Greater Niagara Region
Frank Campbell
Larry Keppen of Marion, NY caught a monster 32-pound, 13-ounce king salmon the final weekend of the derby to win the $15,000 Grand Prize as the Summer Lake Ontario Counties (LOC) Trout and Salmon Derby concluded. Bradley Evans of Arlington, Texas was leading with a 32-pound, 4-ounce salmon until he was bumped. Second place was a 29-pound, 12-ounce Wilson salmon that was also caught the last Saturday of the derby – reeled in by Gerald Bielicki, Jr. of Corfu. He was fishing in the Lake Ontario Trout and Salmon Association’s club tournaments on the Bad Habit team out of Wilson and, of course, he was fishing in the LOC Derby, too. The lucky salmon was big enough to give his team the win in the LOTSA Saturday contest and helped them win the 323 contest, the three biggest fish in two days. In addition, the salmon was the biggest fish caught by a LOTSA member in LOC derby to win $750. Amanda Kimble of Clinton, Maine caught the LOC first place brown trout at 16 pounds, 8 ounces. The steelhead winner was Mike Lewis of Canastota, weighing in a 13-pound, 13-ounce fish. Top Lake Trout in the derby was a 25-pound, 1-ounce fish reeled in by Jan Chybinski of Mexico, NY. Back to the LOTSA contests the Mutiny team led by Capt. Jason Monkelbaan of Wheatfield won the Curt Meddaugh tournament on Friday, weighing in over 62 pounds of salmon.
Mark and Jake Romanack of Fishing 411 came into town earlier this week to film a show or two and they were successful on both king salmon and brown trout. On Friday afternoon they hit the Niagara Bar at the drop off, fishing east of the red can in 120 to 200 feet of water pulling 11-inch paddles with 3.0 Yakima Bait Spin-n-Fish rotating plugs on the riggers and divers. They caught four mature salmon and lost three others. Saturday morning, they made their way back to the red can fishing in 120-160 feet of water using the same bait, catching three mature kings and one immature king. Sunday morning was back at the red can, but they set up about two miles west near the Canadian line. They fished the same baits in 80 to 160 feet of water, catching 12 kings, one lake trout and one brown trout. The waves were 3-to-5-footers, so they trolled west to east. Monday morning, they returned to the Niagara Bar but set up inside the drop in 40-55 feet of water. They trolled Wolverine Tackle Standard Streak Spoons on the riggers and divers, landing 12 brown trout from six pounds to 15 pounds.
Capt. Alan Sauerland of Instigator Charters has been fishing offshore about 7 to 9 miles north of Wilson. There is a mix of nice steelhead and kings with an occasional coho. Cut bait has been good on 300 and 400 copper long lines and on deep divers. Spoons on his riggers are working from 40 to 90 feet deep depending upon down temperature. Also spoons on high divers have been taking a lot of fish. The fleas have been bad for the past week, so Sauerland says to check and clean your lines frequently.
Capt. Matt Yablonsky of Wet Net Charters reports that fishing has been challenging lately. There are kings, steelhead and some coho around, along with an occasional Atlantic salmon. The challenging part is they are never in the same place two days in a row. One day the salmon are in 150-200 feet of water; the next day they are 400-425 feet of water. Steelhead are spread out between 250 and 500 feet of water. Sea fleas and weeds have been bad, but if you aren’t fishing where the fleas and weeds are, you aren’t in the right spot. Kings have been flavoring cut bait rigs. Target higher up in the water column early in the day like 40-65 feet down. Later in the day focus on 70-110 feet down. Kings are biting out of temperature in the morning, sliding up into 50-to-58-degree water.
Tommy Holycross of Wheatfield hit the platform and the shoreline in the lower Niagara River with his son Zachary and fishing has been slow at the platform with the high temperatures we’ve been experiencing. Smallmouth bass, freshwater drum, and the occasional walleye are being caught mostly in the early mornings and evenings. Orange and red worm harnesses off bottom bouncer weights seem to be the color of choice lately. They had some success with smallmouth bass up in Lewiston at the sand docks using Carolina rigged paddletails. Alan Raymond of The Wicked Worm in Youngstown reports fishing is picking up along the shore again. Smallmouths being caught on crayfish, along with some drum. The walleyes are being caught up and down the river as well.
Capt. Dave Scipione of Lewiston has been drifting Stella Niagara with No. 5 gold blade/pink bead harnesses on 3-way rigs. The key is to move as slow as possible, just enough to turn the blades. Once things slowed up in Stella, he moved into Devil’s Hole with a similar presentation, only less weight and smaller blades (No. 3). In the Hole, the walleye bite was steady with some smallmouth bass and sheepshead in the mix.
Remember that August 2 is the Fishing Fur a Better Tomorrow Walleye Tournament out of Fort Niagara on the Lower Niagara River from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. Entry fee is $150 per boat. Call Mike at 807-9127 for more info. First place is $1,500 for the best two walleyes total weight. Proceeds will benefit the SPCA.
Wayne County Fishing Update
Chris Kenyon
Lake Ontario
The kings are on the bite, and they are heavier this year. The LOC Summer awards were presented at Riley’s Bar and Grill at the south end of Sodus Bay on Sunday, July 27th.
The Grand Prize winner caught a 32.13-pound king and the leaderboard for the summer derby had 20-to-30-pound salmon.
Make sure you sign up for the fall derby because the kings are still eating and getting larger. Yahoo!
The bite straight is out in front of Port Bay has been between 200 and 500fow. Start at 200 and see what you mark…then head deeper.
Flasher flies, meat rigs and spoons are all working. Spoons have been a bit slower than last week.
2025 DERBY DATES
• Fall Aug 15th Sept 1st.
• Register now to win your share of the $147,150 guaranteed cash in the 2025 loc derbies!!
Bays
Sodus Bay continues to provide the bass boats with the largest bay in Wayne County with monster largemouths. Launch your boat early and fish the weeds at the south end of the bay. Don’t forget between the islands in the north region. You have over 3,000 acres of surface area to catch your fish.
The bass are hitting the Senko worm rigs, spinner baits, top water lures and swim baits.
The bluegill action in Port Bay has slowed, however your best bet is to cast off the points and at the channel.
Sodus Bay boats can be launched at the Margaretta launch on the west side of the bay or Bay Bridge Sport Shop at the south end.
Port Bay has the south and north DEC launch sites from West Port Bay Road. Both are in great shape for boats with enough parking for the trailers.
New York, the open season (harvest) for largemouth and smallmouth bass, collectively known as black bass, runs from June 15 to November 30, with a catch-and-release season from December 1 to June 14.
Sodus Bay will be the place to be when the bass season opens.
Erie Canal
The largemouth bass action at Widewaters has been excellent, with over 5 pound plus fish being caught. Cast on the south side of the canal. That is where the weedbeds are and you encounter less recreational craft, which travel the north side.
You can also fish from Route 31. Look for the small pull-offs between Newark and Palmyra.
Conditions permitting, all portions of the New York State Canal system are now open. This is the 201st consecutive year of travel along New York’s Canals and the 200th anniversary of the original Erie Canal’s completion on October 26, 1825.
There are no tolls or fees for recreational use of the Canal system this year.
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 anglers are a wandering out there! Well, some are, mostly the rec boats that are moving to offshore waters. But charters have been a little more stay-at-home, and Capt. Mike G. of Get Hooked Sportfishing says, “There are Kings in 80 – 100 fow. There is a chance for a NE blow coming Wednesday night and through the end of the week.” We will have to wait and see if that is realized and what that may do to the temp profile out there. Not that long ago, with NE winds and the resultant cool water moving around, there was a whopper King caught aboard Troutman2 in just 30 fow out of the Oak. Now that’s a nice surprise and will test a brown trout spread!
Boaters and trollers, be aware that Oak Orchard dredging operations are all clear. Don’t forget you can check the Oak Orchard weather buoy for up-to-the-minute water and temperature conditions one mile north of the rivermouth. Info is golden to take note of the thermocline level. The most recent hot and humid weather is expected to break by mid-week with a chance of showers on Thursday and a return to some cooler temps.
One of the accomplished rec boats from PA out there off-shore found some more consistency than their trolling efforts of a couple of weeks ago. The Mike D. crew filled some of their freezer with nice King and coho and steelhead fillets that they carefully first bled, iced and filleted and pulled the y-bones. Now that’s the way to respect the resource while making great future table-fare! Kings came deep on meat or flasher and flies. The direction of the troll and prob lure action vs current played a role in hook-ups, but 2.2 mph was pretty solid. If they were not getting bit, but the screen looked good, they changed direction and speed, and then the rods would fire.
The Chris and Chelsea G. crew fished in 400 – 500 fow to the west. That area produced Kings and bonus cohos and steelhead over the past 2 weeks, with lately being more consistent. Meat with a green glow Twinkie was best, and they said, “We love Lake Ontario fishing, no matter how the catch rate is.” That’s a great fishing spirit!
Capt CJO of Tightlines charters says, “Adult Kings have become more consistent off the Orleans County coastline. Fishing depth can vary based on water temperatures. This week we’ve hit big Kings from 30 – 90 ft, and mixed bags have included big football browns and bonus Atlantics. Remember minimum size for Atlantics is 25 inches, and catch and release can be carefully practiced. Fish On!”
Oswego County
Spey Nation 2025
August 8-10, on the banks of the Salmon River
Spey Nation 2025 is quickly approaching! The Spey Nation event presented by Swing The Fly will again take place on the banks of the Salmon River, August 8th through the 10th, 2025.
As in past years, the main event occurs on Saturday, August 9th, starting around 8:30am at the Pineville Boat Launch in Pineville, NY. The Saturday event is open to-the-public (AND FREE) includes a variety of spey-related presentations throughout the morning and into the mid afternoon with topics curated to provide a full range of ideas and concepts.
Lake Ontario – Oswego County
Click Here of the 10 day Forecast
Salmon have been caught from 80 to 600+ feet of water. The best bite has been in 160-350’ down.
Flashers and meat have been dominating the catches this past week.
Lake Ontario – Mexico
Click Here of the 10 day Forecast
Anglers are heading North West until they hit 110’ of water, and then trolling deeper. Once boats find fish they have been finding better luck trolling North to South in that depth.
Mag glow spoons and flashers pulling meat have been a key to success this week.
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.