Upstate and Western New York Fishing Report – June 24, 2021

Greater Niagara Region

Frank Campbell

Saturday, June 26 and Sunday, June 27, is a Free Fishing Weekend in New York State, the second of six Free Fishing Days recognized across the state each year. Take advantage of some of the outstanding fishing resources right here in Niagara Falls USA.

In Olcott Harbor, kids are getting ready for a youth derby for kids ages 4 to 15 on Saturday. The measuring station will be at the Town of Newfane Marina. According to Karen Evarts at The Boat Doctors in Olcott, anglers have been catching a few walleyes off the piers there. In the harbor and up toward Burt Dam, there have been a mix of pike, catfish, crappies, carp, perch, and largemouth/smallmouth bass.

Capt. Mike Johannes of Wilson reports fishing is good off Wilson and Olcott right now for a mixed bag of steelhead, Coho salmon and King salmon in 60 to 200 feet of water. The best lures have been spoons in dark colors; orange and gold colors have also been working. Put your lures 40 to 80 feet below the surface with downriggers and divers. Chris and Nick Dougherty of Lockport took their dad Tom from Niagara Falls out on Father’s Day and caught Cohos, Kings and steelhead between Olcott and Wilson. Best action was between 100 and 160 feet of water. Early in the morning, meat rigs have been taking kings. Later switch to spoons or flasher-fly programs. Lots of orange, purple, pink, and blue colors according to Evarts. If you are into salmon and trout fishing, the Summer Lake Ontario Counties (LOC) Trout and Salmon Derby starts on Saturday, June 26 and runs through July 25. For more info check out www.loc.org. Finally, Capt. Frank Campbell of Lewiston decided to take Michael Xu of New Jersey on the Niagara Bar at the drop off over the weekend and they enjoyed a banner day on Coho salmon averaging 7-9 pounds by using 8-inch spin doctors and green-glo flies that hit the 50–60-foot zone over 100 to 150 feet of water at the drop off. Those are some impressive Cohos!

In the Niagara River, the moss is the boss right now. The NYPA Fishing Platform is still producing smallmouth bass, but it has been getting more difficult each day with the moss, according to Lisa Drabczyk with Creek Road Bait and Tackle in Lewiston. One of the areas that is better for moss-free fishing has been the gorge up in the whirlpool area for smallmouth bass. Bass have also been cooperating in the Devil’s Hole area from a boat according to Capt. Joe Marra of Lewiston. He reported a dozen fish one day over the weekend, but moss was a nuisance. You can also try off Fort Niagara. In the upper river above Niagara Falls, Mike Rzucidlo of Niagara Falls managed to catch some largemouth bass on jigs. He also caught some pike. Family Fish Days are set for Saturday and Sunday at Broderick Park during the Free Fishing Weekend from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. each day. Finally, there is another kids’ derby set for August 14 hosted by the Niagara River Anglers that will be held at their Nature Preserve in Porter from 9 a.m. to noon. However, space is limited, and you must be pre-registered by calling Paul Jackson at 998-8910. Do not wait!

Oswego County

Report is Courtesy of the Oswego County Department of Community Development, Tourism and Planning

Lake Ontario Report:

Lake conditions have been on the rough side the last week, lots of west winds have brought a lot of warm generic water to the East end. However, we expect heavy south winds the next few days. This should cool things down.

Oswego:

This following report is courtesy of Captain Andy Bliss, of Cold Steel Charters:

The fishing this week was up and down. When they decided to bite, they bit! But when they had lockjaw, it was brutal. We did start finding more active salmon this week.

The past week we had boats fishing Brown Trout near the buoy line some days the guys did very well with a large browns being caught. Other days the brown just did not want to cooperate. The best depths for Browns have been 40 to 80 feet of water. The key to catching grounds in a very generic water column is the spread out your baits from top to bottom. Lead cores from 2 to 10 colors. Divers from 60 to 150 out slides and fixed.

The best spoons have been stingers in standard and stingray sizes. Mongoose, Doctor, NBK, Neon gator, golden shiner, and diehard.

Salmon fishing is increased 150 to 400 feet of water depending on the day. One day you’ll be fishing 250 to 350 and then afternoon you’ll be back in 150 to 200.

They have been very moody but when they decide to bite get ready! It’s been fast action. We’ve been taking plenty of kings on spoons but the fly and meat right behind flashers has really started to pick up.
We’ve been catching most of our salmon under 50° temps this has led us to be fishing very deep. 90 to 140 down has been key to catching a large salmon. Smaller Kings and Steelhead have been taken from 60 to 90 down.

A-TOM-MIK Coppers from 300 to 500 have been producing. Dipsey is from 150 to 300. I’ve been running meat behind my flashers with both clean heads and ATOMMIK Twinkie rigs in steel gator and Pro Am.

After avoiding storms most of the morning on Monday we finally got out fishing only to be greeted by the classic post storm bite a.k.a. tough fishing. But the Eaton crew hung in and we’re awarded with a beautiful king salmon.

Mexico:

The Following report is brought to you by Captain Casey Prisco of Dirty Goose Sportfishing:

This week we’ve been targeting lake Trout and steelhead and salmon and steelhead.

When targeting Lake Trout we have found the best action in 140 to 160 feet of water. As the day goes by the fishing gets better as you head out to deeper waters.

Our best Lake trout Riggs have been blue bells and green/chart glo back blades.

When targeting Steelhead, while we are slow trolling for lake trout our best spoon has been angry bird. We are targeting the steelhead with 5-10 color lead cores.

The salmon bite has occurred west out of Mexico Pt. In 250-400’ of water. We have been fishing deep for the kings, 90-120+ down. Our go-to baits have been Oki slashers in bullfrog and white Casper with meat. Stinger flashers in pretty girl, green chip, Fat Nancy and green jeans pulling ATOMMIK stud and green glo flies. Steelhead are coming on the angry bird and hawgwild.

This week we managed to take out biggest king of the season! Look out for some monsters this year!

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 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

Trout and salmon fishing is beginning to pick-up with cohos and kings hitting in 250 fow. Charter captains have been having luck running Moonshine Carbon 14 spoons down 90 to 100 fow.

There were some temperature breaks down 90 to 100 fow over the weekend.

Today the wind is cranking from the northwest after yesterday’s cold front. The lake water level is low, however there should be some nice mudlines tomorrow.

The LOC Summer Derby starts Saturday, June 26th and runs until Sunday July 25th.

Bays

Opening Day for bass fishing was Saturday and Sodus Bay was the place to be. Anglers were fishing the weedlines using all kinds of presentations. Senko rigs have been the go-to bait for largemouth bass.

Use caution launching boats as the water level continues to be low. For Port Bay use the north ramp.

Port Bay has plenty of baitfish (shad), so it takes some time and effort to compete with all the natural bait. Fish the northeast side of the bay.

Wayne County Soil and Water Conservation District and the Federation of Sportsmen Clubs are pleased to announce the 22nd Wayne County Youth Fishing Derby for anglers ages 4-16. The event runs June 19th-July 31st, 2021and covers the waters in Wayne County.

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 canal water level was high over the weekend. Bass boats that launched at Widewaters were catching largemouths on the south side of the canal, casting into the heavy weed growth.

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

Provided by Capt. Lou Borrelli of Get the Net Charters:

“This was a “Fathers Day” fishing weekend out of Bald Eagle Marina. On Saturday we had a father and his 2 sons (pictured right) ready for some bonding and good fishing. The expectations were high as the last trip out we had a good number of silver fish. Kings and cohos have been hanging around in 110-160 FOW between the farm and the glass house.

We left the dock at 6:00 and struggled to get our first bites. Trolling in a west direction was tough as the current was making it difficult. Working 100-200 FOW, It took us a while to get bit, but our first fish was a 17 lb king. Then from there it was a slow but steady pick. After a few hours the bite slowed so we decided to go to “Laker land”. As we started getting into 90-100 we noticed a ton of bait and big fish on the bottom. We dropped our port rigger down and within 5 minutes we hooked up on a 18 lb king. We ended the day with a few silver fish and a bunch of lake trout. It was all spoon and meat bite Saturday. We did not take one fish on flasher/fly.

Sunday was a special day. We had the pleasure of taking out an 81 year old father with his daughter (pictured below). She bought him the trip to repay him for taking her fishing when she was young. Neither of them had ever been on Lake Ontario. The lake conditions could not have been better, we just needed to get them on some fish.

We started the morning in the same water we had been fishing. Within a few minutes, an 8 lb steelhead hit and Bill was on his first Lake Ontario fish. Then the hit and misses kept on coming. We had our bites but we could not get them to stick. It was getting a bit frustrating so since it was a short trip we worked our way back to the nose and started fishing for lake trout. Knowing there were kings laying on the bottom, we left our divers out with meat. Within moments, our first lake trout was on and while Wendy was fighting her fish, our 300 diver gets smashed and Bill was fighting his first ever salmon. Both father and daughter were smiling away as they were side by side working the fish to the boat. We finished the day with a few more fish and a memory to last forever. Like Saturday, our bites were on spoons and meat.