Greater Niagara Fishing Forecast
Lake Ontario and tributaries
Your best bet for catching trout is in 18 Mile Creek below Burt Dam area, but even that water was a bit stained following rain last weekend. That said, it should be good by the weekend. The frigid temperatures will probably create some shoreline ice so caution is advised no matter where you will be fishing. Keg Creek was back to flowing again and there were fish to be caught but that could be iced over by the weekend. The piers are ice-covered so that’s out. However, on the subject of ice, Wilson harbor was sitting on at least two inches of ice on Tuesday and it could be fishable with safe ice by the weekend with at least 4-5 inches. In the Winter Classic Fishing Tournament, there are a few fish on the board but nothing that can’t be beat with a little hard work … and luck. As of Wednesday the fish to beat were a 6.5-pound pike; a 12.3-pound steelhead in the trout category; a 9.5-pound walleye; a .78-pound perch and a 2.5-pound crappie. There were no panfish or pickerel yet. Check out a live leaderboard at www.nyswinterclassic.com/2015-leader-board.html. Weigh stations are the Slippery Sinker in Olcott and All in the Same Boat in Newfane.
Lower Niagara River
With another major wind event taking place most of this last week, Niagara River fishing was pretty much a wash as turbid, cold conditions hurt any chance for success. When we encounter terrible conditions outside like the past week, one thing you can do to keep busy is to plan for some indoor activities like the Lake Ontario Trout and Salmon Association’s Salmon School set for Jan. 24 this year, once again held in conjunction with the Greater Niagara Fishing and Outdoor Expo Jan. 23-25 at the Conference and Event Center Niagara Falls. Salmon School instructors this year includes Capt. Paul Czarnecki of Pennsylvania who fishes out of Wilson and Point Breeze; Capt. Greg Gehrig of Oswego with the Top Gun out of his home port; and Mark McClutchey of Michigan who operates Diabolical. It’s a full day of in-depth instruction on salmon and trout fishing for just $75 – and that includes lunch, admission to the show Saturday and Sunday and a goodie bag. The deadline for signing up is Jan. 18 on the LOTSA website at http://www.lotsa1.org/index.html. And don’t forget about the Lake Ontario Marketplace that LOTSA will conduct on that Sunday of the Expo, Jan. 25. More than 60 additional tables – over and above the 100-booth expo – will be showcased. To find out more about the three day expo, go online at www.niagarafishingexpo.com. The Roger Tobey Memorial Steelhead Contest run by the Niagara River Anglers Assn. is set for Feb. 7 this year. Check out www.niagarariveranglers.com for more details.
Upper Niagara River
The upper river is not fishable with the turbid, cold conditions. It wouldn’t be long before there will be come ice fishing taking place in some of the harbors and marinas around the river. Speaking of ice fishing, Capt. Bob’s ice contest is underway.
Chautauqua County Fishing Report
Lake Erie and Tribs
Most if not all Chautauqua County creeks are fishable and should remain so through the weekend. All streams will continue to come down from the bump in flows they received from this past weekend’s precipitation. Some of the back water with little flow will quickly freeze with cold blast and drop in temperatures.
Chautauqua and Canadaway Creeks are seeing the most action. With colder temperatures setting in, the fishing pressure has been low. Cattaraugus Creek has dropped back to a fishable level, although it may still be a bit murky.
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
Chautauqua Lake is currently in the beginning stages of freezing but is not safe for fishing yet