Greater Niagara Region
Frank Campbell
In the Lake Ontario Counties Summer Derby that ended last Sunday, the Grand Prize winner was Michael Paddock of Albion with a 31-pound, 7-ounce king salmon he caught out of Point Breeze. He was fishing with his wife Charlotte about 10 miles to the west – close to the Niagara County line – with not another boat around, meandering around as Charlotte read her book. They were in the right place at the right time. In addition to the $10,000 Grand prize, they won $1,000 for big fish of the week and $750 for the largest fish caught by a Lake Ontario Trout and Salmon Association member. John Gordon of Rochester was top brown trout angler with a 19-pound, 15-ounce brown to win the division. Top lake trout was Hope Starling of St. Pete’s, Florida, weighing a fish that pulled the scale down 23 pounds, 11 ounces. First place walleye came from the mouth of the Niagara River at the green can, a 10-pound, 10-ounce ‘eye reeled in by Burt Lickers of Niagara Falls while fishing with the Killer B’s. The Orleans County Rotary Derby, originally scheduled for August 7-22, has been cancelled for this year.
On to the fishing in Niagara Falls USA. Lake Action is really starting to improve. Off the mouth of the river, Tom and Donna Bricker were fishing with Capt. Frank Campbell of Lewiston and they headed east to look for brown trout. In 50 feet of water, using spoons that were doused with Salmon Fire Gel, they each caught personal best browns, both tipping the scales at 17-18 pounds. The best part of that is they were both released to fight another day. Last weekend John Van Hoff of North Tonawanda did very well on the Niagara Bar on Saturday and then struggled on Sunday. Saturday, they fought 12 matures but boated 6 using cut bait and flasher-fly combos. They were in 70 to 80 feet of water on the bottom. There was quite a bit of bait around. The next day it was an identical picture but more bait clouds. They struggled to catch a fish. Over in Wilson, Capt. Mike Johannes of On the Rocks Charters reports that the fishing for salmon has been good straight out from his home port. Best depths have been varying from 250 to 400 feet of water depending on the wind direction and strength of that wind. Best lures have been 10-inch spin doctors and meat, or stud flies have been working well along with 11-inch chartreuse or green glow paddles and meat behind 400-foot coppers or divers back around 210 feet. Best fish zone has been 60 to 100 feet down. Some big steelhead are also being caught on similar rigs or on spoons such as pink panties or other bright colors. In Olcott, trollers have been heading out to 500 foot or deeper according to Karen Evarts at The Boat Doctors. Capt. Bob Cinelli with the White Mule in Olcott said he was fishing from the 26 line to the border and did well on a mixed year class of king salmon 40-90 feet down with spoons and flasher-fly.
In the Niagara River, it has been a funny summer so far. One day you can go out and catch a handful of bass and the next day you can slay them. The same goes for walleye, too – hit or miss. In the upper river Capt. Justin Warriner of North Tonawanda reports the fishing has been pretty good, smallies in the upper river, Lake Erie, and lower river. Ned rigs have been key with a green pumpkin gold flake and 3-inch salty sling from Venom baits have all been working.
There is a 3-week reprieve before the next onslaught of derbies and tourneys. On August 20, the Fall LOC Derby will be starting for 18 days. Check out loc.org. That same day is the 5th Annual Reelin’ for a Cure ladies tournament. Contact reelinforacure.com for details. Finally, the all-new Greater Niagara Fish Odyssey Derby is trying something new with a Fish Chaos app – no more weigh stations – and the event will run from August 20 to September 5. Check out Fish Odyssey on Facebook, the Fish Chaos app under tournaments, and fishodyssey.net on the internet. Kids can fish for free! More to come…
Wayne County Fishing Update
Chris Kenyon
Lake Ontario
The salmon bite is straight out from Sodus and Port Bays. Concentrate in 120 to 180 fow. Look for temp breaks that have been between 50 to 90 down. That column of water changes daily. Bump your speeds often for strikes.
Kings have been hitting meat rigs, flasher flies and UV spoons (green)
There has been plenty of bait, however the fish are finicky. One day you’ll troll through bait and get hits…the next day you troll through bait and get nothing.
Bays
Some large pike are being caught in Sodus Bay. Fish the Leroy Island area with bright spoons or spinnerbaits. Start your day early and beat the recreational boat traffic.
The bass are everywhere. The weeds in Sodus create great cover…and the entire bay is loaded with weeds. Use weedless lures or Senko rigs.
For Port Bay anglers, launch on the north barrier bar off West Port Bay Road. The road is bumpy so trailer your boat slowly. The south DEC ramp is closed.
Wayne County Soil and Water Conservation District and the Federation of Sportsmen Clubs are pleased to announce the 22nd Wayne County Youth Fishing Derby for anglers ages 4-16. The event runs June 19th-July 31st, 2021and covers the waters in Wayne County.
The 2021 New York State fishing guide can be found at dec.ny.gov/outdoor/7917.html for downloading and printing at home. Production of hard copies is finished and have been delivered to License Issuing Agents. Hard copies can be requested by emailing FWFish@dec.ny.gov.
Erie Canal
The canal water is still high; however, you can still launch your boat in Newark, Lyons, and Clyde. The largemouth bass in Widewaters are six plus pounds. And the catfish will give you a great fight. Use shrimp for the cat bite. A 1/0 size hook works the best. Rig it 12 inches above your sinker.
Keep informed from the NYS Canal web for changes and restrictions with canal waters. Keep informed about 2021 canal hours. (There will be no fees for the 2021 canal boating season.) May 21st is the scheduling for the canal opening. Hours are 7 am till 5pm. Stay informed with the below web page.
Safety Precautions from DEC
While enjoying the outdoors, please continue to follow the CDC/New York State Department of Health guidelines (leaves DEC’s website) for preventing the spread of colds, flu, and COVID-19:
- Try to keep at least six (6) feet of distance between you and others.
- Avoid close contact, such as shaking hands, hugging, and kissing.
- Wash hands often or use a hand sanitizer when soap and water are not available.
- Avoid surfaces that are touched often, such as doorknobs, handrails, and playground equipment.
When fishing, DEC recommends avoiding busy waters and following the guidelines on DEC’s website about fishing responsibly in New York State. If an angler arrives at a parking lot and there are several cars, they should consider going to another parking lot. If an angler is fishing upstream, they should fish downstream of the other angler or consider fishing another day. Anglers fishing from boats should be able to maintain at least six feet of distance between one another. For more information about the benefits of being outdoors safely and responsibly, go to DEC’s website.
New York State is open for fishing and DEC encourages anglers to recreate locally at a nearby waterbody. New York’s lakes and streams offer great opportunities for fishing in a wide array of settings across the state. Even during the current COVID-19 public health crisis, getting outdoors and connecting with nature while angling in New York’s waters is a great way to help maintain mental and physical health.
Orleans County
This week’s fishing report is from Capt. Bob Songin’s video from Reel Excitement Charters, July 26, 2021.
Capt. Bob Songin of Reel Excitement Charters reports that “fishing is still tough and sporadic. Best spoon on the riggers: DW Gold Laser Spoon. Divers: Seneca Special with the Atomic big fin glow behind it (a standard he runs this time of year). Spin Doctor, Chrome, Crush UV, 2 face with an Atomic purple mirage behind it. 400 Coppers, Divers out 220-240, Riggers down 80-90-100. Fished the 26-27 line, a little west but not far. Inside water has been sporadic. At 100′ was 50° (fairly warm to start) and 42° at the end of the day. But the fish like stability and not surprises. The recent changing winds, lightning and storms are not good for fishing but things did become more stable.
