Greater Niagara Region
Bill Hilts, Jr.
It looks like the weather is finally breaking. Lower river drifters were doing well again according to Capt. Frank Campbell of Niagara Falls. He has hit steelhead and lake trout all week using minnows, egg sacs, MagLips and Kwikfish throughout the river, all fished off three-way rigs. Water conditions have been good. The smelt could be running any day in the lower Niagara River if temperatures are the main trigger point. However, the Lewiston Smelt Festival is still on the calendar for May 4 at Lewiston Landing starting at 5 p.m. There will be over 400 pounds of smelt cooked up by the Niagara River Anglers Association. Speaking of the lower river, the NYPA fishing platform has re-opened. Mike Rzucidlo of Niagara Falls was 5 for 8 on steelhead using jigs on Wednesday.
For Lake Ontario and tributaries, flows were back to normal at 18 Mile Creek and Burt Dam according to Wes Walker of The Slippery Sinker in Olcott. However, the water was still a bit stained and temperatures were in the mid-40’s in the creek. Those temperatures will start to rise and trout will drop back and leave the creek soon. Fish are still available for now. Egg sacs, egg imitations and jigs are all good baits to try. Out in the lake, it’s been a tougher go with the winds. A mud line extended to 120 feet off Olcott earlier in the week but things should start to settle a bit more by the weekend. Winds have kept people off the piers and smaller boats from chasing salmon and trout. Remember that some of the bigger fishing contests have been pushed back by a week or two. The Lake Ontario Counties Trout and Salmon Derby (www.loc.org) for the spring will be held this year from May 11-20. The Wilson Harbor Invitational Tournament is May 19 (www.wilsonharborinvitational.com) and the Lake Ontario Pro-Am Salmon Team Tournament is June 1-2 out of Wilson and Olcott. Check out www.lakeontarioproam.net. The Don Johannes/Pete DeAngelo one fish-three fishing contest is May 31. Stop in at the Gas Shack in Wilson or the Slippery Sinker in Olcott for details. If you can make it on the lake, the shoreline trolling for browns, the occasional Coho and steelhead can be caught on stickbaits like Bay Rats, Challengers and Live Targets. For those of you looking for kings, they’ve been picking up a few, but exact details are sparse with the first tournament of the year kicking off this weekend in St. Catharines.
Pen rearing projects are in full swing right now with pens in place in Olcott, Wilson and the Niagara River out of Youngstown.
The Niagara County Federation of Conservation Clubs has rescheduled its awards banquet, set for May 19 at Terry’s Corners Fire Hall. Call Dave Whitt at 754-2133 for more information or to reserve your ticket.
Oswego County
Mary Ellen Barbeau
Lake Ontario Report
According to Capt. Ed Monette of Cannonball Runner Charters:
The weather finally turned around for the weekend. On Sunday we had another great day on the Cannonball Runner. We had a box of browns by 8:15 then switched to lakers. Monday we had another successful trip going 17-28 with clear water. We changed up and went to more natural lures Michigan Stingers and thundersticks have been the ticket.
Oswego River Report
The water flow has been running above 10,000cfs until yesterday. It is running at 8,630cfs this afternoon. This is still high for some areas along the river but anglers are fishing behind the hotels.
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 the Douglaston Salmon Run:
Reports from those that I spoke with yesterday who fished the morning indicated that it was a beautiful, but less-than-productive day. One angler indicated going 0 for 2 while others indicated that they went fishless without a tug. That having been said, we had one season pass holder that fished for several hours through the mid-day that indicated that he had a “good day” bringing one rainbow, a big brown, a 32″ drop back and a couple of chrome steelhead to hand. I’d say he had a “good day”. Some rain is in the forecast today which will likely spark some activity.
According to Whitaker’s Sport Shop & Motel:
With the nice weather and recent drop in water level (500cfs) it’s no surprise with the increased number of anglers. The majority of anglers we spoke with reported getting into fish, with most of them being drop backs. The mid to upper section of river has the most gravel areas where we still have fish spawning. For those anglers who are float fishing or bottom bouncing, blue egg sacs and pink worms have produced the best results. For those anglers who are fly fishing dead drifting with pink san juan worms, or black, brown and olive woolly buggers has produced steady results. Indicator fishing with estaz eggs, sucker spawn and glo-bugs has also been productive.
Oneida Lake Report:
There is not much to report from Oneida Lake at this point. Anglers are waiting in anticipation of the walleye opener on Saturday, May 5.
Sandy Pond report:
The pond is quiet this time of year as we wait for opening of walleye and northern pike seasons on Saturday, May 5.
Eastern Finger Lakes / Central New York Fishing Report
Mike Crawford of upstateguideservice.com
The limbo of late winter that we have been stuck in is gone! Central New Yorkers enjoyed three bright sunlit and calm days!
Trout streams in the region are starting to see some hatches of midges and small mayflies and most are flowing nice in color.
Water temperature in the lakes began to climb as three days of bright sun and calm winds settled in.
Finding water that is just a degree or two warmer than anywhere else equals fish!
Beautiful Finger Lakes rainbow trout are a prime target of my guide service each spring season and fly fishing the big lakes for them is something I look forward to every year!
Wayne County Fishing Update
Chris Kenyon
Streams
Maxwell had a great flow yesterday and there were some anglers catching some hold-over steelhead, although most rainbows are now in the lake.
You can still cast off the Sodus Bay pier for browns and steelhead. Use Kastmasters or Cleos.
Lake Ontario
The lake finally calmed down after the relentless winds. One day it’s northeast, the next it’s west…then south and then east.
Yesterday was calm and today’s south wind is not an issue for Lake Ontario anglers. The browns are hitting in 8 to 20 feet of water, anywhere along Wayne Counties shoreline.
Water temps today are 39 to 42 degrees. Charter captains are using stickbaits and the browns are running along the mudlines.
There have been some kings caught in the mix of browns and steelhead.
Near the power plant in Ontario has been a hotspot for browns.
Bays
The bullheads are finally starting to hit at Bay Bridge, the south end of Sodus Bay. Temperatures were in the 70’s yesterday, which helps the run. Rain predicted for later this week should also start the bite.
The perch fishing has still been good in Sodus Bay. Try the west side…out from Arney’s Marina.
Crappies are hitting near the south end of Port Bay. They are suspended in 12 feet of water. You can also catch crappies at the launch site, casting out from the shore. They are also catching some perch from the north barrier bar shoreline.
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 kayak anglers were fishing near Widewaters on Sunday. They were casting for anything that bites. The crappie fishing is excellent in the canal, especially during the spring.
The canal opener, when they flood the entire water way, is scheduled for May 18th.
Orleans County
Orleans County Tourism and Ron Bierstine at Oak Orchard Tackle & Lodge
Nice spring weather is hanging in with warmer temps through the beginning part of this week. Flows in the Oak are hanging in at high with lots of upstream supply. Look for flows to stay up or possibly go higher with overflow water with any significant precipitation. Water color is slowly clearing with about 1 foot + of visibility.
For the last of the consistent steelhead action, the conditions are what they are in the Oak. If, by the time flows will be significantly lower and clearer, look for warmer temps and post spawn or drop backs moving downstream and not so many fresh fish moving upstream. Water temps with the near forecast will be moving through the 50’s°F. For now, fishing pressure remains real light with just a handful of guys on the waterway and not a lot of reports back so far this week.
Through this past weekend, guys who got a drift or swing down and slow had some hook ups. Even a couple of hook ups of hard fighting fish in warmer water temps is worth the effort. The other smaller tributaries have medium flows and just slightly stained water color. Look for scattered steelhead and drop backs and the chance for some lake run browns or rainbows. Any future significant precipitation could raise flows up in those smaller waterways too.