Greater Niagara Region
Frank Campbell
On Dec. 1, the lake trout season for Lake Ontario and the lower Niagara River reopens. The season will continue through Sept. 30, 2023. There is no minimum size for lake trout. However, only one fish between 25 and 30 inches long may be kept as part of your daily 2-fish harvest limit. In the lower Niagara River, the daily limit for salmon and trout is 3 fish per person in combination. Up to 2 lake trout may be kept as part of that 3-fish limit. In Lake Ontario, the 2-fish lake trout limit is separate from the other salmon and trout limit.
There has been some decent action in the tributaries off Lake Ontario according to guide Scott Feltrinelli of Ontario Fly Outfitters. One thing he noticed the past week was fewer fish but more fishermen. That could be because of very high conditions in the Lake Erie tributaries because of the snow melt from Buffalo south. It could also be the recent holiday. With heavy rains in the forecast for mid-week, look for all the streams to be high and turbid into the weekend in places like 18 Mile Creek and Burt Dam.
Lower river action was good over the weekend and into the beginning of the week. Steelhead action has been increasing according to Lisa Drabczyk of Creek Road Bait and Tackle in Lewiston, especially at Artpark from both boat and shore. Spinners, spoons, and beads are all working on a mixed bag of browns, steelhead, and lake trout. The most consistent action for steelhead and lake trout has been upriver. Downriver it has been brown trout and lake trout both, even into the lake on the Niagara Bar. Minnows, eggs, beads, and MagLips are all catching fish around Fort Niagara. One noticeable detraction was the lack of etiquette being used by some of the fishermen when they started to face crowded conditions. Keep your distance and pay respect to your fellow anglers.
Capt. Hans Mann of Buffalo Harbor Outfitters used the Solunar tables to catch another big muskellunge out of Buffalo Harbor. The proud angler this time was 10-year-old Joe Burns of Williamsville who reeled in a personal best 52-inch fish this past week. As it turned out, it was smack dab in the middle of a morning minor phase of those fish and wildlife activity tables. The musky was ready to eat something, and it chose another hand-carved Carver crankbait, this one in firetiger pattern. The young Burns reeled the magnificent fish to the boat from start to finish. In the river, Capt. Connor Cinelli of Grand Island said conditions have been tough for musky and they have been a bit finicky. The waters finally cleared but rain and wind will put things on hold once again. Remember that musky season will remain open until Dec. 15 in the Great Lakes of New York. The Niagara Musky Association will be holding its annual John Henning Memorial Musky Tournament on the lower Niagara River Dec. 4 from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. You must be a NMA member. Cost is $25 for the contest. For more info call John Pensyl at 628-9563.
Upper river walleye action is still going strong according to Steve Brzuszkiewicz of Marilla. He was drifting a three-way rig with a 3-foot leader and a minnow to take 6 walleyes by noon. He will have to wait for the waters clear before he does that again. As of tomorrow, Dec. 1, the bass season will revert to catch and release, and only artificial lures may be utilized. On a final note, the Lake Ontario Trout and Salmon Association will have their Christmas Meeting on Dec. 8 starting at 7 p.m. at the North Amherst Fire Hall, 2200 Tonawanda Creek Road in Amherst. Guest speaker will be Steve Hurst, Chief of DEC’s Bureau of Fisheries. There will be free pizza.
Oswego County
- The Salmon River is flowing at a very high level, over 2000 CFS for the last five days.
- Run brighter colored baits with eggs.
- Wading is very difficult on the Oswego River, due to the high water.
- Consider booking a guide. Click Here to find one in Oswego County.
- Order a free fishing guide
Salmon River
Click Here of the 10 day Forecast
Due to the rain we received earlier this week, the Salmon River is flowing at a very high and dangerous level, over 2000 CFS for the last five days.
With more rain coming down mid-week, we predict that the flows will stay at this high for quite some time. With this in mind, we recommend focusing on the slowest edges and some of the original offshoots and side channels.
The water is a little bit dirtier with the added rain runoff so don’t be afraid to run brighter colored baits with eggs. Having the added scent and larger profile will up your chances.
Oswego River
Click Here of the 10 day Forecast
Just like the Salmon River, flows have gone up tremendously this week. Wading has therefore become very difficult. Proceed with extreme caution. Fishing “The Highwall” is nearly impossible at these flows. But you can try off the stairs above the powerhouse and off the wall at the base of the damn.
Bright colored baits are getting the job done, in a variety of sizes. Egg sacs haven’t been great but might turn on as the water cools. And don’t forget to toss in the color white, since the fish have been feeding heavily on shad coming down the river.
Top Tips for Steelhead Fishing this Winter
- Dress Properly
- Watch the River Flows
- Make a Plan
- Fish Late
- Fish With Friends
- Bring Snacks
- Consider a Guide
- To access the full article, Click Here.
Free Oswego Fishing Guide
Click Here to Order a Free Guide
The 68-page guide includes a detailed overview of fishing opportunities on eastern Lake Ontario, Oneida Lake, the Oswego and Salmon rivers and a variety of other tributaries, as well as the more than 40,000 acres of public lands available for hunting.
Wayne County Fishing Update
Chris Kenyon
Streams
There are some browns and steelhead in Maxwell Creek, although the outlet to the lake has closed because of the gale winds we had a week ago.
Fish the pools at Maxwell with egg sacs, bright orange beads or bright glo jigs.
You can also fish at Hughes’ Marina before the ponds freeze.
Salmon Creek has a nice flow. There are locations along the shoreline for public access.
Pier fishing works at the Sodus channel, however if its ice coated stay away. You do not want to slip into the water.
Cast out heavy spoons like Kastmasters, Cleo’s and Suttons.
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 perch are in both Sodus and Port Bays. At Sodus, fish the north end between the islands. They are also hitting close to the Bonnie Castle B&B, which has a sign on the shore. It’s on southwest side of the bay.
The Port Bay perch have been off the points and the northeast side of the bay.
The shad are in abundance so use white 2-inch rubber with a tail. Tip with fresh spikes. Bait should be about 12 inches from the bottom.
The south DEC ramp for Port Bay can be used because the outlet to the lake is closed. The water level in the bay increased by 14 inches over the weekend
On Sodus Bay, Bay Bridge Sport Shop located at the south end, has a good launch. The Margaretta Road launch is closed.
Erie Canal
Widewaters has a skim of ice Sunday. Today’s temperatures are going to be in the 30’so launching a boat is not an option. Perch. The regular season for bass ends November 30.th which is this Wednesday.
More Info: canals.ny.gov/boating/hours.html
• Keep informed from the NYS Canal web for changes and restrictions with canal waters.
• Keep informed about 2022 canal hours.
• There are no tolls or fees for recreational use of the Canal system this year.
Notable Freshwater Fishing Regulation Changes
The following list offers a summary of the most notable fishing regulation changes resulting from the adopted rulemakings described above.
- New statewide regulation for rainbow trout, brown trout, and splake in lakes and ponds. The season will now be open year-round, with a five-fish daily limit, any size, with a “no more than two longer than 12 inches” harvest rule.
- Statewide Atlantic salmon regulations will now allow for a year-round open season.
- Ice fishing is permitted on all waters in New York unless specifically prohibited with the exception of Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Hamilton, Herkimer, Lewis, St. Lawrence, Warren, and Washington counties where previous rules remain.
- New specific dates replaced floating dates for statewide season openers to include:
- May 1 – Walleye, Northern Pike, Pickerel, and Tiger Muskellunge.
- June 1 – Muskellunge. (Note that in 2022, DEC will allow for the fishing of muskellunge beginning the last Saturday in May to accommodate previously planned fishing trips);and
- June 15 – Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass.
- A five-fish daily walleye limit in Oneida Lake.
- A new regulation to limit the growth of the walleye population in Skaneateles Lake. No daily possession limit; 12-inch minimum size limit, open year-round.
- The statewide sunfish daily harvest limit has been reduced from 50 to 25 fish: and
- The statewide minimum size limit for crappie has been increased from nine inches to ten inches.
Orleans County
Ron Bierstine from Oak Orchard Tackle & Lodge brings us this Stream Fishing report:
The rain thru the end of the past weekend was not enough to cause any great change in trib flows. Chance of maybe an ever so slight bump up and back down quick with a little more color to the water. A cooler, gloomy day today (Monday) with forecasted warmer days ahead mid week with chance of precipitation and windy conditions around Wed, Thurs. Any snow will be likely south of the area.
A few more guys out on the Oak today than the past weekend, but still not all that much fishing pressure. We took a look at flows and found the same medium-ish or slightly high that its been and some stain, but maybe not as dirty as reported a few days ago. Flows are plenty high enough to hide fish and encourage fresh fish migrations. Hook ups may come a little harder for guys used to lower flows. Looking out across the water and spotting fish def not as easy as it would be if flows were lower and clearer. Anglers report a few brown trout hook ups with steelhead hook ups possibly coming on stronger, and still a coho here and there. That may be a result of the good flows bringing in those steelhead. Look for flows to stay similar since the Canal feed is scheduled to continue thru the first part of Dec. Any significant precipitation could cause flows to go higher.
Other area smaller tribs like Sandy also hanging in with flows about as they’ve been, chance for a little more color to the water thanks to the last rain. By most accounts if you’re moving around and trying different drifts and spots, guys are hooking up.