Greater Niagara Region
Frank Campbell
Prior to Monday’s wind, the water color on the Lower Niagara River was perfect and the fish responded accordingly with a good mix of species cooperating throughout the system. Minnows were the bait of choice in Devil’s Hole for steelhead, lake trout, and walleye while brown trout were enticed by the same presentation down river and out on the Niagara Bar. Look for similar action in the same areas as soon as the river clears again.
Mike Ziehm of Niagara Falls was out Monday, and he reports that water visibility went from 5 feet down to 2 feet in the gorge and it was still fading fast with all the southwest wind. Ziehm noted that what we really need is to have Lake Erie freeze over to help ease up on some of the dirty water. He has been catching plenty of steelheads in the last few days, using chartreuse jigs and chartreuse and pink mixed No. 4 spinners. It’s going to be a cold week ahead so be sure to dress for it and take necessary safety precautions.
Alan Raymond at The Wicked Worm reports browns still biting at the Coast Guard, Fort Niagara, and near his shop in Youngstown. It has been mainly rainbows at Artpark with live shiners doing well. Bright white/chartreuse artificial lures are also catching fish.
Capt. Tyler Siegmann of CGF Guide Service reported that the water cleaned up nicely over the weekend and had a nice green tint to it. He picked up a few steelheads between Artpark, Stella and High Banks drifts and caught a few more browns out of the Bar, Johnson’s and Bomber’s drifts. Browns were taken on shiners; steelheads were taken on beads. Reports were that Devil’s Hole was on fire over the weekend.
Roy Letcher of Newfane reports Burt Dam fishing along 18 Mile Creek south of Olcott has been decent, with eggs and jigs being the best enticements for steelhead and brown trout. Ken Jackson of Sanborn stated that Burt still had a stain as of Saturday, but fishing has been slow. Jigs seem to be the ticket.
Less than a month to the Greater Niagara Fishing Expo Feb. 13-16 at the Niagara Falls Convention Center in Niagara Falls. The full lineup of seminar speakers should hit the website by Jan. 24. Seats are still available for the Walleye School. The Salmon School is sold out. Visit www.niagarafishingexpo.com for more information.
Wayne County Fishing Update
Chris Kenyon
Lake Ontario and Streams
There is still a decent flow of water at Maxwell Creek. If you want steelhead try the south side of Lake Road and if the smaller pools are open, that’s where they’ll be.
Bays
We have 4 to 5 inches of ice on Sodus Bay. Over the weekend there were 40 shanties straight out from Shaker Heights Road. The perch were in 24 to 30 fow, however keep in mind it’s a long walk.
From the south end of the bay, ice anglers were fishing out from Bay Bridge. The ice is safe; however, those dock bubblers can leave large open holes…so stay in the middle of the bay.
The news from Davenport’s Marina is the pike bite. The “toothy” fish are everywhere. Usually, they are caught at the north end near LeRoy Island. This year they are being caught everywhere on Sodus Bay.
The blue gill catch has been great. Use small bright jigs tipped with spikes.
The ice is 5 inches on Port Bay and with temps in the teens, you’ll have safe ice all this week. The perch are scattered and one of the best locations is the point from Tompkins Road.
The following guide from DEC is the thickness needed for safety. This is an accurate guide for safety on ice.
| Ice Thickness | Permissible Load |
| 2 inches or less | Stay Off |
| 4 inches | Ice fishing or other activities on foot |
| 5 inches | Snowmobile or ATV |
| 8-12 inches | Car or small pickup |
| 12-15 inches | Medium truck |
Remember to stay away from tributaries and open water near docks that use bubblers.
Erie Canal
Widewaters is frozen over, however no one was on the ice Monday morning. There is also current running below ice on the canal, so make sure you drill your holes where it is solid.
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
Orleans County Sportfishing Coordinator Ron Bierstine:
Flows are down another notch in the Oak to about low. Water color is clear and there is some more bank ice forming but the fast water areas remain open. The downstream slow water is open for now with bank ice closing in all the more. There is the chance that may lock up for drift chances with the forecasted cold and snow thru this mid-week or at least get chunkier from snow.
Chance of a few inches of lake effect snow brushing this area over the next couple days with greater accummulations expected SW of here off Lake Erie. Temps are forecast to warm above freezing for highs for the end of week and beginning of the weekend and then cold again after that.
On the Oak careful drifts of small beads and tipped jigs are yielding some brown trout and steelhead hookups at the dam, downstream holes and frogwater.
With the dropping and clearing flows water cover is going to be getting skinnier. The other area smaller waterways are low and clear and mostly frozen. There are big water chances at the Genesee River or Niagara River.
Oswego County
Fishing in Oswego County has really heated up even though the temps have been dropping.
Salmon River, Pulaski NY
• Click Here of the 10 day Forecast
• Click Here for the Current CFS at Pineville
We are in the dead of winter, especially considering water conditions. The best places to concentrate your efforts are the slower, deeper pools: Schoolhouse, Wire, Trestle, Pineville, Ace, Sportsman, Papermill, 81 and Town Pools.
Egg secs have been the most productive as of late. Blue, white, pink, peach, purple and yellow have all been good. Some fish are still been taken on 10 and 12mm beads. And as the fish head to the deeper pools don’t be afraid try a jig.
Oswego River, City of Oswego
Click Here of the 10 day Forecast
As the water drops the fishing should pick back up on the wall. The west side shoreline, above the power plant, has also been producing some nice trout!
As temperatures keep dropping, the deep channel behind the hotels will produce browns and walleye. Jigs have been a steady producer, especially in white. But beads have still been taking plenty of fish. And as water levels drop, egg sacs will start producing better too.
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.
• Check the current water flow
And be sure to read the recent news release about fishing access on the West Riverwalk.
Sandy Pond is Open!
Click Here of the 10 day Forecast
The main points of ice access for Sandy Pond are: “The Elms,” Wigwam, and the DEC launch at Stanley Drive, which is now a free option for parking, but it is a bit further to walk.
There are 5-7” all across the pond. The perch bite has been a bit slow on the pond lately, but we expect things to pick up as the season progresses.
Sea Lamprey Control in Lake Ontario and the Great Lakes
Register Here!
Request a Free Fishing Map for Salmon River!
Designed to slip into your pocket, this map covers popular public and private fishing locations, as well as boat launches. The best news: it’s completely free!
Contact the Oswego County Tourism Department:
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.