Greater Niagara Region
by Bill Hilts, Jr.
Lake Ontario and tributaries – Small boats have been starting to pound the beaches and off the pier heads in Olcott to take brown trout on small stickbaits and casting spoons, a sure sign of spring. Wes Walker at The Slippery Sinker also reports that pier casters have been picking up some fish, too, on casting spoons like Little Cleos. Burt Dam and 18 Mile Creek is also holding steelhead and a few browns up the creek and the water is still a bit stained but slowly clearing. When it does clear, look for perch to start hitting down in the harbor, as well as over in Wilson. Speaking of Wilson, jot down April 5-6 for the First Annual Jeans Bullhead Contest. Total weight of best two fish wins cash prizes. For more info call 751-9198. Other streams are low and clear, but fish can be found in the deeper holes.Today is the final day for walleye, northern pike, pickerel and tiger musky seasons. Also, ice shanty structures must also be removed from the surface of any ice by today (March 15). The State of Lake Ontario will be held this coming week on Tuesday at Cornell Cooperative Extension Niagara, 4487 Lake Avenue, Lockport starting at 6:30 p.m.
Lower Niagara River – Action in the lower river has not been on fire, but it’s been consistent. Fish are being caught from Devil’s Hole all the way down to Fort Niagara, with a few fish showing up on the Niagara Bar when the winds cooperate. In Devil’s Hole, steelhead has been the hot ticket while downriver the brown trout have been cooperating nicely. Bait preference depends on what the fish want each day. One day it’s small minnows that trigger a hit; the next it’s Kwikfish or other kinds of banana-type baits in silver-chartreuse or gold. Other colors will also work on any given day, all fished off three-way rigs and bounced along the bottom.
Upper Niagara River – Limited reports of any kind of fishing in the upper river, but trout are still available at the head of the river as well as along the shoreline just above the upper rapids. Spoons, spinners and egg sacks.
Chautauqua County
by Craig Robbins
www.tourchautauqua.com/Fishing.aspx
Lake Erie – Steelhead anglers have plenty of options this weekend, as all Lake Erie tributaries are currently fishable. The medium sized streams are looking good with moderate flows, while the smaller streams have lower, clear flows. Cattaraugus Creek is running at about 570 cubic feet per second and is murky, but fishable. Snowmelt will help sustain flows. Anglers have been catching steelhead all week. With the spawning period approaching, look for increasing numbers of fresh steelhead to move into the creeks. Egg sacs, egg pattern flies, trout beads and jigs with grubs have worked best in cold water conditions, drifted slow and deep. As we transition into spring, look for steelhead to hit additional baits such as stonefly imitations, streamer patterns, minnows and nightcrawlers
Chautauqua Lake – Chautauqua Lake has good ice of 7-9 inches or more in most sections of Chautauqua Lake. Anglers continue to report good yellow perch action around the north basin. Anglers have to go through a bunch of throw backs for every keeper.
Jigs with grubs or vertical spoons/jigs with a small minnow are good bets. Reports of a good crappie bite off the Mayville launch. Small jigs with maggots are working best. Walleye catches have been fair near dawn and dusk, with depths of 15 to 20 feet off Prendergast and Long Point getting top mention. Jigging with Swedish pimples or jigging Rapalas are good bets. Add a small minnow or grubs for added scent
Jigs with grubs or vertical spoons/jigs with a small minnows or wax worms is your bet. For area fishing and travel information, visit http://tourchautauqua.com/Fishing.aspx
Wayne County Fishing
by Chris Kenyon
Streams – The rainbow-steelhead are still in Maxwell Creek. After last night’s rain the creek is really flowing nice. No snow build-up of ice shelves.
Bear Creek and Little Salmon in Pultneyville are also producing late season steelhead.
Anglers are still catching browns although the stream season will be winding down in a few weeks.
Then we will report some of the most exciting fishing around. Lake Ontario trout and salmon begin the end of March and runs through October. Last year the catch rates were the best in decades.
Start close to shore for browns and steelhead, then head for deeper water for the summer kings.
Bays – Ice on all the bays is unsafe. Don’t even attempt to be the last angler on hard water. It’s not worth it.
This season was slow because of an over abundance of bait fish. You could see all the shiners looking down your ice hole. It’s tough to compete with all that natural bait.
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.
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 – Canal ice is black and very unsafe. Now is the time to fish for crappies, perch, and blue gills. The waterway has launch sites next to Route 31 or you can fish from the shore.
Fair Haven/Cayuga County
It is unlikely that there will be safe ice this coming weekend. The north end of the bay was opened at the West State park wall and may be open to the park launch by the weekend. With a heavy blow mid-week much of the shoreline ice should wash away as well. If the weather allows access to lake Ontario the brown trout will be working the shoreline and ready for action. Weather from a boat or casting from the shore / pier heads stick baits like Rapala’s and Storms in natural colors will attract strikes. Site casting to boils while walking the shoreline can be quite productive. If on the lake look for current lines, stained water or any color break in the water. The water is still cold so make sure to wear your life jackets.
Oswego County
Courtesy of the Oswego County Department of Community Development, Tourism and Planning.
Oswego River – According to Capt. Kevin Davis of Catch the Drift, early in the week the upper end of the river was more active, a slower time in the lower river. The fish were biting and we managed to pull out another double-digit day. Tuesday the water level went from 7,000cfs to 13,500cfs after some steady rain overnight and the fish wanted to bite. Big numbers hooked and big numbers lost but another good day on the water. The current water flow is just over 11,000cfs and this morning was a bit tough as we battled 30 mph winds.
Salmon River – According to Whitaker’s Sport Shop & Motel, with the recent rain and melting snow the river is getting plenty of runoff and was off color in the mid to lower end of the river. The water level is currently flowing at 900cfs. Anglers we had staying in the motel fished the upper end of the river in Altmar where you had the best visibility and least amount of runoff. The few anglers we spoke with reported having a slow day. For those anglers who are fly fishing, high-stick nymphing, egg patterns under a strike indicator or swinging flies have all produced results. For those anglers who are spin fishing or float fishing, egg sacs, trout beads, pink worms and jigs have all produced results.
Oneida Lake – With the warm weather we had last weekend and into the early part of this week, conditions have deteriorated on the ice. Although we have some colder temperatures expected in the next few days, we have also had some wind that will affect conditions. For safety reasons it is time to close the book on ice fishing for this season and look ahead to open water fishing in the weeks ahead. A reminder that walleye season runs through March 15th, and then closes until the first Saturday in May.
Sandy Pond – According to Dave Wood of Woody’s Tackle, after the stretch of warmer weather we had, we are likely looking at the end of the ice fishing season. Although you will find some areas of ice on the pond, it may not be reliable and for safety reasons we are not recommending you not venture out. A reminder that walleye and northern pike season runs through March 15th, and then closes until the first Saturday in May.