Greater Niagara Region
Frank Campbell
Fall is in the air and the fish are responding accordingly. Capt. Frank Campbell hosted Bassmaster Editor James Hall and In-Fisherman’s Todd Ceisner late last week and the Lower Niagara River action didn’t disappoint. Throwing mainly Spro crankbaits and Strike King spinnerbaits, the hardware produced a mix of smallmouth between 2 and 4 pounds, walleye up to 10 pounds, northern pike, and largemouth bass.
The fishing remained decent throughout the weekend with smallmouth cooperating on live bait presentations and walleye responding to worm harnesses on three-way rigs. There have been a few salmon caught in the whitewater areas of the river, but the best numbers are still weeks away. Try spinners and spoons in bright colors for the best opportunity.
Alan Raymond with The Wicked Worm of Youngstown reports walleyes are still hitting worm harnesses from boats and from shore on the NYPA fishing platform with early morning and late afternoon being the best times. Along the bank, smallmouth bass are hitting crayfish and shiners. A few brown trout are showing up off the piers. Shane Stark of Newfane used his crackhead jigs off the platform to catch two walleyes and caught a third – his limit – using a stickbait.
Capt. Nate Stephenson of Triple-J Charters has been fishing straight north out of Wilson from the 27 to the 34 lines, roughly 400 to 500 feet of water, down 80 feet for a mix of steelhead and salmon. The thermocline has been down that far. Best spoon has been a magnum Moonshine raspberry Carbon 14. The other hot bait is a Dragon Slayer spin doctor with a homemade blue fly that he ties himself. His son Jake caught a 24.4-pound salmon Monday morning during the derby, but the minimum size is 25 pounds. There are staging kings and browns inside of 150 feet at Wilson and Olcott reports Capt. Joe Oakes of Salmonboy Sportfishing. There is good steelhead and salmon action in depths greater than 350-foot, too. Flasher-fly combos and spoons down 80 to 110 feet are working close and out deep.
John Van Hoff of North Tonawanda caught 30 fish offshore at Wilson on Monday from the 29 to the 31 line. It was an all-spoon program with depths on the riggers at 50-foot and divers back 170 on a No. 2 setting. It was mostly steelhead, but he did catch kings up to 12 pounds. The biggest steelhead was 12 pounds. He also tried to troll the Niagara Bar over the weekend. He marked plenty of fish on his electronics but getting them to bite was another story. He only managed a few salmon to show for his efforts.
It happened again in the Lake Ontario Counties Derby, this time in the fall event that ended on Labor Day. Amy LoPresti of Rochester was fishing with her husband Chris, Jr., her three kids Brayden, Rayna, and Brett, and her father-in-law Capt. Chris LoPresti of Maverick Sportfishing on the final morning of the 18-day contest when she caught a 33-pound, 3-ounce salmon while fishing out of Point Breeze to win the $20,000 Grand Prize. It was her first derby and her biggest salmon ever. Capt. Nate Stephenson of Triple J Charters was fishing out of Wilson when he caught a 17-pound, 10-ounce Steelhead to win that division. Top brown trout was a 15-pound, 3-ounce fish reeled in by Bill Weber of Palmyra.
Wayne County Fishing Update
Chris Kenyon
Lake Ontario
King and steelhead action were in 500 fow-down 80 to 90. Dipsys out 250 and spoons were the dominant lure.
The salmon were starting to stage; however, many were still a bright summer color.
Amy LoPresti won the LOC Fall Derby with 33.03 salmon…a real bruiser. She won on Labor Day, the last day of the contest. She was on the Maverick Charter boat from Orleans County, fishing with husband and family.
Bays
After the holidays there are less recreational boats on the bays…good news for the anglers.
Sodus Bay is still producing some hefty largemouth bass. Use Senko rigs, top water baits, or your favorite rig that can be cast close to heavy weed growth.
As soon as the water temperatures decrease, we will be seeing some perch action in the bays.
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
Fishing has been excellent in the canal. Launch your boat at Widewaters County Park and fish the entire sections between the locks. Widewater is the best location because of the size of the area. It’s like a little bay in the middle of the canal.
Largemouths are hitting now. Fish the south side near any weed lines.
Kayak fishing has been very popular. Less wind and quiet water make a very enjoyable casting experience. And there is a kayak launch site at the park.
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:
Once again, Orleans County and the Oak proved why it’s the “Home of the King!” There’s lots of big salmon action to report on in both the Fall LOC Derby and the final leg of the KOTO. This week’s report will highlight Orleans County’s grand prize LOC Derby salmon, and next week, we’ll cover more big Kings that came in for the final leg of the KOTO. Stay tuned! And don’t forget all these same trophy salmon and trout in the big Lake are soon to make great tributary action this fall, winter and spring!
Aboard the Maverick on the last morning of the fall LOC Derby, the huge 33.03 lb grand prize LOC Derby King was reeled in by Amy LoPresti. Amy is the daughter-in-law of Capt. Chris LoPresti and when the big fish hit the deck, all aboard the boat looked at each other in surprise because they knew they had a legit derby contender – if not winner. The big King took 20 minutes to come to the net and was hooked 60 ft down over 150 fow somewhere between the pump house and out front of the Oak. It took a Hawks custom snowflake spoon.
The catch was something of a family effort for sure. The captain’s son, Chris Jr, might take some of the credit because he kept insisting they get in the LOC Derby. So with a one-day derby pass in hand, they all went fishing – and the rest is history, as they say! Not a bad return on a one-day ticket. The other lesson here is that you “gotta be in it to win it,” and if you’re fishing during derby time, then get that ticket! It proved to be a smart move by the LoPresti family!
Also worthy of mention is another big King from Orleans County, Oak Orchard waters, that placed 4th in the fall LOC Derby. Vernon T. got the dandy silver King aboard Fish in the Box Charters with Capt. Tim H. on a Leonard Fly.
Lately, some of (but not all) of the best big fish action has been for likely staging salmon in 80 – 120 fow. Most trollers report a good amount of bottom-hugging marks in that zone. Other boaters are still working offshore waters for mixed bag action on mature & teenage Kings and a good steelhead bite. The weather ahead looks warming through about mid and end of week. Precipitation is forecast for the end of the week with another cool down on the heels of that weather change. Cooling temps and/or precip will help coax staging Kings closer near-shore and the soon to be at hand fall tributary action.
Oswego County
As the lake season winds down, the river season is just getting underway.
Salmon River, Pulaski NY
• Click Here of the 10 day Forecast
Kings, coho, steelhead, and brown trout have already begun entering the Salmon River. The most consistent success has come from the estuary up to the ballpark. Focus efforts on pinch points and faster-moving water, as fish are on the move. A few fish have already reached as far as Altmar, so anglers should keep in mind that opportunities exist beyond the more crowded lower stretches.
Oswego River, City of Oswego
Click Here of the 10 day Forecast
Click here for the current water flow
A small number of salmon have been reported near the falls in Oswego. Conditions are still developing, and we’ll continue to provide updates as the run progresses.
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.
Lake Ontario – Oswego County
Click Here of the 10 day Forecast
Anglers are still finding success in open water, with steelhead numbers looking particularly strong—an encouraging sign for the fall, winter, and spring fisheries. Productive depths have ranged from 200 to 600 feet out of Oswego. After this week’s strong winds, the most consistent action inside the bay has shifted to 130 to 180 feet of water. While meat rigs continue to produce, flasher-fly combinations are becoming increasingly effective.
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.