Greater Niagara Region
Frank Campbell
Lower Niagara River fishing was good to very good this week with all the drifts producing fish on a variety of baits. Minnows were the top choice for anglers targeting brown trout and the most productive areas have been from Lewiston down to Fort Niagara. Live bait has also been producing steelhead, lake trout, and walleye in those same areas. To target steelhead specifically, offer egg sacs or egg imitations. Another option for multi-species action is running MagLips off a three-way rig. Capt. Chris Cinelli of Grand Island continues to do very well, and reports conditions are great right now for boat fishing. He was using egg sacs, minnows, and MagLips, all off three-way rigs. This fishing should hold for a bit of time and we will probably be getting some runoff this week with snowmelt and rain, adding some stain to the water. This will help shore fishermen. Capt. Peter Goretti with One More Drift Fishing Adventures reports fishing was good this week in the lower river. He caught a mixed bag of steelhead and lake trout with a surprise walleye using plastic minnows and egg sacs.
Alan Raymond with The Wicked Worm in Youngstown reports more folks are out catching fish. One person casting by Fort Niagara from shore caught a decent brown trout. Upriver, steelhead are being caught on hot pink egg sacs. With upper 50-degree weather in the forecast, we are hoping to see a big push of fish and anglers. Raymond also mentioned that DEC has a cooler at the Lewiston fish cleaning station to collect walleye heads, collecting information for research on determining stocked versus wild fish. Remember that walleye season closes after March 15 and the lower river limit is one fish per person per day until the closure. Minimum size is 18 inches long.
Upper river action has also been good at the Foot of Ferry Street in Broderick Park according to Bruce Kowalski with TAAR Outdoors. Casters have been picking up a decent number of walleye using paddle tail swim baits on ¾ to 1-ounce jig heads rigged with 3-1/2 to 4-inch plastics. Some others are using live bait. Fish range from 18 to 22 inches long.
The bite seemed to have slowed down a bit on the panfish through the ice in Wilson Harbor, reports Matt Vogt of Newfane. Strong winds as well as some more snow melt/runoff stained the water up in the bay, but there was still plenty of clarity. There was about 12 inches of ice, 50/50 white ice and black ice. Fortunately, Vogt continued to pull some largemouth, bluegill, and rock bass in the hut. It was a tough bite all day regardless. Fishing with Michael Monroe from East Aurora, Monroe hit a nice steelhead through the ice – his first ever. Ice fishing may be over by the end of the week. Karen Evarts at The Boat Doctors and Tackle Barn in Olcott reports that ice action ended in Olcott. Most action was in 18 Mile Creek open water at Burt Dam. Brown trout and steelhead have been cooperating at the dam for anglers using white and olive-colored jigs, beads in peach and blue, and wax worms.
Wayne County Fishing Update
Chris Kenyon
Streams
Some open pools have produced steelhead from Maxwell Creek. Use fresh egg sacs or bright red jigs tipped with fresh eggs. Salmon Creek in Pultneyville also has open water.
Bays
We should have safe situations all this week, however it’s March and you need to know your ice thickness before you start drilling holes.
The middle of Sodus and Port Bays has at least 12 inches of ice with some slushy spots at some sections. Rain and warmer temps are predicted Thursday… so know where you are going before you take out any machines. Ice along the shorelines will disappear first. Keep that in mind this time of year.
Currently, the perch in Sodus Bay have been in both 6 fow and deeper around 20 fow. Near Eagle Island on the north has been productive for perch and bluegills. Use bright small jigs tipped with perch eyes or spikes.
The pike are hitting near Leroy Island and straight out from Skippers Landing Restaurant. The season closes March 15th. Proposals for next year might see a closing season for pike and walleye on March 1st.
The Port Bay perch have also been scattered between 10 fow and 30 fow. No one has been ice fishing at the south end, so stay north on the east side of the bay. As always be careful of dock bubblers.
For Sodus anglers you can park at Davenport’s Marina on the south end of Sodus. See Don at the bait shop for information.
Erie Canal
Bluegills and some fish and release bass are being caught near Widewaters. The ice is till 12 inches thick. Be careful of shoreline open water this time of 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.
Orleans County
Orleans County Sportfishing Coordinator Ron Bierstine:
We are on the tail end of a couple of days of cold temps with the forecast ahead calling for warmer and wetter weather at least through the weekend and beginning part of next week. Temps are expected to be the warmest yet of the season, and notable will be the nighttime temps, likely to stay above freezing. There is a chance for off and on precipitation also for the end of the week of +/- 0.50 inches. This forecast is likely to raise all the trib flows up, opening them up from the winter-time ice through the end of this week or the weekend. Flows may go higher, blown and dirty, depending upon the rate of run-off of the remaining snowpack and rain received. Overflow levels in the Oak could be on the rise.
For now flows in the Oak are slightly high, consisting of a good head of turbine water with about 2 – 3 ft of viz. Flows are real nice for migrations and good drifting and swinging chances up and down the waterway. Fishing pressure has been about mod and may pick up with warmer temps forecast. With higher flows, the waterways can take on more angling pressure (even still, which will not approach fall-time fishing pressure).
Steelhead action for fly, float and spin anglers able to get a drift or swing down and slowed in these higher flows has been good. There are some hard-fighting fresh fish with an occasional 30+ inch fish encountered. Not all the big ones or even the “smaller” hard battlers are landed!
The other area smaller waterways are for now at about med and slightly stained flows with icing conditions in some spots. Look for those waterways to shortly be on the rise with more stained water color. Ice and debris could be moving out of all the waterways, and fresh steelhead could be moving upstream. We’d expect the forecasted warm-up to be the event that moves the trib action into a springtime mode where steelhead are sooner or later moving toward spawning activity as the days turn longer and water temps rise.
Oswego County
Fishing in Oswego County has been excellent, and the weather is expected to cooperate soon.
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Salmon River, Pulaski NY
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Water levels have risen with the recent rain, and forecasts indicate even warmer temperatures ahead. This has not slowed the bite—steelhead have been very aggressive as they prepare to spawn. Over the past two weeks, anglers have observed fresh fish entering the river, which has helped spread fishing activity from the fly zone down to the estuary.
With the higher flows, eggs, jigs, and PW rigs continue to be effective. However, the bead bite has noticeably improved. Sizes 10 and 12 mm have been the most productive in a variety of colors, from natural shades to bright patterns.
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Oswego River
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Flows have increased and are expected to rise further with upcoming rain, so anglers should exercise caution when entering the river. Most success has been found in the harbor, particularly behind the hotels, using jigs, swim baits, and crankbaits. On the west side, anglers have done well running plugs off side planers.
Fishing is producing a good number of brown trout along with a few walleye. Remember, the season closes on March 15.
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.
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Sandy Pond
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The main points of ice access for Sandy Pond are: “The Elms,” Wigwam, Greenpoint and the DEC launch at Stanley Drive.
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