Chautauqua County Fishing Report
Lake Erie and Tribs – Cattaraugus is in prime condition going into the weekend, with a reported flow of about 300 cubic feet per second. Despite water temperatures dropping into the 30s, many sections of the Catt were fishing well earlier this week. There has been no change on the small to medium sized tributaries. They are still low and clear. Fishing has generally been fair at best, except for some better action during brief bumps in flow. Using light fluorocarbon tippets, small baits, small hooks and moving stealthily is the best approach on the small and medium streams currently.
Lake Erie steelhead like natural baits like egg sacs and worms, flies such as egg imitations, nymphs, streamers and bugger patterns and lures like minnow-type stickbaits and in-line spinners.
Chautauqua Lake – With cold temperatures forecasted for the later in the week some of the launches on Chautauqua Lake may have some ice but the Celeron launch will be ice free until later in the remainder of the Lake freezes over. The open-lake fishing season is winding down, with muskie and the regular bass season at months end. Fishing on Chautauqua Lake has remained good through the late fall season, with anglers finding perch and sunfish in 8-15 feet of water. Small minnows, worms or small ice fishing jigs tipped with waxworms will be the best bet as the season winds down. Fall crappie concentrations can often be found in the same locations as they were in the spring. Anglers have been doing well in Ashville, Lakewood and Burtis Bays using small tube jigs or minnows work best for crappie. Trollers can target musky off weed edges with medium to large stickbaits. Keeping an eye out for deep water near shallow points and rocky shouls like Warners Bay and Upper Dewittville Bay.
Fish for smallmouth bass outside weed edges with live shiners or tube jigs near the bottom. Target walleye around the deeper holes in 25-45 feet of water, off Dewittville Bay and Pont Chautauqua. Vertical jigging with spoons, jigging Rapalas or medium sized shiners are good tactics.
Wayne County Fishing Report
Streams -That was a very quick transition. One day it’s kayak weather and now it’s lake effect with 20 degrees.
Maxwell does have more water and the banks haven’t frozen yet!! Some steelhead are running and the browns are sporadic if you want to bundle-up and give it a try.
Use egg sacs and small spoons and fish the smaller streams in the county. Wayne County hasn’t been slammed with snow like Buffalo, however that can change in a second.
Pier fishing is also another way to catch browns and they will hit small spoons and egg sacs. The only trouble is the Sodus Pier is iced over and the wind is blowing 30 mph.
Maybe we can return to normal November fishing later this week.
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 – The perch have been in Sodus and Port Bays. There will be no icing with the current wind, so at least you can launch a boat later this week.
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 – Not much going on in the canal.
Niagara Fishing Forecast
Lake Ontario and tributaries – The big news is the monster storm that has received some big media hype. Not everyone is exposed to this extreme weather, though. Niagara County was shielded from the first blast that made headlines and we’re expecting 3 to 6 inches before it’s all said and done. Not bad at all. That said, if you come in via the Thruway, make sure it’s open! There are ways to get here, though, if you really want to wet a line here locally. Over at Burt Dam, brown trout top the list of angling targets, but steelheads aren’t far behind. Greg Stanley of All in the Same Boat reports a good number of salmon still hanging around, too – some of them fresh. Egg sacs or egg imitations work best but a jig tipped with a wax worm and fished under a float is starting to come on strong. Water flow was good and it should improve more now that the Erie Canal is closed for the season. As it releases water, tributaries like 18 Mile Creek should benefit. The piers at Wilson and Olcott are still good bets if the winds aren’t too strong to get out there. Be careful if they are icy!
Lower Niagara River – With the recent snow storm event hitting Lake Erie, murky water conditions have created a question as far as the boat fishing. Up until that point, the lower river has been producing a mix of steelhead, browns and lake trout from both boat and shore. Boat fishermen have been using a three-way rig set up, bouncing bottom with egg sacs or egg imitations when the conditions are right. When the wind is from the south or southwest, many anglers switch over to wobbling baits like MagLips, Kwikfish or other types of hard baits that work best when the drift is a bit quicker. From shore, beads or sacs will work and even if the water is off-color, you can still do well in tight. Just look for cleaner water. Spinners and spoons will also catch fish, too. The stairs at Artpark should be back open this weekend after some closures during the week. The New York Power Authority has been taking things day by day as far as its access. For example, the fishing platform was closed last Monday because the stairs were just too icy. It normally closes for the season on December 1, but if the ice and cold weather continues, it could close earlier than expected.
Upper Niagara River – Muddy water and extreme weather conditions have been hampering the area around Buffalo. Remember that musky season closes on Nov. 30 in the Upper Niagara River and Lake Erie, but the Lower River and Lake Ontario remains open through Dec. 15. Bass are still an option when things start to clear up.
Oswego Fishing Report
Oswego River/Lake Ontario report – According to Larry Muroski of Larry’s Oswego Salmon Shop, we had the highest water of the season over the last day or so running at just over 7,000cfs. This morning it has settled back to 5,590cfs. Trout are active throughout the river with a good number of steelhead, some rainbows and a few brown trout in the mix. Using smack beads, egg sacs, and flies from the wall and in the water bottom bouncing and float fishing is suggested.
According to Capt. Kevin Davis of Catch the Drift, we have had some brutal conditions with the wind and cold, although we have not received much snow. Our clients had no problem with it though and managed to make it an easy double-digit day. Conditions look better for the weekend with temperatures reaching back into the 40s.
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 HYPERLINK “http://www.visitoswegocounty.com” www.visitoswegocounty.com and look for the fishing report under fishing and hunting. 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, wednesday was another cold day with blue skies and plenty of sunshine, but once again the big snow missed Pulaski and stayed north of us. Anglers worked hard for what they got and said the key was covering lots of water while looking for fish willing to bite. We currently have steelhead spread out in the river from top to bottom. Some days have been better than others, but single egg patterns, nymphs, trout beads and egg sacs have all produced results.
According to Garrett Brancy of the Douglaston Salmon Run, typical of “season transitional” steelheading, the bite has been on and off. Some off the center pin fishermen have done well using blue egg sacs and beads while fly fishermen were successful using pink and yellow sucker spawn. The water level will remain at 350 cfs until midnight Monday. As we approach winter fishing conditions please be aware that you must have cleated wading boots or korkers to stay safe on the river.
Oneida Lake – The shore night bite for walleye has been steady. Casting stickbaits and crankbaits is the suggested application. With the weather we have had this week, lake fishing has not been feasible. Activity on the lake will likely be quiet for the next few weeks until a good stretch of cold weather settles in and the ice fishing season begins.
Sandy Pond – According to Dave Wood of Woody’s Tackle, the activity on the pond is quiet this time of year as we await the ice fishing action on the pond.