Eastern Finger Lakes / Central New York Fishing Report
Mike Crawford of upstateguideservice.com
Ice anglers across upstate New York are getting out fishing! Reports are mixed as some anglers struggle to find fish and others have excellent angling! Ice thickness on Oneida Lake is over 20 inches and anglers are finding good perch and walleye bites. Walleyes are active early and again later in the day. As we get closer to the 15th of this month, the last day of walleye season statewide, the walleyes will begin to school thick. As will the yellow perch. These prized targets of ice anglers will begin to enter the spring spawning mode, becoming thicker in numbers and more aggressive. The ice is predicted to remain thick and safe for weeks to come.
Throughout the North Country ice anglers have around two feet of ice on the Indian River Lakes and Adirondack Lakes. This time of year can be marked by lethargic fish. But everyday is different and anglers who persist are rewarded with good catches. Stay Safe!
Greater Niagara Region
Bill Hilts, Jr.
Another cold blast of winter is keeping some anglers down this week and wind chills dipped once again below zero for most of the week. Look for a warm up this weekend as Saturday could see the mercury hit 40 degrees and Sunday it could be over 50, but with a significant rainfall – good and bad news. At the top of our list is the fact that the State of Lake Ontario meeting is set up for March 7. In the past, much of the meeting focused on the open lake. They are now including a significant portion on the tributaries, too. It’s important to attend and hear what’s going on with the lake. Meeting time and location will be Cornell Cooperative Extension Niagara, 4487 Lake Ave. (Route 78), Lockport starting at 6:30 p.m.
March 7 to 10 is the WNY Sport and Travel Expo at the Erie County Fairgrounds in Hamburg.
As far as the fishing in the lower Niagara River, action can be good but super cold weather conditions can put a damper on things. Saturday should be your best day this week. Last Saturday, Paul Schirmer of Cambria was fishing with Capt. Jim Rores of Grand Island with minnows (out of Schirmer’s boat) when they hit a 12-pound steelhead to take the top prize in the Niagara River Anglers Association’s Roger Tobey Memorial Steelhead Contest. Second place went to Richard Brant of Buffalo with a 10.26-pound steelie, fishing with Capt. Matt Yablonsky of Youngstown. The fish was caught on an egg sac in 14 feet of water. Third place went to Capt. Chris Cinelli of Grand Island with a 9.75-pound steelhead. Cinelli also took the special prize for the largest brown trout caught for the contest, checking in at 6.74 pounds. A total of 51 anglers fished in the competition. A vote was taken at the awards ceremony and the date for the 2020 tournament will be Saturday, February 22. Shore fishermen can toss jigs, spinners or egg sacs to take trout. Remember that walleye season closes on March 15.
Ice fishing is still going on in Wilson Harbor and open water in 18 Mile Creek is limited. Wait for the warmer weather this weekend. March 15 is also the final day for northern pike and pickerel, as well as the statewide tiger musky season. Speaking of muskies, the Niagara Musky Association was honored last weekend, celebrating 25 years as a club. Their annual banquet will be held on April 6 in Buffalo at the Pearl Street Grill.
Oswego County
Mary Ellen Barbeau of the Oswego County Department of Community Development, Tourism and Planning.
Oswego River Report
According to Oz Angling Tackle:
The water flow dropped significantly over the last few days. This morning it is running at 4,260cfs. The Oswego River has been producing steelhead, brown trout, and walleye. More steelhead and walleye are showing up every day in preparation for their spawn this spring. Although the water is still relatively cold, anglers are doing very well on walleyes and browns in the lower river using a variety of different methods and baits. Some are jigging along the bottom, some are slip float fishing with jigs or bait, some are throwing hard lures, and some are bottom bouncing with bait. With the flow dipping this low before the water temperature has reached 52 degrees, we will have a great opportunity to target steelhead from shore, especially along the West Side Riverfront Linear Park.
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.
Salmon River Report:
According to the Douglaston Salmon Run:
We had several anglers on the run Sunday. Anglers in the lower to middle section got into a few fish drifting beads and eggs, swinging flies and nymphing. One colored hen pushed 15 pounds. A pair of guests working the middle to upper sections went 4/6 drifting eggs under a bobber with one connecting on a purple fly. Another angler in the lower section went 2/4 steelhead in the 8-12 pound range. With the cold and snow over the last couple of days, there has not been much of any activity on the run. The current water flow was bumped up to 750cfs.
According to Whitaker’s Sport Shop & Motel:
On Tuesday we picked up over a foot of lake effect snow and it was another cold day despite sunny conditions. Early morning slush ice was a factor in the lower end of the river but did clear around mid day. Slush ice was not a factor in the upper end of the river between Altmar and Pineville. The water level did go up and we had a few anglers stop into the shop before heading out but didn’t get any reports at the end of the day. The cold weather is expected to continue for another couple days along with a chance of lake effect snow, but warmer weather is in the forecast for the upcoming weekend.
Oneida Lake Report:
Anglers had decent weather conditions with temperatures around 30 degrees and only light precipitation over the weekend. Coming into this week the temperature has dropped with a highs only in the teens and low 20s. Various lake effect snow bands have been in the area with a few inches of accumulation in areas around the lake. Anglers reported pressure cracks in various areas and with snow on the ice, they are difficult to see. Use caution as you go. Anglers have been finding a good number of perch along with a few walleye.
Sandy Pond Report:
Anglers enjoyed a decent weekend on the pond with some perch and northern pike action. Colder temperatures are in the area today with lake effect snow dropping several inches of snow over the last couple of days. Temperatures will be warming to near 30 degrees by Friday.
Wayne County Fishing Update
Chris Kenyon
Streams
Cold nights have made Maxwell Creek freeze. There are openings, however they are small. It’s supposed to warm up this weekend with rain predicted so it might open-up more, however if lake effect snow arrives tomorrow it will be a mess.
Don’t forget it’s time to change your clocks….Spring ahead one hour this Sunday. It’s much earlier this year.
Bays
There is still five to six inches on Sodus and Port Bays. Some areas have 10 inches. There is a snow cover which makes it a challenge to pull a shanty. Follow the tracks of ATV or other sleds.
The perch are still hitting over by Skipper’s Landing, which is the east side of the bay.
Third Creek has also seen perch taken in 30 feet of water. It’s a long walk but the larger fish are out there.
Some anglers are going with tip-ups because the fatter perch like the fat head minnows.
It’s March so make sure you know where you are going. This is the time of year that ice becomes spongy. However…so far, it’s safe.
If you need bait or equipment go to B-E Fishing Tackle in Ontario or Bay Bridge Sport Shop and Davenports at the south end of Sodus.
Check out the rest of the Wayne County Tourism web page for the locations and hours of local bait and tackle shops.
Erie Canal
No one was on Widewaters this past Sunday. The fish are in the canal and there is usually no wind.
Orleans County
Orleans County Tourism and Bierstine of Oak Orchard Tackle and Lodge
Welcome back to winter! Weather conditions are more like what we might have expected a month or so ago then for March and heading into Spring. But alas – warmer temps are forecast toward the weekend! For now through the mid week, temperatures are unseasonably cold and dropping down at night with windy conditions today (Tuesday) and a chance for off and on snow tonight and tomorrow (Wednesday). Forecast is for any significant accumulations mostly south of the area. There’s about 6 plus inches of windblown snow and ice here on the Lake Plain and more in protected spots.
Flows have all gone on a quick drop thanks to the return of cold and snow. Didn’t think it would happen but most of the drifts on the smaller waterways are iced back up under low and clear flows. On the Oak the downstream slow water has mostly closed back in frozen and upstream flows are open at low to moderate and clear.
A handful of guys were on the water Tuesday. Steelhead migrations are probably in a sort of stall mode. Residents either dropped back or are holed up at the dam and few deeper holes. Look for a quick perk in the action on the next warming trend with a return to better flows that don’t blow out anyway. It’s probably a good time to look to the big waters like the “Genny” or Niagara for action now while the small and mid-sized tributaries are low and clear.