Greater Niagara Region
Frank Campbell
Happy New Year! Be forewarned that on Jan. 1, the daily walleye limit in the lower Niagara River drops from three to one fish to help protect large spawning females. Most of these reports came before the high winds hit Monday, changing the water conditions to marginal at best.
Alan Raymond with the Wicked Worm in Youngstown reports rainbows are becoming more prevalent all along the river and chartreuse beads seem to be the trick. Browns are still biting near the Coast Guard station on beads or white plastics behind a jig head. It’s been a tricky week for Artpark and the surrounding area but it’s still producing some lakers and a good amount of rainbows. Beads/egg sacs seem to be doing the trick. The Youngstown shoreline has been yielding multiple smallmouth bass and an occasional Northern pike.
Capt. Tyler Siegmann of CGF Guide Service reported that the last blowout we had weather-wise brought a lot of fish into the system. Last week he did well along the Artpark and Stella drifts totaling 30 steelhead caught between 2 days of fishing, mostly on beads and egg sacs. Another day was a slower bite for steelhead but he picked up a handful of lakers and brown trout fishing Kwikfish and minnows on the bar off three-way rigs. The water was a beautiful green tint with a few feet of visibility, but that has started to change with the winds on Monday.
Mike Ziehm of Niagara Falls river was fishing the gorge on Monday and reported that the water was high and the water clarity went from 5 feet down to around 2 feet with all the rain and southwest winds. He landed 3 steelhead and a walleye in the morning on his No. 4 chartreuse and pink mix spinners. On Friday he landed one steelie and a bunch of lake trout on chartreuse No. 4 spinners. The day before that, he reeled in several nice steelheads all on spinners.
Wade Winch of North Tonawanda was on the lower river over the weekend, and he did well on steelhead using yellow and chartreuse beads of various sizes fished off three-way rigs. He then switched over to minnows and caught walleyes and brown trout. The water conditions were excellent. The only downfall was the large number of anglers on the Niagara Bar where he saw very few fish caught. The clear water probably spread the bait out and made things more difficult. Target drifts or areas with fewer boats.
The Salmon School set for Feb. 13-16 at the Greater Niagara Fishing Expo is now sold out, but there are still seats available for the walleye school on those same dates. Check out niagarafishingexpo.com for details on the school.
Wayne County Fishing Update
Chris Kenyon
Lake Ontario and Streams
There are some brown trout and steelhead coming from Maxwell Creek. Fish the small pools on the south side of Lake Road. Use very bright beads or fresh eggs. Davenport Marine and Bay Bridge Sport Shop have what you need for stream fishing. Both are located at the south end of Sodus Bay on Ridge Road.
Some smaller boats have tried their luck on the south shore of Lake Ontario. The water has been clear because of our strong south wind. There is a small window of opportunity to throw some Bay Rats for close to shore browns. Wednesday will be the end of any lake fishing when weather prediction promises some of that “good ole” lake effect snow.
Bays
Currently all of Sodus Bay has open water. If we can receive cold temperatures and the bay freezes offer, we could be on ice next week. We need the bay to ice offer with limited wind and snow ruining the process.
If you can get out in a boat don’t go south of Grassy Point on Sodus because of shallow water…kayak yes, boats no.
Sodus Bay water is currently at 39 degrees, which is good news for a possible hard water event next week.
There have been some perch caught from the shore at the northern end of Port Bay. Use small jigs tipped with fresh spikes.
Erie Canal
Fish the open water of the Widewaters section from the shore. And when we get ice, make sure you catch some panfish on the frozen Erie.
I still have time for my New Year’s resolution. “I want safe ice, and I want it now.”
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:
Thanks to a good amount of rain thru yesterday and a little bit of snowmelt, all the area tribs are up. Any of the previous icing like on the smaller waterways has gone away. Flows in the Oak are high and stained consisting of a good head of turbine water.
Courtesy of Branden Stephens NYSLOG
Flows may continue to get a little more stained as dirtier water makes its way thru Lake Alice, but for now the flows are not as dirty as the other area smaller tribs. Those other area smaller tribs have high and dirty flows. Flows should be cresting by about today, at least before the next round of precip is expected.
Forecast for today and some of tomorrow is more rain for the WNY south shore of Lake Ontario. Even as points south of the area go over to lake effect snow tomorrow, rain is still expected here.
Any more precip of just a 0.25 inch or more is likely to keep flows up or flows could go higher and dirtier. Thru the end of the week a significant cool down is expected (more lake effect snow mainly south of the area) and that cool down could be longer lasting then the typical few days of on and off cold we have been getting.
Fishing pressure pretty light for now, a few guys out on the Oak and taking advantage of what could be the best fishable window about now before flows may go back up and/or get dirtier. Float guys doing best lately like at the dam and the downstream slow water. A mix of steelhead and browns.
Oswego County
Salmon River, Pulaski NY
• Click Here of the 10 day Forecast
• Click Here for the Current CFS at Pineville
Steelhead are scattered from top to bottom in the river. The most consistent spots are the bigger, deeper winter holes. Egg sacs in blue, white, and purple have taken over as the best bait. Anglers have also been catching fish on jigs.
Fly anglers are having success with stoneflies and varying colors as well as egg sucking leeches.
Oswego River, City of Oswego
Click Here of the 10 day Forecast
The higher flows have pushed the fish towards the banks. This gives shore anglers better opportunities above the powerhouse and behind the hotels, in the lower river.
Upriver 10&12mm beads have been producing. In the harbor, success is coming from jigs and crank baits.
As we move into the new year we are looking forward to a great lake season following up the incredible season of 2024. There have been plenty of young browns and steelhead in the river this fall. Hopefully they’ll translate to a great spring on the lake.
The lake, as a whole, seems healthy. Hopefully 2025 will pick up right where 2024 left off. Happy New Year and good luck!
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.
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.