Greater Niagara Region
Frank Campbell
Fishing continues to be good to very good in the lower Niagara River, with the best action being on the Niagara Bar near the green buoy marker off Fort Niagara. There has been a mixed bag of brown trout, lake trout, salmon and walleyes hanging around. Wade Rowcliffe of Rochester and his brother Vic from Geneseo decided to try drifting the Niagara Bar on their own over the weekend for the first time. They managed to catch brown trout and lake trout on every drift using a mix of plugs. Their best bait was a silver Kwikfish with orange color patterns. The final fish of the day was a 15-pound salmon that created quite a bit of excitement in the boat.
John Van Hoff of North Tonawanda had a field day with brown trout, lake trout and walleyes fishing with Adam Gierach of Pendleton. On the Niagara Bar, they drifted MagLips and Kwikfish for trout; in the river, rubber paddletails worked best for walleyes.
Mike Ziehm of Niagara Falls hit the gorge on Saturday, and he did well on trout up to 14 pounds. Water condition was decent and river clarity came in at around 6-foot visibility in the gorge above the power plant and around 5-foot below the power plant. Once again, he was using his handmade silver 1/8-ounce jigs heads and caught steelhead and lake trout up to 14 pounds. Other popular baits to use from shore include Chuck Booker spinners, beads, and egg sacs.
Matt Vogt of Newfane has been hitting some of the Lake Ontario tributaries and catching fish. Water color has been stained, but good enough to fish. Browns are still prominent at the Burt, but he is finally starting to see numbers of more steelheads being caught the past two weeks. The fishing has been consistent as winter trout fishing goes, insists Vogt.
Remember that if you are in a boat that is less than 21 feet long, you must wear a personal flotation device. If you were born on or after Jan. 1, 1978, you will need a boating safety certificate in 2024 to operate a boat in New York. Everyone will need a boating safety certificate no matter your age by Jan. 1, 2025.
Wayne County Fishing Update
Chris Kenyon
Streams
It’s predicted to be a rainy week, so all the tribs will be flowing…some a little too much. Steelhead and browns have been caught in Maxwell Creek. The slower north side (Maxwell Bay) has the browns and the steelies like the smaller pools on the south side of Lake Road.
With the warmer temperatures the pier heads have been clear of any ice. Cast out some Little Cleos into the Sodus Bay channel. Lake Ontario water levels are low, and the trout will be using the channel. Another advantage with 50-degree temps is there is no ice build-up along the Lake Ontario shoreline. You can catch some browns casting into the lake.
Remember the regulations for Lake Ontario tributary fish. Three in combination, not to include more than two rainbow trout (or steelhead) in the lake, and not to include more than one rainbow trout (or steelhead) and one brown trout in the tributaries.
Bays
The perch in Sodus and Port Bays are still scattered so you’ll have to move around to find the “Thumpers.” Port Bay has two launch sites. The channel is closed so the water level is currently high enough for safe launches.
For Sodus Bay, use the Bay Bridge Sport Shop ramp at the south end of the bay. The water level in Sodus Bay is low, so take it slow. Some perch have been caught at the north end across from the old malt house. You should also concentrate near the islands.
Bass season has closed except for catch and release fish until June 15th. Pike season will continue until March 15th and when we get safe ice you should concentrate near LeRoy Island.
Erie Canal
Crappies are still the main catch at Widewaters. Fish from a boat or the shoreline trail. Some good catches were caught next to the Port Gibson bridge. You can launch at the Widewaters county park.
Anyone underway in a boat less than 21 feet in length anytime between November 1 and May 1 must wear a securely fastened life jacket.
Bait for fishing is available on the south end of Sodus at Davenports and Bay Bridge Sport Shop. On Port Bay, Jarvis Bait Farm is open on Brown Road. The signs are on East Port Bay Road at the junction of Brown Road. Toadz Bait is near the end of West Port Bay Road.
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 crappies has been increased from nine inches to ten inches.
Oswego County
The high water doesn’t seem to want to let up. The Oswego River has been very high and dirty this past week leading to tough fishing. The Salmon River is still high, but fishing has remained fruitful. Just concentrate on the slow edges and be careful wading.
Salmon River, Pulaski NY
• Click Here of the 10 day Forecast
• Click Here for the Current CFS at Pineville
The high water has pushed fish to the slow water. Since the temperatures are hovering a few degrees above freezing the fish have been holding in their traditional winter spots.The high water has also drawn in a few new fish, so don’t be afraid to fish the entire river. Steelhead are spread out throughout the system right now. We have heard of new fish from DSR to 2A (an area that had been quiet before the big water).The best baits have been natural-colored beads in 10-12mm, such as Exit Music, Mottled Glo Roe, Tally Whacker and Honey. Egg sacs in blue, chartreuse, peach and pink have all been producing well. But don’t be afraid to toss a pink worm! Jigs have also been taking a few fish.
Oswego River, Oswego NY
• Click Here of the 10 day Forecast
• Click Here for the Current CFS
The water has been very dirty, which leads to tough fishing. The fish just have a tough time finding the bait. But clarity has just started to get better, so look for fishing to pick up this week. In these conditions try beads in 10-12mm sizes; colors such as chartreuse, oranges, combination of the 2 colors. For example, Starburst, Tangy, Atomix Yellow and SUV Orange.
Just above the powerhouse has been a very productive spot. And as the water remains high don’t overlook the kiddie pool. Lots of fish hold there to get out of the heavy currents. They’ll typically hit jigs, beads and even stickbaits. Tight Lines!
Note about shore access: construction along the Riverwalk is complete in most areas, but much of the high wall remains closed. Click here to see a map of the areas that are closed due to construction.