Upstate New York Fishing Report – June 4, 2020

Greater Niagara Region

Bill Hilts, Jr.

The dreaded Niagara River moss has already started to pose angling problems as evidenced by a Rush Outdoors TV show that was filmed with show host Tim Andrus fishing with Capt. Arnie Jonathan of Lockport on Monday. It was not so bad that it made it unfishable, but constant bait-checking was needed to ensure baits and lures were clean and enticing for the fish. Andrus managed to catch several nice steelhead in the Devil’s Hole area, boated lake trout and steelhead in Artpark, and caught some bass downriver as far as Joe Davis State Park. His final catch of the day was a personal-best smallmouth that tipped the scales at nearly 6 pounds. Remember that if you are fishing for bass, you must use artificial baits like tubes, swimbaits and drop shot rigs. At least until the regular season opens on June 20. Right now, it is just a catch and release season. From shore, Mike Rzucidlo of Niagara Falls reports that he was still picking up silver bass along Artpark, but the lake trout action was starting to slow down as the water temperatures started to increase. As the moss volume increases, it will make fishing more difficult and you may have to find an alternative location. The NYPA fishing facilities are still shut down.

Capt. Pete Alex of Vision Quest Sportfishing reports that transition time is here out in Lake Ontario, which is usually the case when we have a salmon and trout tournament in June. This year it is the Wilson Harbor Invitational event on June 6. The transition was triggered by several days of flat water combined with warming sunshine. Fishing is tough now; the mass of kings is gone, and they are scattered from 100 feet of water to 400 feet of water. Steelhead, kings, and the occasional Coho salmon are available for the offshore bite and mostly kings and occasional lake trout inshore. Even the Niagara Bar is slow right now. Anglers are not reporting very much bait right now, which is key to locating predator fish. Hot baits according to Karen Evarts at The Boat Doctors in Olcott are magnum spoons with dots. Green, glow and chartreuse colors. In the fly department, greens, blacks, and golds are hot. Meat is starting to pick up, too. Mike Rzucidlo of Niagara Falls took some time away from the Niagara River to check out Burt Dam and he managed to catch some crappies and even a bowfin on jigs. Evarts also reported that some nice perch were being caught off the Wilson pier and in 12 Mile Creek. Pike and largemouth bass are also available in Wilson and Olcott harbors.

Wayne County Fishing Update

Chris Kenyon

Lake Ontario

Water temperatures are currently 51 degrees top to bottom in 80 feet of water. The fish are scattered; however, some nice catches came this morning.

Fish 80 to 300 fow using glow spoons, stickbaits, and some cut bait.

Cohos, steelhead and lakers have been hitting. The kings have been a slow bite for the past two weeks.

Charters are targeting fish from Sodus west to Hughes’ Marina.

The Sodus Pro-Am is a go. The long-running Pro-Am will be July 18-19th with the IK a Day July15-19, 2020. The Pro-Am web page has been updated for current information.

Bays

The bullhead are still biting at Bay Bridge on the south end of Sodus Bay. The cooler temps over the weekend slowed the bite, however it is predicted to warm-up for the next few days. The crappies are still hitting in suspended water, and there has been a decent perch bite near the channel at Sodus Bay.

Both access ramps at Port Bay are open. The one at the south end of the bay is the best place to launch.

Some perch are being caught off the points near the outlet. Use white 2- inch rubber bait with spikes.

Erie Canal

Bass boats were fishing the Widewaters on Sunday. For bass it is a catch and release season until June 20th. Canal waters produce nice crappies, sunfish, and bluegills, along with lunker bass. In July and August, the catfish are on the bite.

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.

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.

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.