Greater Niagara Region
Frank Campbell
Capt. Frank Campbell of Lewiston reports that there have been a lot of boats on the lower Niagara River this past week when mild conditions allow for it. Please remember boat etiquette when on the water. With the opening of big game season in New York’s Southern Zone starting on Saturday, this is a good time to get on the water or fish the tributaries with the limited amount of fishing pressure.
Campbell notes that there are a few more steelhead around and brown trout have been cooperative in the lower drifts. Beads have been working for steelhead, beads and sacs for browns. One species that seems to be increasing in numbers is lake trout. The season is closed until Dec. 1. Speaking of Dec. 1, there is a good chance that the NYPA fishing platform and its other fishing facilities will be shutting down there as it does every fall around this time. It looks like the stairs that lead down to the shoreline near the platform have been repaired and it could open this week.
With the warmer waters of the river still impacting the action, there are still some smallmouth bass and walleyes showing up, hitting crankbaits and jigs. If you prefer the Niagara Bar at the mouth of the river, there is a mix of brown trout, lake trout, walleye, bass, and silver (white) bass. MagLips and jigs have topped the list of lures.
Capt. Dave Scipione of Lewiston hit the lower river a few times recently, and his “secret” bait was a bead/brown trout egg sac combination in pinks and yellows when targeting steelhead. Artpark was a good drift. The fish dinner combo worked for all three trout species in the river, as well as browns down by Fort Niagara. Niagara Bar action was a bit spotty due to windy conditions. With the warmer water temperatures, it was not surprising to see bass and walleye showing up, too.
Jon Holden of Lockport and Brian Graham of Cambria hit the lower river over the weekend to target trout. Action was spotty at first, but once many of the boats left (probably to watch the Bills game), action picked up as they used Kwikfish and MagLips off three-way rigs along Artpark. They caught steelhead up to 28 inches long, lake trout up to 33 inches long, and lost several large fish that broke their lines. Keep that in mind when waters are clear – boat pressure can make a big difference on lower river drifts.
Shore fishermen in the gorge continue to catch a mixed bag of fish. Mike Ziehm of Niagara Falls says that fishing has been on the slow side due to the clear conditions. Best baits for him have been white and chartreuse bucktail jigs and his No. 4 silver and white spinners. The salmon run is essentially over. Steelhead and brown trout top the list of open targets. With recent rain and wind, it should help to counter the clear condition and improve fishing. With cooler temperatures in the forecast, Ziehm is hopeful for better fishing action.
Wayne County Fishing Update
Chris Kenyon
Lake Ontario and Streams
The Lake level out of Rochester today was 244.3 which is extremely low. There were some browns caught trolling near the Sodus channel.
You need to be very careful out on the lake with a smaller boat. From November1st until May1st you are required to wear a PFD if your boat is 21 feet or less, so obey the law. And more important wear a vest for safety.
Our rainfall over the weekend was not enough to make the streams fishable. We had .36 inches, and we need a good 2 inches to make Maxwell stream run.
Bays
The perch coming from Sodus Bay have been small. They are catching 7-to-8-inch fish. The 12 inchers are in the bay, you just need to move around. Try near the islands and the north end of the bay. Target the southeast side of the channel next to the barrier.
The Port Bay channel is open and the docks at the ramp are still in place. With low water you need to be careful on the ramps when you launch your boat.
There are some small pull-offs on the barrier bar road where you can park and cast for perch from the shore. Go with the small grubs with the chartreuse tail. Put some spikes on your presentation.
Erie Canal
You can keep your bass from Widewaters until November 30th. Catch and release is after that with artificial bait only.
Try the shoreline fishing near Lyons and Newark. Route 31 has locations where you can park.
Launch sites for Sodus: Bay Bridge Sport Shop. Launch at the Margaretta. 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. The north barrier bar road is very bumpy. Take it slow.
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.
Orleans County
Some cool, crisp weather now for this mid week period that feels a lot like fall fishing weather. There was some precipitation yesterday but not enough to change trib levels. Chance of a warm up for the upcoming weekend, and the season and calendar for the Oak is shifting some toward the mixed bag chances for browns, Atlantics, steelhead and cohos. Some green Kings are still in the mix but some fish showing signs of wear.
Fishing pressure seems manageable so far this week after a busy prior weekend. Flows in the Oak are about medium, just a touch of stain with at least thru yesterday a little bit of overflow water. Not sure why turbine flows haven’t cranked up more to handle the high pond levels upstream, but likely soon the medium turbine flows should “catch up” and diminish the overflow water to the routine sluice gate flow. Water level fluctuations should be less common, but not gone away completely, since major leaf fall is behind us.
Most dead drift anglers on the Oak can expect multiple hook ups in close to a days effort. Moving around a bit for different drifts and different fish can lead to action. If you’re planted in one spot, you are at the mercy of those fish turning on and off for you or new fish migrations.
More female browns are showing up now too (some loose) and just recently both downstream and upstream there were more steelhead reported. Everyday, Atlantics are reported too. Reports of a few Atlantics, at or better then the 30 inch mark. The other area smaller waterways, like Sandy, are lower and clearer and fishing pressure can have an impact. Low and clear flows will lead to less overall fish movement.
To the west at Johnson Creek flows are a little better at moderate and mostly clear – anglers with some consistency have reported decent action there. Parking at the Archers Club has ended for the year, yet anglers can still fish any of the adjacent water to the Archers by accessing from the Park Ave Fishing Trail just downstream and wading up or working your way downstream from the parking at the Waterport dam.
A reminder of the PFD requirement while on the Brookfield property below the cable on the turbine channel and below the exclusion cable on the overflow side.
Salmon River, Pulaski NY
Click Here for the 10 Day Forecast
Click Here for the Current CFS at Pineville
Fishing on the Salmon River has been nothing short of exceptional. If you can get away from the crowds, you’ll almost certainly be rewarded with a silver feisty steelhead. Reports have been good from DSR all the way upstream to the fly zones.
Anglers are having great, success with a multitude of baits, including:
- Egg sacs in blue, white, and pink
- Beads in 8, 10, and 12mm sizes (as long as they look like a natural egg).
- Glow bugs and estaz flies
Overall, we recommend concentrating your efforts on the fastest water with adequate depth for steelhead to hide. Our favorite spots this time of year are: Th Stair Case Pool, Ballpark, Secret, Trout Brook, Snag, Bovines and Barrel pools. They are all early season steelhead hotspots.
Oswego River, City of Oswego
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Fishing has been hot for the first few hours every day off the low wall. But anglers have been having success from the dam all the way to the Utica Street Bridge.
Look for fast water and you’ll find steelhead. If you’re lucky you’ll be surprised by a bonus brown trout!
Please Consider the Following Year-Round Notice: There are mandatory personal flotation device (PFD) zones on the river. The Oswego Fire Department offers loaner life jackets at no charge through its “Loaner for Life” program. For more information contact the fire station at 35 E. Cayuga St. by calling (315) 343.2161.
- Click here for the current water flow
Read the recent news release about access on the West Riverwalk.
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.