Greater Niagara Region
Bill Hilts, Jr.
Lake Ontario And Tributaries
Last weekend’s cold, heavy rains should have brought a more measurable number of trout and salmon in area tributaries, but very few were reported according to Wes Walker at The Slippery Sinker tackle shop in Olcott. It did bring some salmon into Olcott Harbor and pier casters and harbor trollers in small boats took advantage of a few fish casting spoons, drifting egg skein or trolling large Rapala-type body baits – from the piers up further into the creek. A few browns did make it up to the dam, but it’s still a little early for anything consistent. With temperatures into the 80s this week during the day, it’s still keeping water temperatures near the 70 degree mark. Out in the lake, most boats struggled all week, dealing with remnants of last weekend, additional winds and changing water conditions. Some of the charter boats are already starting to put away their boats for the season, but there are some fish to be had as they being staging the creek and river mouths closer to the shoreline. J-plugs, cut bait and flasher-fly combos are good bets to get a salmon to hit, taking advantage of a king’s aggressive actions this time of year. You will have to work for them. Brown trout and steelhead are also moving in closer to shore as well. Remember that lake trout season closes on Sept. 30.
Lower Niagara River
Not too much changed there either in the way of a salmon run with some fish being reported off the NYPA Fishing Platform near the No. 1 Generator where the turbulence is in the corner. In Devil’s Hole, a few small jacks have been reported along with the occasional steelhead, but the better part of the run still hasn’t started to happen yet. Drifting egg skein that has been treated with Pautzke cure is the preferred method, but some boats will also try drifting large Kwikfish off three-way rigs to upset a fish to hit. Off the platform and from shore, use spoons or rattlebaits. Bass fishing in the river continues to be tough. Your best bet is to wait for a lake roll-over and then target the mouth of the river with live bait like crayfish or shiners. Walleye action has slowed down (it usually does when the salmon start migrating up the river) but you could still try to target a fish or two by drifting a worm harness on the Niagara Bar at the mouth of the river or along drifts like Stella Niagara, Peggy’s Eddy or Artpark.
Speaking of NYPA, don’t forget the 30th Annual Wildlife Festival at the Power Vista on Sept. 26-27. Once again there will be a kids fishing contest with two different age classifications – up to 9 years of age; and from 10 to 15 years of age. Top three catches in each will be recognized, with the biggest fish overall winning a fishing charter with Capt. Steve Drabczyk of Lewiston.
Upper Niagara River
Bass action continues to be the most consistent fishing above Niagara Falls, with some of the better areas being around Strawberry Island and at the head of the river. Live bait like crayfish and shiners will work for you, but so will artificials like tube jigs. Live bait usually produces a mix of other fish like sheepshead. Worm harnesses will do the same, and give you an outside chance at catching a walleye. This coming weekend (Sept. 19-20) is the 2nd Annual Greater Niagara Frontier Fishing and Hunting Show at the North Bailey Fire Hall on Sweethome Road in Amherst. Doors open at 9 am both days. Admission is $5 and kids 15 and under are free. Both new and used fishing and hunting gear will be available. Some 50 tables of stuff are up for grabs. Might be worth the trip and proceeds benefit the 40th Annual Fish Odyssey kids division next year and the Honored American Veterans Afield organization.
Oswego County
Mary Ellen Barbeau
Oswego River/Lake Ontario report:
According to Larry Muroski of Larry’s Oswego Salmon Shop:
With the drop in temperature last weekend and all the rain, we do have some salmon at the dam. The water flow reached 4,500cfs on Monday , dropped down to 1,450cfs yesterday afternoon and dropped again today running at 845cfs this afternoon. Skein, egg sacs and flies are working well.
Lake Ontario report:
According to Capt. Kevin Davis of Catch the Drift:
It’s official for us, the lake season is over. We made it through the last couple of days without a skunk. It was a tough season with nothing coming easily. Let’s see what the river season will bring.
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 along the top bar on the home page. 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.
Pulaski Area/Salmon River report
Fly/flasher combinations and cut bait have been working for the anglers still working the waters off the Salmon River. The cooler temperatures and the rain last weekend have brought the bite in to 40-60 feet of water.
Salmon River:
According to the Douglaston Salmon Run:
There are reports of more fish in the estuary. The morning push was at the lower third of the DSR by 11 a.m. and moving to the middle section. More fish were sighted in the estuary this afternoon. Both Coho and King salmon are being hooked. Water flow remains at 350 cfs out of the reservoir and 477 cfs at Pineville.
Oneida Lake
Conditions have not changed much on the lake. The bite continues to be slow likely due to the abundance of gizzard shad. For those anglers still on the lake, look in 30 feet of water for walleye. Anglers are also finding a few smallmouth bass.
Sandy Pond report
According to Dave Wood of Woody’s Tackle:
There is no activity to report on the pond.
Wayne County Fishing Update
Chris Kenyon
Lake Ontario
It’s been a slow autumn run and charter captains are hoping for a late season bonus. Right now they are catching some kings straight out from Sodus in 50 to 120 feet of water.
Some browns are in that column of water. Use cut bait or A-Tom-Mik green flies. The kings are dark. There have been a bunch of marks in that depth range. It’s just a tough go to get them to strike.
Bays
Bay fishing has been excellent with some nice largemouths coming from Sodus Bay. Fish the shoreline or anywhere this weed growth.
Some walleye are also being caught near the buoys at the Sodus Channel. They are catching the walleye at dusk using purple buck tail jigs tipped with worms.
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
The canal is the action spot this week with lunker bass coming from Clyde and Newark. Autumn is always the best time to catch bass. They are on a feeding frenzy because of the cooler water temperatures. The bass are hitting plastic bait, especially Zoom.