Greater Niagara Region
Frank Campbell
Capt. Rob Westcott and his Legacy team had a banner week after they started with a win in the Don Johannes Memorial 3-Fish contest with a total of 94.94 pounds of salmon while fishing out of Olcott to the east past the old power plant. Fishing the same general area, roughly 100 to 225 feet of water, targeting fish 50 to 75 feet down, they won their first-ever Lake Ontario Pro-Am Salmon Team Tournament on Friday and Sunday with 478.57 points (Saturday was a bad weather day) and a prize package of over $30,000. It was a compete meat program targeting salmon that did the trick. Second place was Oh Baby led by Matt LeClair of Plattsburgh with 466.35 points and third was Royal Flush led by Bob Schneider of Massachusetts with 430.65 points based on 10 points per fish and a point per pound. Both teams used a meat program to target king salmon. There were 31 pros in the division and scoring was based on the first 12 legal fish.
Top Amateur team was Salmontation-Warship led by Jason Moser of Mt. Carmel, Pa. with a score of 239.81 points. They were fishing east of the old power plant in 70 to 200 feet of water, 60 to 80 feet down using A-Tom-Mik meat rigs and A-Tom-Mik meat. They won about $5,000 in cash and prizes. Second place was Always Something led by Tim Skrip with 229.82 points. Third place was Seriously Hooked led by David Hartman of Barker, last year’s amateur winner, with 219.04 points. There were 20 teams among the amateurs, and scoring was based on their first five legal fish.
This is a transition time for fishing on the lake. Locating fish is usually easier than getting them to bite. Pay attention to details like depths, trolling direction, temperatures, speed, if there is bait in the area.
The lower Niagara River is experiencing the first signs of moss and it’s starting to affect presentations. However, it shouldn’t detour fishing as a variety of fish are still being caught. Bass are bedding heavily now in the shallows and should be immediately released if caught. The best opportunity for bass is targeting the drop offs adjacent to spawning flats with Ned rigs or drop shots as the fish located in these areas are pre-spawn or post spawn and still actively feeding. The regular bass season opens on June 15.
A few steelhead are still being taken in the Devil’s Hole area and around drop offs at the end of drifts with MagLips in silver and green being the top producing colors. Alan Raymond with The Wicked Worm in Youngstown reports numerous bass being caught along the shoreline. Some dropback steelhead are still being caught in Devil’s Hole. Not much for walleye yet but look for that to change when the moss starts to dissipate. Upper river action for bass and walleye has been good as well. Raymond reports that there are numerous bass, bowfin and carp in the tributaries along Niagara County, too.
Wayne County Fishing Update
Chris Kenyon
Lake Ontario
2026 LOC DERBY DATES
*Summer-June 27th-July 26th
*Fall-Aug 21st-Sept 7th
Sodus PRO-AM
Main Event: July 18 – 19
1K a Day July 15 – 19
Big Fish Friday July -17
Yesterday was a fill the box day. Kings, browns, cohos, and lakers were the catches. Today the wind changes pushed the fish out in 200 fow. It has been a struggle; however, the charters are still keeping their clients happy.
Straight out from Sodus in the deeper water the catch was kings, lakers, and cohos. Yesterday 90 to 140 and today over 200 fow. Stinger spoons have been the favorite lure.
Bays
According to the IJC (International Joint Commission) the high water will peak this week. While fishing the Wayne County bays be considerate of shoreline property.
The Sodus Bay expert…Don Davenport… reports the perch are still scattered, rock bass are hitting, while the pike do not like the 60- degree water temps.
Port Bay still has some nice perch in the bay. Usually, they swim to the lake this time of year, however the shad populations in the bay are keeping them where the food is located.
Use small pieces of worm and fish the drop-offs in the bay.
Bluegills are also hitting in Port Bay.
With the high water the south DEC ramp is an excellent place to launch.
The bass season starts June 15th. The regs for keeping bass are 12inches 5 fish. Sodus and Port Bays have both small and largemouth bass.
Erie Canal
Widewaters is a perfect place to launch your kayak or small boat. Currently, the crappies are hitting neat the Port Gibson Bridge. Use small bright jigs and suspend your bait in the water column.
The fishing at Palmyra Aqueduct Park has been great with bluegills the favorite catch. Next week is the bass opener and you can catch them at this park, which is off Route 31.
The Erie Canal is now open and will close on October 14th.
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:
Somebody at Point Breeze said to me the other day that it was windy. I said yes, that’s why they call it Point Breeze! But seriously the winds of change are afoot that move water and temp around and therefore fish. Over the past weekend there were heavy west winds and then yesterday, Monday, there were some east winds. Today, Tue, the winds are nearly calm and water is likely moving back trying to stabilize. The forecast ahead for the week is for warming temps and a fair amount of unsettled weather with chance of rain or storms off and on.
Boaters and patrons at Orleans County Marine Park/Point Breeze and at Oak Orchard Marine State Park will notice the newly cleared east and west piers at the Oak Orchard Rivermouth. Thanks to the USACE and their contractor for getting that work done and how good it looks. It means easier access for all now!
This weekend upcoming on June 13 and 14 is the Orleans County Pro/Am. You can register at Ernst’s lake Breeze Marina or Route 18 Tackle. Or check out FB for more info and the first leg of the King of the Oak (KOTO) on Friday, June 12. Come get in on the fun and bragging rights and see if you can stack up against the usual tourney and Oak talent!
Today, Tue, there were some down currents out there that might have indicated water and temp was moving around. One experienced small boat troller in an early AM few hour troll found good water temps just east in 80 plus fow. But it was not an exciting sonar picture except for a few pods of bait with not many fish marked. So at least in the early hours out east it was a tough bite.
Otherwise Capt. Jerry S. of Rod Bender Charters reports “salmon and trout holding between 50 – 90 fow with a good spoon and meat rig bite. Carbon 14 and geyser and Mongolian beef have been hot spoon colors. The inside water had started to warm up but the wind and rain might cool it down by this weekend.”
Capt Bob S. from Sunrise II Charters has been fishing west of port in 80 – 180 fow at 40 – 90 ft down on the riggers for a spoon bite. Diver rods and spinners have produced some bites for us too.”