Pictured above: Jack Mings of Amherst shows off his 27-pound brown trout caught this week. Photo provided by Mike Crawford of upstateguideservice.com
Greater Niagara Region
Bill Hilts, Jr.
We finally saw some warmer temperatures this week as the thermometer hit the 50 degree mark for the first time in March. We also received some rain which should draw in some more trout into the tributaries. More rain is expected tonight. In the lower Niagara River, conditions have been clear and you have to work for trout. Minnows and egg sacs were working for local guides drifting the river this week.
Late March seems to be a time for big brown trout in Niagara. Last year it was Bob Klemm’s 31 pounder that shook things up from the lower Niagara River. This year, Jack Mings hit a 27 pounder while fishing with Capt. Matt Gantress out in the lake. We had no other details other than a photo of the impressive fish. Mings has had a pretty good week. Earlier he caught a 17-plus pound, 35 inch lower Niagara River steelhead on a peach-colored egg sac – again with Capt. Matt. He should buy a lottery ticket! Shoreline trolling for browns with stickbaits like Bay Rats, Live Targets, Rapalas and Challenger lures can all be effective. Use planer boards or inland boards to get your baits close to the shoreline and away from your boat. A good place to start is 100 to 125 feet back in 10 to 15 feet of water around creek mouths. Look for stained water and a distinct mud line.
One creek mouth that isn’t seeing much flow is Fourmile. The north winds the past 2 weeks have silted the mouth in and flow (and fish movement) has been restricted. The piers at Olcott and Wilson are starting to turn on for hardware casters of spoons and spinners. Stickbaits, too, as well as live bait and egg sacs. A bunch of perch have been hanging around, too.
The inland trout and salmon opener kicks off on April 1, no foolin’. This is not to be confused with the year-round fishery that is available for salmonids in the Great Lakes and its tributaries. Every year, the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation stocks thousands of trout across the region for this special day. However, they do some extensive stocking after the fact, too. Most of Niagara County’s stockings are in the Great Lakes. They do receive a couple inland stockings, earmarked for Hyde Park Lake in Niagara Falls and Oppenheim Park Pond in Wheatfield. April 3 is the designated day this year. First up at 10 a.m. is Oppenheim Park Pond, receiving 100 brown trout and 170 rainbows. Immediately following that planting, Hyde Park Lake will receive 1,740 yearling browns and 200 two-year-old browns. In addition, 570 browns will be stocked in Gill Creek, the outlet of Hyde Park Lake. The stocking hotline number for the Randolph hatchery is 358-2050 for updates.
April 1 is also the designated opener for the NY Power Authority Fishing Platform in the Niagara Gorge and the reservoir will be open for business on April 1, too. If you like fishing for bullhead, the Wilson Conservation Club will be holding its 5th Annual Niagara County Bullhead Tournament from 5 p.m. on April 6th to 1 p.m. on April 8. Call Eric at 628-6078 for details. 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. Don’t forget that the Niagara County Federation of CC will be holding its annual awards banquet on April 14 at Terry’s Corners Fire Hall starting at 5 p.m. Call Dave Whitt at 754-2133 for advance sale tickets.
Oswego County
Mary Ellen Barbeau
Oswego River Report
With the rain the area received on Tuesday, the water flow was up to 11,000cfs yesterday. This afternoon it is back to 8,640cfs. Rain is expected to move into the area tonight with heavier downpours forecasted overnight so this may significantly affect the flow. At the current level, driftboat and a few shore anglers have found some steelhead activity.
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:
In the lower end of the river anglers have been getting into a mix of both bright and dark fish as well as a few browns. Anglers who are bottom bouncing or float fishing have had the most success with pink and blue egg sacs, marabou jigs, pink worms and beads. For those anglers who are fly fishing, egg patterns such as glo-bugs or sucker spawn under a strike indicator has been productive as well as dead drifting with pink worm flies, black stoneflies and wiggle stones. Just a reminder that the Upper Fly Zone will reopen on April 1.
According to the Douglaston Salmon Run:
The current water level is 750cfs through midnight tonight. Rain is expected later today and may be heavy at times overnight. Anglers on the Run on Wednesday reported some success with a nicely colored domestic rainbow, a couple of brown trout and a number of steelhead. Baits of choice were red colored egg patterns, white woolly buggers, drifting pink worms, and bottom bouncing pink egg sacs. Anglers indicated a trend seemed to be for some very large fish moving into the Run.
Oneida Lake Report:
There is not much to report from the lake as we are in between ice fishing and open water fishing which is coming soon. Just a reminder that walleye season closed on March 15 and will reopen on May 5.
Sandy Pond report:
The pond is quiet this time of year as we wait for open water fishing. A reminder that walleye and northern pike season closed on March 15 and will reopen on May 5.
Eastern Finger Lakes / Central New York Fishing Report
Mike Crawford of upstateguideservice.com
A cold, clear and dry spell of eight days or so was ended with showers, clouds and warmer air this week.
While the state wide trout season opens this coming Sunday (4/1) many of us have been fishing trout for the last couple of weeks on the Lake Ontario tributaries and Finger Lakes. These waters, as well as many others, are open all year to trout anglers!
The attraction of “Opening Day” has not been lost however and Central New York trout streams should be in fair to good shape for the many anglers who look forward to a day on the local creeks.
While water is cold, creeks should be at good levels and the recent rain of the last two days will bring the water temperatures up a bit.
Water temperatures in the lakes are still very cold. Surface temps in the mid thirties as of Monday. This is due to the calm and cold nights of the last two weeks. More rain and wind in the forecast will help hasten good fishing on the lakes.
Please remember the words of the late Lee Wulf; “Trout are too valuable to be caught only once”.
Wayne County Fishing Update
Chris Kenyon
Streams
Steelhead are still in Maxwell Creek. There is rainfall today and if the temperatures get warmer they might enter the lake, however right now they are hitting bright beads and egg sacs.
Both sides of Lake Road are productive. Anglers were also casting off the Sodus Bay pier, catching some browns.
Some of the smaller boats have been catching browns out in the lake, trolling close to shore with planer boards. The charter fleet usually starts around April 1st.
Bays
The crappies are still hitting at Bay Bridge at the south end of Sodus Bay. You can fish the open water behind Bay Bridge Sport Shop. It’s still early for the bullhead bite, however when they start hitting, the best place to fish is off the bridge.
This week some of the crappies were hitting off Bay Bridge.
The perch are in Port Bay; however, you need to take some time to find them. They have been scattered, however once you find them you’ll be in for a fun time.
Crappies are also in Port Bay suspended in four feet of water. Crappies take anything that’s bright as long as it’s small jigs or small minnows.
Remember, there is a 25-fish regulation on crappies and they need to be at least 9 inches in length.
You’ll need to wear a PFD until May 1st 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
Anglers were catching pan fish near Widewaters and near the open water by the locks between Newark and Lyons. The water level is not lowered at Widewaters, so you can launch at the county park.
Orleans County
Orleans County Tourism and Ron Bierstine at Oak Orchard Tackle & Lodge
Looks like we are finally getting our warm-up! Forecast thru this week is for high temps in the 40’s or near 50°F. Precipitation is expected today thru tonight and a chance again Thursday. For now, flows in the Oak have dropped back some to between moderate and medium and still mostly clear. Reports today are of further fluctuations thanks to hydro-power operations. With some precipitation thru this mid-week and snow melt south of here, look for soon-to-be rising flows in the Oak with hopefully a return to stained flows.
There’s a return to lighter angling pressure again after the past weekend with most guys into some hook-ups on spawning or staged or post spawn fish. With any warm-up in water temps, look for more earnest spawning action of the staged fish and some fresh fish migrations too. The other area smaller tributaries could benefit from a rise in flow with some off-color water. Warming water temps there could bring on some more fresh fish migrations and chance for some lake run browns. Casters have reported some hook-ups on hard fighting browns at Point Breeze. Good chance for hook-ups within casting range with small boat trollers into all the fish they want in as close as only 6′ of water.