Greater Niagara Region
www.Niagara-USA.com
by Bill Hilts, Jr.
Lake Ontario and tributaries – In the tributaries of Lake Ontario, just about every stream has flow and fish – 4 mile, 12 Mile, 18 Mile, Hopkins and Keg creeks. Water levels have come down and it was slightly stained according to Wes Walker at The Slippery Sinker. Casting Olcott Harbor has been good for trout with spoons or minnows. A few perch and pike were also being reported. The ice in Wilson has broken up a bit from the north winds and water flow issues so it’s best to stay off the hard stuff. Pier casting should be starting up, too, with spoons or spinners. The Lake Ontario Trout and Salmon Assn. will hold their monthly meeting on Thursday at Cornell Cooperative Extension starting at 7 p.m. Guest speaker will be Capt. Jim Skoczylas of Ultimate Adventure Sportfishing talking about the use of torpedo divers for salmon and walleye. State of Lake Ontario meeting for Lockport is March 19 at 6:30 p.m. at Cornell Cooperative Extension.
Lower Niagara River – Lower Niagara River fishing has been good the past week with decent conditions and plenty of fish. One Pennsylvania angler reeled in a 16 pound brown trout off the Artpark drift on a minnow this past week. However, most of the catches this week have been steelhead, with minnows and egg sacs at the top of the list for bait preferences. Shore fishermen were also doing well in the Devil’s Hole area and white Mister Twisters were producing some trout.Tip of the week comes from Capt. Frank Campbell of Niagara Falls who reminds anglers to make sure your trolling motor is securely fastened to your boat before traveling to or from the launch ramp while hauling the boat trailer.
Upper Niagara River – The Western New York Outdoor Adventure Expo is a great opportunity to relieve a serious case of the cabin fever if you are a fair weather sportsman or woman, slated for the Erie County Fairgrounds in Hamburg March 7 to 10. Not only is it a great way to learn more about the great outdoors through expert seminar speakers on hunting and fishing, but there are hundreds of display – from world class hunting and fishing to outdoor products galore.
Chautauqua County
www.tourchautauqua.com/Fishing.aspx
by Craig Robbins
Lake Erie – It’s looking like a great weekend to fish the Lake Erie tributaries. All creeks were running high and muddy, following Tuesday’s rain and mild temperatures. Creek levels peaked Wednesday night and have dropped back quickly. Streams such as Silver, Walnut, Canadaway and Cayuga Creeks are in great shape today. Chautauqua, Eighteenmile and Buffalo Creeks should be in good fishing shape by tomorrow. Cattaraugus Creek is running high and will not be an option this weekend. The majority of ice has been flushed out of the creeks, although there still may be ice jams near the creek mouths. With the spawning period approaching, look for fresh steelhead to move into the creeks on every high water event. 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.
Due to no warm water discharge from the Power Plant in Dunkirk Harbor, the only open water is around the pier.
Chautauqua Lake – With colder weather this past week and night time temperatures this week in the teens, the ice on Chautauqua Lake has grown to 8-10 inches in spots.
Anglers are still doing well in shallower areas of Chautauqua Lake like, Burtis Bay where good numbers of perch and gills are being caught in 6-8 feet of water.
With 8-10 inches of ice in Maple and Mayville Bays, anglers are finding good numbers of perch. Anglers are catching good numbers of walleye, while keeper size (18”) aren’t as plentiful.
Jigs with grubs or vertical spoons/jigs with a small minnows or wax worms is your bet.
Fair Haven / Cayuga County
by Captain Wayne Sterger
Not many people have been on the ice this past week so information is limited. There is still safe ice on the park pond and Little Sodus Bay, be careful some areas are not.
High temps in the 40’s and possibly 50’s this coming weekend will melt the ice even more. As the ice melts and the creeks rise we should see some action from bullheads near the inlets.
It will be a great weekend to get a pre-season jump on boat preparation, a good bath maybe even wax. Just remember to cover it back up as winter may still have more in store for us.
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, the water flow is running at 7,130cfs as of this morning. The fishing has been good on the river with some nice size fish coming to the net. Conditions were tough early in the week with some wind, but yesterday was in the 30s and a good day on the water. The weekend looks even better. Anglers are finding some fresh chrome in the river along with steelhead, brown trout and rainbows.
Salmon River – According to Garrett Brancy of the Douglaston Salmon Run, steelhead fishing was very productive down on the run yesterday. It seems that the high water (1200cfs) has brought in another pod of fresh fish as all the ones we’ve seen pictures of have been nice n’ shiny! The warmer weather has certainly helped keep them on the bite too. Stone fly patterns in brown, black, olive, and pink all took fish #8-12. 10mm beads were also especially effective in tangerine roe, cream, and light pink along with egg sacs in a variety of colors. Good fishing should continue with beautiful weather forecasted through the weekend and the water flow has dropped to 900cfs.
According to Whitaker’s Sport Shop & Motel, the weather was very nice yesterday and anglers were enjoying it. The fishing pressure has picked up and the upper end of the river between Altmar and Pineville continues to get the most pressure. Anglers said that the water clarity was good and anglers staying in the motel reported getting into fish in the Lower Fly Zone, Schoolhouse Pool, Trestle Pool and Pineville. 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 – So far the ice is holding up in many areas of Oneida Lake. There is a good perch bite in deep water off Shackelton Shoals. Anglers have also reported some action near Big Bay and Cleveland. The walleye bite has been good across most of the lake and some blue gills and crappies have been active near Big Bay. Temperatures will be in the upper 30s today and may reach 50 degrees by Sunday. As the thermometer rises be sure to check the ice before venturing out.
Sandy Pond – According to Dave Wood of Woody’s Tackle, the ice on the pond is doing well with 8-12 inches in most areas of the pond. We will have to re-evaluate conditions after the next few days as some warmer temperatures are working in for the weekend. The perch bite has been good with jigs, spikes and live minnows working well. Pike have also been active.