Greater Niagara Region
Frank Campbell
Lots of outdoor stuff going on this Father’s Day weekend. Saturday is opening day for the regular bass season in New York which means live bait will be legal once again in all waters. Great Lakes musky action will resume on Saturday, too. Remember that the minimum size if you ever wanted to keep one is 54 inches long but catch and release is the way to go anyway for fish that big. The 36th Annual Wilson Conservation Club’s Kids Fishing Derby is all set for June 19 from 8 a.m. to noon. You can fish in any waters located within Niagara County. Kids ages 3 to 14 years of age may participate. The measuring station will be at the Wilson Conservation Club, 2934 Wilson Cambria Road, Wilson, and the awards ceremony will be at 1 p.m. Get your fish to the club by noon. For more information contact Gary Alt at 345-9769. Meanwhile, the Lockport Moose Lodge is holding a kids derby at Widewaters Marina in Lockport on Sunday starting at 8 a.m. Call the Moose at 433-9092 for more information. Word is out that you will be able to register at the marina starting at 7:30 a.m. Sunday morning if you did not register in advance.
In the Upper Niagara River, Mike Rzucidlo of Niagara Falls reports that he fished 2 times with pike master Matt D’Agostino using plugs and jigs this week. Both baits were working well. They caught a few largemouth and smallmouth bass, too. Rzucidlo spotted a few bowfins on the spawning beds, but he could not get them to hit. Bass action continues to be good, and it should be a good opener when live bait becomes legal on Saturday. In the lower stretch of river, bass are still being caught at the NYPA fishing platform according to Lisa Drabczyk with Creek Road Bait and Tackle in Lewiston. Moss is becoming more of a problem but there are some days where it is manageable. Bass action downriver from boats has been best around Fort Niagara and around the marina. Ned rigs and swimbaits work best, but live bait will be a popular alternative come Saturday.
Capt. Joe Oakes of Newfane reports that good water continues to move daily, and the fish are moving with it. This is all leading to some days being good in 100-foot depths and others in 400-foot depths. Spoons trolled in the top 50 feet seems to be the one constant for a mix of steelhead, cohos and kings according to Oakes. The east wind last Thursday and Friday really changed things around. In the Orleans County Open last weekend, it was the Screamer team led by Dave Antenori of Clarks Summit, Pa. leading both days to win $8,500. Their strategy was to move with the fish and head west. Focusing their efforts from Olcott to 30 Mile Point, they were the only team to reel in a tournament limit of 5 salmon and 5 trout each day. The first day was in 300 feet of water off Olcott, but things changed again the second day and they moved a bit shallower from the Somerset plant to 30 Mile Point and had some great fishing. Karen Evarts at The Boat Doctors in Olcott reports that the harbor has been producing a mixed bag of warm water fish including catfish, pike, bowfin, perch and largemouth. And if those fish are hitting in Olcott, they will also be hitting in Wilson.
Next weekend is a free fishing weekend June 26-27 for anyone looking to try fishing out. We just found out that the Town of Newfane will be holding a youth fishing derby on June 26 from 8 a.m. to noon for kids ages 4 to 15 years of age. No fishing from a boat and you can fish along the Lake Ontario shoreline, in the Town of Newfane Marina and along 18 Mile Creek. The official measuring station is at the Town of Newfane Marina. Good luck and good fishing.
Oswego County
Report is Courtesy of the Oswego County Department of Community Development, Tourism and Planning
Lake Ontario Report:
Overall, lake conditions have been very turbulent this week. And looks to continue into the weekend. Remember this Saturday is the “Atomik challenge” which is the first leg of the three-part triple crown series.
Oswego:
This following report is courtesy of Captain Troy Creasey, of High Adventure:
As the captains all know Fishing in the eastern basin has been a challenge lately. The last four days we have spent our trips offshore working 200 to 300 feet of water looking for pods of bait in the upper 50-foot column. We are primarily catching 2-year-old King Salmon, some nice steelhead and a few suspended lake trout.
Our set ups has been a variety of spoons in small to medium size as the bait has been small. Green glows early followed by chartreuse and black and silver once the sun gets up.
I always like going old school and we have been running a few bright orange high tech 1/4 sticks and orange and black Alpena diamonds. Riggers down 30 to 50 feet with fixed cheaters 10 feet over and four, five and six color lead cores have been taking most of our bites. Slide divers out 40 to 80 on a #4 setting have also been producing some fish as well.
I am generally a slow troller running speeds 2.0 to 2.2 but with the lack of targets do not be afraid to crank it up and cover water.
The wind has been crazy the last two days and while the thermocline was starting to set up, this will probably set us back a few more days. Hopefully we’ll stable conditions in the near future.
This Saturday is the “Atomik challenge,” which is the first leg of the triple crown series. While the brown trout bite has been tough at best there are some really big fish lurking in our waters and unless a bunch of kings show up by this weekend there’s a good chance that a nice catch of browns could win you the tournament. Stay tuned, and tight lines!
Mexico:
This following report is courtesy of Good Times Sportfishing:
Brown trout are being taken in 35 to 60 feet of water from around the Catfish Creek area in Mexico Bay to the west end of the bouys at 9 mile point. Lead cores, slide divers and down riggers have been producing the bulk of the bites with spoons in Stinger and Stingray size. The hotter patterns have been Mongoose, NBK, and UV Diehard.
Silver fish have been willing in 180-300 foot range from the plant to as far west as you want to travel. The key has been finding a pod of active fish and staying on them. Steelhead in the top 50 feet have been making up the bulk of the catch however a few Kings a day have been gracing us with their presence.
Steelhead have been on 4 to 10 colors of lead core cheated riggers and high divers. Kings have been coming on spoons just slightly deeper on ten colors of lead core to 350 coppers and slightly deeper riggers in the 40 to 80 foot range. Hot spoons have been diehard, Nbk, yellow killer, and red stuff.
Lake trout are being taken on cow bells in 140 to 165 feet from the ponds north daily.
Tight Lines my friends!
Oswego River Report
Spring and summer mean bass on the Oswego River. Anglers also target carp, walleye, and pan fish. Occasionally a summer run steelhead or Atlantic salmon is spotted in the mix too.
Our recommendation for walleye is to fish on the west side, between the two bridges, especially at night. Most walleye setups will get the job done.
Please check our website for the current CFS, and check back in mid-August for the fall salmon report.
Please Consider the Following Year-Round Notice: 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. 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 Brookfield Varick Fish Safely brochure
Click here for the current water flow
Year-Round Notice: 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. 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 Brookfield Varick Fish Safely brochure.
• Click here for the current water flow.
Salmon River Report:
This time of year usually means bass on the Salmon River. Smallmouth can be very aggressive, so our biggest recommendation is to try a lot of pockets and keep moving throughout the day. They will hit anything from a juicy fly to a crank bait.
Northern pike are also caught at the mouth around port Ontario.
There are lots of boat launches and marinas on the Salmon River, but we recommend calling ahead to make sure the water is high enough to launch. Please check our website for the river CFS, and check back in late-August for the fall salmon report.
Oneida Lake Report:
Walleye season opened the second weekend of May, and with an average depth of 22’ bass can be caught throughout most of the lake. We recommend first-timers who are targeting bass to try the mouth of the Oneida River as well, since it’s easy to identify where the cover is.
Check out our website for more information on charters.
Sandy Pond Report:
The main points of access for Sandy Pond are: Greenpoint, “The Elms,” Wigwam, and the new DEC launch at Stanley Drive.
Popular species throughout the summer include bullhead, crappie, pan fish, northerns, bass, walleye, and the occasional pickerel.
Check back with us in January for our ice fishing report.
Wayne County Fishing Update
Chris Kenyon
Lake Ontario
There have been reports of temperature breaks down 40 to 50 fow over 250 feet. Some cohos were caught in that water column east of Port Bay. There has also been steelhead and a few kings caught working that water.
Glow orange and green spoons have been the go-to color.
Lakers are near the bottom and have been hitting the typical set-up of cowbells with spoons or peanuts.
Bays
Sodus Bay was busy this weekend with anglers fishing for just about anything with fins. Bass season opens this Saturday, June 19th with a 12-inch 5 fish regulation. The bass have been hitting spinnerbaits and rubber.
There are weeds close to shore and near the south end, so concentrate on those areas this weekend.
The water levels continue to be low, and you need to use caution while launching. The Bay Bridge Sport Shop ramp is safe for launching, and the north end of Port Bay. The southern launch at Port Bay is still closed for repairs.
Crappies are being caught off Bay Bridge at the south end of Sodus for shore anglers that don’t have a boat. Or you can rent one at the sport shop.
The 2021 New York State fishing guide can be found at dec.ny.gov/outdoor/7917.html for downloading and printing at home. Production of hard copies is finished and have been delivered to License Issuing Agents. Hard copies can be requested by emailing FWFish@dec.ny.gov.
Erie Canal
The water level near Widewaters is perfect for boat launching. There is heavy weed growth on the south side of the canal, however that is where you cast for largemouth bass. You can also shore fish near the locks. Route 31 has pull-off locations. Now that the canal is open the locks will stir-up the bottom, which is a great place to throw out bait.
Keep informed from the NYS Canal web for changes and restrictions with canal waters. Keep informed about 2021 canal hours. (There will be no fees for the 2021 canal boating season.) May 21st is the scheduling for the canal opening. Hours are 7 am till 5pm. Stay informed with the below web page.
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.
