Pictured Above: Sen. Thomas O’Mara with his 15 year old son, Thomas, fishing out of Olcott.
Greater Niagara Region
Bill Hilts, Jr.
Lake Ontario And Tributaries
Capt. Tim Sylvester of North Tonawanda sends word he had a good trip Tuesday with local anglers Lee Bolsover, Mike Hanowski , Mark Clark , Eric Thursom and Ryan Gebphart all from North Tonawanda. Ryan had just landed a 21 pound king off the port rigger 55 feet down using a mag NBK spoon when they put out a 300 foot copper. We were fishing the top 60 feet of water in 300-400 feet of water west of Olcott with a brown on black spoon when it tore out of the release. Clark grabbed the rod, his first time fishing Lake Ontario. It took 25 minutes to get it into the boat – a 31 pound king. Of course, they would be leading the Orleans County Fishing Derby has they been entered. They ended up with a nice mix of kings and steelhead, boating 9 fish for the morning trip. Wednesday, it was Capt. Bob Cinelli of Newfane hosting Senators Rob Ortt and Thomas O’Mara, as well as O’Mara’s son Thomas – showing off Fish are spread out right now after the recent blow and they picked salmon and trout from 5 miles out to 13 miles out using all spoons – a mix of wonderbread, spooks and some silver Silver Streaks with a green stripe through it. None were out of the package as they were all doctored up to a personal preference. They were fishing the top 65 feet of water using downriggers and copper lines from 200 to 350 feet back. Mostly steelhead were caught. The other option for anglers was inside of 160 feet of water for mature kings, Capt. Vince Pierleoni of Newfane was targeting big fish early in the morning and they did turn a nice 28 pounder using flasher and cut bait. They were not in the Orleans County derby either. After getting blown off a tournament at the eastern end of the lake, Capt. Pete Alex and Vision Quest launched at Wilson (another advantage being west) and fished from noon until 6 pm on Sunday. They took 21 bites landing a nice bunch of kings and steelhead straight north of Wilson. They worked the suspended bait pods and targeted 50-75 down range. Hot spoons were DW Carmel dolphin, Martell (rocked), and Get R dun. They did have some meat mixed in. Kings were a mixed class with biggest about 22 pounds. The Fall Lake Ontario Counties Trout and Salmon Derby will be held August 19 to September 5. A $25,000 check is up for grabs for the largest salmon caught. Check out loc.org for details. On August 19, Reelin’ for a Cure is a team ladies fishing event with proceeds going for cancer. Contact Stephanie Pierleoni at 481-6388 for details.
Lower Niagara River
Walleye action is finally starting to pick up a bit according to Capt. Arnie Jonathan of Lockport. He managed to catch a few fish last Sunday during the Independent Living Bass Contest. He was fishing with Doug Usiak and Jeff Riefensnyder. Worm harnesses fished off three way rigs at Stella worked best. The winner had five walleye registered. Some bass were caught, too, but bass fishing continues to be tough though. August 20th kicks off the 40th Annual Greater Niagara Fish Odyssey Derby for Niagara, Erie and Orleans counties. Six species categories and kids 15 and under fish for free. All the prizes have been increased for this landmark competition honoring the late Jeremiah Heffernan, a charter captain from North Tonawanda who passed away last fall. The Odyssey runs until August 28th. Check out fishodyssey.net for details. The Niagara River Anglers Assn. will be hosting its annual walleye contest on the lower Niagara River August 21st to help round out the month of action. This is a change from the original announcement. Go to www.niagarariveranglers.com or stop in at Creek Road Bait and Tackle.
Upper Niagara River
Bass fishing continues to be decent around the upper river. Live bait like crayfish and shiners are your best bet. Canadian waters have been the most productive in the west section of river and around Strawberry Island. If you do go into Canadian waters, make sure you call in to Canada Border Services and make sure you know what bait is allowed. Attention all you kids out there: The 3rd Annual Free “End of Summer” Kids fishing contest will be held at Wide Waters Marina, Lockport on the Erie Canal Saturday, August 13 from 10 am to 2 pm. Get out there and have some fun!
Oswego County
Mary Ellen Barbeau
Lake Ontario report
According to Capt. Troy Creasy of High Adventure Sportfishing Charters:
Tuesday we saw plenty of good marks but just could not get the kings to play. So we changed the plan and went to catch some browns. Every once in a while you make the right choice. The king bite will come soon enough.
Oswego River Report
Although the water level has varied a little over the last couple of days this morning it is again running at 999 cfs. Anglers are finding a few walleye and smallmouth bass. Stickbaits, cut bait and nightcrawlers are working well. There is no salmon activity as yet.
The bridge to Leto Island is closed, and there are Mandatory Personal Flotation Device (PFD) zones on the Oswego River below the Varick Dam. For more information, view the Oswego County Tourism web site at www.visitoswegocounty.com and look for the fishing report along the top bar on the home page. The Oswego Fire Department offers loaner life jackets at no charge through its “Loaner For Life” program. For more information contact the fire station, 35 E. Cayuga St., at 315-343-2161.
Pulaski Area/Salmon River Report
The wind was an issue over the weekend with anglers unable to get on the water. Conditions have settled down and the wind is not predicted to be very strong over the next few days. There is some rain and possible thunderstorms in the forecast so use caution. Anglers are reporting the bite has been slow but a few salmon have been reported in the area.
Salmon River report
According to the Douglaston Salmon Run:
A few showers came in yesterday morning bringing much needed rain! We had a few anglers go out on the river catching a few smallmouth bass. No salmon activity reported. The water temperature is 70 degrees and flows remain 185 cfs at the dam and 205 cfs at Pineville.
Oneida Lake Report
As the lake settled down after the weekend blow, walleye fishing remains spotty. Anglers are taking a few in 20-30 feet of water with blade baits and stickbaits. Smallmouth bass are responding to drop-shot rigs and crayfish around the shoals.
Sandy Pond report
According to Dave Wood of Woody’s Tackle:
The pond is heavily weeded with little fishing taking place.
Wayne County Fishing Update
Chris Kenyon
Lake Ontario
Another weekend of blowing winds put a damper on the trout and salmon fishing. The fish were there, however it’s tough to catch them with 6 to 8 footers bouncing you around.
Currently, the kings are roaming waters @ 120 to 200 FOW. They have been down 90 to115 feet and are hitting spoons and cut bait.
They were straight out from Sodus and west to Hughes’ Marina. The kings are coming off the riggers and divers. Lakers have been on the bottom in 200 FOW and caught using cowbells and peanuts.
Bays
The bay water has been hitting 75 to 80 degree temps on the surface, which means some nice fighting bass. They are hitting near the weedlines which are everywhere. Use spinner baits or Zoom Bait. You can also catch largemouths using rubber or plastic worms.
The ramp at the south end of Port Bay is closed for one week as DEC fixes the road to the bay. Use the north end ramp for Port Bay, although be careful…it’s not a smooth ride. It’s super bumpy.
Sodus Bay has the usual action…largemouths, panfish, perch and some walleye. There are plenty of launch sites on both sides of Sodus Bay.
Check out the rest of the Wayne County Tourism web page for the locations and hours of local bait and tackle shops. waynecountytourism.com.
We have a brand new Wayne County Fishing Brochure. This publication features where to go, what to use, and what to catch. Call our office for a free fishing packet, including the new brochure. 1-800-527-6510. We also have a new publication on Great Lakes fishing.
Erie Canal
The bass have been hitting in the canal…everywhere, from Clyde to Palmyra. Also, the canal is a perfect waterway to fish from a kayak or canoe.
Orleans County
Orleans County Tourism
The Storms of earlier this week has the lake and the fish all mixed up again.
You can find fish anywhere from 60 feet of water all the way out to the 32 line, the trick is getting them to bite.
Add to that the fact that today is one of those calm hot days, making things a little more uncomfortable.
These are the conditions that could settle the lake back out again and really turn the fishing on.
Even as adverse as conditions are right now, there are still some great fish being entered into the Orleans County Rotary Club Derby which runs through August 21st this year.
Fishing on Lake Alice has also slowed for all of the species including Carp.
Fishermen are still catching some Bluegill, Crappie and Perch from the bridges and the bass are still fairly active.
Just a reminder that the 40th Annual Fish Odyssey runs from August 20th to the 28th and the Fall LOC Derby runs from August 19th through September 5th this year.
Salmon River
Michael De Rosa – Zero Limit Adventures – Tailwater Lodge
Have had periods of hard rain on the Tug Hill last night. Checked some small tributaries this morning and there was no appreciable flow increase. With the dry summer conditionsall the rain was quickly absorbed. There is a forecast for much needed rain this weekend through next Tuesday.
Water flow has remained at 185 cfs, the minimum flow for this season, and any increase is dependent of future rains. There are still Smallmouth Bass throughout the river but the larger bass have worked their way back to Lake Ontario. There are continues to be good evening hatches and there are numbers of parr steelhead and landlock salmon working back to the lake.
Both Upper and Lower Reservoirs, as well as the Upper Fly Zone, are experiencing very little pressure.
DEC meeting this evening with the Lake Captains and River Guides with the topics centering on the status Lake Ontario’s forage base and future Chinook Salmon stocking. With have the highlights of this meeting in next weeks report.