Greater Niagara Region
Bill Hilts, Jr.
Salmon and trout fishing in Lake Ontario off the shores of Niagara County continues to be good to very good, despite the announcement that the lake is once again in a state of emergency as far as high-water levels. Lake Ontario is open for business! The Town of Newfane Marina is in the best shape for boat launchers – you don’t even have to get your feet wet! Wilson-Tuscarora and Fort Niagara state parks have their launch ramps open but bring a pair of boots and have at least 2 people for a safe launch.
As far as the fishing, Capt. Pete Alex of Vision Quest reports that lake trout abound in 55 to 90-foot depths from the Niagara Bar to 30 Mile Point. For the Wilson Harbor Invitational last weekend, many of the Top 10 teams fished from Olcott to Point Breeze. Last Sunday, they fished between Wilson and Olcott in 220 to 260 feet of water and did well on all year classes of kings. Fish were scattered from 40 to 140 feet down. They ran spoons in the top 60 feet, flasher-fly combos and cut bait below that. The 25-pound, 14-ounce king salmon held up in the LOC Derby last week.
Robert Mueller of Hamburg was in the right place at the right time when his 25-pound, 14-ounce king salmon won a check for $15,500 in the spring Lake Ontario Counties Trout and Salmon Derby May 10-19. He was fishing west of Point Breeze when the salmon hit a Bomber stickbait, fishing with Capt. Joe Netti of Cortland and his Musky Joe boat. First place in the Salmon Division was Brian Marketich of Beaver Falls, PA with a 22-pound, 13-ounce king caught west of the Niagara Bar – good for $2,500. First place lake trout was a 23-pound, 4-ounce Niagara Bar fish reeled in by Jerry Unites of Pittsburgh, PA and a check for $1,200. First place brown trout was a 17-pound, 6-ounce fish caught by Chuck Mazzola of Hamlin fishing out of Rochester – his first derby ever and his first year with a boat, good for $1,200. Jim Hubbard of Dexter caught the top walleye, a 12-pound, 6-ounce fish, on the final day of the derby to win that category and a check for $1,000. Check out www.loc.org for details on the leaderboard.
In the Wilson Harbor Invitational tournament last Saturday, the Hideout team led by Capt. Rob Taddeo earned the $13,000 check with a score of 155.05 points. They were fishing between Olcott and Point Breeze. Don’t forget that the Don Johannes/Pete DeAngelo Memorial 3-Fish/Big Fish contest is set for May 30 this year out of Wilson and Olcott. You don’t have to be in the Pro-Am tournament. It’s only $100 per boat and it’s 100 percent cash payback for your best 3 fish. Contact Mike Johannes at 523-1727 for more info. The 35th Annual Skip Hartman Memorial Lake Ontario Salmon Team Tournament is set for May 31 and June 1 out of the ports of Wilson and Olcott so things will be busy in the coming week. We’ll have a full report on all next week.
Jeff Pippard at Niagara Outdoors in North Tonawanda reports that fishing along the upper Niagara River has been good at Gratwick Park, as well as at the foot of Sheridan. Catch and release smallmouth bass fishing has been working best on tube jigs, Mepps and Vibrax spinners. Mike Rzucidlo of Niagara Falls has been doing well on bass from his canoe. In Cayuga Creek he managed to haul in a 30-inch carp on a worm. Some good walleye action at night at the foot of Ferry Street.
In the Lower Niagara River, it’s been a mixed bag of fish as the waters slowly start to warm. Wade Rowcliffe of Rochester hit the lower river from shore in the gorge and managed to catch some smallmouth bass and trout in the past week. Stickbaits like the Yo-Zuri Crystal Minnow in black and silver was working great. Boaters are still picking up steelhead trout, the occasional lake trout and numerous smallmouth bass. Live bait like shiners or egg sacs work well for trout, while bass prefer tube jigs, Rage Swimmers or other type of swim baits.
Oswego County
Mary Ellen Barbeau of the Oswego County Department of Community Development, Tourism and Planning.
Notice: Due to high water levels, a local state of emergency order for a “No Wake Zone” has been established for boats 1,000 feet from the Lake Ontario shoreline and tributaries. All motorized boats within 1,000 feet of the shoreline and within these waterways must operate at idle speed.
Memorial Day Weekend (May 24-27): Free Fishing for all active duty military or veteran personnel
Lake Ontario/Oswego River Report
According to Capt. Troy Creasy of High Adventure Sportfishing:
Monday brought crazy weather clouds, sun, wind, rain and then big wind but we still managed a decent box including a nice double on Lake Ontario chinook salmon. Yesterday we found plenty of kings right outside of the Oswego Harbor. Even after Tuesday’s rough seas we still put together a decent catch.
According to Oz Angling Tackle:
We have had some dry weather the last couple of days. The water flow is running at 14,700cfs this afternoon. Although still high, this is an improvement. The Oswego River has started fishing well again. Smaller walleyes are being caught in the upper river and a good number of smallmouth bass have been landed in the lower river. We have not seen the big push of walleyes in the river as yet. For walleye try bottom bouncing night crawlers or using a bucktail jig tipped with a night crawler during the day, and throwing hard lures at night. Anglers were catching bass using bucktail jigs, tube jigs, and night crawlers in the lower river. Smallmouth bass, rock bass, and sheepshead seem to be the most active biters in the river right now.
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 nearly a dozen anglers on the run Tuesday which is busy by mid-May standards. Most anglers were able to get into a bass or two, but some did go home without a tug on the line. A couple anglers reported getting into a few steelhead in the first half of the day but they were the minority. We had reports of carp and gar in the lower part of the Run. The water was also described as slightly colored, likely due to all the runoff from recent storms. A half dozen anglers enjoyed yesterday on the run and reported landing two steelhead among several nice smallmouth. One of the steelhead was a fresh 24″ beauty. Water flows have increased to 1,200cfs through midnight tonight.
Oneida Lake Report:
Boaters and anglers should continue to use caution when out on the water as there is a large amount of debris floating in the lake. Anglers are finding walleye fishing from shore or in 20-30 feet of water. Shore anglers are also finding a bullhead bite along with a few crappies. Water depths of 10-15 feet are producing some perch.
Sandy Pond Report:
With the unsettled weather pattern, we have not had a lot of reports from the pond. Anglers are reporting some walleye but overall the bite is slow.
Wayne County Fishing Update
Chris Kenyon
Lake Ontario
Saturday and Sunday was a quiet day on the water, however today it’s cranking from the northwest. Maybe it will lay-down tomorrow. The mudline should be great for the next few days, however the charter boats are looking for kings, not browns.
Straight out from Sodus Bay has been a good starting point. They were in 100 to 130 feet of water down 20 to 30 feet. The spoons were the hot presentation with UV green, black and silver working the best.
Of course, that can and will change with today’s blow. Set-up in 150 feet and see what happens.
The pen-raised salmon were released last Thursday. All were healthy. They were 77 per pound and averaged 3.5 inches in length.
Bays
The high-water situation remains and that continues to leave the bays in a no-wake condition. The Wayne County Sheriff’s Office declared a State of Emergency on Sodus Bay, East Bay, Port Bay and Blind Sodus Bay effective 12:01 a.m. Saturday May 11.
SODUS BAY – IDLE SPEED ONLY CAUSING NO WAKE WITHIN 1000 FEET of shore.
PORT BAY, EAST BAY and BLIND SODUS BAY – IDLE SPEED ONLY CAUSING NO WAKE.
If you fish Port Bay, make sure you troll to your hotspot. Obey the speed limit. The south end of Port Bay has still seen crappie action. Fish bright small jigs one mile north of the ramp on the east side of the bay.
The water level has not affected the pike bite near the islands on Sodus Bay. Troll or cast with spoons of use pike minnows, which can be bought at the Bay Bridge Sport Shop at the south end of the bay.
Anglers have been catching some perch in the Port Bay channel or fishing along the shore on the north end of the bay.
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 canal is officially opened in Wayne County. Sections might be closed in different counties because of high water; however, Wayne is good to go.
They are still catching crappies near Port Gibson and along the southern section of the in Widewaters. can They are also catching fish and release bass. The official season for keeping bass starts the third Saturday in June…June 15th.
Orleans County
Lake Fishing Report
Orleans County Tourism and Capt. John Oravec, Tight Lines Charters
Wow! All week long, strollers found hungry king salmon from “Chrome Dome” to “the Nose” in 45 to 65 feet of water. Lots of salmon! The consensus at the Orleans County Marine Park free fish cleaning unit was the spoon program attracted most hits.
Yours truly found teenager “sharks” as shallow as 15 feet. Most had fun in 35 to 60 ft, 30 to 50 feet down. With lighter winds on the forecast models, clearing shallows will uncover hungry browns. Remember to try downsizing lures inside the 20 ft. contour where the browns lurk!
Yours truly actually crossed paths with Musky Joe coming off the Niagara Bar. Hearing that they were not finding big fish, I told them “there are plenty of king salmon off Point Breeze in Orleans County.” The rest is now history!
A couple updates:
#1: Remember that you can still enter the Oak Orchard Open tournament til May 31st. Register at https://greatlakesspecialevents.regfox.com/2019-orleans-county-open.
#2: All Point Breeze boat ramps are good to go despite the high water levels. Plenty of dry parking. Our marinas, restaurants, tackle and lodging operations welcome you to the Home of the King!