Greater Niagara Region
Bill Hilts, Jr.
It’s March 15 and it’s the final day of walleye, northern pike, tiger musky and pickerel fishing seasons in New York. We’re also less than a week from the arrival of spring. However, someone forgot to tell Mother Nature. We were dumped on again with another 6 to 8 inches of snow in Niagara. Despite the late white stuff, there are trout in most all of the streams, and in the Niagara River.
Mike Rzucidlo of Niagara Falls has been crawling around the rocks in the gorge area and he picked up a few fish in the lower Niagara River this week using a white and silver jig in the Devil’s Hole area. Water was high and visibility was about 10 feet. Water clarity has been an issue for Capt. Mark McGranahan of Sparky’s Charters, too. He was offering trout some egg sacs, minnows and plugs like Kwikfish and MagLips and managed to hook into a few. Action was not consistent though. And it appeared there was a large amount of bait in the river, too. If this weather continues to stay cold with a chance of snow or ice, they may not open the New York Power Authority fishing platform or the NYPA reservoir access points. You can check by calling 716-796-0135 Ext. 45. March 18th is the 13th Annual John Long, Sr. Memorial Raffle and Feast to be held at Niagara Active Hose on Lockport Road in the Town of Niagara from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. This is the big fund raiser for the year with the Niagara River Anglers Association. Call Paul Jackson at 731-4780 for more information.
In the Lake Ontario tributaries, conditions have been fair to good for trout. White flies and jigs have been working well. Jig tipped with a wax worm also have been catching some fish. Next rain or melt off should produce a solid push of fish. Water has been cold so fish low (deep) and slow according to Scott Feltrinelli, a local fly fishing guide out of Rochester area. Both steelhead and brown trout are being caught depending on where you are fishing. If you can make it on the lake, you can troll the shoreline for browns with stickbaits.
The Lake Ontario Trout and Salmon Association is looking for some volunteers to help put their pens together and get them ready for the salmon and trout stockings in April. On April 7, volunteers will be meeting at the Town of Newfane Marina in Olcott at 9:30 a.m. to work on the pens. For more information contact Alan Sauerland at 504-7789. Incidentally, the first meeting of the year for LOTSA will be April 12 and it will be on tournament spring king fishing. The meeting is in Lockport at 7 p.m., Cornell Cooperative Extension.
If you are looking for an opportunity to buy, sell or view antique fishing tackle, the 29th Annual Antique Fishing Tackle Show is the ticket. This is the longest-running event of its kind in the state, giving you a trip down memory lane as it relates to the fishing industry. The show is slated for March 24 from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Elks Lodge No. 41 located at 6791 North Canal Road in Lockport. Admission into the show is $5 for adults. Kids 16 and under are free. Tables are still available if you are interested in displaying for $15 before March 17, $20 after. This is a great chance to get an appraisal on some old fishing tackle that may be lying around your basement or in your garage. For more information contact Dan Bedford at 713-9410
Oswego County
Mary Ellen Barbeau
Oswego River Report
The river flow dropped to 6,500cfs yesterday but has risen some over the last few hours. This morning it is running at 7,540cfs. After a couple of cold and blustery days with a few inches of snow, the next few days will remain cold with snow showers possible tomorrow and clear for the weekend. There is no activity to report from the river.
Notice: The bridge to Leto Island is closed, and there are mandatory personal flotation device (PFD) zones on the river. For more information, visit our website at visitoswegocounty.com and click on the Fishing Report along the top bar on the home page.
Salmon River Report:
According to Whitaker’s Sport Shop & Motel:
On Wednesday we had very windy conditions along with scattered lake effect snow showers throughout the day. We picked up roughly a foot of new snow. The anglers we have staying in the motel reported having another good day in the upper end of the river. Over the last couple of days anglers have been getting into fish from top to bottom. Anglers who are fly fishing have done well dead drifting with black stoneflies, rusher nymphs and wiggle stones. Glo-bugs, estaz eggs and sucker spawn have also worked well fished under a strike indicator. For those looking to swing flies, woolly buggers and leeches have produced the best results. Anglers who are bottom bouncing or float fishing have had the most success with pink or blue egg sacs, beads and pink worms.
According to the Douglaston Salmon Run:
Yesterday was a blustery day on the Run with about 4 inches of new snow. Five clients and a guide braved the conditions, most fishing the morning only. The first client came up for a lunch break and reported 3 / 6 steelhead (two were chrome) swinging egg patterned flies in the middle section. He returned after lunch and after a couple of hours reported one more steelhead brought to hand. A guide and two clients fished the morning only using white egg sacs in the middle section and went 2 / 5 (darker) steelhead. Another pair of anglers went 0 / 1 in the middle section.
Oneida Lake Report:
With the weather pattern we have had over the last few weeks, there is no good ice on the pond. Stay safe as we wait for the open water fishing season to begin.
Sandy Pond report:
At this time there is no safe ice on the pond. Please be patient as we wait for open water fishing.
Eastern Finger Lakes / Central New York Fishing Report
Mike Crawford of upstateguideservice.com
A great season of ice fishing is still being enjoyed here in Upstate New York this winter! While in many areas safe ice fishing has come to an end as the result of an extended and extreme February thaw, in some locations, to the north, it continues.
Ice anglers are finding safe ice throughout the North Country. Nice catches of northern pike and perch were had by many on select bays of the St. Lawrence river over the past weekend. With temperatures forecasted in the teens at night for the next several days, safe ice fishing will likely continue in the Adirondacks and other parts of the North Country’s interior. Pike and walleye season comes to a close today in New York State. A strong west wind heaved the thick ice sheet on Oneida Lake up onto Sylvan Beach at the extreme eastern end of the lake earlier this week. Dozens of ice anglers are finding easy access and safe ice conditions in that area. Modest catches of perch and walleye are reported. Some anglers are jumping the gun and launching boats for perch on the open water portion of the lake.
While the eastern shore ice of Oneida Lake is perhaps on borrowed time, the lakes in the Northern and Central Adirondacks will provide excellent late season ice fishing right through March. Late season ice is not synonymous with unsafe ice. In fact, when most anglers have hung up their gear for the season, experienced ice anglers are slamming good catches of panfish. Always check reliable local sources like bait shop owners and guides before planning a late season ice trip in Upstate New York. Don’t rely on any internet reports!
If you want to learn more about late season ice fishing please visit my website upstateguideservice.com/ice-fishing-late…on-final-chapter.
Anglers in the Finger Lakes are fishing trout and landlocked salmon from shore and from boats. White jigs tipped with minnows under floats is an excellent rig at this time of year for shore anglers. Excellent yellow perch catches are being had on the shallow ends of the lakes from boats when conditions allow safe launching. While this is that time of year where it is tough to find good fishing opportunities around here, it is possible. You just have to know where to go!
Wayne County Fishing Update
Chris Kenyon
Streams
Maxwell Creek was producing some nice steelhead, however the predicted snow fall might make streamside fishing a little messy, but the fish don’t care.
Use egg sacs and fish both sides of Lake Road. The slower water is on the north side. You can also fish the Lake Ontario shoreline if the winds are light…and that condition will change with the windy predictions.
So, just wait-out the weather and target the steelies later this week.
Bays
All the bays are open, and you can launch at the ramps on Sodus and Port Bay. The DEC docks are not in so be careful.
Some anglers were out a few days ago catching perch in Sodus Bay. If the winds subside you can fish the Sodus Bay channel for browns. Cast Cleo’s or other heavy spoons into the channel.
You can also throw on line in at Bay Bridge, on the south end of Sodus Bay.
Anglers were catching perch from the north shore of Port Bay. Use caution if you drive on the barrier road. It’s very rough going.
You’ll need to wear a PFD and remember if you are dressing for cold weather, you’ll be extra heavy. Don’t take chances because hypothermia is quick and deadly.
Check out the rest of the Wayne County Tourism web page for the locations and hours of local bait and tackle shops. waynecountytourism.com.
Erie Canal
The water near the locks in Lyons and Newark is open and a few hardy souls were catching crappies and perch. There are pull-off locations from Route 31 for easy parking.
Orleans County
Orleans County Tourism and Ron Bierstine at Oak Orchard Tackle & Lodge
It looks like the end of the past weekend’s reduction in flows was a temporary thing. For now, flows are back to the pretty nice medium or medium+ level. Water color is pretty clear at 3′ or so of visibility. I cannot say for sure what our friends at the Waterport hydro may do for flows thru this week. With any luck, they should hang in at least and until there may be a rise in flows with the next warm up. Forecast is for low 30’s°F through the week with a chance for snow showers today and maybe a few inches area wide snow Wednesday.
Weekend temps may be in the 40’s°F. Once again no significant impact expected here in WNY from the latest Nor’easter. The past storms haven’t kept the steelhead away for sure but it has probably kept some anglers away. (Remember, take with a grain of salt any downstate or out of state doomsday LESnow forecasts, they’re usually way off base!)
Fishing pressure remains overall pretty light on the Oak Orchard. Float drifters, fly swingers and bottom bouncers have all had their days with hook ups. Is it as easy for hook ups as 2 weeks or so ago when the flows were up and stained and most all the fish were fresh? Probably not, but there’s still plenty of action for good drifts over a days effort. As the flows are now, fresh fish could still trickle in anytime. Most spawning in the Oak seems stalled thanks to colder water temps again. Soon enough more fish will be back on the gravel with warming temps that should also bring in the spring fish and make for warmer water and hotter fish action thru the end of March and beginning of April.
In the other area smaller tributaries, flows are moderate – medium and mostly clear where a fair amount of spawning has already happened. Look for a perk up in the action there with the next rise in flows on warming water temps. Although Lake Ontario conditions look pretty good with inviting green water near casting range and in range of small boat trollers, there doesn’t seem to be many eager takers for the cold temps and winds!