Niagara Fishing Report
by Bill Hilts, Jr.
Lake Ontario and tributaries – Every year the state of New York holds a special free fishing weekend to encourage more people to enjoy the Empire State’s fantastic fishing resources. Anyone can fish in the state for free for Saturday and Sunday, June 28 and 29 this year – but you do have to abide by the fishing regulations that are in place. More and more, special events are being put into place to promote the free fishing days and encourage more people to get out and fish. On Saturday, the Olcott Lions Club will be holding a kids fishing derby in the Town of Newfane Marina from 8 am to noon, another free contest for the youngsters. And if you play your cards right, you can make it up to Niagara Falls for the Festival of Fathers in Hyde Park from 1 to 4 pm. There will be a kids fishing contest going on along with a bunch of other fun outdoor activities. Call 285-6984 for more information. Father’s Day came a day early for Don VanArsdall of Henrietta, fishing with his son Jamie in Irondequoit Bay. The angling duo managed to catch a new state record freshwater drum or sheepshead last Saturday – a 26 pound, 9 ounce fish hauled to best the record by more than two pounds. Bass season opens on June 21 and you can then target bass with live bait and keep one for the frying pan if you’d like. Bass fishing has been good from the piers in Olcott to the dam at Burt in 18 Mile Creek. Bullhead, rock bass and northern pike have also been reported in those waters according to Wes Walker at The Slippery Sinker. Like the saying goes, fishing is least when the winds are from the east – and east winds have been impacting action in Lake Ontario. Finding pockets of warmer water has not been easy. Staying inside of 70 feet has been one approach but action has been spotty. Use spoons or stickbaits in the top 50 feet of water; browns are inside of 40 feet. You can find some warm water pockets out 250 to 350 feet, again targeting the top 50 feet of water, but you have to work for it. Some bigger kings have hit offerings below 80 feet in the colder water. The Summer LOC Derby is now underway and it’s a wide open leaderboard right now. Top salmon is a 23 pound, 13 ounce king; top lake trout is 21 pounds, 5 ounces; top brown is a 15 pound, 2 ounce fish; and the rainbow-steelhead leader is an 11 pound, 11 ounce fish. Check out www.loc.org for an updated leaderboard or to find out where you can register for the event. Don’t rule out Wilson Harbor for bass and pike either, perfect timing for the Wilson Conservation Club’s kids fishing derby June 21 in any Niagara County waters. Fish from 8 am to noon. Fish are based on length.
Lower Niagara River – Lower river action for bass has been good and the timing is right for the regular season opener. However, the dreaded moss action that normally occurs in early June is running a couple weeks late and it is progressively getting worse right now so that could be a complication. For the time being, use live bait like shiners or crabs for the opener; tube jigs, drop shot rigs and spinners will work for artificial.
Upper Niagara River – The regular bass season opens on June 21 and the Opening Day Smallmouth Bass Contest normally run by the Wagon Wheel will be coordinated through Kelly’s Corners, 524 Cayuga Drive, Niagara Falls. Hours of fishing are from 5 am to 4 pm and the scales open up at 3 pm. This is a two fish tournament and the minimum size is 15 inches. Your $20 registration includes the big fish pot. A fish fry and refreshments will be served after weigh-in is completed. Bass season should kick off with the bang Saturday, especially around Strawberry and Motor Islands. Musky season opens on June 21, too, so get ready for some boat traffic for opening weekend if the weather is nice. Shore fishermen will be heading to Broderick Park at the foot of Ferry Street for white bass, white perch and sheepshead; some walleye are being caught at night there. Yellow perch are being reported at Ontario Street near the launch. The Town of Tonawanda 19th annual City of Tonawanda kids free fishing derby at Niawanda Park Bandshell on River Road on June 21 from 9 am to noon. Over $5,000 in prizes and giveaways. The Tonawandas Chamber of Commerce will be holding its annual Hooked on Fishing Tournament June 28 and 29 out of Gateway Harbor and the Erie Canal. There will be plenty of fish caught as eligible species categories include bass, pike, carp, perch, walleye, bullhead and catfish. You can register as an adult for cash prizes or fish in the free kids division. Check out www.fishgatewayharbor.net or call 628-1247 for more information.
Wayne County Fishing Report
by Christopher Kenyon
Lake Ontario – Kings, steelhead and lakers…that’s the routine this week. The kings are in water 120 to 180 feet. The steelhead and lake trout are in 300 feet. The lakers are on the bottom and the steelhead are on the top.
Big steelies are coming on anything red and orange.
Most of the charters are fishing straight-out from Sodus Bay or a little to the west. Some browns are roaming close to shore, however most anglers are pursuing the deeper water fish.
Bays – Bass season opens this Saturday and the hot spot will be Sodus Bay. The other bays have largemouths, but Sodus gives you more places to hunt for the lunkers. The weedlines are already established.
You can launch at Bay Bridge or the ramp near Arney’s Marina on Route 14.
Port Bay has two public launch sites…the north and the south end, both off of West Port Bay Road.
Don’t forget the Wayne County 5-Grandslam and Merchants Challenge Youth Derby which is happening right now. Click on Grand slam for more information. The youngsters are starting to catch fish. Don’t miss this great contest.
Check out the rest of the Wayne County Tourism web page for the locations and hours of local bait and tackle shops. 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. We also have a new publication on Great Lakes fishing.
Erie Canal – The opener for bass will bring the anglers to the canal this Saturday. There are five pounders in this historic waterway. The walleye fishing has been excellent this spring and big cats are coming from the deeper pools near Swift’s Landing in Palmyra.
Chautauqua County Fishing Report
by Craig Robbins
Lake Erie and Tribs – The Lake Erie walleye bite has been picking up just east of Dunkirk Harbor in 30-45 feet of water. Trolling with worm harnesses just off the bottom or slow trolling and bouncing worm harness off the bottom has been producing limits of 20-26 inch fish.
The larger walleyes are being taken out of Barcelona by trollers. While “eyes” are coming out of Barcelona, there have been few limits reported, with the best bite coming in 70 feet, suspended in 15-20 feet.
Smallmouth are still being picked up out of Dunkirk Harbor and off Van Buren Bar, with tube jigs, jigs with twister tails still working well but bigger smallies being caught on deep diving stick baits and drop-shot rigs.
The yellow perch bite has been good from Dunkirk Harbor to Cattaraugus Creek. Anglers are catching perch in close at around 40 feet of water, and over deeper water of 55-60 feet. Emerald shiners fished at or just off the bottom are usually the ticket.
Smallmouth bass are still available in the lower sections of the tributaries. Fly anglers catch bass with woolly buggers and minnow patterns. Spinning anglers do well with stickbaits, marabou jigs with grubs (under a float) and natural baits like minnows, crayfish or worms.
Chautauqua Lake – Anglers report a good walleye bite along weed edges in the south basin, in Ashville, and in lower Bemus Bay. Working jointed stickbaits and worm harnesses or by drifting bottom bouncing drop shot rigs tip off with a night crawler or leech. The largemouth bass is hot and heavy around docks in Warners and Lakewood Bays. Tossing spinner baits and and 3 inch tube baits are working good.
The rocky shoals off Lakewood Bar and Rock Island are great places to start for smallmouth bass.
With muskie season opening on June 21st, casting buck tails and jerk baits over the outside of the weed edges in Bemus and Dewittville Bays are traditional good opening season hot spots.
Fair Haven / Cayuga County Fishing Report
by Werner Stenger
Fishing is still good out of Fair Haven. 50′ of water is still holding good numbers of browns. Steelhead have moved further offshore mostly in the 150′ depth. Salmon are here one minute gone the next. Shallow water is still holding plenty of action from smallmouth bass.
Oswego River/Lake Ontario Fishing Report
This report courtesy of the Oswego County Department of Community Development, Tourism and Planning.
According to Larry Muroski of Larry’s Oswego Salmon Shop, the water flow has been running between 5,000-12,000cfs over the last few days. This afternoon it is flowing at 8,470cfs. Anglers are finding walleye taking nightcrawlers and leeches from the Utica St. bridge north. Bass season opens this weekend and anglers can find them throughout the river and harbor. Crayfish, minnows, crankbaits and plastics will work well. Sheephead are also active taking crayfish. 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.
Lake Ontario – According to Capt. Kevin Davis of Catch the Drift, we had some nice days on the water this week. The large lake trout wanted to bite with some kings and steelhead mixed in. Lots of bites including catching 15 pound lakers on 2 and 3 color lead cores. I don’t think the water is ever going to warm up this year. We had 39.5 degree surface water over 370 feet of water. That’s pretty cold for mid-June. Yesterday was a slower day but still some nice catches. Hopefully they will be packed in tightly after the hard west wind we have had.
According to Larry Muroski of Larry’s Oswego Salmon Shop, the lake fishing has been decent. Anglers are fishing in 100 feet of water with bright colored spoons taking steelhead about 30 feet down from the surface. Look for salmon in about 100 feet of water 50-80 feet down from the surface. Flies, flashers and spoons are working well.
Salmon River/ Pulaski Area report – We have not had many reports from the river this week. Typically the activity quiets down this time of year. Anglers are likely to find a few steelhead and some brown trout that were stocked a few weeks ago.
Pulaski Area – According to Dave Wood of Woody’s Tackle, the lake fishing continues to be very spotty with no rhyme or reason to finding fish. No matter what water depth, they are not deep so look only about 20-30 feet from the surface. We really need a stretch of consistent hot weather for the thermocline to set up. Bass season opens this weekend and due to the cooler weather they likely will be in more shallow water, 8-12 foot range. Soft shell crabs, bass minnows, nightcrawlers, crankbaits and plastic worms should work well.
Oneida Lake – The walleye fishing has been good. Look in 15-30 feet of water using bucktail jigs, leeches, and worm harnesses. The night bite continues from shore casting jigs or stickbaits. The shallow water around the lake continues to produce panfish on worms and small jigs.
Sandy Pond – According to Dave Wood of Woody’s Tackle, activity on the pond is slowing down as the weeds become higher and more dense. Anglers are finding the occasional walleye and a few northern pike. Plastics or floating a minnow under a bobber are working well.