Greater Niagara Region

Lake Ontario and tributaries – Arctic temperatures have invaded Western New York and they haven’t let up much, forcing many hunters and fishermen to stay home. That could change this weekend with the possibility of some rain on Saturday in the forecast. Wes Walker at The Slippery Sinker in Olcott reported that ice fishing action is still an option for area hard water anglers with the best places locally being Wilson Harbor and even Olcott Harbor once we get another inch or two of ice. The problem in Olcott is knowing where the main channel is. Water movement underneath the ice could pose a problem and Walker insists that they like to see at least six inches of ice there. It was at 4-5 inches at mid-week. He also reported that was some open water – but not a lot – between Burt Dam and the railroad bridge and that a few trout were being caught. The first annual Greater Niagara Fishing and Outdoor Expo was held at the Conference and Events Center in Niagara Falls last weekend. All in all, considering the weather, the event was a good one and look for a repeat performance in 2015 around the same general timeframe. Remember that the new license fee structure will be going into effect on Feb. 1st and when you purchase an annual fishing license it starts from the day you buy it!

Lower Niagara River – The lower Niagara River has some good water conditions and there’s plenty of open water – if you can get your boat out there. The last report we had was that the Lewiston Launch area was filled with ice, but not to worry. When the weather starts to improve, the Village of Lewiston Public Works crew will be clearing the area to allow for river access very soon – say for this weekend when temperatures could reach a balmy 32 degrees! It’s not too late to start thinking about registering for the Niagara River Anglers Association’s Roger Tobey Memorial Steelhead Contest, set for Feb. 15 on the lower river and in area tributaries. To find out more information about the event, either check out the website at www.niagarariveranglers.com or call contest organizer Steve Drabczyk at 807-6248. The awards ceremony and festivities will be at the Three-F Club in Lewiston immediately following the competition.

Upper Niagara River – Some of the embayments around Grand Island have been producing fish through the ice. One in particular was around the Holiday Inn on the Island where Matt Wilson of North Tonawanda was doing extremely well on perch and crappie.

Chautauqua County

Lake Erie and Tribs – This past weekend anglers were catching good numbers of fresh steelhead on receding waters. Over the past few days, the Lake Erie tributaries have iced up quickly, leaving little to no open water on most creeks. The upper reaches of Cattaraugus Creek are the best bet for finding open water. Productive wintertime steelhead baits include egg sacs, egg imitation flies, trout beads and hair jigs tipped with a waxworm (fished under a float). In cold water conditions, it is best to keep drifted offerings slow and deep, as steelhead are more lethargic and hugging the bottom. It is also good to concentrate efforts during the warmest part of the day when chasing winter steelhead.

Chautauqua Lake – Reports of Chautauqua Lake ice of 8 inches lake-wide, with up to 12 inches reported in parts of the northern basin. Yellow perch are being caught in the shallows to the deeper holes, with good numbers coming around Grass and Rock Islands and the narrows between the bridge and the ferry. Jigs with grubs or small spoons with small minnows or spikes, are the best bet for yellows. Bluegill are being found in the shallow zones off Mayville, especially in and around the Flats.

Crappies are starting to show up in the early morning hours in Ashville Bay in 6-10 feet of water. Good winter crappie offerings are jigs with grubs, small jig heads with a minnow or by dead sticking a minnow. When fishing for crappie it is wise to jig at various depths as crappie are often suspended.

While the walleye bite has been off this week, anglers have been picking walleyes along deeper drop-offs in 30-40 feet of water, off Long Point and Upper Dewittville Bay. Working these areas during early morning and dusk times with jigging Rapalas, spoons or shiners on a tip-up.

Oswego County Fishing Report

Courtesy of the Oswego County Department of Community Development, Tourism and Planning

Oswego River – The water level has shown a slow decrease over the last few days running at 8,970cfs this morning. With the very cold temperatures and wintery conditions early in the week there is not much to report. It looks like conditions will improve for the weekend with temperatures likely to be near 30 degrees. 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 Tourism web site at www.visitoswegocounty.com and look for the fishing report under fishing and hunting.

Pulaski area/Salmon River – According to Whitaker’s Sport Shop and Motel, with the winter weather we had earlier this week, there has not been much activity to report on the river. The good news is that more seasonable temperatures are returning with highs in the upper 20s to near 30 degrees. The water flow will be running at 500cfs though Friday night.

Oneida Lake – Action on the lake has been rather quiet this week. However, as we work our way out of frigid cold wind chills and the thermometer makes its way to near 30 degrees, the activity level will spike this weekend. Although there is some snow in areas of the lake, much of it blew clear. With as much as a foot of ice, we should have excellent conditions.

Sandy Pond – According to Dave Wood of Woody’s Tackle, we have had no reports this week due to the lake effect snow and cold temperatures. We do know there is 14 – 16 inches of ice on much of the pond. Conditions are excellent although there is some snow on the ice surface. As we go into the end of the week, temperatures will finally make it back up into the 20s and possibly near 30 for the weekend. Conditions should be excellent for fishing.