Upstate New York Fishing Report – November 25, 2020

Greater Niagara Region

Bill Hilts, Jr.

Happy Thanksgiving!
 
If you are not a big game hunter, this is a good time to be on the water with lessened fishing pressure in the streams and rivers. Karen Evarts at The Boat Doctors in Olcott reports that fishing has been good at Burt Dam and 18 Mile Creek with limited fishing pressure. Brown trout, coho salmon and steelhead were all being caught this past week, along with the occasional king salmon. Remember that only one brown trout and one steelhead each may be taken per day. Minimum length on a steelhead is now 25 inches in length. The minimum size on a brown trout is 15 inches. Wax worms, egg sacs, beads and flies are all being used to catch fish on a consistent basis. Scott Feltrinelli with Ontario Fly Outfitters was using brown Woolie Buggers fished in clear water conditions over the weekend on tributaries in this western basin of the lake to take some big brown trout and steelhead. Canal water releases will ramp up again within a couple days and then another release will start around Dec. 4 for the final push from the Erie Canal.

Niagara River water conditions have slowly started to improve this week and a few trout were being caught, but you had to work for them. Steelhead and brown trout were both caught, along with some lake trout in the lower river. The open season for lake trout is set for Dec. 1 for the lower Niagara River and Lake Ontario. Lake trout is open year-round in the upper Niagara River and Lake Erie. Capt. Frank Campbell of Lewiston tested the waters of the lower river on Monday and his customers were rewarded by going 8 for 14 on a mix of steelhead and lake trout, but they were cold. Best lure was a MagLip plug in silver with a chartreuse lip, fished off a 3-way rig bouncing bottom. Trout action should improve as the waters clear, and it looks like we are going to have more mild conditions heading into the weekend. Shore fishermen along Artpark and up into the gorge should see decent action by using spinners (No. 4), spoons, beads, jigs, or egg sacs. The NYPA fishing facilities are still closed. Musky action in the upper river hit a brick wall with the muddy water, but with clearing conditions the musky action should continue until the season closes on Nov. 30 for the upper river and Lake Erie. Musky season will continue to be open in the lower river and Lake Ontario until Dec. 15. Dec. 6 is the date set for the John Henning Memorial Musky Tournament on the Lower Niagara River hosted by the Niagara Musky Association from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. You must be a member to participate. Entry fee is $25. For more info call Scott Kitchen at 939-0006. There is still no fishing in Canadian waters when launching from the New York side. Do not cross the international boundary line. Remember that the regular bass season closes on Nov. 30 and it will become catch and release only on all waters except Lake Erie. Stay safe out there!

Wayne County Fishing Update

Chris Kenyon

Streams

There still is not a great flow of water in Maxwell Creek. Fish the north side of Lake Road where there have been some browns caught. Fish under a torpedo bobber with egg sac…real or artificial. Or use bright beads.

Hughes Marina, one mile east of Pultneyville, has small ponds that are connected to the lake. There have been browns caught throwing out bright spoons or egg sacs.

Pier fishing is an option at the Sodus channel and the small outlet to Port Bay located at the end of West Port Bay Road. Cast out heavy spoons. Anything that is bright, and glows works the best.

If the wind ever subsides pier fishing can be fun and productive. The fall of 2020 has seen some nasty blows. Use caution casting from piers.

Bays

Perch fishing in Sodus and Port Bays has been exceptional this year. You just need to find the largest fish by moving around. Use live bait or rubber shad. The perch are feeding on tiny shad. Look for them off the points in both bays.

If we receive cold temperatures this winter, ice fishing on Wayne County Bays will be excellent.

The largemouth bass are still hitting in Sodus Bay. It’s been tough fishing because of the constant wind.

The regular season for bass ends Monday, November 30th.

Remember the important regulation regarding life jackets (PFD’s) : Use must wear your PFD from November 1st through May 1st if your boat is less than 21 feet. This means it must be worn…not lying in the bow of your boat.
The official rule-All persons on board a recreational vessel less than 21 feet in length (including canoes, kayaks, and rowboats) must wear a USCG–approved PFD from November 1 to May 1.

Erie Canal

Water levels on the canal have been extremely low because of repairs being made on the locks.
Widewaters is not drained so you can fish for panfish and bass. You can still launch a boat or fish from the shore.

Keep informed from the NYS Canal web for changes and restrictions with canal waters.

Charters in Wayne County are Opened for Business

Wayne County Charters are now opened for business. The Finger Lakes region has currently met all the necessary requirements during Phase One to operate their business. All steps and guidelines to ensure safety are listed HERE.

Charters in Wayne County are Opened for Business

Wayne County Charters are now opened for business. The Finger Lakes region has currently met all the necessary requirements during Phase One to operate their business. All steps and guidelines to ensure safety are listed HERE.

Boat Launches Opened

Privately-owned marinas, boat launches, and many other recreational marine locations are now opened.

The official statement from New York State is made in conjunction with similar ones from the governors of New Jersey and Connecticut, is the latest change to the guidance from Empire State Development on what is and isn’t affected by the governor’s Executive Order 202, which ordered employers to reduce the number of employees working at individual locations to help fight the coronavirus pandemic.

The guidance regarding privately-owned marinas, boatyards and recreational marine manufacturers allows for operations and boat repair/maintenance so long as the facilities ‘adhere to strict social distancing and sanitization protocols.’ However, watercraft cannot be used for charters or rentals, and any restaurant facilities there must remain take-out or delivery only.

Safety Precautions from DEC

While enjoying the outdoors, please continue to follow the CDC/New York State Department of Health guidelines (leaves DEC’s website) for preventing the spread of colds, flu, and COVID-19:

• Try to keep at least six (6) feet of distance between you and others.
• Avoid close contact, such as shaking hands, hugging, and kissing.
• Wash hands often or use a hand sanitizer when soap and water are not available.
• Avoid surfaces that are touched often, such as doorknobs, handrails, and playground equipment.

When fishing, DEC recommends avoiding busy waters and following the guidelines on DEC’s website about fishing responsibly in New York State. If an angler arrives at a parking lot and there are several cars, they should consider going to another parking lot. If an angler is fishing upstream, they should fish downstream of the other angler or consider fishing another day. Anglers fishing from boats should be able to maintain at least six feet of distance between one another. For more information about the benefits of being outdoors safely and responsibly, go to DEC’s website.

New York State is open for fishing and DEC encourages anglers to recreate locally at a nearby waterbody. New York’s lakes and streams offer great opportunities for fishing in a wide array of settings across the state. Even during the current COVID-19 public health crisis, getting outdoors and connecting with nature while angling in New York’s waters is a great way to help maintain mental and physical health.

Charters and Guides

The “New York State on PAUSE” Executive Order, a 10-point policy to assure uniform safety for everyone during the COVID-19 response, includes a directive that all non-essential businesses statewide must close effective at 8 p.m. on Sunday, March 22, and temporarily bans all non-essential gatherings of individuals of any size for any reason.

At this time, fishing guides or charters of any size have been determined to be not essential and are subject to workforce reduction requirements of the Executive Order. The full and updated guidance on which types of businesses are determined essential and other designations associated with the order can be found online. For more info https://esd.ny.gov/guidance-executive-order-2026.

Orleans County

Ron Bierstin, Oak Orchard Tackle & Lodge

For those of you, including me, that were looking for the typical drawdown of the Canal due to the “first” winter time drainage – there’s none that will be seen. That first wave of water has passed down the tributaries at more or less a rate equal to inputs for the Canal. So, for now, that’s mostly over with the typical 24/7 feed continuing into the Oak and likely a few different gates still open for feed into select tribs. Canal water managers inform me that water feed will ramp up in the Oak within a couple of days and then another factor around December 4th for the final and, yes, drawdown of water from the Canal. Look for flows to hang steady if there is no new significant precipitation in the smaller waterways until about that early December timeframe and then it is unclear if they will see any increase in flows.

For now, flows in the Oak are what we would still call somewhere between moderate and medium. If I had to pick I’d say closer to medium and its pretty clear. The flow is plenty fishable. Like stated above though, I think we’ll see true medium in a couple days as things ramp up and then maybe slightly high when the final drainage really cooks around the beginning of December.

Flows in Johnson Creek look low and clear and in Sandy Creek its hanging in at about low to moderate and mostly clear. That flow also looks fishable where browns continue to be hooked up by careful drifters and swingers. In the Oak, it looks like moderate numbers of browns with what’s reported to be as many rainbows/steelhead and Atlantics hooked. You might still find a greenish King or two and the chance for a later coho. No real change in droughty conditions although runoff, like from the past weekend rain, does now make it to the waterways at a greater rate then when vegetation is capturing it. Warm temps are forecast over the next couple days with a chance of showers through Thanksgiving day. Fishing pressure is real manageable with spaces left to park for example at the two access points on the Oak.