Greater Niagara Region
Frank Campbell
With the removal of the ice boom at the head of the Niagara River off Buffalo taking place this week, expect some ice chunks to start flowing through the river system and end up in Lake Ontario. This will undoubtedly impact fishing in the river, making it more difficult for boaters as well as shore casters from Buffalo to Youngstown. However, it won’t be impossible. Casting from shore with spoons, spinners and swimbaits will all work for you under the right conditions. Eggs or egg imitations will also work. Best spot according to Lisa Drabczyk with Creek Road Bait and Tackle in Lewiston is along Artpark. Boaters can use egg sacs, beads, minnows and plugs like MagLips or Kwikfish. Steelhead, lake trout and brown trout are all available for catching. Remember, starting April 1, some new regulations will be going into effect. In the lower Niagara River, no more than 2 steelhead may be kept as part of your daily creel limit to align with the lake limit.
Out in Lake Ontario, Roy Letcher of Burt reports that shoreline action for brown trout has been good from the Niagara Bar to Point Breeze. Troll stickbaits inside of 20 feet looking for warmer water temperatures such as off creek mouths. We did have a report that a northwest wind blew some ice into Wilson and Olcott harbors so you may have to dodge some ice floes. Look for a mud line and move in and out of the line into the clear water. Bullhead are starting to show up, in time for the tourney next weekend. Some brown trout are also being caught off the piers at Wilson and Olcott. In the creeks, Ken Jackson hit some trout in 18 Mile and some of the smaller streams, but conditions were high and stained. They should be coming down, but more rain is in the forecast. Jigs and spawn sacs worked for him.
With the opening of the inland trout season in New York on April 1, Hyde Park and Oppenheim will be stocked the week of April 4. Another sign of spring is the Annual Niagara County Bullhead Tournament, slated to be held from 5 p.m. on April 8 to 1 p.m. on April 10. Entry fee is $10 for age 13 and older for a 100 percent cash payout. Junior anglers ages 12 and under are free with merchandise prizes. The tournament is based on the weight of an angler’s best two bullhead and it is open to any Niagara County waters. The tiebreaker will be the length of those two fish. The official weigh-in will take place on Sunday morning from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Wilson Conservation Club, in Wilson. Register for the contest at CMC Auto, on Lake Street, in Wilson. No boats. To find out further information, contact Eric at 628-6078. Members of LOTSA will be meeting at the Town of Newfane Marina on April 2 at 9:30 a.m. to start putting the net pens together for receiving the salmon and trout from DEC. You don’t have to be a member to participate. Membership is only $10, and it goes for a good cause. Check out lotsa1.org.
Oswego County
Report is Courtesy of the Oswego County Department of Community Development, Tourism and Planning
Lake Ontario Report
Courtesy of Captain Andy Bliss, of Chasin’ Tail Adventures
Click Here to see the CFS at Pineville
The Lake conditions have been rough this week, with lots of wind. When we’ve made it out fishing has been good!
Since ice left the launches, people have been targeting nearshore brown trout. And we’ve seen some amazing results! Lots of cookie cutters this year – a nice turnaround from last year.
The best technique this time of year is running planer boards with shallow diving stick baits. Bright colored baits have been working well in the dirty water. With naturals producing in the clearer patches.
Our best stickbaits are Ridin Dirty, Black/Silver/orange, and Firetiger. Our standard Stingers colors are frostbite, mongoose, chicken wing and pickle seed. We recommend trolling at speeds of 2.2-2.7 mph.
Salmon River Report:
Click Here to see the CFS at Pineville
The CFS at Pineville was 1770 as of this morning. There are steelhead spread out all throughout the Salmon River, with a mixture of pre spawn, spawning, and spawned out fish.
But the bite remains up and down because of the constant changes in water levels. Combine this with temps in the mid-30s and colored water and working for your bites is the name of the game.
The bead fishing has been productive, with egg sacs and pink worms also taking bites. Fly fisherman are seeing success on pink squirmy worms, and stone fly patterns fished suspended under an indicator. Bright colors are working and changing your bait regularly can make all the difference!
We also recommend covering ground and experimenting in different sections of the river. As water temps increase, we will see more active fish. However, the spawning fish will often be tightliped and not concentrating on feeding – keep this in mind when selecting your locations.
Oswego River Report
Click Here to see the CFS at Oswego River
We have seen the flows come down on the Oswego the last couple days but with more rain in the forecast it is likely to climb again.
Anglers are catching fish on the west side above the powerhouse, fishing jigs, beads and egg sacs under floats.
But if you’re planning a trip don’t overlook the east side of the river. The lower Oswego behind the hotels has been producing trout. Casting swim baits has been the best technique to trigger bites. Please keep in mind that walleye season closed on March 15th.
Year-Round Notice: There are mandatory personal flotation device zones on the river. Visit visitoswegocounty.com for more information. The Oswego Fire Department offers loaner life jackets at no charge through its “Loaner for Life” program. For more information contact the east fire station by calling 315-343-2161 or Click here for the Brookfield Varick Fish Safely brochure.
Wayne County Fishing Update
Chris Kenyon
Lake Ontario
Browns were in 10 to 15 fow just west of Hughes’ Marina last week. They were hitting stickbaits and glow spoons. Black and chartreuse colors were working. The fish were hiding in the stained water with temperatures between 39 and 43 degrees on the surface. Trolling was excellent until the weekend when temperatures plunged and wind starting cranking over 30 mph.
It’s almost April so hopefully the winds will dimmish or at least give the Ontario anglers some calm breaks.
The Coast Guard Station launch is open at Sodus Point. The Bear Creek launch will not be opened until Memorial Day.
Streams
Not too many stream casters, however there are still hold-over browns and steelhead in Maxwell and Furnace Creek in Wolcott.
Lake Ontario tributary regulations
Three fish in combination and not to include more than one Rainbow Trout (or Steelhead) and One Brown Trout.
Bays
The weekend’s gale force winds kept everyone off the bays. When things calm later this week, fish for the perch. They are scattered so you will have to move around. After they spawn there will be more catches.
The limit on perch is 50 fish with no minimum length.
Remember you need to be wearing your PFD until May 1st.
All persons on board a recreational vessel less than 21 feet in length (including canoes, kayaks, and rowboats) must wear a USCG–approved PFD from November 1 to May 1.
Erie Canal
You can fish along the shore next to the locks in Lyons and Newark. The bluegills, perch and crappies have been caught on the northside of Widewaters, casting from the canal trail.
The 2021 New York State fishing guide can be found at https://www.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.
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 report is from Ron Bierstine from Oak Orchard Tackle & Lodge:
With all the high water we’ve had previously, you might not have predicted any low flows this spring. Then again, who would have guessed there’d be a few days in the end of March this cold! So for now, flows in the Oak have dropped back to low and clear. The in-between moderate or medium and slightly stained flows came and went pretty quick! Its unclear if these lower flows will hang on, more then likely with temps rebounding thru this mid week that flows will rebound some with a little more stain. At this point rain or precipitation could help bring flows back up too. Seasonable cold today and dropping back below freezing tonight then a nice warmup mid week with chance of rain showers.
Fishing pressure is real light again on the Oak so far today. Just prior to the lowering of flows, guys reported steelhead hook ups at the dam and overflow pools and scattered downstream thru the fast water gravel stretches for spawning fish. Suckers were more numerous too. This is kind of a reset (at least when it warms back up) and with a return to some more inviting flows and stained water there should be new migrations of spring fish. Other area smaller tribs are dropping back like the Oak to low but may be hanging on to a little more color. Look for a bit of a temp shock there and the fishing action back on the rebound as things warm back up.