Greater Niagara Region
Frank Campbell
Salmon fishing is slowly picking up on the Lower Niagara River and with the rain and wind we received on Tuesday of this week, it might be just what is needed to bring a major push of fish into the system. Over the weekend, Capt. Joe Marra of Niagara Rainbow Charters reported a half dozen kings came to the net with treated skein presented on 3-way rigs accounting for all the bites. Bass fishing has been generally good from Artpark all the way down to the green can at the mouth of the river. Target 20 to 30 feet of water with shiners and crayfish fished off 3-ways as the most productive presentation. Fish up to 6 pounds have been reported.
Capt. Dave Scipione of Scipione’s Fishing Charters reports king salmon and the occasional walleye were cooperating in Devil’s Hole recently. Fishing skein on 3-way rigs, cured with Pro-Cure double red hot was best. The bite was good early on, but as the day progressed, you really had to work for them. 10-year-old Elliot Chin of Pauling, NY and 11-year-old Jaxon Coulman of Hamburg celebrated their birthdays on successive days and each caught their first king salmon ever over the weekend. Bass fishing has been hit or miss for Scipione this week. Previously, the bass fishing was fantastic, with crabs fished off 3-way rigs being the top technique. However, the bass seemed to shut off a bit lately. Walleyes were also available in traditional drifts like Stella Niagara. Gold bladed worm harnesses with orange beads seemed to work best. They caught fish up to 9 pounds.
Alan Raymond with The Wicked Worm in Youngstown reports anglers are doing well on bass all along the river using shiners or baitfish imitations. Salmon are being caught in Devil’s Hole with treated egg skein. The heavy rain on Tuesday should help the fishing all the way around.
Mike Marisa with Niagara River Adventures reports there are a fair amount of salmon and trout in the system for the high water temperatures. There seems to be a lot of 1 to 2-year-old salmon and jacks. The clear water made for a tough bite after the sun came up. His fish came on egg skein and No. 5 spinners.
Out on the lake, Capt. Joe Oakes of Salmonboy Sportfishing reports that fishing has been outstanding with a mix of kings and steelhead out in deep water offshore from Wilson, his home port. He is catching fish from 350 feet of water all the way to the Canadian line. It has been primarily a spoon program, getting your lures down 45 to 100 feet below the surface with divers and riggers.
Action off the piers in Wilson and Olcott has been slow, but things should pick up after the recent rain. Chris Trzaska of Buffalo caught a lake trout off the Olcott piers this week while targeting salmon and brown trout casting a firetiger-patterned spoon. Water flows from the Erie Canal continue and with the added push from the rain, it should trigger a better run of fish.
Wayne County Fishing Update
Chris Kenyon
Lake Ontario
During a hike at Beechwood Park, it was noticed that there were a few boats out in deeper water of the lake. Staging salmon are extremely hard to find, and the boats were probably searching.
The water is warm and because of our 2025 drought Maxwell Creek has a trickle of water. There is no place for salmon to go.
Pier fishing has produced some browns and steelhead, however that has been slow.
Rain is predicted today and tomorrow, but that won’t make much difference for any stream fishing. All the tribs in the county are dry.
Bays
Our continued hot weather has kept the bays warm. The largemouth bass in Sodus Bay are not bothered with these temperatures; however, the pan fish have been scattered. You need to search for any perch at Port Bay and Sodus.
Some pike were caught on the north side of LeRoy Island. Regs for northerns are 18-inches and a five fish limit. The pike season closes on March 15th.
Rock Bass in Port Bay will give you a nice fight on ultra-lite gear. As their name suggests they can be found next to submerged rock pikes. Be prepared to snag a few casts.
The DEC docks at Port Bay will be pulled around Columbus Day week.
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
There have been all sorts of fish caught at the Widewaters section of the canal. You can catch largemouth bass, sunfish, bluegills, and crappies. You can fish from a boat or cast along the north side trials.
Route 31 has pull-offs where you can park your vehicle and cast out in the canal. Some of the pull-offs are next to the locks, which stir up the water when opened and closed.
The canal is open until November 3, 2025, for boat traffic.
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:
Finally, today we are getting the most precipitation the area has seen this whole past summer and so far fall. For the Oak Orchard area, there’s been 3/4 – 1 inch of rain, and there is the chance for more through later today/tonight. Chance of more rain south of here that would still reach the Oak Orchard watershed. It’s unlikely that any of the area tribs will have high and dirty or unfishable conditions as a result of today’s rain, since conditions were so droughty previously. Coupled with the precipitation today is lower temps and forecasted NW winds for tomorrow. These are all good conditions for salmon migrations, and there’s a strong likelihood kings, trout and Atlantics will be pushing up the tribs.
Very excited for this change in the weather, especially as it’s coupled with a relief from the exceptionally hot temps we were having. It’s still early yet in the trib season for trout action, but for sure, this will move things along and should definitely help with salmon migrations. Look for more movement up from lower river/estuary spots, like in the smaller tribs like Johnson and Sandy. Where things were already underway, somewhat like at the Oak, look for more near-shore movement from the Lake and the different pods of what were dour podded up fish to be on the move. Latest angler reports from today confirm some crashing fish, like at the Bridges area and rivermouth.
Flows shouldn’t change much except for a brief tick up with possibly a little color to the water. Run of the river has been dominated by Erie Canal feed in Oak, Sandy and Johnson. Look for med flows in the Oak and mod flows in the smaller waterways. Hopefully, the weather ahead continues to stay cool and wet for good trib chances! Fishing pressure should amp up toward the upcoming holiday weekend.
The St. Mary’s Archers Club 2025 public access fall season parking will be from Oct. 10 through Nov. 11. Parking is $10, with gates opening at 4-5 a.m. and closing at 4 p.m. A lunch will also be served this year. For updates, visit the Sportsman’s Archery Club of St Mary’s Inc Facebook page.
Oswego County
At long last, Oswego County has received some rain—and the fish are on their way!
Salmon River, Pulaski NY
• Click Here of the 10 day Forecast
Recent rain and strong winds have added extra flow to the river and drawn in a fresh push of fish. A large pod has been observed from the village up to the 2A area. The Douglaston Salmon Run reports steady movement of kings, coho, browns, and steelhead.
With this increased flow, those fish—along with the ones already upstream—should be spread throughout the river by the weekend. It’s also one of the busiest weekends of the year, so expect heavy crowds. Remember to stay patient, enjoy the outdoors, and respect your fellow anglers!
Oswego River
Click Here of the 10 day Forecast
“Yo-yo water levels” continue on the Oswego River—1,000 CFS one day, 500 the next—which has encouraged salmon to push up toward the dam. The wall has been slower, but action near the dam has been much stronger, with plenty of salmon and a few browns mixed in. It’s a busy weekend, so plan to arrive early.
Please note: there is significant construction on West 1st Street—plan accordingly.
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. Click here for the current water flow.
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.