Greater Niagara Region
Frank Campbell
Welcome to the Association of Great Lakes Outdoor Writers as they celebrate its 70th Anniversary with a conference on the lower Niagara River in Lewiston this week. The focus is outdoors in Niagara Falls USA and they are taking advantage of the long list of story opportunities that are available here.
The Lower Niagara River continues to offer anglers a wide variety of fish species to target. At the top of the list is king salmon and it’s been good to very good this past week for both shore anglers and those drifting from boats. Carter Andrews was in town this past week filming for his new show “Gone Again” which will debut on The Outdoor Channel in 2027. A few salmon were caught, and it did make for a great fight on film. He was throwing Yo-Zuri stick baits to catch his fish. The crew was also able to target some nice bass on similar Yo-Zuri baits.
Back up the river, drifters presenting treated egg skein fished off three-way rigs have been having the most success, while shore bound anglers have reported salmon on spinners, spoons, crank baits, and skein under a float. Top areas are from Artpark up into the Whirlpool. Please use caution while fishing from the bank as the rocks are slippery and conditions change quickly in the Niagara Gorge. Bass and walleye anglers are also having success throughout the river system on a variety of baits. For bass, shiners are leading the way for consistent action. However, good numbers have fish are still being caught on plastics presented on a drop shot set-up, along with jerk baits and swim baits. Best colors are those which imitate an emerald shiner as good numbers of those baitfish have shown up in the river. Walleye fisherman have utilized traditional methods such as three-way rigs with worm harnesses and jigging spoons. There are also some reports of perch being taken with live minnows in the historical perch areas such as the sand docks in Lewiston and Peggy’s Eddy near Joseph Davis State Park.
There are still a few charter boats fishing the lake, but weather has been the biggest issue. Head to the deeper, more stable water for a mix of salmon and trout. Capt. Mike Johannes of On the Rocks Charters found a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow on Tuesday off Wilson in 200 feet of water using spoons to help catch 7 nice steelhead for AGLOW media members in the top 60 feet of water.
In Olcott at 18 Mile Creek, Karen Evarts at The Boat Doctors and Tackle Barn reports salmon and trout are being caught off the piers and at Burt Dam. Orange and chartreuse beads, egg sacs, and black/white jigs are all working. Drifting egg skein under a float is working in the main creek. Off the piers, J13 Rapalas and Little Cleo spoons have been hot. Congratulations to 9-year-old Clayton Waldorf of North Tonawanda. He caught his first salmon ever by casting a J13 Rapala off the Wilson Pier this past weekend.
Wayne County Fishing Update
Chris Kenyon
Lake Ontario
The wind has settled down for Columbus Day and some of the smaller boats are catching browns trolling near Hughes’ Marina. Spoons and some bright stickbaits are working. Keep an eye on the weather. Ontario can become nasty with our gusty winds.
Streams
Maxwell didn’t have any flow yesterday; however last night’s precipitation of ¼ inch might start something moving. More rain is coming tomorrow. We need more than an inch.
Pier Fishing is working at the Sodus Pier. If you have a good 10-foot pole, cast out heavy bright red and silver spoons. Stay safe on the pier and make sure you have your long-handled net. In the channel you’ll catch browns, late staged kings, and steelhead.
Bays
Largemouth bass are being caught at Sodus Bay with swim baits, Senko worm rigs, and spinnerbaits… close to the weed beds and docks and between the islands at the north end.
The perch are scattered and the larger schools are in deeper water. Use minnows.
The Port Bay perch are also scattered and because of all the shad in the bay you should use live minnows.
You can also use your 2-inch white grubs with a chartreuse tail. Put 4 spikes on the hook.
Dock removal dates for Port Bay are usually right after Columbus Day. Without the docks be extra cautious of slippery ramps.
Erie Canal
Sections of the canal will be drained for the season after the closing. Widewaters is never drained and you can launch your boat at the county park west of Newark on Route 31.
Currently, they are catching all kinds of panfish. Bluegills and sunnies from the trail on the north side of the canal.
With your boat you can catch Largemouth bass from Widewaters fishing west under the Port Gibson Bridge. Bass season closes November 30 for keepers and is open for catch and release from December 1st until June 14th.
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:
Lately the area has been getting a little break from all the rains at the end of summer and the beginning of the fall. The hurricane remnants didn’t account for much precip and today’s weather so far has only been passing showers. Warm temps today with a good forecast thru the rest of the week and chance of a cool down for the weekend. That cool down could really fire up some new salmon and trout migrations in the Oak and other area smaller waterways.
Myah is ready for a big brown now! Pic courtesy Branden S. NYSLOG
By usual fall lower water standards, water flows all around are real nice. The Oak has continued slightly high flows with slightly stained viz. Upstream supplies are strong but without any new significant precip flows could drop back toward med in the near future. Due in large part to the Erie Canal Fall Fishing Program and enhanced water flows the smaller tribs like Johnson and Sandy are doing good with mod to med flows. Flows all around, especially as they may continue to cool down with future colder temps, are enough to encourage fresh fish migrations. Oak, especially – has enough water cover to help handle increased angler pressure and keep fish from getting too spooked. Less spooked fish means better biting fish!
for angry king bites! Pic courtesy Zeppfan
There’s good to strong numbers of Kings in the Oak especially nearer the dam and immediatley downstream. Most all are green or fresher and in good shape. Skein, sacks and beads have been the most successful on float drifts. Downstream towards the Archers, fly anglers are getting into brown trout action on dark nymphs or more egg patterns or beads. Fishing pressure had picked up over the past holiday weekend but should ease again some thru this mid week period. In Sandy it’s lately reported that pods of Kings have rolled in and some browns are trickling in. With a big push of salmon its most likely more browns or Atlantics will not be far behind. Other anglers are reporting more Kings on the move in Johnson too.
Lots of good fishing ahead for the fall trib season with the chances at Kings, browns, steelhead, Atlantics or cohos. Then we still have the later fall and winter and spring for more steelhead and brown trout action!
Oswego County
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Fishing remains great in Oswego County. The kings are moving, and the trout are close behind.
Salmon River, Pulaski NY
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The river is chock-full of kings! However, with each passing day, more fish are moving toward their spawning grounds and out of the holes.
There are still plenty of fish on the move and in the holes, but the mass migration toward the spawning grounds has begun. Be careful where you walk and avoid disturbing the nests. Our future runs depend on it!
Egg imitations have been the choice for most anglers. Whether you’re using a bead, a fly, or a rubber egg, just make sure it looks like an egg and you’ll do fine.
Oswego River Report
Click Here of the 10 day Forecast
Salmon are at the dam in good numbers, and trout can be found downstream of the kings.
Anglers are also having good success from both the high and low walls. On the high wall, the most effective techniques have mostly been floating, skiing, beads, or jigs. The low wall has seen better success with casting deep-diving plugs.
REMINDER! The brown trout limit on the river is 1. The limit is 3 fish in combination, but only one brown trout and one steelhead/rainbow may be included in that total of 3.
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.
Cormorant Reporting
Courtesy of NYS Sea Grant
New York Sea Grant announces new survey tool to track birds’ populations and impact
In August, New York Sea Grant, a collaborative program of Cornell University and the State University of New York.
Read more about the project here
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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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