Greater Niagara Region
Frank Campbell
Fishing in the lake is on fire right now, perfect timing for the Lake Ontario Counties Trout, Salmon, and Walleye Derby that is set for May 3-12. Don’t forget that on May 2 the Lake Ontario Trout and Salmon Association will be holding its May meeting, “At the Dock Talking Kings” with Capt. Bob Songin of Reel Excitement Charters. It will be at the back of Bob’s boat in Bootleggers Cove Marina in Wilson starting at 7 p.m. You will want to get there at 6 p.m. for free Marty Polovick hotdogs on the grill. Bring your own Weber’s. It’s also a great way to pick up a tip or two on spring kings for the derby. John Van Hoff of North Tonawanda hit the lake on Sunday with Kevin Guenther of Niagara Falls and Wade Winch of North Tonawanda and they had an incredible day on the lake.
By 10:30 a.m., the trio had hooked into over 30 salmon and boated 20 of them. Their target water was 50 to 90 feet of water from Fort Niagara to Wilson, prime area for the spring derby. The spoon bite was hot, placing riggers 40 to 60 feet down and dipsy divers out 90 to 140 feet on a 3 setting. They enjoyed multiple double headers. Their biggest king was 17 pounds and biggest lake trout 20 pounds. The spring action in on. In Olcott, Karen Evarts at The Boat Doctors and Tackle Barn reports great fishing there, too. It has been a good mix of salmon and trout inside of 100 feet of water. Chinook salmon have been in the top 25 feet of water, but it will be changing. It has been an all-spoon bite there, too. The creeks have been muddy, but a few trout have been caught still. Mixed reports on perch fishing in Wilson and Olcott. Now that pike season is open, look for them to be available in both harbors.
In the Lower Niagara River, action has been decent. Water color is near perfect according to Capt. Joe Srouji of Angler Edge. Wind directions can change drastically daily, and that can make a huge difference. The river is still producing trout from Devil’s Hole to the Niagara Bar. Live emeralds or golden shiners are both taking fish. The river is a great option for smaller boats that can’t get out on the lake on windy, wavy days, says Srouji. As for the Niagara bar, it was 46 degrees earlier this week. Fish are stacked everywhere. Pulling Kwikfish or MagLips has been great for catching kings, cohos, lakers, and browns. In Devil’s Hole, white bass turned on the past weekend. There are still lake trout, steelhead, and bass available for shore casters.
In the upper river, Matt Wilson of Lewiston targeted bass last weekend when Lake Erie was too rough. He fished from Black Rock to the Huntley plant and bass were scattered. Big bass for the day was 5-pound, 12-ounce reeled in by Brian Barton of Tonawanda. They were using swimbaits, jerkbaits, and drop shot set ups. They hit the east river when the wind kicked up and Barton connected on two brown trout. Wilson emphasized electronics and he was high on a new Garmin unit with side scan. Side scan is an important tool this time of year to help find pre-spawn areas where chunk rock goes into the sand. When you find those locations, mark it on your GPS waypoints with date and water temperature. It helps him big time.
Wayne County Fishing Update
Chris Kenyon
Lake Ontario
The last day in April has the kings swimming in 90 to 200 fow. You can start your day at 5 am and troll for the browns before the sun shuts them down.
Then head deeper for spring kings. They have been hitting spoons, flies, and stickbaits.
For the competitors, don’t forget the Sodus Pro-Am and the LOC Spring Derby which starts this Friday May 3rd and runs until May 12th.
Bays
The perch have spawned and are scattered in both Port and Sodus Bays. Their main bait …shad… has not been found in abundance in both bays.
Try the east side of the Port Bay channel in 20 fow and use 2-inch chartreuse rubber bait. In Sodus Bay fish the northern end near the islands and east of the Sodus Bay channel.
Tomorrow (May 1st) is the opening day for walleye and pike. Although the walleye are difficult to find in Sodus, try the structured water between the islands.
The hot spot for pike has been on the east side of LeRoy Island. Cast out Cleos or other bright spoons or use pike minnows straight down. You can also fish the shallow water in front of Skipper’s Restaurant.
Limits for northern pike are 5 fish 18 inch minimum.
Limits for walleye are 5 fish 15 inch minimum.
Launch sites for Sodus: Next to the Coast Guard Station (till Memorial Day) and Bay Bridge Sport Shop. The water level in Sodus is still low, however it is rising slowly. Check out the Margaretta site to see if you can launch there. It’s on your right on Route 14 just past Martin’s Marina.
Launch sites for Port Bay: Barrier bar road at the north end of West Port Bay Road and the south end DEC site.
Erie Canal
Anglers were fishing Widewaters early last Sunday. That area of the canal is never drained and is the hotspot for crappies, sunnies, and bluegills. It is also the place to hook huge largemouth bass in season.
It’s also the perfect place for kayak fishing. The wind is usually not a factor, and the water is always calm. Launch at the Widewaters County Park just west of Newark on Route 31.
The bass season starts June 15th if you wish to keep your catch. Make sure the fish are 12 inches and the limit is five fish.
The official opening of the canal is May 17. 2024.
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 crappie has been increased from nine inches to ten inches.
Oswego County
Lake Ontario fishing continues to impress while the river fishing is slowly winding down.
Free Oswego Fishing Guide
The updated Oswego County Fishing and Hunting Guide is now available online and in print. The guide features a new cover and an expanded listing of fishing guides and charters.
The 67-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.
Salmon River, Pulaski NY
• Click Here of the 10 day Forecast
• Click Here for the Current CFS at Pineville
The Salmon River reports are over for the winter and spring season.
During the spring and summer months, a variety of species are plentiful. Including smallmouth bass and northerns. Check back with us in early September when the salmon make their way into the river system and we report on the first chinook!
Lake Ontario – Oswego
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Fishing has been very good the past week. Browns have been on the shoreline out to 20 feet. Flight lines color to color lead shallow divers have been taking fish.
The best baits have been standard size spoons such as “Doctor,” “UV NBK,” “Blue Dolphin,” “Purple,” and “Die Hard.” Good stick baits have been “Baby Bass,” “Black and Silver” and “Jailbreak.”
If you’re looking for Salmon head to deeper water, 60 to 200 feet has been holding kings. They’ve been taken from 25 to 80 feet down
Try:
- Slide divers from 60 to 120’ out
- Downrigger’s from 25 to 80 feet
- 4- 10 colors
- Spoons: “Die Hard,” “Black Widow,” “Gin and Tonic,” and “Lance 2 Face”
- Flashes and flies have been taking a few fish too
Lake Ontario – Mexico
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Fishing at Mexico has been great. The brown bite has been decent, but when lacking, the salmon bite has made up for it.
Anglers are finding Salmon in 60 to 120‘ off the high rocks. The best baits and depth are very similar to Oswego.
Spey Nation – Presented By “Swing the Fly” – REGISTRATION NOW OPEN!
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On August 9th-11th, 2024 Spey Nation is proud to return to upstate New York and the beautiful shores of the Salmon River at Tailwater Lodge.
In addition to all the free and community-oriented fun, Spey Nation is excited to open registration for our lineup of private Spey casting instruction from some of the highest caliber instructors in the country.
Whether you are brand new to the swung fly, or an old-timer looking to consistently squeeze every inch out of your casts, instructors Rick Kustich, Topher Browne, Zack Williams, Jeff Liskay, Nick Pionessa have something on offer for you.
Designed to have the same classes on multiple days so you don’t have to miss a thing, we here at Spey Nation hope you can find the perfect class (or classes) for you!