Greater Niagara Region
Bill Hilts, Jr.
Lake Ontario And Tributaries
May is one of the best months of the year to get a line wet in Niagara USA! It all starts with the Lake Ontario Counties Trout and Salmon Derby, kicking off May 1 and running through the 10th. Check out loc.org for details. Grand Prize salmon is worth $15,000 this year and there is daily prizes worth up to $1,100 up for grabs. Browns and cohos are in tight to the shoreline for trollers and casters according to Wes Walker at The Slippery Sinker; lake trout can be found inside 80 feet of water off Wilson and Olcott, as well as on the Niagara Bar; and some king salmon are starting to show up in 70 to 120 feet of water along the lake’s shoreline from the Bar to 30 Mile Point. Don’t forget the Wilson Harbor Invitational Tournament May 8 at Wilson Harbor (www.wilsonharborinvitational.com) and the Lake Ontario Pro-Am Series set for May 30-31 and June 6-7. Website is www.lakeontarioproam.net for details.
Lower Niagara River
The big news is that they have started to pick up some smelt along the shoreline in Lewiston! Not in any big numbers yet but they seem to be starting. Your best bet for guaranteed smelt, though, is May 1 at the Lewiston smelt festival across from Water Street Landing along the river starting at 5 pm. The cooking starts at 6 pm. If you are a Lew’s Fishing Tackle fan or would like to simply become more familiar with their products, you might want to head down to the Lewiston Landing area next Wednesday night May 6 between 6 and 8 pm. That word came through from Mike Fox on Tuesday night. In the lower Niagara River, action has been a bit slow for trout but some decent catches came from the gorge by boaters earlier in the week. Drifting three-way rigs with Kwikfish or MagLip lures is one approach; egg sacs or minnows another. At the mouth of the river, some trout and coho salmon have showed up for drifters and casters. Capt. Jeff Draper of Grand Island picked up a couple nice Atlantic salmon by casting Strike King swim baits around the green can. The biggest tipped the scales at around 11 pounds. That same area was producing some fish for Capt. John Oravec by simply drifting a split shot-minnow rig to take suspended fish off the bottom in the upper part of the water column. Representatives from Lew’s Fishing Tackle are in town for an outdoor media event and they have hauled in their new fishing trailer complete with new products that are now on the market. It’s a great way to rub elbows with people in the industry and get some questions answered. Check it out!
Upper Niagara River
On Saturday, May 2, walleye, pike, pickerel and inland tiger musky seasons take off around the state. Good spots for pike include the marinas around Grand Island, off the creek mouths and in the Erie Canal wherever there are feeder creeks coming in like Ransom Creek. Don’t forget about the Lake Erie special trophy bass season that also starts up May 2. Some perch and panfish have been reported along River Road in North Tonawanda in the marinas.
Oswego County
Mary Ellen Barbeau
Oswego River
According to Larry Muroski of Larry’s Oswego Salmon Shop:
The water level dropped drastically on Tuesday and remains at a fishable level this morning. The current flow is 3,960cfs. Walleye season opens on Saturday, May 2, with nightcrawlers, leeches, and stickbaits suggested baits. Bullhead are hitting worms and leeches at Ox Creek and 3-Mile Creek.
Lake Ontario
According to Larry Muroski of Larry’s Oswego Salmon Shop:
The lake is seeing good action for browns on stickbaits and spoons in 7-20 feet of water east of Oswego Harbor. Lakers are also being taken on stickbaits and spoons in 125 feet of water.
According to Capt. Kevin Davis of Catch the Drift:
Nice colored water means tons of action. We are experiencing some fantastic brown trout fishing with a good mix of rainbows, lakers, cohos, and Atlantic salmon.
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
According to Capt. Andy Bliss of Chasin’ Tail Adventures:
The water level is a very fishable 500cfs and the steelhead fishing is the best we’ve seen this year. Beads are on fire right now.
According to the Douglaston Salmon Run:
The good fishing trend this week continues. The upper and lower sections of the river are most productive with the middle section reporting very little to no action. Spey flies (about 1/5” long) are working particularly turkey wing pattern with red highlights on the back. Center-pinning with frosted tangerine and frosted light lime green beads is also successful. The fish are fresh steelhead.
According to Whitaker’s Sport Shop & Motel:
We currently have a mix of drop backs scattered from top to bottom and fish still spawning in the gravel areas of the river. The upper end of the river has been producing steady action on a daily basis. In the mid to lower end of the river anglers have been getting into some drop backs while covering lots of water. Anglers who are fly fishing have done well with egg sucking leeches and woolly buggers. For those anglers who are bottom bouncing or float fishing, pink and chartreuse egg sacs, steelhead beads and pink worms have all produced results.
Oneida Lake
The wind has again been an issue at times this week. Anglers are finding bullhead along the shore with worms. Just a reminder that walleye season opens this Saturday, May 2.
Sandy Pond
Activity on the pond is usually quiet this time of year as the open water season gets underway.
Wayne County Fishing Update
Chris Kenyon
Streams
You can still fish the streams, however most steelhead have entered the lake. Be careful not to mess with any walleye in Maxwell Creek.
Lake Ontario
One hundred thousand kings came to Sodus Point yesterday with 50,000 of the fry going in the nets and the other half stocked directly into the lake. The pen rearing project has been occurring at Sodus Point for over 15 years. The fish will stay in the pens (Krenzer Marine) for at least four weeks, then towed to the lake for their release.
Current conditions have the browns hitting in 4 to 15 feet of water. The charter captains in Wayne County are reporting 20 to 30 browns a day…many in the 10 pound range. You can only keep three fish per person.
Fishing from the shore was a challenge yesterday. If the water is clear try your luck at the north end of Maxwell Creek. It’s a bit of a hike, but if you cast Cleos out in the lake you should hook-up with browns.
Steelhead and some Atlantic salmon have also been in the daily mix for the boat anglers.
Bays
Bullhead fishing continues to be hot. Try any slow shallow water and use leeches. You can fish from the south end of Sodus Bay on the Bay Bridge.
Not too many boats fishing the bays. Most are trolling the shoreline for browns
Erie Canal
We haven’t heard much from canal anglers. This historic waterway is a great place to fish from your kayak.
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.
Fair Haven / Cayuga County reports
The calm warming weather this week has set the stage for some stellar
fishing for the up coming weekend. There may not be much of a mudline
but focus on inlets the will be bringing warmer waters into Lake
Ontario and you should find plenty of active browns willing to play
along. Flatline trolling sticks and spoons or casting from shore into
these areas.
Warming days will also warm the shallow water in the bay and park pond
which should turn the crappie into a positive feeding mood.
The walleye opener this Saturday also brings some new action to the
table as they move from their flats and spawning areas into shelves
and structure along deeper water. Large stick baits will be the ticket
as they are going to be on the feed.