Greater Niagara Region
Frank Campbell
Some difficult Western New York weather didn’t keep people from attending the Greater Niagara Fishing Expo last weekend. And it hasn’t kept people from fishing – in the lower Niagara River, ice fishing in Wilson and Olcott harbors, or trying to fish in 18 Mile Creek at Burt Dam wherever there is open water.
Alan Raymond of The Wicked Worm in Youngstown reports that not too much was going on again this week except some steelhead near Artpark on beads. Lake trout are doing well along Artpark with Crackhead swim jigs paired with white flukes/paddle tails. There is quite a bit of ice coming down the river, posing some difficulty for boaters and shore casters.
Mike Ziehm of Niagara Falls made it out a few days this past week and reports that it has been slow at the upper end of Artpark and into Devil’s Hole. The floating ice has been relentless, hindering Ziehm from landing more fish. White jigs have allowed him to catch a few steelhead and a couple small lakers. He hasn’t been able to use spinners due to the large number of floating icebergs. Water visibility is 7-foot plus. He also noted that the ice shelves are shrinking and getting weaker in most spots. He emphasizes to be mindful of where you are standing as the ice shelf you’re on could drop out from underneath you. Remember it is safety first along these winter river shorelines.
Capt. Chris Cinelli of Grand Island reports that when he finally managed to get his boat through the ice at the Lewiston launch ramp area over the weekend, he did well on trout. He found that it was too difficult to drift eggs off three-way rigs, so he switched to MagLips and Kwikfish and did well.
Matt Vogt of Newfane checked out Olcott Harbor and ice was 7-8 inches in most spots with some white ice on top. Fishing was fair, but he was fishing for trout. He did manage to catch a beautiful hen through the ice. Vogt also fished Wilson Harbor. Panfish bites were on and off. Bluegill bites were very finicky at times, and he only caught one perch. The best fish was a 5-pound largemouth bass that he released after catching it. The ice was about 8 inches thick, with more black ice than Olcott. Alan Raymond with the Wicked Worm noted that bluegills and pike were also being caught in Wilson.
There was still some open water below Burt Dam along 18 Mile Creek according to Bruce Kowalski with TAAR Outdoors. Both brown trout and steelhead were being caught by drift fishermen using beads and egg sacs.
Wayne County Fishing Update
Chris Kenyon
Bays
We have a good 14 inches of ice on the bays in Wayne County. Now we must deal with this relentless wind every day. And on top of that we have snow on the ice. Lake effect is not a very friendly occurrence for ice anglers. Hopefully, the gusty wind should blow-off much of the snow.
Be careful when you take your machine through the snow. Don’t get stuck. There are sections of Sodus and Port Bays which have less snow.
Third Creek (Shaker Heights) seems to be the hot spot for perch; however, you need to realize you need to travel a distance.
The latest info on Port Bay seems to be some nice perch off both Tompkins and Graves Point. If you get out… fish 20 to 25 fow. The fish are a decent size. Use your jig with a rubber tail and spikes attached.
Winds are predicted all week with some gust blowing 40 mph. If you venture out, do it early in the morning when the wind is usually calm. (oh, please please… gives on a 2 mph with gusts of 5 mph. ha ha)
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
The Widewaters region of the canal in Wayne County is the best location to fish. It has less wind and no lake effect snow. There are pike, bluegills, and perch under the ice at Widewaters. Keep away from any open water in that section.
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:
After the past weekend snows, we’ve come into more wintery weather for this week. Cold temps are expected through the week. Even though the Lake Erie lake effect snow machine has been mostly turned off because of ice cover, there is a Lake Ontario band setting up that actually originates from the upper Great Lakes. Orleans County is getting brushed by it with wind and off and on snow expected through Wed.
There is a travel advisory and roads are hard to travel in exposed areas because of the wind and whiteouts. Chance of an area wide snow of a few inches on Thu. Temps and weather may moderate some by the close of this weekend. No one is fishing that we know of.
Flows in the Oak are low and running chunky thanks to the cold and snow. Downstream slow water areas are slushing up. That stretch of water may close in completely soon. Other area smaller waterways are iced in. So for now the area is building up something like a 2-foot snowpack (much higher banks and drifts in spots) that will surely mean a high water spring when it begins to melt.
Oswego County
Oswego County has been hit by loads of snow the past week.
Salmon River, Pulaski NY
• Click Here of the 10 day Forecast
• Click Here for the Current CFS at Pineville
The Anglers that push through the heavy lake effect to get to the Salmon River this week were rewarded with steady action. Even with the base flow of 285 CFS, steelhead were active.
With cold weather moving in prior to the weekend, look for the lower river to lock up, forcing most anglers to fish the upper third. Fly zones to 2A will see the most pressure since it’s the only fishable zones. But a warm-up is expected, starting Saturday into next week.
Like typical winter conditions look for the deeper holding water. And as the fish begin pre-spawn, concentrate on the deeper holes downstream from known spawning areas. The fish will stay there prior to spawning and during the spawn, eating the eggs of spawning fish.
Oswego River, City of Oswego
Click Here of the 10 day Forecast
There’s little to report on for the Oswego this week due to the heavy amounts of snow. Most people weren’t exploring. But things should go back to normal soon. Thankfully, levels are around 5000CFS, which serves to keep the entire river from locking up. The harbor on the other hand is a different story; most of the east side behind the hotels is locked in with slush and ice.
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
Click Here of the 10 day Forecast
Currently there are 15+” across the pond. Perch bite has picked up with plenty of keepers. The crappie has picked up too. The hot baits have been caty jigs in “nitro glow orange” and forage minnow jigs in “super glow red fish.”
Last weekend, during the derby, the winner landed a 37” (12.44 lbs) northern and a walleye came in at 26.5”. Don’t forget to register for the Taco Bob Ice Fishing Derby, which is on March 1st.
Thanks to Woody’s tackle for help with this report. Be sure to check our Facebook page, or else call Woody’s tackle directly for info about the upcoming derbies.
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.