Greater Niagara Region Fishing Report

by Bill Hilts Jr.

Lake Ontario and tributaries – For the Summer Lake Ontario Counties Derby, a new Grand Prize leader showed up over the weekend out of Olcott – a 33 pound, two ounce king salmon reeled in by John Scalise of Franklinville using a flasher-fly out in 200 feet of water while fishing with Capt. Darryl Roate of Water Wolf. Today (July 3) saw a 31 pound, 8 ounce king come to the scales in Wilson, courtesy of Malcolm Bennett of Plano, Texas while fishing with Capt. Vince Pierleoni of Thrillseeker II. That fish is first place in the salmon division now. There was also a new leader in the Rainbow-steelhead category, a 15 pound, nine ounce fish weighed in by Carol Comerford of East Aurora while fishing out of Wilson. Fishing in the lake is slowly starting to pick back up again but as of this report there was fog and cold water after a recent northeast blow.

Wes Walker at the Slippery Sinker reports some warmer water has been found out deep for salmon and trout at the 28-30 line. As a result of the cold water near shore, bass have turned on in the harbors of Wilson and Olcott as those fish have sought out the warmer creek waters. The Lake Ontario Trout and Salmon Association will be holding their next meeting on July 11. Capt. Don Ruppert will be giving a seminar on Lake Erie walleye fishing starting at 7 p.m. at Cornell Cooperative Extension Niagara in Lockport. LOTSA’s in-club tournament is Saturday, July 13 and the deadline to register is Sunday, July 7. Sign up on the website at www.lotsa.org. Friday July 12 is the Curt Meddaugh Memorial event for registered members. Check the website out for details.

Lower Niagara River – The lower Niagara River moss problem seems to be lessening. However, bass fishing has been tough, probably due to the cooler water temperatures relating to weather – some bass are still on the beds. The action should get better as the summer progresses. A few silver bass are still being caught off the New York Power Authority fishing platform and you can also cast the shoreline up into the gorge for bass with jigs tipped with plastics. If you are in a boat, make sure you call in to the Canadian Border Services Agency if you cross the international line. Border agents have been cracking down.

Upper Niagara River – The 23rd Annual Erie Canal Fishing Derby is underway and will continue through July 14th. Eligible waters are from Albion to the Niagara River at North Tonawanda. Seven divisions include bass, walleye, northern pike, bullhead, carp, sheepshead and catfish. Register at any one of the seven weigh stations along the canal, including Les Allen Live Bait located at 350 Hawley Street in Lockport. Over $20,000 in cash and prizes are up for grabs, including a nice little boat and motor package for the Grand Prize winner. For more information contact 830-8434 or visit www.eriecanalderby.com. In the Gateway Harbor Hooked on Fishing Tournament last weekend, the winning catches included a 6.44 pound largemouth bass reeled in by Shawn Krull of Williamsville; Matt Steffan of North Tonawanda with a 14.92 pound carp; Sean Olejniczak of West Seneca with a 2.7 pound northern pike; and Michael Richbart of Sanborn with a .4 pound perch. Nearly 200 anglers competed for cash prizes and money was raised for Mercy Flight. Water in the canal was still pretty stained from all the rain last weekend. In the upper river, bass action has been good for smallmouth bass with crayfish from the head of the river to Strawberry Island. Shorefishing from Broderick Park to Niawanda Park has been good for a mix of bass, perch and panfish. A recent DEC shocking study showed good numbers of pike and musky in the east river near the Holiday Inn and Spicer Creek around weed edges.

Fairhaven/Cayuga County Fishing Report

by Captain Werner Stenger

Lake Ontario has finally developed a stable thermocline in our area, making big water trolling much more productive. Bait and fish have been on the move but almost every day can be found somewhere from 70 to 220 feet of water. This past weekend the break was about 60 feet down with bait schools starting down. We found our 4 color core to be most productive as well as a full core and 300 copper. The majority of the bites came on spoons that varied from caramel dolphin, NBK, and purple alewife but the biggest ones fell prey to flasher fly and bait presentations. For those seeking some laker action bottom bouncing with cow bells and peanuts in 100 – 130′ of water provided plenty of action.

Small mouth bass were in good numbers in 20′ of water or less.

The pan fish in the bay were quite tight lipped this past Sunday but bass anglers were still pulling good numbers. It was one of our favorite weekends of the year as we get to take some Wounded Warriors fishing along with other members of the Fair Haven Fishing Association followed by a day of fishing with some great kids. Check out facebook.com/AllAboardFHFA to see some of the great people involved.

Wayne County Fishing Report

by Christopher Kenyon

Happy 4th of July!

Lake Ontario – The king salmon are starting their summer bite. They have been in 150 to 200 feet of water. They are hitting flasher-fly rigs and spoons. Charter captains from Pultneyville report green and white are working. Riggers, dipseys and copper have all been effective getting the lure in front of the fish.

Use your temperature probes and search for the themoclines. The salmon are in the 20-pound class.

Lakers are still in 120 feet of water, right on the bottom.

There has still been an early brown bite close to shore. All the recent rainfall has created mudlines in the lake. Fish for the browns early before going deep for kings.

The perch are in the lake in 10 feet of water. They are west of Sodus Bay and east of Port Bay.

Bays – The water is high in all the bays, which is a good thing. Bass are hitting along the weedlines in all the bays. Because of the holiday week, the wise angler will fish early then put the boat away for the rest of the day.

They are still catching pike in Sodus Bay near the buoys and next to the islands.

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 is muddy and high water has created a lot of current. It’s probably best to stay away for a week— tough fishing.

Oswego County

This report courtesy of the Oswego County Department of Community Development, Tourism and Planning.

Oswego River – According to Larry Muroski of Larry’s Oswego Salmon Shop, the water flow has been running between 9,000 – 13,000cfs for the last few days. This morning it is at exactly 12,000cfs. This high flow makes many areas along the river unfishable. Suggested areas are along the river walks. Look for bass, walleye, sheepshead and panfish using crayfish, leeches, worms and minnows. 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. Mike Conroy of Proteus Fishing Charters, a few charter boats got out on Tuesday after Monday’s blow off with the northeast wind. Everything was “iced” out Monday and the thermocline was gone. There are reports of a few King salmon being caught on leadcore and riggers down 50 feet. Spoons and echips are hit and miss as fish are scattered. The lake needs to heal and stabilize, hopefully by the weekend. Lake trout are on the bottom taking peanuts and cowbells. No brown trout reported from anyone.

Salmon River – The river is fairly quiet this time of year. The water flow is currently running at 1000cfs. Planned flows for Saturday and Sunday will be 750cfs, whitewater release.

Port Ontario – The fishing on the eastern end of the lake has picked up a bit with some nice size King salmon moving in. It is not fast and furious but the size is making up for a slower pace. A few brown trout have also been reported. There has been a good perch bite just off the Salmon River on fathead minnows and night crawlers. Look for bass in Mexico Bay in 15-20 feet of water with minnows and soft shelled crabs being the choice of bait.

Oneida Lake – The fishing on Oneida Lake has been very good. Nice catches of walleyes have been reported with many limit catches taken. Areas across the lake have been active as the fish seem to be on the move. So if you don’t find success, move around; they are there. Anglers are also finding large and smallmouth bass and perch. Black and purple bucktail jigs and worm harnesses along with worms and minnows are working well.

Sandy Pond – According to Dave Wood of Woody’s Tackle, the fishing on the pond has been decent. Anglers are finding some panfish and a few walleye. The most active fishery on the pond is largemouth bass right now. The higher water level is good for the bass bite and plastic worms, Texas rig worms and spinner baits are getting their attention.