Greater Niagara Region
Frank Campbell
The first signs of hard water have finally shown up in some of the Lake Ontario bays and traditionally it’s the back bay in Wilson that sees the action. Matt Vogt of Newfane reports that he had 4 to 5 inches of safe ice last weekend and the result was a 40-inch northern pike that he reeled in, snapped a quick photo, and released it safely back into the water. That was before the entire area really got dumped on by Mother Nature, with some areas picking up nearly 2 feet of snow earlier in the week. Keep that in mind if you are coming in from outside the area. We’re still digging out! Perch are also being caught in Wilson and you also have a good chance at catching some trout – steelhead or a brown.
The Niagara River continues to be tough fishing because of all the winds the region has been experiencing. Last Sunday, Capt. Ryan Shea of Tonawanda did manage to get out in the lower river with some customers from Pittsburgh and they managed to catch both steelhead and lake trout using 10 mm orange beads fished off a three-way rig. They had about 2 feet of visibility at the time. The next time the water is clear enough to fish, you should do well. Shea said that there were plenty of fish around, it’s just getting the right conditions to take advantage of them. Remember that the walleye regulation in the winter only allows for one fish per person and it must be at least 18 inches long. It’s been tough fishing the gorge area for trout with the extreme cold and other weather-related issues. Today will see temperatures soar to 40 degrees with rain, but then we are right back down below freezing heading into the weekend and into next week. It would be nice to see Lake Erie get some ice cover to let things settle down a bit and the last reading we saw it was at 34 degrees. There was some ice fishing taking place near the head of the Niagara River in Buffalo Harbor with 4-5 inches of ice. Be sure to check the ice and spud your way in and out no matter where you are ice fishing, especially if it has heavy snow cover.
The Western New York Chapter of Trout Unlimited will be having their next monthly meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 25 and once again it will be a virtual Zoom gathering starting at 7:30 p.m. Guest speaker will be Scott Cornett, fisheries biologist for DEC’s Region 9 right here in Western New York. Each year around this time, he gives his “State of the Streams” presentation to area anglers and the fishing club graciously opens things up to allow for the public to attend. If you would like to sit in on the informational presentation (from home no less), send a note to the local club via email at meeting@wnytroutunlimited.org for the link to see Cornett’s talk.
Oswego County
Report is Courtesy of the Oswego County Department of Community Development, Tourism and Planning
Salmon River Report:
The CFS at the Pineville gauge was at 529 as of this morning. Temperatures have been hitting lows below zero lately, with very cold weather forecasted this weekend.
This week’s report is provided by Joe Sicherman of Sich’s Guide service:
The water flow on the Salmon River has been lowered back to normal winter flows. Leading to some great fishing this week. With the lower water and cold temps fish have settled in and are biting.
Overall, concentrate your efforts on the bigger deeper pools and anywhere are you find slow water. Fish the inside edges and the belly of the pool.
When winter sets in, the more lethargic and less active the fish become. The key is finding baits that pique their interest this time of year. But as always, the egg sac takes over in slow cold water; blues really shines during wintertime. White and peach are the next best options. Other bait options are pink worms, marabou jigs, wax worms and tube jig baits. Best color combinations are typically white with a little added color; black or brown are consistent color options also.
Oswego River Report
The Oswego has finally dropped below 7000 CFS. With these lower flows you are now able to wade around more parts of the river. Use caution when wading this time of year. And keep in mind, with the arctic cold conditions we’ve had, there is a lot of ice and a lot of slippery spots as well.
Anglers are seeing fair numbers of fish on the west side above the powerhouse. Fishing jigs, beads and egg sacs under floats have been the most productive. The Bridie Hole is holding fish.
This lower flow also makes the high wall very fishable. As it gets colder fish will migrate to the deeper spots.
Note that the lower Oswego behind the hotels has seen a solid freeze up after the deep freeze and snow. But one good south wind and could all open back up!
Wayne County Fishing Update
Chris Kenyon
Streams
Frigid temperatures have locked-up area streams. There are a few openings at the north end of Maxwell, however most of that stream is frozen.
Lake Ontario tributary regulations
Three fish in combination and not to include more than one Rainbow Trout (or Steelhead) and One Brown Trout.
Bays
We have ice. That’s all-good news for ice anglers. Visit out Facebook page to see several anglers on the north end of LeRoy Island.
That section was six inches of solid ice on Sunday. Anglers were using tip-ups for pike. Northern pike season is open until March 15th. Five is the limit with an 18-inch minimum.
Elsewhere, Third Creek was the busiest section of Sodus. Perch were hitting bright teardrop jigs and Swedish Pimples.
The holiday storm dumped a foot or more of snow in Western New York. The bays in Wayne County only had five inches. Most of that has blown-off the bays. That’s good news as snow acts like insulation.
Ice thickness still varies. Although most of the bays have six inches, the deeper sections freeze slower. If you are unsure of safe ice, spud your way out.
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
The canal area of Wayne County received more snow, so the ice is not as thick because of snow cover. Widewaters is eight inches near the launch site.
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.
The 2021 New York State fishing guide can be found at https://www.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.
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.
Orleans County
This week’s report is from Ron Bierstine from Oak Orchard Tackle & Lodge:
We got lots of snow across WNY from an area wide snowstorm. Here on the Niagara Frontier, it was heaviest and there are lesser accumulations south of here. Wrap around Lake Effect Snow after the storm may bring all the snow accumulations north and south about equal anyway. Here in the Oak Orchard neighborhood there’s something like 18+ inches of a medium dense snow so there’ll be a good supply of runoff flows when it melts.
The week ahead looks mostly clear with seasonal temps and then colder again toward the end of the week. Fishing pressure has been light over the past couple days thanks to the snow storm but guys should be getting back out there and breaking some trails. Flows in the smaller area waterways should continue to drop from around moderate maybe going toward low and clear. Ground flow recharge from strong supplies might keep things up a little higher then typical winter levels but never-the-less things will be icing in or freezing up except for a few fast water slots. In the Oak, flows are moderate and mostly clear and likewise may hold onto those fair moderate flows instead of dropping back to real low.
Downstream slow water areas will be freezing and closing in while upstream areas should stay open except for some bank ice. Despite the cold, a few diehards have been out there scoring on a some smaller browns and a few fine looking chrome steelhead. Not big numbers of steelhead but a few that likely came in on the previous higher flows we had and are a good portent to upcoming steelhead action in the more traditional February or March timeframe. Stay tuned!