Greater Niagara Region
Frank Campbell
The cold grip of winter won’t let go and it continues to create problems for Niagara River fishermen. Alan Jackson with The Wicked Worm in Youngstown reports that the combination of cold temperatures and wind continues to hamper lower Niagara River access. Unfortunately, the river has been almost completely iced over all week, making it impossible to fish the river. Guys seem to be hitting hard water more than anything in places like Wilson and the Small Boat Harbor.
No boat fishing has taken place in weeks in the lower Niagara River. The launch ramp at Lewiston is packed with ice right now and there is no way any boats can launch under the current conditions. Water color is starting to improve now that Lake Erie is nearly locked up (94 percent ice cover on Tuesday), which is a good thing. Shore fishermen in the gorge have also been struggling due to the snow and ice. Mike Ziehm of Niagara Falls says it’s way too cold and way too much ice. There is no place to cast if you could, and rod guides would freeze up in these conditions. Mother Nature will not cooperate.
Matt Vogt of Newfane reports the ice in Wilson has made a great comeback and has gotten to a safe level again. Water clarity will continue to improve, and the fishing should improve dramatically as well.
Karen Evarts at The Boat Doctors and Tackle Barn in Olcott reports that a few diehards have hit the Burt Dam area on 18 Mile Creek where there was still some open water. Egg sacs for the ticket for brown trout there. With the sub-zero wind chills this week, the open water will be even more limited.
Remember that the Greater Niagara Fishing Expo is Feb. 19 to Feb. 22 at the Niagara Falls Convention Center. With over 200 seminars from experts in the fishing world, this is a good time to check out the website at niagarafishingexpo.com for all the details! If you are looking for information about birds, you will need to check out the next festival coming up soon – Birds on the Niagara. This international festival will run from Feb. 12-16. Check out bird-niagara.org for details on the many programs and seminar speakers.
Wayne County Fishing Update
Chris Kenyon
Streams
Wayne County received two feet of snow, which put an abrupt stop to any stream fishing. If we can get a warmer temperature to melt the snow, the streams should be flowing to the lake, making a great steelhead catch.
Bays
We have 12 inches of solid ice, however the weekend “blow-out” put over a foot and a half of snow on the ice. It’s difficult to drag any shanty out on Port and Sodus Bays.
If you do get out, stay away from the loop on Sodus Bay. It is not safe.
The pike were hitting last week so if we can melt any of this snow, fish near LeRoy Island with fresh minnows.
Dock bubblers on Sodus and Port Bays are creating very large open holes. Port Bay had open water on the east side which almost made it to the middle of the bay. Be very careful if any of our Lake effect snow covers thin ice.
You can now park at Davenport’s Marina on the south end of Sodus. See Don at the bait shop for information.
Erie Canal
Widewaters didn’t receive the snow that hammered the northern region of the county. The ice is safe…just spud your way out.
The wind that has blown relentlessly on the bays has not been strong on Widewaters. Set up your shanty and make sure you use fresh spikes…not the old maggots that have been sitting in your refrigerator.
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:
We are in the midst of some winter weather with cold temps and snow. The previous winter storm made for 12 + inches of snow here for all of WNY. For now, there is 1 – 2 ft of windblown accumulations. Cold temps are expected to hang in at least through the upcoming weekend with teens for highs and single digits or lower for lows. Chance of some snow showers off and on, but no serious accumulations are expected.
Any effects for WNY from the east coast winter storm forecast for this weekend are so far not well forecast. The LES machine off Lake Erie is mostly turned off for now because of ice cover. However, LES from upstream Great Lakes or off NW winds off Lake Ontario are still possible for the area.
Angling effort has fallen off in relation to the cold weather coming on and most tributary waters are becoming iced up. The area’s smaller waterways, east and west of the Oak, have low and clear, and frozen flows. Those waterways will continue to build ice and become more inaccessible with the current near-term forecast. Flows in the Oak are low – mod and clear and heading toward lower and more frozen flows as the cold weather may deepen. Downstream frog water spots are frozen and mostly closed in. Moving upstream, the faster water areas’ bank ice is likewise building and as future flows may go lower, then those drifts will also close in.
For now and in the near future, with the same cold temps forecast, the most viable drift spot on the Oak will be at the dam. With long, light, and subtle presentations of small jigs or bait, the residing steelhead there will turn on and off for some hook-up action. Consider quick land and release or leaving the fish in the water, as these cold temps can be rough for fish out of the water, like with quickly freezing gills.
We have a good snowpack out there now, and groundwater recharge is already decent, having improved from previous fall-time droughty conditions. We’ll have good flows for sure, as the weather may break toward spring, so we’ll have to wait and see if it’ll be a slow warm-up or something like a fast and furious melt off that brings some more fresh steelhead action not too soon enough!
Oswego County
Fishing will be difficult this weekend due to low flows, extremely cold temperatures, windy conditions, and snow. Salmon fishing will be especially challenging. Anglers should use extreme caution around shelf ice, which has formed as much as 20 feet off the shoreline but is not strong enough to support weight.
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Salmon River, Pulaski NY
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Use caution throughout the river. Anglers heading out this week should focus on finding water that remains fishable and is not slushed out. The deepest, slowest pools are holding the most fish. Be alert for areas free of anchor ice. Dark-colored egg sacs and jigs have been producing best this week.
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Oswego River
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The main portions of the Oswego River are currently filled with slush and ice. Despite this, anglers are finding success fishing the high wall near the pier house, catching brown trout with the occasional steelhead on jigs. The area behind the hotels has been fishing very well when conditions allow; anglers need to manage the wind and hope ice has been blown out. Earlier in the week, most of the harbor was frozen, but a south wind cleared the ice. Jigs fished slowly have been the most effective presentation.
Cold Weather Reminder:
With temperatures forecast to fall below 10 degrees, fish gills and eyes can freeze quickly when exposed to the air. If photos are desired, keep fish in the water as long as possible and limit air exposure to only a few seconds.
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.
Free Oswego Fishing Guide
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The 68-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.
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