Niagara Fishing Report
by Bill Hilts, Jr.
Lake Ontario and tributaries -€“ The fishing is finally coming around in Lake Ontario – at least at this end of the lake. According to Capt. Bob Cinelli of Olcott, the best trolling depths have been in the 200 to 250 foot depth contour from the Niagara River to Point Breeze. Put spoons or flasher-fly combos in the 60 to 80 foot range, wherever the temperatures are best. Current has also been an issue so be aware of what’s going on down below while trolling. Capt. Jim Gordon of Appleton did well on Tuesday, recording five mature kings among his catch that also included some steelhead and lake trout. Steelhead and the occasional salmon are also available in deeper waters if you want to venture out beyond 350 foot depths. The Lake Ontario Counties Summer Derby is ending on July 27 and there’s still plenty of room for improvement. The Grand Prize leader changed hand five times in the past week and the current leader is Jim Foltz of Pennsylvania with a 30 pound, 3 ounce fish. Top Brown trout is now 17 pounds, 12 ounces caught by Kay Boekel of W. Henrietta with a Point Breeze fish. Niagara County has the first place fish in both the lake trout and steelhead divisions. Top laker taker is Steve Klejdys of North Tonawanda is still in first with his 22 pound, 6 ounce Niagara Bar fish. Ed Wilson of Wexford, PA is leading the steelhead category with a 13 pound, 10 ounce Wilson fish. Check out www.loc.org for the current leaderboard. And if you are heading out onto Lake Ontario for a day of fishing, the derby does offer a one day pass. Grab one! Tip of the week comes from Capt. Matt Yablonsky of Youngstown who recognizes how slippery goose excrement can be: “Make sure the launch ramp is clean so that your truck doesn’t slide down into the water while you are in the boat. Geese are know for that.
Lower Niagara River -€“ The moss is finally starting to clear and according to Capt. Nick Calandrelli of Lewiston it should be gone in less than two weeks – perfecting timing for the Niagara River Anglers bass contest. According to Calandrelli, he had a couple of good outings this week for bass using shiners and crabs. Some drifts are still mossy but not all of them. You will have to figure out which ones on your own. He also caught some bass trolling stickbaits along the lake shore, but information is tight with the NRAA contest fast approaching. The Niagara River Anglers Association annual Lower River and Lake Ontario Bass Contest next weekend on July 26. To sign up, check out www.niagarariveranglers.com.
Upper Niagara River-Erie Canal – Action is picking up in the upper river as well, so good news all the way around for Niagara USA anglers. Moss is improving and the head of Strawberry Island has been good for bass and walleye. The Buffalo shoreline has been good for a mix of bass, perch and panfish. Emerald shiners are a good bait to start with. The 24th Annual Erie Canal Fishing Derby is now in the books and the unofficial results are currently being evaluated according to contest coordinator Steve Harrington of Gasport. As of right now, in looking at the leaders for the various divisions, the catches are pretty impressive. The derby is a great tool to help get the word out about some excellent fishing that is available in the Erie Canal from the Niagara River to Albion and all points in between. Big bass is a smallmouth just under 5 pounds caught by Jessica Doran of Middleport. Walleye leader is Michael Boncore of North Tonawanda at just under 6 pounds. Pike leader is Carleen Beback of North Tonawanda, weighing in at 6 and a quarter pounds. In the bullhead division, Camille Wells of Medina set the pace with a 2.2 pound fish and the top cat-fish was a 15 pounder caught by Alonso Maxwell of Lockport. It was a 21 pound carp that topped all anglers, caught by Bryan Dragan of Williamsville. First place sheepshead is a 12-1/2 pound fish hauled in by Todd Wells of Medina. The awards ceremony takes place in Gasport at the fire hall on Sunday, July 20 starting at 3 pm. Incidentally, four tagged fish were caught during the derby, too. Check out their website at www.eriecanalderby.com.
Chautauqua County Fishing Report
by Craig Robbins
Lake Erie and Tribs – Mid summer storms have made Lake Erie rough, which in turn has made the fishing tough. When the conditions have permitted, trollers have seen decent walleye action. From Barcelona Harbor to Cattaraugus Creek, anglers are catching walleye from 45 feet of water out to the international line. Many “eyes” are coming from between 35 feet down and the bottom, but some have been caught on gear run just 20 feet down. Worm harnesses have worked
well, but also have attracted a few sheepshead, white bass and white perch. Barcelona trollers report good walleye action in around 80 feet of water. Fish are suspended and the best bite has been between 30-35 feet down. Stickbaits in black/purple, black/silver and black/green, and worm harnesses in chartreuse or orange have worked well. Lead core has been most productive method of trolling.
Anglers should not overlook shallower reef areas when searching for walleye. Anglers typically catch walleye around the deeper edges of reefs by casting and retrieving weight forward spinners tipped with a nightcrawler or by bottom bouncing with worm harnesses. Perch schools are scattered, so searching is required. Cattaraugus Creek, anglers have located some decent perch catches in shallow waters of around 15-25 feet, but the better bite has been between 45-60 feet of water. Live emerald shiners fished just off the bottom work best for perch. If emeralds are scarce, try other small minnows/shiners or salted minnows.
Chautauqua Lake – Walleye fishing on Chautauqua Lake traditionally slows down as summer temperatures increase but anglers are still picking up a few along weed edges, mostly in the southern basin.. Trolling for walleye with jointed stickbaits and worm harnesses or by drifting and jigs with nightcrawlers or leeches. Muskellunge hunters have been catch fishing with equal success by casting and trolling. Some anglers troll along weed edges, targeting musky that are waiting to ambush baitfish. Others trolling in deeper water of 25-30 feet of water, targeting large musky that are suspended in the water column. Good trolling lures include perch pattern crankbaits, large jointed stickbaits, hot-n-tots and bucktail trolling spinners. Largemouth bass fishing has been good along weed edges, around docks and in open pockets within weed beds. Top water lures, weedless rigged power worms and wacky rigged senkos/stick bait plastic worms are working well.
Fair Haven / Cayuga County
by Werner Stenger
Fishing the past weekend got tough with the mix of the full super moon and flat calm bluebird skys but there was still action to be had on browns inside of 60′ of water and kings that were holding in 150-180′ of water. Most action there was 70 – 90 ft down. Things started to lite up when the clouds moved in on Sunday and Monday. Should be a great week ahead.
Wayne County Fishing Report
by Christopher Kenyon
Lake Ontario – The salmon are hitting everywhere. After a slow beginning in July the fishing finding screens are lit-up. This is normal for Lake Ontario fishing.
The kings have been in 130 to 300 feet of water off of Sodus Bay. Charter boats are catching 19 to 25 pound kings. Use any spoon that glows and don’t forget the copper lines; tough to reel in but it works like a charm.
Browns are still hitting at first light. They were in 60 feet of water on Sunday before the T-storms hit.
Don’t forget the Sodus Point Pro-Am this weekend. Big Fish Friday is the 18th and there is a $1000 a day contest during the week. You have until Wednesday to sign-up for the action. See the web for all the info. www.soduspointproam.com.
Bays – Port Bay has plenty of pan fish action. Fish the points and drop-offs for perch, crappies and bluegills. Fish the weedlines for largemouths. Use “Sluggos” or spinnerbaits.
The Sodus Bay action is also weedline fishing. You can escape all the boat traffic by fishing during the week.
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 bass were hitting all last week. You can fish any place on the canal for largemouths and a few smallies. The largemouth will weigh-in at five and six pounds…no kidding!