Greater Niagara Region
Frank Campbell
The fishing on the lower Niagara River has been consistent with good numbers of fish spread throughout the system. The area around the green can on the Niagara Bar upriver to Youngstown has been mainly brown trout caught on minnows, MagLips, and jigs. Only a few steelhead and lake trout have been caught in this area. The best bet to target steelhead is from Devil’s Hole to the Stella Niagara area. Eggs, minnows, and MagLips have all been producing fish. Lake trout have been cooperative in the Devil’s Hole area on minnows and MagLips. A few walleyes are available throughout the river but keep in mind that the season closes on March 15. Until then, the limit is one fish over 18 inches per angler. If you do happen upon a trophy female ‘eye, please release them gently back in the water as the spawn is near and it will help ensure good walleye numbers for years to come.
On the Niagara Bar, there were plenty of lake trout and browns using live golden shiners or 3.0 MagLips and Kwikfish reports Capt. Dave Scipione of Lewiston. Longer leads with live bait and gold patterned plugs seemed to work best with the clear water conditions. In Devil’s Hole, recent south winds have Maglips and kwikfish producing well in gold and silver/chartreuse colors off 3-way rigs according to Scipione. When fishing live bait in clear water conditions, use a smaller hook size and a quality fluorocarbon leader in a thinner diameter. Also, when conditions allow, using a lighter sinker (3/4-ounce) with longer length leads to allow your presentation to get further from the boat. This can increase hookups according to Scipione. Alan Raymond with The Wicked Worm in Youngstown reports the warmer temperatures are bringing the anglers back out. Brown trout are still smashing the shiners from the Coast Guard Drift to the tackle shop. You can also use white swimbaits off jig heads for lake trout. Artpark is still doing well on steelhead using egg imitations and smaller baitfish presentations.
Capt. Chris Cinelli of Grand Island reported good conditions on Monday, but there was some ice to deal with at times. He says that brown trout numbers around Fort Niagara have been the most he can ever remember seeing.
Shore anglers up the gorge are still doing well on trout. Mike Rzucidlo of Niagara Falls reports good action using white jigs for lake trout and steelhead. Visibility was around 8-foot. His safety tip of the week is to find an area that has exposed rocks along the shore to help land fish. If the ice breaks away, it can help you to get out quickly.
The tributaries are slowly starting to open back up again. Ken Jackson of Sanborn reports water flows were up this weekend, bringing in fresh fish into places like 18 Mile Creek and Burt Dam. Egg sacs and beads were Jackson’s ticket for trout. With heavy rain in the forecast for midweek, look for streams to be high and turbid, but they should open back up and allow for good access when waters recede. It won’t be long before boats will be hitting the lake for shoreline trolling, especially since we “spring” ahead this weekend.
Wayne County Fishing Update
Chris Kenyon
Streams
The recent thaw… which will be today thru the end of this week… will open sections of Maxwell Creek. The only problem will be the rain and the snow melting. The ice will break up; however, predicted flooding will increase the flow and be problematic for catching steelhead.
Bays
Our ice thickness on Wayne County bays is 14 plus inches. Close to shore there are many bubblers creating open water at docks. Stay on solid ice this time of year.
For Sodus Bay perch try out from Third Creek (Shaker Heights) in 30 fow. You can park along Shaker Heights Road.
The perch are scattered and will tend to school together by age. Move around if you are catching little fish.
Your bait should be white and chartreuse rubber on small jigs. Tip that with perch eyes or fresh spikes.
You should also try on the northeast side of Sodus, next to Skippers Landing. There is a small parking lot south of the restaurant.
You will be in shallow water between the islands, so bring your bait up a couple of feet off the bottom.
Port Bay has seen perch action on the northeast side of the bay. You should also set up next to the drop-offs at the points in the bay. They have the perfect structure for perch.
One popular point is directly south of the channel.
Ice fishing in March can be tricky with warm weather approaching. Currently the ice is safe, however that can change quickly in March.
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 currently has safe ice, however with the predicted thaw and rain, the canal might have flooding, which will affect water underneath the ice. Make sure you stay on safe ice.
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:
Well, we are now on the flipside of the past weekend’s flash freeze. Thanks to that cold weather, all the waterways went back on the drop and cleared before they had opened up completely from icing conditions.
Picture courtesy of Greg S.
In the smaller tribs some upstream fast water spots may be open for hard-working anglers, but there is still a fair amount of ice and jams and less than ideal conditions.
Flows in the Oak likewise came down from higher flows and for now are about medium with about 2 + feet of stained visibility. On the Oak all the waterway below the dam is open and there should be good drifting opportunities. As anglers have hit the Oak just recently after the last spate of water, they have hooked up on some fresh steelhead like in the picture below. Some legit big fish are reported too.
Fresh steelhead are not particularly choosey and floats/jigs, egg pattern flies and egg sacks have all produced. These flows especially going forward on warming trends with the potential for more water should only encourage more fresh fish migrations.
The forecast ahead for this mid-week period is 2 – 3 days of melting temps and the chance for soaking rains and/or thunderstorms. There’s plenty more snowpack to melt for the area. So the melt-off coupled with the likelihood of 0.50 – 0.75+ inches of precipitation will likely mean a blowout of all the waterways sooner than later. This could be the event we are looking for to blow out most of the ice and open up all the tribs.
Use caution ahead and be aware of ice jams and ice moving downstream and overflow levels on the rise on the Oak. Hydro managers at the Waterport dam can decide to make water level adjustments at any time leading to higher flows in the turbine channel.
Oswego County
Finally a break in the snow and then we get drenched in rain! Additionally, temperatures in the upper 40’s made for some “up and down” fishing this week.
Salmon River, Pulaski NY
• Click Here of the 10 day Forecast
• Click Here for the Current CFS at Pineville
Now that March has arrived, steelhead are beginning to spawn. This is when anglers should start focusing on holding water closer to known spawning areas when fishing the upper river. From 2A to the DSR, they are still being caught in deeper pockets and holes.
Once the spawn begins, it’s time to switch back to beads, with lighter natural colors working best for dropbacks. This is also the time of year when the pink worm is most effective.
While targeting pre-spawn fish, egg sacs, jigs, and Pink Worms have all been productive. Reports from the fly zone have been very promising.
With warmer weather and rain, water levels could rise significantly, so be cautious.
Oswego River, City of Oswego
Click Here of the 10 day Forecast
The warm weather has reopened the harbor, giving shore anglers a chance to catch trout and walleye that have been hiding under the ice for the past few weeks. Fishing behind the hotels has been productive, with anglers having success using jigs, blade baits, and deep-diving crankbaits. Colors that imitate gobies or shad work best.
Upriver, anglers are once again finding success off the high wall, fishing jigs and beads under a slip float.
Water levels on the Oswego have been rising all week, making wading difficult, but this can also serve to concentrate the fish in the slower water.
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.