Pictured above: Jim Karker of Rochester with his 31-1/2 inch walleye sporting a 19-inch girth he caught on the Niagara Bar off the mouth of the Niagara River last weekend. He was fishing with Capt. John Oravec of Troutman.
Greater Niagara Region
Bill Hilts, Jr.
Before we even get into the fishing there needs to be a big shout out for the 7th Annual Greater Niagara Fishing and Outdoor Expo set for Jan. 17-19 at the Conference and Event Center Niagara Falls – next weekend! Yes, it’s already here! Check the website out at niagarafishingexpo.com. You will find that there are over 200 seminars for all levels of angling expertise being given by over 100 speakers. There are over 60 walleye seminars, 35 salmon and trout seminars, 35 bass seminars and a long list of fly fishing seminars to name but a few series being offered. Education is what it’s all about. Following in that same theme, DEC will be offering 1 hour versions of the State of Lake Ontario and the State of Lake Erie on Friday night. A DEC Open House will be featured on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. that will bring in top fisheries managers and biologists from lakes Erie and Ontario, the Niagara and St. Lawrence rivers, the Finger Lakes, the Salmon River and the Salmon River Fish Hatchery, Women in Fishing, Environmental Law Enforcement and so much more. There are also some 170 vendor booths in the main exhibit hall, mostly related to fish and fishing. Come on out and see what the buzz is all about!
As far as the fishing, if we get the weather that’s being forecasted this weekend, there will be plenty of time to visit the Expo website.
Last weekend saw some good to very good lower Niagara River action despite some marginal conditions. Capt. Chris and Capt. Connor Cinelli both report good action in the lower Niagara River on trout this past weekend even though the conditions appeared marginal. However, no one was fishing Monday or Tuesday due to the turbid conditions. Best bait for Capt. Chris was a pink egg sac fished off a 3-way rig. For Capt. Connor, both pink and chartreuse sacs were working. Trout and walleye were both cooperating around the Lewiston area. Meanwhile, further downriver, Capt. John Oravec of Troutman was taking Jim Karker and his son, Ryan, both of Rochester, on the lower river near Lake Ontario over the weekend.
The prize catch for the day was a 31.5-inch walleye with a 19-inch girth reeled in by Jim (the dad) as Ryan (the son) netted it. It hit on a large golden shiner on the Niagara Bar in 21 feet of water. They also did well on browns, steelhead and other walleye using small emerald shiners in the river. The trip was a birthday present for Ryan. The walleye was a personal best for the elder Karker. Lasting memories for sure.
We’ve seen quite a bit of wind of late and that doesn’t translate well with a wide open Lake Erie and a base temperature of 38 degrees. Today the water looks like chocolate milk, tough for both shore and boat guys. From Friday into Saturday, we could see 1-2 inches of rain. Saturday’s temperatures are forecast to be in the 50’s. We’ll have to play it by ear in the river.
In the tributaries, Roy Letcher of Newfane reports that fishing is good at Burt Dam right now along sections of 18 Mile Creek. Best baits are jigs, sacs, and Rapalas. Over in Wilson, 12 mile Creek is holding some trout. If we do receive excessive rain over the weekend, all bets are off on the fishing though. Those creeks will all be blown out. Letcher will be part of a small crew of instructors that will be focusing on getting the kids more involved with fishing at the Expo this year. We need more youth involvement with angling.
Oswego County
Mary Ellen Barbeau of the Oswego County Department of Community Development, Tourism and Planning.
Oswego River Report
The river flow has been running between 14,000 – 15,000 CFS the last few days. It dropped yesterday with today’s flow at 12,000 CFS. The higher water makes fishing along many areas of the river difficult. Anglers were finding a number of brown trout and steelhead with behind the hotels a suggested area to try. Driftboat anglers are reporting some nice fish.
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:
Conditions proved to be pretty tough with constant wind on Monday. Anglers reiterated that it was tough to get a good drift in and much colder than expected, forcing some off the water fairly quickly. About half of our anglers were able to wrangle some fish in, with the high stick being 7 fish that day. Just over a dozen anglers joined us for the greater part of the day Tuesday under more comfortable conditions. Nearly all of our anglers reported getting into steelhead. Some fared better than others with a common 1 and 2’s theme. We had a handful of anglers venture out on the run yesterday and a couple of fish were brought to hand despite the wind, snow and bump in flows. A heavy snow band moved through in the morning, but we only picked up an inch or two. Water was clear and cold. The current water flow bumped up to 1,200 CFS Tuesday night and 1,530 CFS at Pineville.
Oneida Lake Report:
Temperatures have been up and down and although some areas of the lake have iced over, the ice is not safe at this time. Temperatures are expected to reach into the 50s this weekend with rain in the forecast. Some extended forecasts show temperatures dropping later next week for a more extended period. Please be patient and wait for safe conditions.
Sandy Pond Report:
According to Greene Point Marina:
There is no safe ice on the pond. Although there are some areas that have iced over, the wind along with upcoming warmer temperatures this weekend are not favorable for solid ice forming in the near future. We will keep you updated when we get a stretch of colder temperatures.
Wayne County Fishing Update
Chris Kenyon
Streams
Some nice-looking steelhead are coming from Maxwell Creek. The water flow is excellent and because of the mild temps, there is no ice build-up along the shore.
You can fish the fast water on the south side of Lake Road or drop an egg sac under a bobber on the slower water on the north side.
You can also fish the smaller streams, as the recent rainfall has created some excellent opportunities for trout fishing.
Fast moving water means heavier terminal sinkers if you are bouncing egg sacs on the bottom. You can also try bright red small spoons. Little Cleos are a great lure. They have all the different sizes.
Bay Bridge Sport Shop at the south end of Sodus Bay has everything you need for stream angling.
You can also try pier fishing. The Sodus pier is free of any ice and the current coming out of the bay is fast, bringing in some trout. The only issue with pier fishing is the constant wind. It has been brutal along the lake front.
Bays
We are still in transition with no ice safe enough for fishing. Even if the temps drop, the everyday wind makes it impossible to form ice. A deep freeze is needed.
All the ice on the south side of Sodus Bay has broken-up and the chunks are ramming into the Bay Bridge.
If you need tackle Bay Bridge Sport Shop and Davenports at the south end of Sodus Bay are always opened. They both have live bait if you like fishing with small minnows.
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 is fishing the canal.
Don’t forget the Niagara Fishing Expo coming-up January 17-19, 2020. All the info is at
This is a fantastic event for anglers.
Orleans County
Orleans County Tourism and Capt. John Oravec, Tight Lines Charters
The weather can’t really decide of its going to be cold or warm, and generally things are still pretty mild by January standards. Highs are in the 30’s near 40°F today and a cool down forecast Wednesday and then back warm for the end of the week. Some snow showers are expected on and off and there’s been no significant Lake Effect Snow lately. There is a chance of significant precipitation again this upcoming weekend.
The generally mild weather is keeping all the tributary flows maintained with stained water color with no icing conditions at this time. Flows in the Oak are maybe just a tick less then high or between slightly high to high. Flows consist of a good head of turbine water with about 1 foot of visibility. Flows should continue to drop and clear slowly – that is at least before any more significant precipitation. Best chances at good drifts are now and later in the week on the dropping and clearing flows.
Fishing pressure is real light and there’s been pretty good action reported nearer the dam with tougher action reported downstream. By winter steelhead standards, the action on the Oak is probably more a result of tough water conditions then lack of a few steelhead being around. And some browns and even Kings/cohos are still in the mix for wildcard action.
Other area smaller tributaries are still offering that nice middle winter window of wide open drifts and no serious icing or slushing to worry about. Flows are medium and slightly stained with reports of mixed bag browns and steelhead. Likewise these flows will probably hang in at least until the next significant precipitation.