Greater Niagara Region
Frank Campbell
The LOC Derby kicked off with an early Grand Prize leader out of Olcott when Scott Schneegas of Mohawk, NY reeled in a 23-pound, 11-ounce salmon. Top brown trout is out of Olcott, a 12-pound, 13-ounce fish reeled in by Charlie Bruning of Gasport. Olcott also has the leading steelhead so far, an 11-pound, 7-ounce fish weighed in by Billie Oxenrider of Spring Glen, PA. Leading Lake trout so far is a 20-pound, 10-ounce fish hauled in by Jan Chybinski of Mexico, NY while fishing near Henderson Harbor.
Capt. Roy Letcher of Dirty Goose Sportfishing reports that the water has turned cold out of Olcott in the last few days and fishing has slowed. However, this southwest wind coming should help set the lake back up again. Best depths for him have been 100 to 300 feet of water, putting flasher/flies and meat rigs around the bait pods and marks on the screen for locating fish. Spoons are still working for steelhead and the occasional brown trout.
According to Capt. Matt Yablonsky of Wet Net Charters, the east wind over the weekend stirred the lake up a bit and spread the fish out. The bite is anywhere from 70 to 400 feet of water now. Spoons, meat rigs and flasher/flies are all working. Kings, coho salmon, steelhead and an occasional laker are all being caught. His suggestion for right now is don’t be species specific. Put a spread out throughout the whole water column and take what the lake gives you.
The moss in the lower Niagara River has been less of a factor this past week, although it’s still present. Smallmouth bass are the number one target with fish available throughout the entire river system. Top baits have been tube jigs, dropshots, and spinnerbaits for artificial presentations while crawfish and golden shiners presented on 3-way rigs are steady producers for live bait enthusiasts. Walleyes are being caught on worm harnesses and jigs but the best action should start up soon targeting the traditional drifts like Stella, Queenston, and the Niagara Bar. The upper Niagara River (above Niagara Falls) is producing some nice bass in both the west and east branches. Target current breaks such as around docks and rocks with spinnerbaits, swimbaits, and drop-shotting worms. Live bait such as crawfish are also working, presented on a dropshot or three-way rig.
Last Saturday was a double hit of youthful fishing events. About 60 young anglers enjoyed a day of fishing last Saturday at Town of Niagara’s Veterans Park catching bluegill and largemouth bass while enjoying a beautiful day outdoors. The leading bass was caught by Jack Filosofos of GJ Mann Elementary School with a 13-inch beauty. In Olcott, over 150 kids turned out for the Hooks for Harry contest and the highlight was the handing out of 8 lifetime licenses to the lucky kids from the generous folks at The Boat Doctors and Tackle Barn, Jim and Karen Evarts. Thank you! Vic Thibault and his crew of merry fishing elves kept the memory of young Harry Hazlett alive in Olcott by running a first class youth derby. Nice show!
Wayne County Fishing Update
Chris Kenyon
2026 LOC DERBY DATES
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
Wayne County Youth Fishing Derby
The Wayne County Federation of Sportsman’s Clubs is presenting the Annual Wayne County Youth Fishing Derby which started on June 15th and will continue until July 31st. This summer fun outdoor event is celebrating its 29th year, inspiring youngsters to enjoy the sport of catching fish.
- Ages 4-16
- Registration only $5.00
- Derby Dates June 15th-July 31st, 2026
- August 9th 12-3 Sodus Point Fire Hall the Wolcott McDonald’s Award Ceremony
- Register Online at youthderby.com
Lake Ontario
The LOC Derby has a leaderboard if you want to know how large the kings are being netted. The link is above.
Kings are hitting in 200 fow of water and the browns are still being caught closer to shore in 20 to 30 fow. There has been lots of bait, so it hasn’t been an easy time for charters. Spoons, meat rigs, and flasher flies have been the dominate presentation. The browns have been caught with UV Stingers.
If you want to fish a contest in Wayne County, the Sodus Pro-Am is coming the 18th and 19th of July. Check out their new web page. It’s impressive! The link is above.
Bays
It’s bass time in Sodus Bay. The anglers have been fishing the weeds, the docks, and the waters between the islands at the north of the bay.
Senko rigs are still the favorite or use topwater lures. Berkley has a great selection.
The Port Bay perch are still eating the shad which has kept them in the bay, instead of looking for food in the lake. Bluegills have been in the mix. Fish the points that jut out in the bay. You can also cast out near the channel for some smallmouths.
With the water still high, launch your boat at the southern DEC site. If you are a kayak angler there is a launch site for you craft at the northern DEC ramp.
Erie Canal
The bass are hitting at the Pal-Mac Aqueduct Park in Palmyra. Widewaters is another great Wayne County Park where the bass are very large. The Erie Canal has bass, crappies, sunfish, bluegills, and pike.
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:
It was bound to happen sooner or later that some true summer weather would come on after the wet and cool spring that we had. And this week’s temps are expected to be in the upper 80’s or around 90 F with matching high humidity. Chance of passing storms with greatest chance of rains toward the end of the week. For now, some of the cool, fishy water has been not far offshore of Point Breeze. Will the latest heat wave or winds or upcoming storms change that pattern? Stay tuned and send those down probes down to find out!
Capt. Jonathan R. from Tomahawk Charters says the fishing is on and off right now. “Some boats are catching more then others but on average most boats are netting 5 – 7 fish. Some Charters are still getting their limits. Salmon are stacked in 80 – 140 fow east and west of port. The bite seems to be transitioning over to a flasher/fly and meat bite vs the full out spoon bite we had all spring.”
A few rec trollers have said that they are marking some bait as close as 30 fow with most other bait clouds around the 80+ fow range. Some of the bait marks have good hooks nearby and others do not. Some rec boats are headed off shore looking for that consistent deeper water pattern, while some are hitting the 150 fow range. One rec boat recently found their best bite down 65 – 86 ft with meat rigs.
CJO of Tightlines Charters is happy with the way Orleans County waters are setting up. “We’ve hit some gorgeous browns in 50 – 60 fow from the Little Flats to Devils Nose. Kings are scattered on alewife piles in 120 to 250 fow. Salmon are hitting spoons, cut bait and flies 50 – 100 ft down on the riggers. A few coho and steelhead are up at 35 – 50 ft on dipseys. Be careful out there this week with the extreme heat and PM thunderstorms!”
Oswego County
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Lake Ontario – Oswego County
Click Here for the 10 day Forecast
Out of Oswego, most anglers have been targeting salmon, while brown trout have remained plentiful in 40 to 70 feet of water.
King salmon have been holding deeper, anywhere from 120 to 700 feet of water, depending on where the active fish are. Once you find an active group, stay in that range. Some days the best bite has been in 150 to 200 feet of water, other days it’s 200 to 300 feet, and some days it’s as deep as 500 to 700 feet.
The meat bite has been excellent when the fish are holding below 70 feet. When they’re above 70 feet, spoons have been the better choice. Earlier in the week, the bite was deep, with fish holding more than 80 feet down in the water column. As of this writing, however, the top 60 feet has been the most productive. The best presentation really depends on where the fish are holding.
Lake Ontario – Mexico
Click Here for the 10 day Forecast
The brown trout bite remains great in the bay and should only improve as warmer water helps condense them into a smaller band. The most consistent action has been in 40 to 80 feet of water from Catfish Creek to Nine Mile Point.
Long lead cores, short coppers, and divers will help add to the catch, but cheaters on rigger setups continue to be especially effective for brown trout.
The big lake trout have finally migrated to their summer holds. If you’re looking for a wall-hanger laker, head north and deploy the cowbells!
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Contact the Oswego County Tourism Department:
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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