Greater Niagara Region
Bill Hilts, Jr.
Lake Ontario
The hottest action out deep had been for steelhead off Wilson and Olcott. Boats have been heading out to 400-500 feet of water for salmon and trout, but mosts of the fish have been nice steelhead taken on spoons. Flasher-fly will work for trout but if there are kings and cohos around, those seem to be the best baits to use. The DW 42nd spoon keeps popping up for one popular bait; for spinnies, white on white, white 2 face, and chrome green dot flashers with stud fly, purple or lime mirage fly have worked best, but other colors are working, too. A few salmon have started to make it in closer to shore, but the best and most consistent fishing has been out deep. The Niagara Bar is producing some nice fish, as well. John Van Hoff of North Tonawanda was out last weekend and did well with flasher-fly 90 feet down over 100 feet of water right at the drop off. He caught a dozen nice kings to 25 pounds. Out of Wilson, Capt. Mike Johannes has been reporting fish about 8 miles out, but fish are also available in the 100 to 200 foot depth range. Spoons and flasher-fly, what’s been working elsewhere, has been the hot bite. Meat will also work for kings as we move closer to the time when salmon will be making their way in to the ports they were stocked at.
The Orleans County Rotary Derby has been plugging along slowly the past week. Mike Schaeffer of Sligo, Pa. is leading the grand prize quest with a 28 pound, 6 ounce salmon out of the Oak. In the Salmon Division, Chase Lamb of Burt is in first place with an Olcott king that weighed 23 pounds, 15 ounces. The contest runs through August 20th, which helps set up for one of the busiest weekends of the year as far as the fishing scene is concerned. First, the Fall Lake Ontario Counties Trout and Salmon Derby kicks off on August 18 and runs through Labor Day. Also on August 18, the Second Annual Reelin’ for a Cure will be held out of Wilson and Olcott from 6 a.m. to noon. This all-ladies event will be raising funds for the Breast Cancer Network of WNY. Last year there were 12 teams. This year it looks like it has more than doubled! They need boats – charter boats and rec boats – to make it all happen. It’s a fun time for sure. Contact Stephanie Pierleoni at 481-6388 for more information or go on the event’s Facebook page. The final contest that starts up next weekend is the Greater Niagara Fish Odyssey Derby, set for August 19th to the 27th. Six species categories for the adults and a Grand Prize of $3,000. For the kids, it’s free to enter with loads of merchandise prizes and trophies. Sign up at any of the LOC weigh stations or at fishodyssey.net. This is for Niagara, Orleans and Erie counties. Many thanks to Jim and Karen Evarts at The Boat Doctors in Olcott who do a lion’s share of the work behind the scenes, such as the website and the leaderboard. This is a great way to get the whole family out to enjoy the waters of Western New York.
Lower Niagara River
Niagara River action, both above and below Niagara Falls, has been dominated by bass, but the walleye fishing can be pretty good, too. Bass are liking crayfish and shiners, in that order. Walleye are liking worm harnesses and other spinner-worm combinations. Yellow sally rigs are a local favorite in the lower river. Mike Fox of Lewiston led one lucky fisherman into catching the biggest bass in the Independent Living bass contest last Sunday, a 5.5 pound smallmouth that hit a crayfish on the Stella Drift, right in front of his house! Captain Ernie Calandrelli of Lewiston also hit the top walleye on the same drift, using the same bait as Fox – a softshell crab.
Oswego County
Mary Ellen Barbeau
Lake Ontario report:
According to Capt. Ed Monette of Cannonball Runner Charters:
Fishing continues to be very good on Lake Ontario. The targeted water depth is spread out with action in anywhere from 150-650 feet of water. Check for water temperature and you will likely find fish. Meat and A-tom-mik flies are getting the job done.
According to Capt. Troy Creasy of High Adventure Sportfishing Charters:
We lost last weekend to some real strong wind so when we headed out earlier this week we weren’t sure where we would find temperature. It was way, way down but it didn’t matter we landed a number of fish.
Oswego River Report
The water flow has dropped measurably over the last few days running at 2,900cfs this morning. It has not been this low in a very long time and of course can change at any time so please keep an eye on the water level. Areas all along the river are fishable. Crayfish or tube jigs are taking smallmouth bass and sheepshead are responding to crayfish.
Notice: The bridge to Leto Island is closed, and there are mandatory personal flotation device (PFD) zones on the river. For more information, visit our website at visitoswegocounty.com and click on the Fishing Report along the top bar on the home page.
Pulaski Area and Salmon River report:
According to Dave Wood of Woody’s Tackle:
After the hard blow we had last weekend, conditions are settling down once again. The high winds scramble the water and make fishing a bit more difficult for a couple of days. One charter reported doing well this morning in 300 feet of water off Nine Mile Point using 150 feet of cable. Spoons, flasher and flies and cut bait continue to be working well. Look for perch along the shore in Mexico Bay and bass in about 20 feet of water.
According to the Douglaston Salmon Run:
We had a few anglers fish the run yesterday but had not returned from the water by late afternoon. I visited the river briefly in the afternoon and spoke with one angler and neither of us saw any activity. Monday there were reports of smallmouth bass from 10” to 16” being caught. There have been some unsubstantiated rumors for the past two weeks of some early kings being caught within the pools in the Village of Pulaski. One of our guides and a River Patrol member scouted Joss Hole on Tuesday and sighted two chinook of average size. So there are a few early salmon in the river.
Notice: The Salmon River Fish Hatchery building continues to be closed due to construction. The grounds, including picnic area and fish ladder, are still open dawn to dusk. You can reach the hatchery at 315-298-5051, Monday through Friday 8:30 AM to 3:30 PM.
Oneida Lake Report:
Conditions are the same on the lake. Fishing is getting tougher with the heavy algal bloom. Largemouth bass often move into shallow water under these conditions. Walleye can be found in deep water trolling worm harnesses or blade baits or along the shore near weed beds.
Sandy Pond report:
According to Dave Wood of Woody’s Tackle:
Conditions have improved somewhat on the pond. Access is still a bit difficult in places but can be done at various marinas around the pond and the DEC boat launch has reopened. Persistent anglers will likely find some Northern pike, walleye and bass.
Wayne County Fishing Update
Chris Kenyon
Lake Ontario
Spoons and cut bait are working for the kings. The strong blow from Saturday pushed the temp breaks down to 135 feet, so you’ll need to get that deep.
Cut bait has started to work better than spoons. If you do go with the spoons bright glow colors are working.
Start in 100 fow and troll out to 400 feet using riggers, divers and copper. The mix bag last week was steelhead, kings and lakers, with some of the salmon hitting 25 pounds.
Don’t forget the LOC Fall Derby which starts August 18th and ends on Labor Day, September 4th.
Bays
The perch are still biting near the channel at Sodus Bay. Use any color small jig tipped with a spike.
Bass fishing in all the bays in the county has been excellent. The only issues are still the high water, however there are enough places to launch.
The largemouths are hitting rubber with drop-shots or spinner baits casting near the weedlines. There has also been pike hitting minnows on the north-east side of Sodus Bay.
The no wake conditions remain on all Wayne County bays, so that will make getting to your preferred location very difficult.
It sounds like a broken record however, the speed on the bays is still idle. It’s a Wayne County Emergency condition.
Check out the rest of the Wayne County Tourism web page for the locations and hours of local bait and tackle shops. waynecountytourism.com.
Erie Canal
Extra-large bass are coming from the canal waters. These are in five-pound class. They are hitting top water bait usually from the south side of the canal where the weeds are growing.
The cat fish bite is strong near Palmyra. Anglers are throwing doughballs and cut bait out into the slower moving current.
Orleans County
Orleans County Tourism
I’m not sure that I would like the “dog Days of summer” but a little less rain and some warmer days would be nice.
It’s a good thing that the fish don’t know how much rain we are getting, and have been getting all summer.
With that being said, fishing has been very good to excellent when you can get out on Lake Ontario.
There have been a few days when the lake kicked up to the point where it went past uncomfortable to be out there but then that seems to happen every year.
Off shore fishing has been as good as it gets with a good mixture of both salmon and steelhead anywhere from the 28 to 31 lines east, west and straight out front.
Most fish are being taken in the top 100 feet of water and are being caught by a multitude of bait patterns.
Trolling speeds seem to dictate what types of bait are going to be more productive, but then isn’t that always the case.
I haven’t had any reports from the inside waters but I would guess that if you worked at it, there are fish to be had there.
The Orleans County Rotary Derby got off to a slow start due to the weather but is now in full swing with some great entries already on the leader board.
This derby runs through August 20th this year so there is still plenty of time to enter and claim your share of the prize money.
On Lake Alice, the bass fishermen are having a great time as are the Bluegill fishermen that are fishing around the Waterport Bridge area.
The Erie Canal is still producing some nice Channel cats especially around the wide water area.