tourchautauqua.com/Fishing.aspx)
by Craig Robbins
Lake Erie – Winter season steelhead angling on the Lake Erie tributaries can be a challenging and potentially hazardous outing, due the onset of ice and snow. Safety is of utmost importance. Some helpful items that you should consider include neoprene waders, ice cleats for boot soles, walking stick/pole and a fishing companion whenever possible.
The small to medium sized steelhead streams are in good shape, with lower to moderate flows. There is open water on just about all creeks, but anglers will have to deal with some slush in the mornings, icy shorelines and shelf ice in slack water areas. Daytime temperatures in the mid to upper 30s over much of the next week should help sustain flows (snowmelt) and dissolve remaining shelf ice.
Cattaraugus Creek is still running a bit high and murky. If you plan to fish Cattaraugus Creek, keep in mind that the stretch of creek running through Seneca Nation lands is closed to fishing through March 1st. In cold water conditions it is best to keep drifted offerings slow and deep, as steelhead are lethargic and hugging the bottom. Egg sacs, egg pattern flies or small jigs tipped with a waxworm/spike are good bets.
Chautauqua Lake – Ice thickness varies across the lake, with about 3 to 4 inches of clear (black) ice with varying amounts of white ice, slush and snow on top. The slush and snow are making the drag tough in most areas. Caution is advised in all areas, especially as the week progresses.
Burtis Bay anglers are finding good numbers of perch and gills in 6-8 feet of water, while northern basin anglers are picking up walleye and perch off Long Point in 20 plus feet.
Jigs with grubs or vertical spoons/jigs with a small minnow are good bets. Anglers are catching some good sized bluegills in shallower, weedy areas of 6-10 feet. No word on walleye.
Ice anglers have been hitting the hard water off Long Point in 20-plus feet of water, scoring on walleye and perch. The Bell Tower is another good area producing walleye according to local angler Craig Robbins of Jamestown. However, most of the fish have been undersized.
Fair Haven/Cayuga County
by Captain Werner Stenger
The north end of Little Sodus Bay is open from the chute to Fair Point Marina. Ice fishing catches on the bay are improving. The hot spot is still the state park pond (Sterling Creek).
If you should venture on the ice be safe, check conditions, and travel with a friend.
I anticipate the Bay to be open to boat traffic within a month so that means it’s time to get any maintenance done on the spring fishing gear. I start by cleaning and servicing any reels that were not already done at seasons end. A thorough inspection of rods and eyes for any cracks. Then spooling my reels with fresh line for the season. Finally tie several dozen fluorocarbon leaders so they are ready to replace any tangled ends that need to be cut free.
Wayne County (www.waynecountytourism.co)
by Christopher Kenyon
Streams – Steelhead are still in the streams. There is plenty of water flowing in Maxwell Creek and the other smaller tributaries which dump into Lake Ontario.
Use egg sacs under torpedo bobbers or go with a chartreuse jig. Steelhead usually stay in the streams though the end of March. There is little ice build-up on the bottom of Maxwell, but creepers are always a good choice for foot wear.
Bays – There is enough safe ice on all the Wayne County bays, however the bite hasn’t been very productive. Small perch are hitting in Sodus Bay. Try both the north end of the bay and near the points at the south.
Pike have been caught near the northern islands, however it is a hit and miss situation. Use pike minnows for the toothy guys.
Port Bay has perch action off of the points in 20 feet of water. Most anglers are reporting they have to work hard for the fish; however any time on the ice is not really work.
The snow pack on the bays is not really thick, so ice will continue to freeze thicker. Currently it’s a 5 to 8 inch norm for most the bays.
The bait shops in Wayne County have very consistent hours. If you need egg sacs, flies, jigs or spikes you’ll find everything you need. Check out the Wayne County Tourism web page for their locations. www.waynecountytourism.co
We have a brand new Wayne County Fishing Brochure. This publication features where to go, what to use, and what to catch. Call our office for a free fishing packet, including the new brochure. 1-800-527-6510.
Erie Canal – Ten plus inches is the word from the canal. Bluegills and perch are the targeted species for ice anglers.
Trade Shows – Wayne County tourism staff will be attending the following sports shows. Stop by the Lake Ontario Sportfishing booth and find out the latest news.
Western New York Sport Show, Hamburg Fairgrounds March 7-10
Oswego County (www.visitosewegocounty.com)
This report courtesy of the Oswego County Department of Community Development, Tourism and Planning.
Oswego River – According to Larry’s Oswego Salmon Shop, over the weekend the water flow was running at about 4,000cfs and the bite was on. We watched five anglers on Saturday, all landing fish in a 10 minute time span. If you are a steelhead angler, now is the time to be at the river.
According to Capt. Kevin Davis of Catch the Drift, it was doubles and more doubles over the last few days. On Sunday the snow came in and the bite was on. Every other drift we were locked again. There has been very good brown trout action lately. It won’t be long before they will be venturing back out into the lake.
Salmon River – According to Garrett Brancy of the Douglaston Salmon Run, what a beautiful day it was on Tuesday with sunny skies and warmer temperatures. As an added bonus, the fish have been cooperative. A nice mix of species including steelhead, brown trout and domestic rainbows have been active throughout the run. As you might imagine, brown and black stone flies #10-14 have caught their share along with several colors of sucker spawn #8-12. Anglers using egg sacs found that changing colors often generated the most bites and 8mm steelhead snot beads also took some fish as well.
According to Whitaker’s Sport Shop & Motel, on Tuesday we had blue skies with plenty of sunshine and the temperature reached into the 40’s. Now that the water level is down (500cfs) and the weather has improved it’s no surprise the fishing pressure has increased. The upper end of the river between Altmar and Pineville is getting the most attention. Anglers trying to avoid the crowd and in search of fresh fish have been fishing the mid to lower end of the river. On Tuesday, my Dad and I managed to land some fresh fish, colored up fish and one dropback while spin fishing. Anglers staying in the motel reported getting into fish in the Lower Fly Zone, Schoolhouse, Wire Hole, Trestle Pool and Pineville.
Oneida Lake – There is some nice action being reported on Oneida Lake. Anglers are finding a good walleye bite and some perch activity. Reports from Big Bay include good catches of blue gills along with some crappies. With the thermometer reading in the 30s this week, please use caution and check the ice frequently if you venture out. Colder temperatures are heading our way by the weekend.
Sandy Pond – According to Dave Wood of Woody’s Tackle, the ice seems to be holding up on the pond. You will likely find some edges getting soft but if we make it through the next day or so we have a cold snap coming our way. As always please use caution especially in areas near open water. The perch bite has improved in the last couple of weeks – not stock the freezer good but enough for dinner. Pike have also been active.