Greater Niagara Region Fishing Report
by Bill Hilts, Jr.
Derby and Tournament Time on Lake O.
Lake Ontario and tributaries – Patrick Beckman of Traverse City, Michigan was trolling between Wilson and the Niagara River in 130 feet of water when he hooked into a 29 pound, 11 ounce king salmon. The big spring fish won the $15,000 Grand Prize in the Lake Ontario Counties Spring Trout and Salmon Derby, a lakewide contest that ran from May 3rd through the 12th. It was his first time fishing the derby and just his second time on Lake Ontario. Justin Monin of Lewiston ended up the Salmon division winner with a 27 pound, 10 ounce king he caught in the lake off Four Mile Creek. In the Lake Trout Division, Matt Yablonsky of Youngstown earned top honors with his 27 pound, 13 ounce fish he caught on the Niagara Bar the first weekend of the derby. In the Brown Trout Division, Jeffery Kurtz performed some last minute heroics by reeling in the first place fish on the final morning of the derby while fishing out of Rochester, a 16 pound, 8 ounce fish. Top Rainbow/Steelhead was hauled in by Donna D’Ortona of Manchester while fishing out of the Sodus Point area, a trout that tipped the scales at 14 pounds, six ounces. In the Walleye Division, it was Paul Farmer of Dexter with a 12 pound, two ounce fish to take the top prize in that category.
In the meantime, the Wilson Harbor Invitiational Tournament was held last weekend and Pacific Time took top honors and a check for $25,000. The Niagara County version of the Lake Ontario Pro-Am Salmon Team Tournament is set for June 1 and 2 out of Wilson and Olcott. The deadline to sign up for the Trophy and Classic Divisions is this weekend. Register at www.lakeontarioproam.net. An extra $35,000 is on the line for the Niagara-Orleans West Cup. In the fishing department, action has been fair to good out in the lake. Capt. Bob Cinelli out of Olcott sends word that he’s been hitting fish from 60 to 300 feet of water on spoons and flasher-flies. They’ve been catching a mix fish down 20 to 129 feet – kings, cohos, steelhead and lake trout. Fishing deeper has been a tactic that has been working more this spring. Point Breeze is the next local area that could use a push from World Fishing Network’s Ultimate Fishing Town contest. Voting continues through May 24. Olcott Beach won the contest in 2012.
Lower Niagara River – Trout are still available in the river, from Devil’s Hole to the mouth on the Niagara Bar. Steelhead and lake trout still dominate the catch, but you can still hit an occasional brown trout. Three way rigs with minnows or Kwikfish will work best at this point. Shoreline casters can use spoons, spinners or twistertails to take a mix of fish. Bass are also starting to turn on during this catch and release part of the season and last week Gerry Benedicto of Plainview, NY (a rep with Seaguar fishing line) was working a tube in the lower river when he hauled in a six pound 13 ounce smallmouth bass. You may catch other warm water species like sheepshead, suckers or silver bass.
Upper Niagara River – Yellow and white perch action continues to be decent in all of the traditional shore fishing sites such as Squaw Island, Broderick Park, Ontario Street launch and the parkway that runs alongside the river. Boaters are fishing in the bay around Ontario Street, too. Harbors, marinas, inlets and creek mouths are all good spots to target panfish and bass this time of year. If you do target bass, remember that it’s catch and release only and you must use artificial baits north of the Peace Bridge.
Chautauqua County Fishing Report
by Craig Robbins
Lake Erie and Tributaries – The early season bass bite has been very good in many locations, with double digit catches being the norm. Dunkirk Harbor anglers reported a hot bite this past weekend on tube jigs and stickbaits.
The nearshore bass bite is also going strong in 5-20 feet of water around the rocky shoals and reefs of Lake Erie, from the PA border to Buffalo. Van Buren Bay, Evans Bar, Myers Reef and Seneca Shoal are some of the traditionally good spring time bass spots. Tube jigs, jigs with twister tails, deep diving stickbaits, live minnows and crayfish are good baits.
Cattaraugus Creek is the last option for those still seeking steelhead. The run is done on the other tributaries. Smallmouth bass have filled the void and there is good opportunity to catch bass in the lower sections of the Lake Erie tributaries. Fly anglers do well with woolly buggers and minnow imitation patterns. Spinning anglers do well with stickbaits, crankbaits and natural baits such as minnows, crayfish and worms. Channel catfish have also started to move into the lower sections of the tributaries, settling into deeper holes. Fishing at night with nightcrawlers, raw shrimp, chicken livers or cut bait on the bottom could have you hooked into a huge catfish. The lower section of Cattaraugus Creek and near the mouth of Eighteenmile Creek are top locations. Shore anglers can also target catfish along the Lake Erie shoreline on calm nights, especially near stream inlets
The yellow perch bite cooled off this past week, possibly due to spawning. However, there were still some good perch catches reported this week by anglers who located and stayed on smaller active schools. The most productive zone has been between Cattaraugus Creek and Sturgeon Point in 47-54 feet of water. Live emerald shiners fished just off the bottom is working best.
Chautauqua Lake – The special catch and release bass season has begun on inland bodies of water in Chautauqua County. During this special bass season, anglers must use artificial bait, and release all bass immediately after catching.
Reports of crappie are still coming as of early this week. With Whitney, Burtis Bay, Bemus Bay, Ashville Bay and the Flats off Mayville launch. It seems that the dusk through dawn bite is working better, with minnows or small jigs with a minnow and fished under a float. The panfish bite has picked up in the same bays. The early season walleye bite has been a bit off, but anglers traditionally target early season walleye at dust and night. Boaters can troll outside weed edges with stickbaits and worm harnesses, or drift and work jigs with nightcrawlers or leeches. For area fishing and travel information, visit http://tourchautauqua.com/Fishing.aspx
Fairhaven/Cayuga County
by Captain Werner Stenger
This past weekend’s blow kept most boats tied to the docks on Sunday and Monday. However as the wind switched to NW and the shoreline started to develop a mud line on Saturday, browns showed up almost instantly. Westerly winds for the rest of the week should set us up for some stellar brown trout fishing later this week. The creeks are finally flowing as well so the bullhead fishing should intensify near the inlets. Crappie are still holding in the bay and park pond.
Oswego County
Courtesy of the Oswego County Department of Community Development, Tourism and Planning.
Oswego River – According to Larry Muroski of Larry’s Oswego Salmon Shop, after being up to 8,000cfs early in the week, the water level has dropped back to 2,170cfs as of this morning. The walleye bite has been decent in the river and anglers are finding sheepshead along with catfish off the high wall. Suggested baits are worms, minnows, and crayfish. Remember the bridge to Leto Island is closed, and there are Mandatory Personal Flotation Device (PFD) zones on the Oswego River below the Varick Dam. For more information, view the Oswego County web site at www.visitoswegocounty.com and look for the fishing report under fishing and hunting.
Lake Ontario – According to Capt. Kevin Davis of Catch the Drift Fishing Charters, the wind has been a factor this week but we have been able to get on the lake some. Tuesday we had bright sun but the fish were biting with a very nice healthy football brown trout included in our catch. Wednesday was perfect brown trout weather, overcast with a little chop and good bite.
According to Capt. Harry Powers of Salmon Heaven Lodge Fishing Charters, just prior to the wind switch to the west early this week, we had great lake trout fishing. The west wind should have blown some bait our way and with quieter lake conditions expected for the next few days, we are hoping for some good brown trout and salmon fishing for the weekend.
Salmon River/Port Ontario – According to Whitaker’s Sport Shop and Motel, the water level remains at 185cfs. Over the last couple of days anglers have gotten into a few fish still dropping back into the lower end of the river. Your best bet would be the Town Pool, Longbridge, Staircase and Black Hole. Just a reminder that the Lower Fly Zone is now closed but the Upper Fly Zone is open.
According to Dave Wood of Woody’s Tackle, with west winds 15-30mph this afternoon, there won’t be much fishing today. However, as we go into the next few days, the weather forecast is good with light winds. This should setup a weekend of very good fishing with warmer water in more shallow depths and off color water. Anglers were finding 30-60 feet of water was a productive depth with spoons with weights or off downriggers working well. The river is still producing a few steelhead with beads, worms, plastics, egg sacs and some live bait working well.
Oneida Lake – After a stretch of nice weather and calm water, the wind was more of a factor this week. Some anglers were finding walleye in 12-20 feet of water while others found moving around from shallow to deeper water was more productive. Jigs tipped with a worm were working well. Bullhead are being taken from shore in shallow water around the lake. Just a reminder that lake sturgeon are on the threatened fishes list and if you accidentally hook one, please do not fight it and release it quickly.
Sandy Pond – According to Dave Wood of Woody’s Tackle, the pond has been producing some bluegills and yellow perch along with a few walleye. Minnows, worms and jigs have been good choices of bait. The area estuaries are producing bullhead and perch with minnows and worms the choice of bait.
Wayne County
by Christopher Kenyon
Lake Ontario -The best bet this week is 140 to 160 feet of water, down 40 feet. Of course that can change in a heartbeat. The Lake Ontario wind has subsided, which is a good thing.
Lakers are on the bottom, however the steelhead are in that 40 foot depth.
Charters are using the usual set-up with stick baits for the browns off the boards and Stingers and NK’s off the riggers for the deep fish.
The LOC Derby has ended and many competitors were using cut bait for the kings.
Wayne County produced the winning steelhead and the youth lake trout. All the results are on the web at www.loc.org
Bays – Sodus Bay has plenty of crappie action around the marina docks and near the islands on the east side of the bay.
Port Bay has tons of bluegills and crappies if panfish is your choice of angling.
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.com
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 – The canal along the southern border of Wayne County has seen all kinds of fishing action. The reports are; crappies near Port Gibson, panfish near the town of Newark, and catfish in the deep pools near the west end of the county.