Pictured above: Keegan Walczak of Amherst with the first salmon off the Olcott piers this year.
Greater Niagara Region
Bill Hilts, Jr.
The days are getting shorter as Pacific salmon slowly migrate closer to their home ports.
Last Saturday morning, Keegan Walczak of East Amherst was casting a spoon off the Olcott pier when he caught the first salmon of the year. A few more were caught over the weekend by other anglers. This is the first sign that we’re getting close to some fall fishing but we still have a ways to go.
High temperatures will be in the 60’s over the weekend and we will see some cool rain on Sunday so that should make a difference. In the meantime, the Niagara Bar is holding fish at the drop-off according to some mixed reports. Off Wilson, the salmon were stacking up in 40 to 80 feet of water according to Kyle Duncan of Newfane. He was fishing with Capt. Carl Martin of Dublin Up Charters and doing very well on matures. Duncan says use spoons and cut bait early in the day and switch over to spoons later, using your electronics to help identify prime areas. These fish could feed at any time so stay on them until you figure out what they want. Flasher-fly combos were also catching numbers of fish, including brown and rainbow trout while boaters are targeting salmon. Off Olcott earlier in the week, 60 to 90 feet was a good depth contour to follow. J-plugs, flasher and cut bait, flasher-fly and magnum spoons were all producing fish early in the day.
Russell Pray of Kesseville went fishing Labor Day weekend with his buddy Rick Coon of Kesseville and they were greeted with a torrential downpour out on the waters in Eastern Lake Ontario. In the middle of the downpour, a rod went off so Pray went and started to fight a king salmon – a fish that took nearly 400 feet of line in a matter of seconds. Twenty minutes later, after fighting (and losing) another salmon, 4 foot waves and a very long leader on their dipsy diver, they netted a 31 pound, 4 ounce salmon – his biggest ever in the lake – to take home the Grand Prize check for $25,500 to win the Fall Lake Ontario Counties Trout and Salmon Derby that ended on Labor Day.
That story would have been secondary had Kyle Kraft of Ohio insisted to his buddy that he get into the derby. Fishing with Capt. Frank Campbell, they caught a 32 pound salmon on the Niagara Bar – but everyone on the boat must be in the derby. In the salmon division, Eric Beaver of Locust Gap, Pa. was just 3 ounces behind Pray when he reeled in a 31 pound, 1 ounce king, winning a check for $5,500. One angler who didn’t wait until the last minute was David McGowan of Rush who reeled in the winning brown trout – a 16 pound, 4 ounce fish reeled in on the first day of the 18 day derby while fishing off Braddocks Bay. Jason Dale of Lockport caught the second place brown trout off Wilson on Monday morning of Labor Day (the final day of the derby), a 15 pound, 12 ounce brownie on a customized Stinger spoon. Braden Petrucci of Coal Center, Pa. caught the winning steelhead out of Olcott Labor Day weekend, a 14 pound fish caught on a Moonshine spoon – his biggest steelhead ever. The second place steelhead was caught the same day – September 1 – a 13 pound, 11 ounce fish reeled in by Anthony Alonzo of Monongahela, Pa., also fishing out of Olcott.
No salmon yet in the lower Niagara River, but bass and walleye are still snapping. Shore anglers have been using plugs and spinners off Artpark to take some nice walleye and bass both. The better fishing has been at night. Remember that Sept. 22 is a kids fishing derby on Hyde Park Lake in Niagara Falls starting at 8 a.m. and NYPA will be hosting a Wildlife Festival Sept. 22 and 23 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day to honor National Hunting and Fishing Day weekend. Good luck and good fishing!
Oswego County
Mary Ellen Barbeau
Lake Ontario Report
The forecast over the next few days is calling for a definite change in the weather. Temperatures are expected to only be in the 60s over the weekend. With this change look for increased action in more shallow depths, 80-100+ feet of water. There has still been activity in 200-500 feet. Flasher/fly combinations have been the bait of choice.
Oswego River Report
The river is flowing at 2,370cfs this afternoon. There has been no significant push of salmon into the river as yet but anglers have found a few at the dam. From the wall anglers are finding channel cats, sheepshead, smallmouth bass and walleye using live bait. Over the next few days with much cooler temperatures, the first push of salmon could be any day.
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. 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.
Pulaski Area and Salmon River Report:
Pulaski Area:
According to the Woody’s Tackle:
The very warm temperatures have kept the salmon in the lake up to this point. Anglers are finding increasing numbers of them sliding into about 80 feet of water. There is also a large number deeper in 250 to 350 and out to 500 feet of water. Flies/flashers, spoons and cut bait are all working well. With the change in the weather expected beginning tomorrow, it’s likely there will be an increased push of salmon into the river along with more moving from the deeper depths.
According to the Douglaston Salmon Run:
To say that Wednesday was a difficult day on the run would be an understatement. Unrelenting heat and very little fish movement combined to make today a day to remember – and forget. There were a few fish sighted, one angler reporting having seen 5 during the afternoon, but that was the exception to the rule. A fish here and a fish there, but that was the extent of it. The humidity is still with us today but the forecast is calling for much cooler temperatures to move in for the weekend.
Oneida Lake Report:
Anglers are continuing to find some walleye in 10-30 feet of water with early and late in the day providing the best opportunity. Worm harnesses, jigs and blade baits are working well. Bass are active along the weed beds.
Sandy Pond report:
The pond is typically quiet this time of year.
Wayne County Fishing Update
Chris Kenyon
Lake Ontario
The LOC ended yesterday and although tournament action has slowed, the king bite hasn’t. A last minute 30 pounder hit the scales in Wayne County…placing 3rd place in the fall LOC. The kings still rule!
If you want less boat traffic, now is the time to fish.
The tourism crew went out Sunday shooting some video and caught four for seven, however didn’t make the leader board.
The fish were in 110 to 140 feet of water, down 80 to 90 feet. The kings were hitting flasher flies, spoons and some cut bait.
We were running an eight-rod spread and trolling between Hughes’ Marina and Sodus Bay. No lamprey bites on any of the kings.
Bays
The largemouth action on Sodus Bay has been the best in decades. Maybe it’s the warm water that has turned on the bass. Fish the weedlines, especially at the south end of the bay. The bass have been hitting Zoom bait…anything rubber or plastic. Top-Water baits have also been productive. The weeds are thick so use some heavy leaders.
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 bass boats were fishing Widewaters on Sunday. Kayak fishing has also been very popular in the canal. Easy to launch and great for fishing the calmer water of the canal, the kayaks are becoming very popular for anglers.
Orleans County
Orleans County Tourism and Capt. John Oravec of Tightlines Charters
Whether you are a local fisher-person going out for a couple of hours of great fishing with our famous sunsets or one of the out-of-state rigs I see every day slipping out the harbor at sunrise – go get ’em! Weather systems typical for Labor Day week have repositioned the thermocline from 25 to 40 down early in the week to 70 feet down over the weekend.
More boats had good luck in the mid water, i.e. 150 to 250 feet of water (FOW)….another hot spot developed in 50 to 70 FOW west from Johnson’s to Chrome Dome. (Remember, mature river-bound kings, browns and coho sniff out duckweed lines and Johnson Creek can be a strong drawing force.) JUST A NOTE ABOUT THE CURRENT NOW: THE RIP IS PUSHING FROM NORTHEAST TO SOUTHWEST SO WATCH YOUR GROUND SPEED ON ANY KIND OF WEST TROLL. IF FISH AREN’T LOOKING AT AND HITTING YOUR SPREAD, THROW OUT THE BAG! THEN, WHEN ON THE EAST TROLL, THROTTLE UP WATCH YOUR GPS SPEED AND MAKE THE RODS POP! THIS CAPT HASN’T CHANGED LURE COLORS IN A MONTH (300 fish later). I focus on speed, vary lead lengths, use flouro-carbon line and stealth spreads. It matters!
While some may think that with derbies over with, that’s it! Don’t believe it! With the high percent of mature fish in the daily catch, plus good soaking rains pushing rich water out of the tributaries, ledge staging big matures will become the target in the coming weeks followed by pierhead, shallow water j plug trolling and pier casting. River runs can start early in a year like this. There is plenty of big fish action ahead. Less overall boat traffic, good availability with area charters and lodging operators. Fish on! Oil the reels, get fresh, stronger line, then tie new knots. Shark wars are coming! See you on the Orleans County Ledges no deeper that 120 ft.