Greater Niagara Region
Frank Campbell
The Lower Niagara proved to be tough for those who ventured out early over the weekend. It was an afternoon bite, most likely brought on by the full moon from previous nights. Minnows were the preferred bait to catch brown trout, lake trout, steelhead, and walleye prior to that season closing the end of the day on Saturday. A three-way swivel rig with lighter weights was the ticket for finicky fish. The action was pretty much similar from Devil’s Hole all the way out to the Niagara Bar. Alan Raymond with The Wicked Worm in Youngstown reports the brown trout action is still decent near his shop and downriver to the Fort. Shiners or jig heads and soft plastics seem to be the ticket. Steelhead and lake trout are being caught further up in the river near the more oxygenated waters according to Raymond. Egg sacs seem to be the trick for those fish. He also received a report from the Joseph Davis State Park dock guys. They were catching steelhead with crank baits off the dock.
Remember the Niagara River Angler steelhead contest is March 29 and the Wicked Worm is a sign up spot, both in person and online. Wade Winch and John Van Hoff of North Tonawanda hit the river on the final day of walleye season last Saturday and managed to catch walleye up to 7 pounds and a couple nice brown trout. Golden shiners, blade baits and plastics all produced fish. Tommy Holycross of Wheatfield hit the shoreline in the gorge and managed to catch a few trout on homemade spinners. Ice chunks can be a problem if any break away from the ice bridge below the fall. There is still quite a bit of ice to come down from Lake Erie, too. Steve Brzuszkiewicz and Tom Baskerville of Marilla hit the foot of Ferry Street to try and catch a steelhead or walleye, but it was tough fishing between the moon phase and the ice coming through. Steve caught one walleye and Tom one steelhead casting swim baits on a jig.
Out in Lake Ontario, Vic Thibault of Newfane had his shakedown cruise out of Olcott with his foreign exchange student Alberto Coccoli of Italy. They were fishing inside of 30-foot trolling J-11 Rapalas on boards. They were catching browns in shallower water. Laker trout were a bit deeper. Water temperature was about 36 to 39 degrees. Fish seemed to like warmer areas near the mouth of the creek. Find warmer water, you will find fish. Most of the tributaries are flowing nicely now. Matt Vogt of Newfane found a fair amount of green stain in the waters flowing over Burt Dam and in 18 Mile Creek. On his last trip out he managed to hook up with one steelhead and one brown trout using smaller jigs. Rain brought the creek up a bit but it should be good by the end of the week.
LOTSA will be getting the salmon and trout pens ready in the Town of Newfane Marina on March 29 at 9 a.m. Come on out and support a great project and cause!
Wayne County Fishing Update
Chris Kenyon
Streams
A few steelhead are being caught in Maxwell Creek; however, you can probably do better pier casting at Sodus Point. Some early season browns have been caught casting out Little Cleos or other heavy spoons.
Try a day when the wind is favorable, which has appeared today and predicted to blow again tomorrow. The windy city is supposed to be Chicago…not Wayne County.
Bays
All the ice is off Port and Sodus Bays. When it gets slushy it sinks and now we have open water.
Use the same set-up for perch that was used during ice fishing.
We had an excellent year on the ice. A solid two months for 2025.
The water level for Lake Ontario is 244.55 today and that hurts the levels in our bays. The DEC ramps at Port Bay have no docks yet so use caution. Do not let your trailer’s wheels drop over the end of the ramp. The damage is usually serious.
The perch in Sodus and Port Bay have been scattered, so having a boat in the water enables you to search for the larger variety.
They will hit small yellow and white jigs which have a chartreuse tail. Try Charlie Brewers Sliders.
Erie Canal
The best location for catching delicious crappies is Widewaters. Use very small bright jigs. You can catch all sorts of panfish from the shore or launch at the county park…west of Newark on Route 31.
Keep in mind the pike season closes March 15, 2005.
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:
The nice flows and good steelhead conditions in all the waterways continue to play out. And the weather is moving toward more spring-like with a couple of warm days forecast for the mid-week period and then a slight cool down for the end of the week. The cool down should only put temps in the 40’s F so we’ll take that! Chance of precipitation around Thu. So far the most recent previous precipitation is maintaining trib flows with nice color to the water. Any more significant rain could raise flows higher with dirtier water color.
By steelhead standards, the action has been good with some fresh fish encountered like in the Oak. The other area’s smaller waterways are seeing steelhead too, and those fish can be a little more spread out thanks to those longer watercourses. And like at Sandy, there’s always the good chance for brown trout – both silverfish or holdovers moving down through the system. Flows in the Oak are slightly high and slightly stained with about 2 ft of visibility. Flows consist of a good head of turbine water. There is no longer ice cover on Lake Alice and water temps are on the rise below the dam.
Anglers should find fish in the pools or at the dam and also staged around or on gravel spots. Dead drifting eggs, beads, jigs, and egg flies should all still work. Now with temps on the rise a little more swing to the drift can be a good thing and swung flies and lure presentations can be effective. Other area smaller waterways east and west of the Oak have med flows and slightly stained water color. Fishing pressure looks moderate at best with only a few cars at each typical access spot.
The open Lake near shore conditions are looking pretty good too with likewise warming Lake water temps. Most major shore and pier ice has gone away and what’s left continues to erode. Light and variable or south/southwest winds that usually accompany warming trends make for hospitable Lake conditions. Always use caution though and pay good attention to marine forecasts. Charter anglers are shaking down now and gearing up for the season and will be out there sooner than later. Civilians and trailerable small boat trollers are already out having success for primarily brown trout.
The springtime trolling spreads don’t have to be complicated and a lot of the time flat lining stick baits will yield a good number of strikes. Be aware that boat launches in most cases are still unimproved without launch docks installed. On the heels of last years record setting catch rates in the open Lake everyone is looking forward to another good year on the big water!
Oswego County
Water levels are on the rise in many Oswego County tributaries. Be careful while wading.
Salmon River, Pulaski NY
• Click Here of the 10 day Forecast
• Click Here for the Current CFS at Pineville
The Salmon River is scheduled to rise to 2,200 CFS today, making wading extremely dangerous. High water levels will concentrate fish along the slower edges, as steelhead move out of the fast currents and closer to the banks.
With increased flows, opt for larger and brighter baits. Recommended options include:
- Egg sacs in pink, chartreuse, and peach
- 10mm & 12mm beads in chartreuse, UV orange, and combinations of both
- Don’t forget the pink worm—it’s a proven producer in these conditions!
- If you’re unsure of where to fish consider ordering a free fishing map from the tourism office by calling 1-800-248-4FUN(4386), or stop by any of the local tackle shops for a free printed copy.
Oswego River, City of Oswego
Click Here of the 10 day Forecast
Water levels are very high, making wading unsafe. Stick to the banks, as that’s where the best opportunities will be. The Kiddie Pool consistently produces fish in these high flows.
Upstream access is limited, but the wall behind the hotels has been yielding some quality trout. Effective lure choices include:
Swimbaits in goby patterns, as well as white and white/chartreuse.
Crankbaits and jigs in similar color schemes.
- Click here for the current water flow
- Read the recent news release about access on the West Riverwalk.
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.