Greater Niagara Region
Frank Campbell
Today is the day for trout stocking at Hyde Park Lake and Oppenheim Park Pond! At Oppenheim, there will be 200 rainbow trout and 100 2-year old brown trout at 12 inches and larger. At Hyde Park, there were 1,700 brown trout and 200 of the two-year-old browns.
Another important announcement is if you are going to be fishing in the lower Niagara River this Saturday, be forewarned that the Lewiston launch ramp will be shut down to allow Lewiston public works to pull the marina boom in. Don’t worry, the Fort Niagara docks are in and you can launch there if you are looking to put your boat in.
The first king salmon of the year was caught off the Niagara County shoreline, that we have heard about anyway. Capt. Matt Yablonsky of Wet Net Charters was trolling the shoreline for brown trout with Get-r-Done Dreamweaver spoons when he had a hit on one of the lines trailing his planer board in 10 feet of water. When the reel started screaming, he knew it wasn’t a brown trout. The water temperature was 42 degrees so the lake fishing should be ready to take off. Capt. Joe Oakes reports that the lake is heating up ahead of schedule, but the wind is making it tough to fish. If you can find clear water, you will catch brown trout, lake trout, and maybe a Coho or king. Capt. Ryan Shea trolled a bit for browns and managed to catch some on Ladybug Challengers. We are now less than a month from the first big fishing contest on Lake Ontario – the Lake Ontario Counties Trout and Salmon Derby set for May 5-14. Check out loc.org for more information.
Boaters have really struggled the last week with the combination of muddy water, rain, and wind. Capt. Ryan Shea of Brookdog Fishing Company made it out a few times in the lower Niagara River but fishing was tough for the most part. Lake trout in Devil’s Hole showed up for him as he drifted minnows off three-way rigs. The better fishing for the lower river has been from shore in the gorge area. Tommy Holycross of Wheatfield hit the fishing platform a few times and saw some steelhead caught on peach beads. Conditions have been tough. From shore, Mike Rzucidlo of Niagara Falls has been picking up some steelhead and lake trout casting No. 4 spinners and jigs. No report on any smelt yet.
Remember that the Niagara County Bullhead Tournament starts on April 14th at 5 p.m. and runs through the 16th at 1 p.m. Best two fish win. Cost is $10 for ages 13 and older. Kids 12 and under are free. Weigh in will take place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Wilson Conservation Club on Sunday only. Contact Eric at 628-6078 for details.
Wayne County Fishing Update
Chris Kenyon
Lake Ontario
In between the spring time winds, some smaller boats fished out of Sodus Bay. It was a “close to shore” presentations for brown. There was stained water west of Sodus.
Try the shoreline close to Maxwell Creek ‘s mouth west to Hughes Marina.
Use your stick baits. Bay Rats are a favorite because they can be trolled in 4 to 8 fow.
Streams
There has been heavy current because of the recent rainfall and the steelhead use the flow to enter Lake Ontario.
Maxwell Creek still has a few browns and steelhead in the pools on the south side of Lake Road.
You can also cast off the Sodus Pier, which currently has no ice build-up. Throw out heavy spoons and bring your long-handled net. Be cautious fishing from any pier. The current is strong with springtime run-off entering the lake.
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 Sodus Bay perch have been in shallower water. Try eight feet south of Martin’s Marina on the north west side of Sodus.
They are also catching perch between the islands on the east side of the bay.
If the water is murky go with live minnows. If it’s clear use 2 inch rubber…white with a chartreuse tail.
Always tip your bait with fresh spikes.
There are some perch being caught in Port Bay, however they are scattered. Start deep off the points and if you can’t find them go to 10 to 15 fow.
The best launch site for Port Bay is the southern DEC ramp off West Port Bay Road. There is a large parking lot for trailers.
Pike season ended March 15th and resumes May 1st.
When you launch your boat… remember from November 1st until May 1st New York’s law requires you to wear your PFD. That means it cannot be laying around your boat. It must be worn.
Bait for fishing is available on the south end of Sodus at Davenports and Bay Bridge Sport Shop.
On Port Bay Jarvis Bait shop is open on Brown Road. The signs are on East Port Bay Road at the junction of Brown Road. In Ontario, Grantley’s Bait at 1864 Route 104 Ontario, NY.
Erie Canal
There has been some panfish action near the Port Gibson Bridge at Widewaters. Use the county park to launch boats.
You can also fish from the shore for panfish. There are pull-off locations adjacent to Rout 31.
The New York State Canal Corporation recently announced that, conditions permitting, all portions of the New York State Canal system are scheduled to open Friday, May 19, 2023, at 7:00 a.m. for the 199th consecutive season of navigation.
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
Orleans County Sportfishing Coordinator Ron Bierstine:
On Monday, April 03, NYSDEC delivered 126,000 King salmon and 10,000 steelhead for pen rearing in the Oak Orchard. There was a great crowd of volunteers to help receive the fish (pictured above). Delivery was a little earlier then previous years with the fingerlings reported to be ahead of schedule just a bit, thanks to warm hatchery temps. Fish will be fed and reared in the pens for something like 3-4 weeks before release. Water conditions in the Oak are heavily stained with temps about 45°F.
Point Breeze launch docks are reported to be going in soon this week or by next week. This should make it easier for launching and getting out on the open Lake waters for spring trolling action. The same stain in the tribs from all the recent rains has been making the open Lake waters around harbor mouths challenging, plus adding in windy days and the near shore waters have been holding on to the mud. Capt. Forder from Mister Charters said yesterday even the 50 – 80fow range had lots of sedimentation but was showing some good marks on the fish finder. Today Capt. Chas from Searcher Charters said they got their coho/brown trout limit in their one day trip because the near shore waters were clearing enough in the 10fow range. What they did today was taking days previous to do because there was just too much dirty water. This is what the spring so far has been offering up, and wind or more runoff ahead can and will change conditions daily!
Flows in the Oak are high and dirty. Looks like turbine flows are wide open and overflow levels are diminished. Water color is less then a foot of visibility. There was something like another 0.50 inch of rain area wide last night and this morning. For now trib flows are trying to drop back but will probably be at a stalemate or rise slightly from the latest precipitation. With any luck overflow levels in the Oak will not overtop the spillway again. There is the chance for thunderstorms tomorrow and maybe into Thursday on rising temps and then a bit of a cool down for the end of week.
The other area smaller waterways east and west have the same high and dirty flows. They will be the first tribs to drop and clear if we can string together any kind of drying period. Look for flows in the Oak to stay at least slightly high/slightly stained or high/dirty in the near term. With so much high and dirty water to contend with, the fishing pressure has been pretty light. No doubt, there are steelhead doing their thing and at least there’s been no spike in water temps to chase them out like in the Oak. With just a few more inches of visibility that approach one foot, anglers should be able to make some productive drifts.
Save the Dates for the Orleans County Open: June 10-11, 2023
The Orleans County Open will be held on June 10/11 this year. More info will flow in the coming weeks. We will again be running a Pro and an Am division.
Since we developed this event the trout aspect has changed. For the past few years Steelhead have been the “bonus” fish. It’s our belief that it has made anyone who participated a better Steelhead angler. We’re tossing around an idea to make Steelhead the bonus fish on Saturday and Brown Trout the bonus fish on Sunday. You can comment on their Facebook page.
Oswego County
- Top 10 Tips – Lake Ontario Spring Fishing.
- Walleye season opens May 1st!
- Consider booking a guide or charter. Click Here for our full list..
- Order a free fishing guide
Spring Brown Trout
Brown trout are an important component of the Lake Ontario fishery. They are often the primary species targeted during the spring fishing season (April/May), and the spring brown trout fishery is especially important to anglers with smaller boats who can take advantage of the nearshore fishery. [Continue Reading About the NYSDEC Brown Trout Stocking Strategy]
Top 10 Brown Trout Fishing Tips
(Lake Ontario: Spring)
- Dirty water = bright baits. Clear water = natural baits.
- Be prepared to change your lures. Fish can be fickle, so you may need to change your lures often to get them to bite.
- Stretch your lures back, away from the boat. You’re fishing very shallow and the fish spook easily.
- Utilize side planers, inline or planer boards. This will help get your lures away from the boat. It also allows you to run more lines.
- Vary your speed and make turns to figure out what the trout want.
- Add Scent! Adding scent to your baits will get more bites especially in dirty water.
- Look for warm water pockets. The warm water will attract bait which will, in turn, attract the predators.
- Fish early in the morning or late in the evening. These are the times when fish are most active.
- Use a variety of lures. Try different lures until you find one that the fish are biting on.
- Invest in a good rubber net; it will save you a lot of aggravation in the long run. Small trebles and nylon nets don’t get along
Bonus Tip:
Think outside the box and try something totally different. Many times this will generate a bite from neutral fish.
Save the Date
The Awakening Angler YouTube Channel and O.M.F. Events/ Limp Lizard BBQ have partnered together to carry on the Central New York tradition of the Chittenango Lions Club opening weekend Walleye Derby on Oneida Lake.
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.
Does anyone know why the boat launch piers at Niagara County West Canal Marina Park are not being kept clean from goose feeces? This boat launch used to be well maintained and has been disgusting to try to use during the park season the past couple of years. I would think it is a health hazard being exposed to the large amount of feeces on the piers when trying to launch and retrieve boats.