Chautauqua County
Lake Erie and Tribs – Late season yellow perch action can be excellent, and this year has been no exception. Some good catches have been reported this week outside 60 feet of water off Cattaraugus Creek. In addition, recent DEC trawling surveys have shown large numbers of perch in 60-80 feet between Silver Creek and Eighteenmile Creek, especially off Sturgeon Point.
Boaters have a good opportunity to catch steelhead near the mouths of the tributaries. Anglers have done well in 4-10 feet of water off the mouth of Chautauqua Creek by casting spoons.
While much of the later part of the last week saw high winds and rain which lend to muddy fast water in the tribs, by Sunday afternoon anglers were lining the mouth of the Catt and Walnut Creeks.
On the tribs, especially Walnut and Chautauqua, anglers have begun to see the fall run start to move up the creeks, with Chautauqua Creek showing signs of more consist action.
The forecasted rain should help. Tributary steelhead commonly hit natural baits like egg sacs or worms, flies such as egg imitations, streamers and bugger patters, and lures like minnow-type stickbaits, smaller spoons and in-line spinners. Anglers can also target steelhead from the Cattaraugus Creek breakwall or off creek mouths by casting spoons, spinners and stickbaits.
Chautauqua Lake – There still continues to be a great muskie bite on Chautauqua Lake. While it can be challenging in regards to weather, the time on Chautauqua Lake is well worth the effort. Successful anglers are still trolling outside weed edges with large perch-pattern stickbaits being a good bet. Drifting and casting around weed beds has also produced musky catches. Anglers were recently catching some walleye in the deeper holes of the north basin. Vertical jigging with spoons, jigging Rapalas or medium sized shiners are good tactics. Some walleye have also been caught along weed edges, by drifting with shiners. Smallmouth bass fishing is picking up along points, with catches reported at Warner Bar, Maple Springs and Long Point.
With the water temperatures continuing to drop, smallmouth bass have moved into the areas like deep rocky points with a shallow rocky shoreline structure close by.
Shallow areas and around docks are still top spots for largemouth bass. Try live shiners, tube jigs, power worms, senkos or topwater lures. Slightly deeper areas of 10-15 feet off weedlines are better for smallmouth bass. A drop-shot rig with a minnow or crayfish is a good bet. Weedy areas in Bemus and Ashville Bays in 6-10 feet of water are good spots for bluegill.
Niagara County
Lake Ontario and tributaries – On the fishing scene, a decent run of salmon came into 18 Mile Creek as well as most major tributaries along Lake Ontario. The key seems to be water flow. Fair to good reports are coming in from Burt Dam where a mix of salmon and trout are being reported. Some monster brown trout have been reported, too, both in the creek and off the pier in Olcott. Fish to 20 pounds have been scaled. Egg sacs, single eggs, egg imitations and woolly buggers have been working on browns and steelhead. On the piers, spoons and spinners will also work for you when you can get out there. Water levels have fluctuated in 18 Mile Creek a bit. Water was coming over the dam at Burt at mid-week. When there is a north wind, water levels come up a little. Over in Wilson, perch have been hitting off the piers along with some trout and northern pike.
Lower Niagara River – In the lower Niagara River, salmon are still available but that run has started to die down, being replaced by trout. For those targeting salmon, boat drifters are using treated egg skein off three-way rigs in the Devil’s Hole area. Shore casters are working the shoreline in the gorge – off the NYPA fish platform; Whirlpool State Park or Devil’s Hole State Park. Casting spoons, spinners or jigs will catch fish; so will egg sacks fished under a float. More trout are starting to show up so add in the Artpark shoreline as a good shore/boat option. Some trout are also being caught downriver. By trout, we mean steelhead/rainbows, browns or lake trout. Remember that lake trout season is closed until the end of the year. There is some good walleye and bass fishing available, too, if you are looking for a mixed bag of fish. Live bait like shiners or worm harnesses will produce fish. Jigs like tubes or spoons will catch fish, too.
Upper Niagara River – Bass are still going on their fall feed in all the traditional areas – smallmouth and largemouth. For smallies, use shiners, crayfish, tube jigs and the like in spots like Strawberry Island, Motor Island, the Huntley Power Station and the head of the river. The largemouth bass can be found around docks and weed beds around the river. Musky action has picked up a tick with the cooling water temperatures as fish get ready to winter over. Large tubes or body baits will work to catch fish.
Wayne County
Lake Ontario – There has been a relentless blow on the big lake; however a few hardy anglers fished straight out from Sodus Bay earlier this week.
The kings are in 100 feet of water and hitting spoons. All the charter boats are out and just about winterized.
Streams -A little more water is now in Maxwell Creek. Not the flow that is desired, however it is at least fishable.
Throw out egg sacs on the north side of Lake Road. Some browns were caught this past weekend and a few salmon hit the sacs. Or walk the path to the lake and cast out near the mouth. The lake level is low and there is plenty of shoreline for fishing.
Bear Creek has water at the launch and although it’s small with limited public access the fish are there.
Another option is Hughes’ Marina on Lake Road just east of Pultneyville. There is a $5 permit fee and you can fish the small lagoons which connect to the lake.
Bays – Perch fishing has been steady at Sodus Bay; however Port Bay has not “fired-up” yet. DEC has pulled the docks but you can still launch at Warrens and Bay Bridge on Sodus Bay.
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 canal will lower the water the second week in November. Widewaters remains the same level all year. Fish along Route 31 runs parallel to the canal. The bass are hitting near Port Gibson.
Oswego County
This report courtesy of the Oswego County Department of Community Development, Tourism and Planning
Oswego River/Lake Ontario – According to Larry Muroski of Larry’s Oswego Salmon Shop, although the river level dropped to about 2,000cfs early in the week, yesterday and today it has risen back up to 7,510cfs as of this morning. There is a variety of fish in the river including salmon, steelhead, rainbows and brown trout. Anglers are seeing action at the dam and along the wall. Suggested baits are smack beads, skein, egg sacs, flies and woolly buggers.
According to Capt. Kevin Davis of Catch the Drift, we have had some good days on the Oswego River. Tuesday we had a successful morning bite on a rather miserable day. Wednesday we had a smorgasbord with kings, steelhead, and rainbows. Our clients LOCKED them for an easy double-digit day. All released to fight another day! A tidbit of information: we can tell the difference between a steelhead and rainbow trout as soon as it’s hooked. A steelhead tends to run fast, take drag and is all over the river. Rainbows shake their head and come in real easy.
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 Brookfield Varick Fish Safely Brochure below. The Oswego Fire Department offers a Loaner for Life program, offering loaner life jackets at no cost at the east side fire station, 35 E. Cayuga St., Oswego. For more information call 315-343-2161.
Salmon River – According to Whitaker’s Sport Shop & Motel, if you are looking for salmon the majority of them are in and around the gravel areas in the mid to upper end of the river. A few salmon are being caught in the lower end but the majority of that activity is steelhead. The upper end of the river between Altmar and Pineville along with the Upper and Lower Fly Zones continue to produce a mixed bag of kings, cohos and steelhead. Single egg patterns, stoneflies and woolly buggers have produced steady results in the fly zones.
According to Garrett Brancy of the Douglaston Salmon Run, fishing for steelhead continues to be great all along the entire river and “fresh” kings are still being taken in good numbers – the estuary area is full, with fish moving up into the river at night. The lower stretches tend to be productive in the early morning as well as the middle stretches at first light. The upper areas of the river tend to be better during the late afternoon and early evening with 4pm being the magic hour when the bite turns on at the Little Black and above.
Oneida Lake – With the cooler weather we have had the last few days, the nighttime walleye bite has picked up. Just before and after dark are the prime times with stickbaits and crankbaits cast from shore the suggested applications. We have had a fair amount of wind lately so accessing the deeper water has been limited but anglers are still finding some yellow perch and bass activity.
Sandy Pond – According to Dave Wood of Woody’s Tackle, the activity on the pond is quiet this time of year.