Greater Niagara Region
Frank Campbell
Brown trout action downriver continues to be very good according to Alan Raymond with The Wicked Worm in Youngstown. The stretch of water from Fort Niagara to the tackle shop has been producing good numbers of browns with golden shiners off three-way rigs at the top of the list for bait options. A white fluke on a jig head is not far behind. Steelhead action is better around the Lewiston area. Artpark drifters are using brown trout egg sacs for steelies, but lake trout and walleye are in the same area. Bottom bouncing bright plastics will also catch fish according to Raymond. The Niagara River Anglers Association’s winter steelhead contest is March 29 and The Wicked Worm is a sign up location. Raymond says you can sign up in the shop or on their website. Cost is $20 for the steelhead portion of the contest and the $5 brown trout kitty is earmarked for the pen-rearing project in the Niagara River. Local captains are donating a special prize for the brown trout winner. Raymond is donating a $160 Okuma rod and reel set-up for the biggest steelhead caught in the local creeks.
Devil’s Hole has been a good spot to be for a mix of walleye, steelhead and lake trout, reports Capt. Dave Scipione of Lewiston. It can also be a good refuge from northerly winds. Walleye action began early but shut down, only to be taken over by active steelhead and lake trout. Best approach was using golden shiners off three-way rigs. Plugs like Kwikfish and MagLips were not effective, probably due to the wind direction. Scipione also did well on walleyes mid-river north of Stella on Monday. From the shoreline in the gorge, Tommy Holycross of Wheatfield was using a flatfish rig to take some big lake trout. Casting white marabou jigs seemed to work better for steelhead.
Most of the tributaries off Lake Ontario have opened. Matt Vogt of Newfane found high and turbid conditions at Burt Dam and 18 Mile Creek, but water flow should be good heading into this weekend with the mild weather conditions in the forecast this week. Ice action at Wilson appears to be over for this year as the shoreline access has deteriorated to unsafe conditions. The 15th Annual Niagara County Bullhead Tournament will be April 4 at 5 p.m. to April 6 at 1 p.m. Contact Eric for more information at 628-6078.
Remember that northern pike, walleye, pickerel and inland tiger musky seasons will be ending on March 15 and will not reopen until May 1.
Wayne County Fishing Update
Chris Kenyon
Streams
The flow on Maxwell Creek is excellent. Some of the steelhead are still in Maxwell, however, will be leaving for the lake soon.
Fish the south side of Lake Road and cast your egg sacs in the small pools. You can also cast out bright beads in the rapids, while fly fishing or using a spinning outfit.
Bays
The ice fishing for 2025 is over and what a season we had. Currently, the ice is not safe. When the temps hit 50 degrees and the sun is shining, what you notice on the bays is a fast disappearance of ice.
Don’t take any chances. Store your shanty and get your boat ready for open water!
The perch will still be hitting when your rig is ready. Be careful launching as the docks at the DEC sites are not in the water.
Erie Canal
Any ice on the canal is not safe. As soon as we have open water, cast out along the shoreline for crappies, bluegills, and perch. Keep in mind the pike season closes March 15, 2025.
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:
More up and down weather as we try to make the break toward spring. After a couple of days of mild and warm temps for this beginning part of the week, the forecast is for a cool down mid-week and then warming again after that. Chance of some precipitation too, but so far that does not look all that significant.
Existing run-off and upstream supplies look enough to keep trib flows up. After a slow fall through the past weekend, it looks like trib flows are back on a slow rise thanks to the current warming temps and run-off. Flows in the Oak are slightly high, somewhere between 1 – 2 ft of stained visibility. Turbine flows look maxed or close to max and there is the chance that overflow levels could come up a little bit again. So overall look for flows to stay up with stained watercolor.
Picture courtesy of R. Pier
Anglers are into some steelhead action and fresh fish are being hooked up like in the picture below. Drifting isn’t easy thanks to the heavy flows but if you can get a big or bright or odiferous presentation down and slow there is a good chance a fresh steelhead will find it. Guys at the dam have been hooking up with some consistency. Water temp is still in the low 30’s F with ice cover on Lake Alice so its not likely a lot of fish are acting gravelly. This week and ahead warm-up will probably change those conditions.
In other area smaller tribs are holding on to high-ish and stained flows. And what was a slow fall has once again turned into a slow rise. All the trib channels are open though and free of major ice. Rising flows can still loosen and send plenty of existing piled-up bank ice downstream. Without any major downstream ice jams, I’d look for a little more consistent fish movement in those smaller waterways – especially as the water temps climb quicker than say the Oak.
Small crafts like tin boaters, car toppers, kayaks, and foot soldier casters can all start looking toward the near shore big Lake waters too as wind and waves allow. There’s been brown trout action already for some eager trollers – just be aware there’s lots of shore and pier and some of that trib bank ice coming out and moving around out there. Boat ramps remain unimproved for launch docks at this time.
Oswego River, City of Oswego
Click Here of the 10 day Forecast
Oswego water levels have been rising, so be cautious when entering the water. However, there are still plenty of fish to catch.
This time of year, with the water being cold, fish tend to move out of the current and into the slower edges—so try to stay near those areas. The river conditions haven’t been too bad, and the Kitty Pool has been producing some fish.
The harbor has also been productive, as high water typically pushes fish closer to shore behind the hotels. Just a reminder—the walleye season closes on March 15, so get out there while you can!
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.
Notable Freshwater Fishing Regulation Updates:
The following is a short list of some notable changes. To verify, or for specific questions, please consult the NYS DEC Regs. Book.
- A five-fish daily walleye limit in Oneida Lake.
- The statewide sunfish daily harvest limit has been reduced from 50 to 25 fish.
- The statewide minimum size limit for crappies has been increased from nine inches to ten inches.
- There are 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.
- New specific dates will replace 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.
- Also note the season closure for northern pike, pickerel, tiger musky and walleye (March 16).
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.