Greater Niagara Region
Bill Hilts, Jr.
Daniel Clinger from Jersey Shore, Pennsylvania won the Fall Lake Ontario Counties Trout and Salmon Derby with a huge king salmon that weighed in at 39 pounds, 3 ounces. Wow! It was the biggest salmon he’s ever caught and they won the $25,000 Grand Prize hands-down by nearly 5 pounds. He caught it on a DW flasher and an A-Tom-Mik meat rig while fishing out of Sodus Point. First place in the salmon division was a 34 pound, 11-ounce king reeled in by Robert Reynolds of Auburn while fishing out of Fair Haven. He narrowly beat out Joe Oakes of Lockport who weighed in a 34 pound 8-ounce king off Wilson. In the steelhead division, Steve Gardinsky of Ohio set the pace with a 16 pound, 9-ounce fish out of Point Breeze. Second place was Rebecca Frye of Ashville while fishing out of Olcott. In the Brown Trout Division, Anthony DiGiovanni of Rochester took the top prize with a 16 pound, 15-ounce fish caught off Webster. Second place was a 15 pound, 5-ounce brown hauled in by John Nardone of Wayland. Go to www.loc.org for a complete leaderboard.
Good news in the shore fishing department. First, the east pier at Olcott will be open this weekend, starting Friday afternoon around 4 p.m. In the lower Niagara River, the NYPA fishing platform has re-opened, just in time for some salmon action. Fish are being caught in the lower river and many salmon are seen porpoising. If you are casting the piers or the shoreline, use glow cleo spoons, rattle baits, stickbaits and crankbaits. Skein under a float will also work. Try some different things. If you want to learn more about fishing the lower Niagara River from shore, check out this week’s edition of the Outdoor Beat on Spectrum Cable atlctv.net in the On Demand section of the website. Local all species guru Mike Rzucidlo of Niagara Falls is the featured guest. Capt. Frank Campbell of Niagara Falls did catch his first salmon of the river season from his boat in Devil’s Hole using a K-11 Kwikfish. Bass fishing continues to be good in the river. According to Capt. Arnie Jonathan of Lockport, leeches and shiners have been working the best for him, fished off three-way rigs. In the upper Niagara River and around Buffalo there are still plenty of walleyes around. Capt. Chris Cinelli of Grand Island reports that he had 8 fish by 10 a.m. on Tuesday, dragging a spinner and worm rig. That same general area was also working for Capt. Jim Rores on smallmouth bass.
Out in Lake Ontario, Capt. Bob Cinelli of Olcott reports that there is a good offshore bite from the 24 line to the 28 line offering up a mix of steelhead and salmon. Spoons and flasher-flies are working there. The inside bite for mature kings is also going on, too, out to 140 feet of water. Spoons, plugs and flasher-fly or flasher- meat rigs are the baits of choice. Stay away from the other boats to limit pressure on the fish. A few trout are being caught inside, too, according to Cinelli. There will be a DEC meeting next week in Lockport to discuss the spring forage base trawl results on Sept. 13. Also part of the discussion will be the stocking target for 2018. The public is invited to attend starting at 6:30 p.m. at the 4-H Building of Cornell Cooperative Extension Niagara, 4487 Lake Avenue, Lockport. Also coming up is the monthly meeting of the Lake Ontario Trout and Salmon Association, set for Sept. 14 at the same 4-H Building of Cooperative Extension in Lockport starting at 7 p.m. There will be a round table discussion on the past fishing season.
Oswego County
Mary Ellen Barbeau
Lake Ontario report:
Although the wind is again becoming an issue this afternoon, the fishing has been excellent this week. Salmon, both kings and cohos, are plentiful in 10 to 100+ feet of water with the waters off the Oswego River and Nine Mile Point being popular areas. If you’re looking for temperature, anglers are finding it’s changing all the time with the wind. Flies and flashers are working very well along with spoons, cut bait and j-plugs.
Oswego River Report
According to Larry’s Oswego Salmon Shop:
With the rain over the last couple of days the water flow is up to 2,660cfs this morning. There has been some salmon activity along with a few brown trout and steelhead. It is likely the action will pick up in the next week or so.
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:
The salmon fishing is very good. The best action has been in 15 to 100 feet of water with flies/flashers, spoons, cut bait, and plugs all working well. A number of fish are entering the estuary and moving up through the river.
According to the Douglaston Salmon Run:
Yesterday was another excellent day of fishing at the DSR. This would have been an excellent day in October and we’re still in early September. Most anglers describe the fishing as “epic.” Reports of a good solid push of fish at the beginning of the day down low (one angler estimated the number to be around 700, mostly kings) and at the same time and throughout the day the middle section of the run had its own population of fish, mostly cohos. All signs point to “no end in sight.” The water flow remains at 335cfs at the reservoir and is currently 476cfs at Pineville.
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:
Smallmouth bass have been actively feeding on gizzard shad so keep an eye out for bird activity in various spots. Walleye can be found in deeper water trolling worm harnesses and blade baits and anglers are finding some yellow perch using minnows.
Sandy Pond report:
According to Dave Wood of Woody’s Tackle:
Conditions are the same this time of year with activity being quieter with the heavy weed growth in the pond. Persistent anglers who adapt to these conditions will find some Northern pike and bass.
Wayne County Fishing Update
Chris Kenyon
Lake Ontario
Wayne County fish held their own during the LOC Fall Derby. The Grand Prize 39 pounder was caught last week, straight-out from Sodus Bay. There were also two other kings in the top twenty that came from Wayne County waters.
Almost $40,000 was given away for anglers catching our fish.
Currently, the fishing is great. The LOC is now history, however the kings are still swimming around.
They have been in 70 to 100 feet of water and hitting cut bait, spoons and flasher flies. They are biting the flies, but don’t forget to use the meat rigs.
Riggers are down 50 to 70 feet and dipsys are out 250 feet.
The browns have been closer to shore in 70 feet of water and hitting cut bait.
If you prefer the smaller variety, the perch are schooling 12 to 20 feet of water. They are showing -up on the screen as bait pods. Use small grubs (2inch) with paddle tails. Rig your number four hook 30 inches above the sinker. The gobies really don’t like coming off the bottom.
Bays
All the wake limits have been removed off the bays. Both the north and south end ramps at Port Bay are open.
The holiday is over; however, autumn is the time to do some serious fishing.
The crappies are in Port Bay. They tend to be a little on the small side. Remember there is a 9-inch size regulation for crappies. Use small bright jigs and fish over 10 feet of water, down 4 feet. They usually suspend in the water column.
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
Canal fishing was busy over the weekend with largemouth catches near Newark and Palmyra. The bass are on the bite and hitting just about anything you throw them.
Orleans County
Orleans County Tourism
First, I would like to congratulate all of the winners of the Fall LOC Derby.
Some fantastic catches were weighed in showing that Lake Ontario is very alive and healthy despite having a little extra water right now.
But this is the time of transition here in Orleans County and all across Lake Ontario.
Slowly we change from the fantastic Lake Ontario fishing to the fantastic tributary fishing that is offered by our many streams and rivers that feed the big lake.
Already some of these majestic fish are right outside our tributaries waiting for that just right time to make their spawning runs.
Those casting from the piers have already caught brown trout, steelhead trout and even a chinook or two.
But fishing on the big lake is not over quite yet.
There is still plenty of action in the 100 to 200 feet of water range and should continue at least for the next couple of weeks.
On the lower stretches of the “Oak” and on Marsh Creek, Perch fishing is picking up with the cooler temperatures.
Lake Alice is still offering Bluegill around the Waterport Bridge area, bass in the upper stretches and a mixed bag in all the other areas of the lake.
The Erie Canal is still a favorite place to enjoy some great warm water fishing and offers a wide variety of species.