Niagara Region

by Bill Hilts, Jr.

Lake Ontario and tributaries – Burt Dam and 18 Mile Creek opened up nicely for anglers looking to fish some open water, but it’s anyone’s guess how long that will last with another polar vortex coming down from Canada. The fish – a mix of brown trout and steelhead – were hungry and as long as the presentation was right, you would catch fish. Jigs fished under a float and tipped with a wax worm or meal worm would work. So did egg sacs or single eggs, the latter a preference of Greg Stanley of Newfane who did well earlier this week. To the east, there is open water at Waterport Dam to the Archer’s Club on the Oak. Johnson Creek was also open at the Lyndonville Dam, Blood Road and Kuckville Bridge areas. Ice fishing is still an option, especially over in Wilson Harbor. If it’s too cold to fish, you might want to check out the Western New York Boat Show going on right now through Sunday at the Buffalo Bills Field House in Orchard Park. For more information check out www.buffaloboating.com. Parking is free.

 Lower Niagara River – The warmer weather didn’t hurt the Niagara River fishery as was forecast, so trout fishermen continue to enjoy success from Devil’s Hole to Lake Ontario. Waters were slightly stained but fishable. Kwikfish and minnows were both taking fish, but the hot bait was brown trout eggs cured with Pautzke fire brine and tied up into sacs according to Capt. Frank Campbell. Steelhead is the hot ticket for catching right now, but a few browns and lake trout have also been reported. The occasional musky will also hit a lure, as Matt Tall and Taz Morrison found out last week while drifting a Kwikfish. The fish was nearly 50 inches long! Remember that musky season is closed and they must be released immediately. Walleye season is closing soon, with the final day on March 15. Only one fish per person can be kept if you decide to keep one. On the Niagara Bar, a few browns and lakers have been caught on minnows or Kwikfish lures, but northerly winds have hampered proper drifting techniques. Next week – from March 6 to 9 – the 24th Annual Western New York Sport and Travel Expo will be held at the Erie County Fairgrounds in Hamburg. For more information check out the website at www.sportandtravelexpo.com. Parking is free.

Upper Niagara River – Ice fishing around Beaver Island State Park and the Holiday Inn is still an option for hardwater anglers. Ditto for Buffalo Boat Harbor where most of the panfish action continues to be small with an occasional keeper. Biggest perch were being reported at Beaver Island State Park marina. Be sure to mark your calendars for the 9th Annual John Long, Sr. Raffle and Feast sponsored by the Niagara River Anglers Association on March 23 from 2 pm to 6 pm. The event, which is the major fund-raiser for the club – supports youth conservation and fishing activities. The feast will be held at St. Vincent de Paul Hall located on Military Road in Niagara Falls. For tickets call 628-1460.

Chautauqua County

by Craig Robbins

Lake Erie and Tribs – Open water in Dunkirk Harbor is offering steelhead fishing opportunities from the pier and the fishing platform by the power plant. Anglers have been catching steelhead on spoons, spinners, live minnows and egg sacs.

The Lake Erie tributaries will not be frozen much longer, with Canadaway Creek generally being the first one to open up. Creek levels will likely be very high throughout the meltdown. When conditions permit, target steelhead with egg sacs, egg imitation flies, trout beads and hair jigs tipped with a waxworms. 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.

Lake Erie has a solid 20 inches or more of ice, which should survive the warm-up last weekend warm weather. It is advised that anglers now avoid accessing Erie from Cattaraugus Creek, due to the imminent rising creek level. Be cautious when ice fishing Lake Erie, keeping an eye out for pressure cracks. Also, it is best to avoid fishing Erie when there are gusty winds out of the East, which may widen cracks. Out of Dunkirk, yellow perch fishing have been consistent off the harbor buoys. Emerald shiners are a must, fished on a drop-shot style rig with 2 or 3 snelled hooks near the bottom, or on tip-downs. The occasional walleye and trout have also been caught by anglers targeting perch.

Chautauqua Lake – Chautauqua Lake has solid ice of 14 inches or more of ice lake wide. Walleye anglers have reported some decent catches during low light periods off Long Point, Prendergast and outside the weedline along the drop-off off Mayville. Jigging Rapalas, jigging spoons or shiners set on tip-ups are good offerings for walleye. Yellow perch are biting well everywhere, but weeding through smaller runts can be a chore, especially in the shallower zones. Some better sized perch have been found in deeper areas of 25 feet or more, off Long Point, Maple Springs and near the Vikings Club. Jigging with larger lures such as Swedish pimples, hali jigs, small jigging raps and minnows helps to deter so many runt perch hook-ups as well. Some good crappie catches have been reported off Lakewood, with lighter catches reported from Burtis Bay and Mayville.

Oswego County

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

Oswego River – After the rain we received last week, we have been in and out of bouts of lake effect snow this week. The precipitation has affected the water with the flow up to 12,000cfs at times but this morning it is running at 9,280cfs. This makes many areas along the river difficult to fish. With the weather conditions we have not had much activity to report. With more lake effect and wind in the forecast, conditions may be harsh for the next day or two. Although still windy on Saturday, 30 degrees is predicted but back into the teens on Sunday. 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 the Douglaston Salmon Run, A few brave fishermen reported several hookups on Monday and were able to land a handful of lunker steelhead. Blue, white, and pink egg sacs continue to prove successful. Water flows are up to 1500cfs through this evening. We are in the midst of another stretch of below normal temperatures with lake effect snow and wind yesterday and more expected today. Temperatures on Saturday will be in the mid 20s but back into the teens on Sunday. Dress warm if you plan to fish and don’t forget your studded boots!

Oneida Lake – We are back into the cold temperatures this week along with a few inches of snow. Wind is also in the forecast for the next couple of days. The action off the north shore has been decent. Walleye have been active in about 30 feet of water and the perch bite has been good in more shallow depths – 15 to 17 feet of water. The temperature may reach 30 degrees on Saturday but only in the mid to upper teens on Friday and Sunday.

Sandy Pond – According to Dave Wood of Woody’s Tackle, we have great conditions on the pond. There is 20 inches of ice on many areas of the pond and not a lot of snow so traveling by snowmobile or ATV is very manageable. More good news involves the perch bite which has definitely picked up the last couple of weeks and we have consistent northern pike action. Small jigs tipped with grubs are working for the perch; tip ups, large minnows and large spikes for the pike.