Greater Niagara Region
Frank Campbell
The 16th Annual Niagara County Bullhead Tournament is set to begin on Friday, April 10th, kicking off at 5 p.m. and running through to 1 p.m. on Sunday, April 12. Kids 12 and under can register for free. Registration fee for everyone else is $10. Best two bullheads win cash prizes for the adults. Register at the Eastside Market in Olcott. The weigh-in station will be on Sunday only from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Wilson Conservation Club located on Route 425 in Wilson. Some bullheads are being caught as anglers pre-fish for the friendly contest.
In the lower Niagara River, the best conditions have been above the power plants as heavy rains brought some muddy conditions into the upper river and the reservoir through the intakes, coming out heavily stained at the power plant. Mike Ziehm of Niagara Falls has been out a few times in the gorge this week including Monday, when he went three for five on steelhead using white jigs and his homemade No. 4 chartreuse/orange-mix spinners. Ziehm noted that below the power plant there was about 2 feet of visibility. Upriver, the visibility was closer to 5 feet. There could be some ice coming down through the system with the ice boom removal set to take place this week. Alan Raymond with The Wicked Worm in Youngstown reports that there have been some fish caught off the NYPA fishing platform. To make sure the platform is open, call (716) 286-6662. It was closed Tuesday due to the weather. Brown trout are still being caught at Fort Niagara off the docks with copper Little Cleos as one good lure to toss. Boaters are using three-way rigs to get their baits to the bottom, pulling beads, minnows, egg sacs, and MagLips to take some trout.
Capt. Joe Oakes of Salmonboy Sportfishing reports stream runoff has sent a large amount of muddy water into the lake. Fishing continues to be good though if you can find the edge of the dirty water. The best depth was around 15 feet of water on either side of Wilson with stick baits. Catches have been mostly brown trout, with some lake trout, and few king/Coho salmon mixed in. Bruce Kowalski of TAAR Outdoors reports good success in the lake pulling a mix of stick baits and spoons. Browns are cooperating closer to the shoreline and other species are coming from 30 to 50 feet of water.
If you are looking for easy access to some trout fishing for the kids, Hyde Park Lake in Niagara Falls and Oppenheim Park Pond in Wheatfield were both stocked this week (Tuesday). Hyde Park Lake received 1,800 yearling brown trout and 230 two-year-old browns. Oppenheim Park Pond received 210 yearling browns and 120 two-year-old browns.
Finger Lakes and Western New York Fishing Report
Captain Nick Petrou Nick Petrou of Natural Outfitters Guide Service
The yellow perch fishing still remains strong, but with the recent rains we’ve had, it’s been on the slower side with all the dirty water. Dropshots, swimbaits, and blade baits are still producing in the 8-20ft zone wherever you can find cleaner water. Our last few trips we’ve been averaging around a one to two man limit every outing, with some days slower than others.
Lake trout fishing is still solid. 100 – 250 foot depths are still loaded with fish. These fish will be glued to the bottom and varying your retrieve is crucial for bites. Vertical jigging one to three ounce jigheads with three to four inch paddle tail swimbaits has been the best ticket for success. Utilize 2-D sonar to find groups of fish and watch them chase your bait on the way up. Action has varied day by day with all the rain coming in cooling down the water a touch.
I’ve started to probe around for crappies and bluegills in some of the smaller local lakes and it has been a nice mix up from all the perch fishing. Some days you catch a limit, some day it’s just a pick of fish. It’s extremely hit or miss with all the inconsistent weather. Fathead minnows or two inch keitech swing impacts fished under a slip bobber have produced the best results.
On the smaller finger lakes, the bass fishing has picked up. After a charter the other day, I fished for four hours with a mix of jerkbaits, chatterbaits, and shallow crankbaits to boat 46 bass to five pounds. A good mix of smallmouth and largemouth up shallow in less than five feet of water right on the bank. The bass fishing will just get better as the days warm up.
Wayne County Fishing Update
Chris Kenyon
Lake Ontario
If it’s a quiet day, the steelhead and browns can be caught from the Sodus Pier. Watch the weather carefully. You should stay off the pier if it’s icy.
Cast out heavy spoons like Little Cleos, Kastmasters, or Moonshines. Bring a long-handled net.
The wind is relentless. Everyday it blows.
Out in the lake, you can troll close to shore for browns if you have a safe boat.
The Pen Rearing project is ready to “Rock and Roll” for 2026. The 90,000 kings will be coming to Sodus Point April 13th. The fish will be placed in pens behind Krenzer Marine. Stop down and watch the fingerlings leave the hatchery trucks… swimming to a vacation home before being released in Lake Ontario.
Streams
Maxwell has a clear flow, however the small opening to the lake has made it tough for fish to enter the stream. Try Bear Creek or Salmon Creek in Pultneyville.
Bays
Both the south and north ramps at Port Bay are opened. It’s bullhead time and launch at the south end of the bay and stay in 3 fow for bullhead.
You can also catch the tasty fish at Bay Bridge…the south end of Sodus.
The perch in the bays have been in deeper water. Catch them between the islands at Sodus in 40 fow. Use bright 2-inch rubber grubs. Make sure they have a bright orange tail. Perch eyes and fresh spikes have worked at the terminal end.
Erie Canal
The bullhead are also hitting at Widewaters. Fish in shallow, warmer water and the best bait is a worm. Use a “glob” of a nightcrawler, and you’ll catch bullheads.
Any small trib dumping in the canal with warmer water will hold bullheads.
There is an excellent DEC site that lists all the boating launch areas in Wayne County: dec.ny.gov/things-to-do/boating/launch-sites/wayne-county
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. On 1298 Route 104 is Ontario Country Max and 625 E Main St. is Palmyra Country Max.
Orleans County
Orleans County Sportfishing Coordinator Ron Bierstine:
There was more rain and storms through the past weekend for the Oak Orchard area. Flows in the Oak are high consisting of a strong head of turbine water and some overflow water. Water color is dirty with less than a foot of visibility. Wind and cold temps have also returned for this begin part of the week. By mid-week and forward the weather is looking seasonable warm again and just a chance for showers end of the week. Look for diminishing overflow water by mid and end of week with a continued strong head of turbine flows. Water color should continue to improve with visibility around 1 foot or better.
The other area smaller waterways have slightly high and stained flows with about one foot of visibility. Flows should continue to drop and clear this week especially after a cold night tonight.
Fishing pressure all around is real light. As water conditions improve on the Oak ahead there should still be steelhead hook-up chances. Water temp remains cool if not cold so there’s been no high temp spike to have chased fish back to the Lake. Fishing pressure is likely to remain light at the most. Anglers will be able to target spawning or drop back steelhead or those pooled up fish in the overflow pools.
In the other area smaller tribs there should be some dropback steelhead, dropback or fresh run browns and more smallmouth bass action coming on.
Oak Orchard sportfishing stakeholders received 150,000 King salmon and 15,000 steelhead for pen rearing from the NYSDEC on Monday, Apr 6. Fish delivery went well and all the pens are soaking at Ernsts Lake Breeze Marina. Steelhead were slashing at feeding time already this morning! The fish will be fed and cared for over the next few weeks for eventual release. These fish represent just some of the Orleans County salmonid stocking allotment. See photos below.
On the open Lake waters the nearshore waters are harboring some hungry trout and salmon! Small boat trollers have been up against some of the same challenging weather and water conditions that trib guys have been battling. So the days on the water have been less then wanted or the days cut short from building winds. The near-term forecast ahead tho is looking better and more favorable for small boat trolling or casting action. A few bigger charter boats have been out like the Northeastern. Captain Adam says “the water has been muddy/stained off the rivers from heavy rains and constant N or W winds. Catches have included mainly browns, a few cohos or steelhead or lakers. Theres even been a few King bites already. The bites have been from 10 – 25 fow on the edges of the mud or in pockets of colored water. Stickbaits off the planer boards in fluorescent colors, Chinook divers back 8 – 15 ft on #3 setting or downriggers down 5 – 10 ft with spoon colors like can’t afford it, goose n tonic, rosemarys or UV diehard. Lakers are available too around 50 – 80 fow working the bottom or for suspended fish 5 – 15 ft off the bottom as well.”
Oswego County
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Flood waters have finally receded on the Salmon River, and conditions are shaping up for excellent drop-back fishing over the next three weeks. Lake fishing has also been very productive.
Salmon River, Pulaski NY
• Click Here of the 10 day Forecast
Now that the Salmon River has dropped to a manageable level, anglers can take full advantage of the strong spring fishery here in Oswego County. This time of year, fish are typically found congregating below spawning areas, feeding on easy meals drifting downstream.
When targeting these locations, effective bait choices include egg-pattern beads that imitate eggs being flushed from redds. Pink worms are also a reliable option. However, bait presentations can be challenging due to the presence of smolts, which tend to aggressively strike and damage offerings.
For fly anglers, egg patterns remain a consistent and productive choice.
Request a Free Salmon River Fishing Map!
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:
Lake Ontario – Oswego County
Click Here of the 10 day Forecast
Fishing has been very good out of Mexico and Oswego. Boat access remains somewhat limited, with docks installed in Mexico and only a single dock currently available in Oswego, making launching more difficult. However, anglers who are able to get on the water are finding strong action.
Water conditions have been stained due to recent rainfall, making bright-colored baits the most effective. Productive plug colors include Top Secret, Citric Shad, Firetiger, and Hot Steel. For spoons, Mongoose, Killer Mongoose, Ice Frog, and UV NBK have been performing well.
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.
Spey Nation Announced: August 7-9th, 2026
For more info visit the Spey Nation website
Swing The Fly is honored to announce Spey Nation will return August 7th-9th, 2026, to the storied banks of the Salmon River in beautiful Oswego County New York.
This year, we aim to honor the event’s decades-long traditions AND offer a few new and exciting updates.
The presentation schedule for Spey Nation 2026 is still taking shape and will be announced sooner than later, but, as always, the presentations and presentations will be carefully curated to provide a wide range of useful information for attendees to become better casters and better anglers.
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.
Click Here to Order Free Information, or email tourism@oswegocountyny.gov