Greater Niagara Region
Bill Hilts, Jr.
Niagara River
With a winter storm blowing in off Lake Erie for the next few days, conditions are already effecting the Niagara River fishing both above and below the Falls. Water looked like chocolate milk this morning driving in and things will have to clear up before any fishing can take place – and this storm is expected to hang on through Sunday. Shore fishermen will probably be the first to see some cleaner water toward shore and your best bet will be to cast spoons and spinners in bright colors. Cast something that makes some noise and draws attention to it. It was good to see the seminar room jam packed for Ricardo Davila’s shore fishing seminar at the Expo last weekend. Then again, most all of the seminar rooms were packed, too – walleye, perch, bass, salmon, trout, electronics. Great to see so many people clamoring for information. Hopefully the river will be clear next Saturday. The Niagara River Angler Association’s Roger Tobey Memorial Steelhead Contest will be going on starting at sunrise and you can sign up at Creek Road Bait and Tackle in Lewiston; The Slippery Sinker in Olcott; and off the NRAA website at niagarariveranglers.com. Call 731-4780 for more information. It’s not just for the lower Niagara River either. Boundaries also include Lake Ontario tributaries. One of the issues the past week before the water muddied up was the fact that there was a lot of bait present in the system. Small and medium-sized smelt were reported from area captains who had an issue on the catching end a bit.
Lake Ontario And Tributaries
It’s still a bit of a hit or miss in the creeks but fish are being caught despite brown water in 18 Mile. Burt Dam flow is 170 cfs at the end of this week and anglers are seeing active trout and steelhead. Perch have been driving the trout guys nuts. Some pier casting, too. Wilson was seeing some action, as well. Keg Creek was clear but there is a large beaver dam between the mouth and the road. The big news was over the weekend when some milder temperatures and decent lake conditions saw some small boats hit the lake and do some near-shore trolling for brown trout. Fish were caught between Wilson and Olcott, as well as east of Olcott in front of the microwave tower in 10 to 20 feet of water. Best baits have been Bay Rats, Challenger and Rapala lures for the boats we talked to. Colors depend on water clarity. Firetiger and chartreuse work well if there is a distinct mud line. If the water is just off-color a bit, go with more natural presentations like goby color, black and silver, and the like. If we start getting some colder temperatures, the state will be holding a free ice fishing weekend Feb. 18-19 if we get some hard water again. No one will need a license that weekend. Go to the DEC website at dec.ny.gov.
Oswego County
Mary Ellen Barbeau
Oswego River Report
The water flow has been fairly consistent for several days running between 13,000-15,000cfs. This afternoon it is flowing at 12,800cfs. This flow continues to make fishing difficult along the river. Fishing behind the hotels is a suggested spot with a few brown trout and steelhead being caught. A few anglers have also been working this area by boat.
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 Whitaker’s Sport Shop & Motel:
With the recent rain and melting snow coming off the Tug Hill, it’s no surprise the water level is up to 1500cfs. Yesterday was a very slow day on the river with the wintry mix weather wise. It has been a quiet week so far on the river with a few anglers who fished the mid to upper section of river on Monday getting into an occasional fish but otherwise not much action.
According to the Douglaston Salmon Run:
Sunday was a somewhat slow day on the run. Two anglers were able to land a few fish (4/4, 3/4), but the vast majority either hooked into a single fish or never even had a bite. The middle to upper sections of the run seemed to produce the most hits. One angler reported seeing 6-8 dime bright steelies get spooked and take off as he crossed a narrow section of the river.
Oneida Lake report:
With the long stretch of warmer temperatures we had there is much open water on the lake and any areas with ice are not safe at this time.
Sandy Pond report
The warmer weather particularly over the weekend has caused ice conditions to deteriorate. With the current state of the ice, we need a stretch of cold temperatures for safe conditions.
Wayne County Fishing Update
Chris Kenyon
Streams
The streams are all flowing, however still a little muddy. The reports we are getting are a few steelies caught at Maxwell. Anglers are fishing the north side of Lake Road. Use beads, egg sacs, or cast out bright Cleos…everyone’s favorite spoon.
Bays
There is no safe ice on any bays or ponds in Wayne County. Don’t even try. It may appear to be thick, however it’s not.
If the ice breaks-up, you can launch a boat and fish for perch on open water. If that becomes an option, make sure you wear your PFD and don’t be foolish; falling in ice- cold water is lethal.
Check out the rest of the Wayne County Tourism web page for the locations and hours of local bait and tackle shops. 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
It’s the same dismal ice situation on the canal. It’s not safe. Maybe we can recover an ice fishing season in February.
Orleans County
Orleans County Tourism
We are in the midst of another reprieve from old man winter, at least for another day or two.
The smaller tributaries within Orleans County are at higher and muddier conditions due to the warmer temperatures and rain/snow that we have had in the last day or two.
Conditions on the upper portion of the “Oak” from the dam to just before Marsh Creek offer some good opportunities for some steelhead action and even a few brown trout have been taken.
All of the live baits and even some of the more popular flies are being used.
The lower portion of the “Oak”, from Marsh Creek north, is displaying muddy conditions but that should only last for a day or two.
Lake Alice is open in some areas and very thin ice covering in others, so it is totally unusable for right now.
With temperatures dropping below freezing again in the very near future, be mindful of ice buildup along the banks of our tributaries.
This weekend I will be attending the New York Sportsman’s Expo in Syracuse so if you’re in the area stop by and chat for awhile.