Greater Niagara Region
Bill Hilts, Jr.
Lake Ontario And Tributaries
Lake Ontario and tributaries – Wilson bullhead action is starting to turn on, just in time for the Wilson Bullhead Derby sponsored by the Wilson Conservation Club April 10-12 starting at 5 pm on the 10th. Best two fish in total weight wins the cash. Sign up at CMC Auto in Wilson or The Slippery Sinker in Olcott. For more info call 638-4158 or 751-0505. According to local source Terry Swann, best bait has been worms; best spot is the West Branch of 12 Mile Creek; best time has been at night. A fair number of trout have been reported in the East Branch of 12 Mile Creek, too. At Burt Dam, decent numbers of steelheads have been reported with some brown trout mixed in according to Wes Walker at The Slippery Sinker. The flow was still good with a medium tea color stain of about 1-1/2 to 2 foot visibility. Egg sacs were at the top of the list, but jigs tipped with a wax worm and fished under a float was not far behind. Egg imitations, too. Pier casters are still using spoons or spinners, but the top bait continues to be a minnow fished under a float. Shoreline trollers are starting to pick up a few more trout but the recent northeast winds blew out the warmer waters. Focus around the creek mouths were warmer waters are coming out. Eighteen Mile Creek was near the 40-degree mark on Wednesday. The recent rain could trigger more fish to hit. Tributaries like Keg, Hopkins, 12 Mile and 4 Mile all have fish in them and the smaller creeks were low and clear, but that will change for a few days after the rain. The long range forecast looks good. The lower portion of 4 Mile Creek was producing some nice trout, too. Some perch were hitting in Wilson and Olcott, off the piers and along some of the marinas like McDonough’s in Olcott. Lots of pike are being reported, too. Remember that the pike season is closed until May 2. The Lake Ontario Trout and Salmon Assn. will be putting their pens together and into the water on Saturday, April 11 starting at 9 am at the Town of Newfane marina. Check out www.lotsa.org for more details.
Lower Niagara River
Water color below the power plants was stained most of the week, making fishing a bit more difficult. Good fishing was reported in Devil’s Hole on egg sacs and minnows for three-way drifters from boats. Shore fishermen have also been doing well, too. Just seek out clearer water. Egg sacs are a good bet. Egg imitations, spoons and spinners will all catch fish, too. Don’t rule out the mouth of the river off Fort Niagara for a little shoreline trolling action. A few browns and the occasional Coho are starting to hit. Capt. Matt Yablonsky of Wet Net Charters says that the lake trout have started to show up on the Niagara Bar in small numbers. Kwikfish or minnows work best. The NYPA fishing platform in the gorge is now open. For information on the fishing pier call 716-796-0135, extension 45.
Upper Niagara River
Locals are anticipating trout stockings from the state in places like Oppenheim Park Pond, Hyde Park Lake and Gill Creek. According to the Caledonia hatchery where these fish would be coming from, it will be on April 16. In the meantime, casting the shoreline in the upper rapids area could produce a few trout with an egg sac, spoon or spinner. Bird Island Pier and Broderick Park are also good spots for trout casting. The NYPA Reservoir is now open for fishing access, off Reservoir Park and the stairs off Upper Mountain Road in Lewiston.
Oswego County
Mary Ellen Barbeau
Oswego River
The water level has been running at a fairly steady rate of about 17,000cfs this week. This level makes most areas along the river very difficult to fish. Having dropped from 21,000cfs over the weekend, the driftboats will likely be able to get back on the water. Rain is expected over the next couple of days so we will have to keep an eye on the flow.
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
The Douglaston Salmon Run reports with the high water, activity on the river has been slow. The flow is running at 1,250 out of the dam and 1,820 at Pineville. All the weather predictions are for rain off and on into Saturday morning. Driftboats are the way to go now. Temperatures are expected to warm up into the 50s and 60s throughout the 7-day forecast. Even in high CFS, the fish can be caught, as they tend to hold in specific, calmer water spots and bunch up there. If you know the river well enough, these little pockets tend to be gold mines for holding fish that produce multiple hook ups.
Whitaker’s Sport Shop & Motel reports that with the recent rain the least amount of runoff and best water clarity is in the upper end of the river between Ellis Cove and Altmar. No question the water level is high, but the river is fishable and anglers are fishing both from driftboats and wading the banks. The majority of bank anglers have been fishing the upper end of the river at Ellis Cove, Wire Hole, Schoolhouse Pool and the Upper & Lower Fly Zone. Yesterday the few anglers we spoke with reported having a slow day overall but did manage to get into a few fish in the Upper and Lower Fly Zone. With the higher water some of the fish have moved out of the deep holes and are holding along the edges and inside seams of the softer water and along the gravel beds.
Oneida Lake
What a difference a few days make this time of year. The ice along the shoreline is all but gone and the remaining ice will likely deteriorate quickly with the 50 and 60 degree temperatures coming along over the next few days. Anglers are putting away the shanties and the augers and pulling the boats out of storage.
Sandy Pond
Dave Wood of Woody’s Tackle reports that the extended forecast is showing a definite warm up with temperatures expected to be in the 50s and maybe 60s for several days. With the warmer temperatures, rain is also expected at times. The remaining ice is likely to change quickly so as the season winds down, be safe and look toward open water fishing. It shouldn’t be too far off.