Greater Niagara Region
Frank Campbell
The lower Niagara River bite has been decent with smallmouth bass responding to live bait such as crawfish and shiners fished off 3-way rigs being the best presentation. Concentrate on the drop offs for the most consistent action. Walleyes are still a good option for anglers, targeting 30–45-foot depths with worm harnesses fished off 3-way rigs has been the best tactic. Top colors were chartreuse beads and blades. Look for the bite for bass and walleye to pick up as the water temperatures drop. It’s been a slow start to salmon fishing despite cooler than average water temperatures being reported but look for activity to increase with north winds in the forecast.
Capt. Dave Scipione of Lewiston fished the lower Niagara recently under some windy conditions. Fishing was a little tough, but he managed to haul in a few nice walleyes at the green buoy at the mouth of the river. Worm harnesses worked best with No. 5 Colorado blades and orange beads. He headed to Devil’s Hole with the increasing west winds. Several decent walleyes were caught using slightly smaller No. 3 gold bladed harnesses. Smallmouth bass were also available drifting shiners or crayfish on 3-way rigs. Bass were spread throughout the system in typical slack water drifts.
Alan Raymond with The Wicked Worm in Youngstown reports anglers starting to catch a few salmon at the NYPA platform and in the gorge, using inline spinners and stick baits. Some brown trout are being caught on the piers along Lake Ontario using casting spoons. Anglers are catching some pike in the tributaries as well, mixed in with some bass.
In the upper Niagara River, Matt Wilson of Wheatfield used his time over the weekend to scope out some new areas. He was targeting smallmouth bass between the trestle bridge and Strawberry Island, staggering drifts each time 25 to 50 feet to help not bust up schools of fish. He averaged 5 to 8 fish a drift before he moved to Anchor Marine, Isle View, and the South Grand Island Bridge drifts. He was using a drop shot set-up with 8-pound braid line on the main line, 8-pound fluorocarbon line for leader and a No. 2 Owner mosquito drop shot hook paired with a 3/8-ounce weight. One rod was 16 inches from weight to hook, the other was 8 inches. He also cast a ¼-ounce football jig head with a short shank VMC hook rigged with a 2-3/4-inch Z-man swimbait in shiner and electric shad colors on all of the rigs. For the swimbait, he was casting out as far as he could and then slowly lifting the lure after it hit the bottom. While exploring the river, he found a 4-foot to 31-foot drop off that was not on any of his maps and it turned out to be an excellent spot that produced over 24 bass – including fish up to 5 pounds.
It’s a tough bite right now in the lake according to Capt. Matt Yablonsky of Wet Net Charters. The wind has really left the lake a mess. If the weather is decent, the only stable water conditions would be out deep for steelhead and immature salmon. Staging fish have become a non-factor according to Yablonsky since the stocking cuts. That’s not to say you can’t catch fish out there. Capt. Dave Scipione of Lewiston hit the Niagara Bar recently and they had a great day on salmon and trout fishing northeast of the red can on the drop off. They concentrated their efforts in 75 to 100 feet of water. Several staging kings were taken, with the biggest weighing 23 pounds. Magnum-sized spoons were most productive for salmon. Dreamweaver glow green jeans and Warrior’s glow green alewife worked best. Brown trout were also very cooperative. His winning program for browns was standard sized spoons. Best color patterns were NBK, green glow frog, and old-school monkey puke fished a few feet off the bottom was the ticket. He also caught a 10-plus-pound Atlantic salmon.
Wayne County Fishing Update
Chris Kenyon
Lake Ontario
Go deep for the kings. The silver salmon have been in 500 to 600 fow down 100. The staging kings are in 90 to 200.
Spoons and flasher flies are working in the deeper water. There is a strong current out deep so change your speed accordingly. Spoons have been carbon 14 and other Stingers. Use your favorite ladderback.
Bays
Sodus has been quiet except for the largemouth catch. Fish the weed growth with Senko rigs. Start at the south end but don’t forget the islands at the north.
The perch are not in the bays; however, Port Bay has the rock bass dominating the catch. Use yellow and white 2-inch jigs with a tail. Charlie Brewer Sliders work great. The rock bass have been in 20 fow. They give a great fight!
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
Some crappies are being caught under the Port Gibson Bridge. Use small bait and suspend your presentation as crappies are in the middle of the water column.
The largemouths are located anywhere on the south side of the canal.
Have fun kayak angling!!!!
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:
Picture courtesy Tom S. and Silver Streak Charters.
For this near end of the trolling season, there’s been some big Kings boated for sure. Last week’s report highlighted the Fall LOC Derby Grand Prize, an Orleans County fish caught by Amy LoPresti, weighing 33.03 pounds. Not to be out shadowed was the third and final leg of the KOTO held on Aug 31. There were some good catches of real nice Kings that were exhibiting staging looks and behavior in the 100 fow or so range. Almost all boaters remarked of good-looking sonar screens recording lots of suspected bottom-hugging staging fish.
For the KOTO event, team Richmond VI Dave Wolinski took first place. Team Rod Benders Gerald Slack took second place. Team Silver Streak Zach Baker took third place and it was the Richmond VI team that came out on top for the KOTO season. Congrats to all the winners and Oak Orchard bragging rights!
Big Fish of the Day for the final leg of the KOTO came aboard the Silver Streak and Capt Katia R. and Zach B. Todd S. was the lucky angler who reeled in the 26 lb plus solid King. No doubt, Todd will be back for more trophy King action!
The Rod Benders husband and wife team of Capt. Gerry S. and Terah had a good-looking box of Kings for the KOTO. They found their best action in near-shore waters just west of the harbor. “We fished 120 fow west of the harbor with white flashers and green flies. Number 3 J-plugs and the Route 18 Tackle gold geezer spoon were good.” They were happy they stayed on those fish while others went farther offshore. Their strategy played out well for second place in the KOTO.
Trolling traffic looks to have fallen off some now after the Labor Day holiday. Some of the biggest yet of the season and near shore staging action for angry Kings is still ahead of us, though! Tributary action is coming on slowly, with so far a few early fish reported at the Waterport dam. There’s been some off and on casting action at Point Breeze, with at least a couple of salmon landed in the low-light periods on glow hardware. There are a few small boat trollers, casters and jiggers working the 20 – 40 fow range. The near-term forecast for about a week ahead is warmer and dry, so look for tributary migrations to be stalled unless there are some significant onshore cooling lake breezes.
Oswego County
Some rain and less wind would be nice.
Salmon River, Pulaski NY
• Click Here of the 10 day Forecast
We’re looking ahead to what should be a busy weekend on the river. To make the most of your time on the water, consider the following essentials:
- Cleats – Rocks in the river are extremely slippery, and felt soles alone aren’t enough.
- A large landing net – Mature salmon average 15–25+ pounds; a bass or trout net won’t suffice.
- A river map – Helpful for understanding the layout and locating new spots.
- Fresh line – Salmon are powerful fighters that will test your equipment. Old or worn line is often the first failure point.
- Plenty of terminal tackle – Salmon are notorious for breaking gear; expect to go through hooks, swivels, and weights.
- Waders that don’t leak – A necessity for comfort and mobility.
- Patience – Remember that everyone on the river is out to enjoy themselves.
Lake Ontario – Oswego County
Click Here of the 10 day Forecast
Fishing conditions on eastern Lake Ontario continue to shift daily as persistent winds push warm water into the region, driving salmon deeper. When conditions allow, flasher/fly combinations have been most effective, while meat rigs are still producing early in the day. It’s also the right time of year to run plugs—J-plugs, deep divers, and Silver Horde patterns have all been producing fish.