Greater Niagara Region Fishing Report
by Bill Hilts, Jr.
Lake Ontario and tributaries
It’s a brand new year on the Niagara Frontier and there’s plenty of fishy things going on in the Great Outdoors! Good action is being reported for brown trout and steelhead at Burt Dam and 18 Mile Creek in Newfane. There’s average water flow being reported and the water has a brownish-green tint with about 2 feet of visibility according to Wes Walker at The Slippery Sinker. Jigs tipped with a wax worm and fished under a float works best, but trout beads or other egg imitations will also work if there are spawning fish around. Greg Stanley at All in the Same Boat also reported some bigger fish taken away from the dam in some of the shallower areas. Use a brightly-colored bait so the trout can see it. The new statewide Winter Classic Tournament will run from Jan. 1 through Feb. 22, 2015 and local weigh stations are The Slippery Sinker, Olcott; and All in the Same Boat, Newfane. This contest will be for fish caught through the ice, in open water, in the tributaries, and rivers. Categories are trout (including browns, lake trout and steelhead), pike, walleye, pickerel, crappie, yellow perch and panfish (sunfish and bluegill). Check out www.nysiceproam.com for more details or stop in to the two tackle shops mentioned earlier. All in the Same Boat will also be starting up an ice fishing derby next week. Stop into the shop for details.
Lower Niagara River
The water finally cleared back up again after the nasty wind event last week and they are catching trout from boats and from the shoreline. Pay attention to any other wind events coming up. If the winds are blowing hard out of the southwest, it could be a problem again. The big news is that lake trout season opens on January 1st and they are legal game fish once again. Steelhead fishing in the river has been good around Artpark and Devil’s Hole, but some fish can be found downriver. Kwikfish and minnows have been the best two baits, but some egg sacs can catch fish, too, under certain conditions. Boaters have also had good success on lake trout at the mouth of the river on the Niagara Bar with an occasional brown trout also showing up chasing a minnow. Remember that the new license year starts Jan. 1 in the Province of Ontario.
Upper Niagara River
Capt. Bob’s will be running its ice fishing contest again from Jan. 2 through March 22 … when we get some ice. Seven different divisions including walleye, pike, perch, rudd, crappie, bluegill and whitefish. Over $2,000 in prizes. Weigh in at Capt. Bob’s, 10295 Main St., Clarence. For more info contact Steve Hawkins at 407-3021. With the upper river clearing again, some shoreline options for trout and perch are available at Broderick Park, Squaw Island or the foot of Ontario Street from shore. It will be cold, though. Wind chills will be in the single digits and teens to reel in the New Year. Dress warmly! The ice boom is now completely in place at the head of the Niagara River.
Chautauqua County Fishing Report
Lake Erie and Tribs
The week after the New Years generally find anglers trudging through snow to get to their favorite steelhead creeks, not so at the beginning of 2015. To date the winter of 2014-15 has been light on snow fall in Chautauqua County. This has given anglers that would like move up to the higher reaches of creeks like the Canadaway and Chautauqua Creeks.
Canadaway and Chautauqua has cleared up the past week, with good numbers of steelhead coming in the deeper, upper holes.
The smaller streams such as Walnut and Twenty Mile are still fishing good. The Catt has cleared up to fishable conditions and should stay that way through the first of the week. Remember to expect some slush ice on the streams on cold mornings.
Lake Erie steelhead commonly hit 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. 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 mid-day when chasing winter steelhead.
Chautauqua Lake
With warm weather over the holiday the majority of Chautauqua Lake is wide open and fishable. Some early morning anglers are finding skim ice on a few of the launches, especially in the northern basin.
Bass anglers may still target bass by catch and release only, using artificial lures around Rock Island at first light and late afternoon.
Walleye anglers are still doing good in the deeper holes off Dewittville Bay and Pont Chautauqua in 30 plus feet of water, with the fish holding tight to the bottom. Vertical jigging with spoons, jigging Rapalas or minnows are working best.
Anglers are finding yellow perch and sunfish action in Bemus Bay just off the launch and in front of the marinas in Bemus Point. Small minnows, worms and small ice fishing jigs tipped with waxworms work well
Early winter open water crappie anglers are still doing well in Ashville, Lakewood and Burtis Bays using small tube jigs or minnows for crappie.
www.oakridgeoutdoorstv.com
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This report courtesy of the Oswego County Department of Community Development, Tourism and Planning.
Oswego River/Lake Ontario report:
After being between 12,000-13,000cfs for a few days, the river level has dropped to 10,500cfs this morning. The high levels make it challenging for shore anglers but the driftboats are enjoying successful trips. Anglers are finding steelhead and brown trout using trout beads, egg sacs and pink worms.
According to Capt. Kevin Davis of Catch the Drift:
We started the week with great weather and great fishing. Then a cold front came in which meant a tough bite. We still managed a double-digit day even with the brutal winds messing up our drift. We might have needed a bigger net for one that was lost. It was good to see a bunch of new steelhead showing up yesterday. It might be a good winter!
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. The Oswego Fire Department offers loaner life jackets at no charge through its “Loaner For Life” program. For more information contact the fire station, 35 E. Cayuga St., at 315-343-2161.
Salmon River report:
According to Garrett Brancy of the Douglaston Salmon Run:
Slush ice was a factor yesterday as it usually is this time of year. It was there until about 11 a.m. Anglers reported a tough day having covered a lot of water with little or no results. The water level is still high but coming down slowly. The water level is expected to remain at 750cfs through tomorrow evening.
According to Whitaker’s Sport Shop & Motel:
As of early this morning we picked up over 15 inches of lake effect snow overnight. We got mixed reports from anglers who fished the lower end of the river. One angler fishing the DSR landed some fresh fish while float fishing with blue egg sacs. A few anglers staying in the motel reported having a good day in the upper end of the river. Those who fly fished the upper end of the river reported doing well on stoneflies and single egg patterns.
Oneida Lake report:
Our above average temperatures have moved out and a good cold snap is settling in for the next few days with the exception of the weekend which will be near 40 degrees. Nighttime lows will be in the teens and single digits for early next week. Some very light ice is beginning to form on the surface of areas near Big Bay. We will keep you informed of conditions over the next few days.
Sandy Pond report:
The forecast was correct with temperatures dropping below freezing for a few days with the exception of this weekend. They will again dip into the teens with nighttime lows in the single digits as we go into next week.We will keep you updated with reports on ice formation.