Greater Niagara Region
Bill Hilts, Jr.
Lake Ontario And Tributaries
With the recent lake effect storms and winds blowing around Western New York, not too much as taken place on the outdoor front. The tributaries had to deal with the on-slaught of rain, snow and wind. Despite the most recent winter blast, there have been some people fishing on 18 Mile Creek and Burt Dam. Water flow was around 170 cfs and the water was stained, but they are catching some steelhead there according to Wes Walker at The Slippery Sinker. Jigs fished under a float and tipped with a wax worm has been the most popular set-up but minnows will also work if you want to carry a bucket down. Egg sacks or trout beads will also catch fish. If the water is stained, use bright colors like pink, orange or chartreuse. Ice fishing could be taking place in Wilson harbor by this weekend but make sure there is safe ice of at least 4 inches beneath you. Make your plans to attend the Greater Niagara Fishing and Outdoor Expo indoors! You better have Jan. 22 to 24 marked down on the calendar at the Conference and Event Center Niagara Falls. There are so many things going on, you may have to prioritize what you want to see and do. Buy the weekend pass for just $16! And kids under 10 years of age are free. There are over 120 educational seminars on a wide variety of topics and fish species. Listen to the experts giving tips on fishing for salmon, trout, bass, walleye, musky and perch. Some of the names headlining the WNY Fishing Academy include Dave Genz – the Godfather of ice fishing – and Mark Romanack with the Fishing 411 TV show. Charlie Alsheimer, Mr. Whitetail, will be giving three talks on Saturday – two on deer and one on photography. Learn how to rig a boat and use your electronics. Over 160 booth spaces are occupied with show-stopping vendors. And for the kids, there’s a fishing pond and air rifle trailer to keep you busy, as well as a simulated ice fishing experience. Lots of animals, too, from birds of prey to monkeys. Check out www.niagarafishingexpo.com for all of the details.
Lower Niagara River
The water looked like chocolate milk earlier in the week and with the winds and lake effect storms in the forecast through Thursday, it probably won’t change too much for the weekend for the boaters. That said, the water in Devil’s Hole above the power plant didn’t seem as dirty as the area below the power plant so casting spoons, spinners or beads from shore is still an option. Some steelies and lake trout have been reported from shore and the hot colors have been pink, orange, yellow and blue according to reports. If you can get out on the bar when the waters clear, you can still do well on a variety of fish species. Even an 18 pound salmon was caught last week! Minnows have been a hot bait from boats when conditions allow for it, followed by Kwikfish and eggs. You can learn about Niagara River fishing from local guides at the Expo such as Capt. Frank Campbell and Capt. Matt Yablonsky.
Upper Niagara River
There have been a few people fishing in the upper river because of recent reports on the Capt. Bob’s Fishing Contest where some nice rudd have been weighed in. “California Joe” Pavalonis of Buffalo took the lead with a 3.34 pound upper river fish caught on a Charlie Brewer Crappie Slider jig while fishing off Grand Island this week. When the waters clear, the trout should resume off Broderick Park. The upper river will also have its share of speakers at the Expo, including musky masters Scott McKee and Marc Arena. Check out the show website at www.niagarafishingexpo.com for a complete list of seminar speakers.
Oswego County
Mary Ellen Barbeau
Oswego River Report:
The water flow has been between 10,000-13,000cfs over the last few days. This morning it is running at 11,600cfs. Anglers are finding some nice steelhead and brown trout with egg sacs and beads working well. A band of lake effect snow brought us about four inches of snow yesterday. Temperatures for Friday and Saturday will reach near 40 degrees but then another cold snap will settle in.
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.
Salmon River Report:
According to the Douglaston Salmon Run:
Two anglers braved the snow and wind and fished the run Tuesday. The last angler out that night reported decent action in the lower half of the run from mid-afternoon until sunset. Anchor ice proved to be a little bit of an issue but didn’t stop him from hooking up with six fish. Yesterday started out sunny but it was short lived as the lake effect snow returned. We started out yesterday with about three inches on the ground and received another 3-5 inches with the snow band moving through.
According to Whitaker’s Sport Shop and Motel:
Earlier in the week we had reports from the Fly Zone. Anglers worked hard but managed to land a few steelhead along with a brown and also lost a few others. Wind and snow have been the story the last day or so but warmer temperatures will move in for Friday and Saturday. Sunday turns a bit colder again.
Oneida Lake Report
Reports are indicating that some areas had some ice forming but with the rain last weekend and the high winds this week, the ice conditions are not good. Rain is expected again on Saturday with temperatures near 40 degrees. However, Sunday will bring in a stretch of cold temperatures with nighttime lows in the teens for a few nig
Sandy Pond report
According to Dave Wood of Woody’s Tackle:
There is some ice on the pond but with the wind and rain we had earlier this week it is only about 2 inches thick. Temperatures will be a bit warmer tomorrow and Saturday with possible rain on Saturday. Cold temperatures will again move in on Sunday and remain through midweek at least. By next weekend we should have safe ice.
Wayne County Fishing Update
Chris Kenyon
Streams
Not much is happening in the streams. Heavy snowfall expected tonight will make the shoreline slippery and if it freezes it might just close-up the smaller Maxwell Creek. You can still give it a go because there are steelhead in the creeks and they will hit egg sacs.
If the streams stay open you can have some great fishing for winter rainbows.
Bays
We had a skimming of ice on all the bays, however with the typical wind off of Lake Ontario the bays can’t freeze. If we get some below 20 temps without wind the bays won’t take long to freeze….can’t wait!
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 will freeze before the bays so there might be some ice by this weekend. It depends on whether the lake effect snow reaches southern Wayne County. If it snows it will not make safe ice.
Orleans County
Orleans County Tourism
With the exception of one day, temperatures are not going to be above freezing thru the end of next week.
On the smaller tributaries within Orleans County, Marsh, Johnson and Sandy Creeks, this could mean anything from slush at the edges to complete ice over depending on flows.
On the “Oak” icing conditions leading to and along the edges of the slower moving water sections can make for slippery conditions so slow going is the rule.
It’s also important to keep an eye on your surroundings because these weather conditions can change your surrounding conditions quickly.
If it stays as cold as predicted there may be the possibility of enough ice by the end of next week to safely practice some solid water fishing but time will tell.
With the rain earlier in the week water flows are up slightly with stained water and both steelhead and Brown trout are on the move on the “Oak” but only slightly.
Lake Alice is starting to freeze over but not to the point that it is anywhere close to safe for ice fishing yet and the same is true for conditions by the bridges area and at the point.
Salmon River
Michael De Rosa – Zero Limit Adventures – Tailwater Lodge
What will the Salmon River have in store for us in 2016? This New Year has started with a broad range of weather conditions.
The first weekend on the river brought heavy snow fall, and the next unseasonably warm temperatures. Overall, a mild winter continues on the Salmon River. Temperature fluctuations change the water level daily due to new snow, melting snow, and rain! To start the year, the river ran close to 2000 CFS and dropped to 750 CFS by January 9th. With the recent mix of melt and rain, it has rise back up to 1110 CFS. How has this affected river fishing conditions?
First, the number of fishermen on the river are a direct result of current weather conditions. The few nice days we have had, the river has had a decent amount of Steelhead fisherman. On the lesser days, the river has been fairly empty. The Douglaston Salmon Run has had some good days since the first of the year, evidenced by steelhead still moving into the river from Lake Ontario. Since the water level drops, DSR guests have been reporting 3+ hook-ups.
The upriver fishing conditions have been slow in the major pools, with no more than two or three cars in the parking lots. There has been some activity in the Lower Fly Zone since the water levels have dropped. Anglers have had success picking up a Steelhead or two when fishing the Lower Fly. Drift boat captains continue to report some Steelhead from Altmar through Pineville to the 2A Bridge.