Greater Niagara Region
Frank Campbell
There were two grand prize winners in the Greater Niagara fish odyssey derby awards ceremony last Sunday. In the final drawing of first place winners, when the final two species categories came up, the two remaining winners decided to split the $2500 prize – Paul Natiella with his 35.75-inch carp and Capt. Anthony Ellis with his 32-inch steelhead. Other winners for the different categories were Marty Polovick with a 40.25-inch salmon, Ray Mahtook with a 28.5 brown trout, Dave Muir with a 21.5 smallmouth bass, Catherine Snyder with a 29-inch walleye, and Steve Klejdys with a 38.75-inch lake trout. In the Junior/Youth Division, Reagan McCarthy scored the top salmon with a 37-inch fish; Jayden Hubert was the top trout with a 30-inch steelhead; Gabby Geiger was the big bass with a 21-inch smallmouth; Mariah Majka led the carp division with a 25.75-inch fish; Landon Noon was the top panfish catcher with an 11-inch white crappie; Dominic Srouji with a 27.5-inch walleye; and Trevor Wilson with a 26.25-inch sheepshead.
Salmon are jumping all around the pier heads at Olcott according to Karen Evarts at The Boat Doctors in Olcott. Seeing jumping salmon brings out the fishermen to cast Cleo’s, KO Wobblers and Moonshine casting spoons. Spoons with anything glow, blue, green, or orange will work. Some are being caught on eggs, both sacs and skein. Nothing much at Burt Dam yet except for a few walleyes and an occasional salmon. Small boat harbor trollers are using J-13 Rapalas according to Evarts. Most action is from dawn to dusk. Matt Vogt of Newfane has been picking up a few salmon in the harbor and off the piers. It’s kind of a flavor of the day thing. Glow spoons, eggs, Rapalas – it just depends on where the fish are and what they want. The Wilson pier is also producing a few trout and pike.
Mike Rzucidlo of Niagara Falls says the first wave of salmon have come through the river, but things are a bit slower now. Casting spinners or glow spoons early morning or in the evening should produce a few fish. He expects more fish to start showing up when the waters cool a bit more. Water color was 3-4 feet on Tuesday. On the NYPA fishing platform, Tommy Holycross of Wheatfield reported some action recently. He insists that there are so many variables in that platform area with water color and how strong the current is being generated by the generators. Ideally, all generators (but especially pump No. 1 generator, closest to the platform) are pumping and that creates a good flow for salmon and steelhead fishing. Twister tails on a two-foot leader under a barrel swivel and egg sinker is what most fishermen are using successfully. A couple of casters are using skein or egg sacks and have had good luck, too. If the No. 1 generator is off, it creates a situation where BIG jigging spoons bounced off the bottom will work for salmon as well as walleye according to Holycross. If you are into drift fishing, you can catch salmon and steelhead using a center pin rod or long spinning rod. At least a 10-foot rod is recommended. Leader length for drift fishing is about 8 feet and most guys are using trout beads in size 8mm to 10mm. Matt Wilson of Wheatfield was in the lower Niagara River over the weekend as well as out into the lake. Bass have been cooperating very well with swimbaits, Kietech’s, and drop shots, working baits from deep to shallow. The jerk bait bite really kicked off on Saturday in front of the Fort Niagara boat launch. The Berkley cutter jerk bait worked well for Wilson. Upper Niagara River reports show that things are changing drastically now that temperatures are falling into the 60s. Fish can be in 8 feet and in 29 feet, but when you find them there’s a bunch of them, insists Wilson. Note: there’s no such thing as too shallow of water now. Don’t let the fall bite fool you when people say they go deep. These bass will be sitting right under your boat in 5 feet of water. Back off and cast slow sinking jerk baits reports Wilson.
Oswego County
- Salmon season is fully underway. We have been seeing steady runs for a couple weeks now with a large run on Wednesday.
- In Oswego, reports near the dam are still slow, but fishing on the wall is heating up.
- Lake Ontario fishing is winding down, especially after the increase in flows and high winds.
- Watch “The Voice of the Salmon River” on Facebook or YouTube.
Salmon River
Click Here of the 10 day Forecast
Fish were entering the river at a slower pace at the beginning of this week. But after the big rains a lot more fish are entering the river now. These big pushes help to spread fish throughout the river.
The water is starting to cool down and fish have been starting to step up in their spawning area. Therefore, we recommend that anglers concentrate on the holes and gravel.
The best baits have been egg imitations in a variety of colors. Red, orange, chart and blue. Jensen eggs, Fire Balls and soft beads. Popular flies include: glo bugs, comets and Eztaz. Cheese, orange, magenta and red.
Oswego River
Click Here of the 10 day Forecast
Fishing on the Oswego has been up and down. Anglers coming back from the dam area have reported few fish at this time. Wall anglers have been doing better, but not quite at a “hot and feverish pace” yet.
The big rain also brought more water to the Oswego River, so be very careful while wading. Stick to the edges and the slower water to find the most fish.
Our recommendation for casting baits include deep diving Thundersticks and Bay Rat in bright colors. Fire tiger, chrome chartreuse, and glow green are our “go-tos.”
Lake Ontario
With this week’s high rains, an increase in flows, and the high winds Lake Ontario fishing has all but entirely concluded for the year. Check out our river reports or follow us on Facebook for more information. 
Free Fishing Guide
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The 68-page guide includes a detailed overview of fishing opportunities on eastern Lake Ontario, Oneida Lake, the Oswego and Salmon rivers and a variety of other tributaries, as well as the more than 40,000 acres of public lands available for hunting.
Orleans County
Ron Bierstine from Oak Orchard Tackle & Lodge brings us this Stream Fishing report:
If you could ever dial up ideal weather for salmon migrations you’d pretty much be looking at the current conditions. Maybe you’d want a little more precipitation to be hitting the local tribs. Usually we are hoping for a cool down amidst lingering summer hot weather – but not so far this end part of September. Temps are Fall-like – cool with lots of cloudiness and gloom at times thanks to off and on rain and showers. So far most significant precipitation has been south or east of the area. So here on the WNY big Lake O Plain there’s been mostly just the gloom without the major rains.
No significant change in trib flows that we know of. Forecast ahead continued cool temps at least thru the upcoming weekend with that gloom hanging in and only a chance of precipitation thru tomorrow. Why be keen on gloom and cool? Because that’s good fish migration weather. A little more rain wouldn’t be bad, but Erie Canal bolstered flows are making up for that deficit in the Oak and Sandy. Good options all around for King chances for mod-med numbers of fish. Greatest concentrations of fish that we know of are at the dam. That’s fairly normal for early season chances, yet with water temps rapidly cooling down, fish should be dropping back looking for gravel and likewise new migrations may stop in those downstream fast water gravel stretches like around the Archers Club. Lower river staging spots, like at the Bridges area, reported to have fish crashing thru the past weekend.
Pier and Rivermouth foot soldiers and small boat casters and trollers are getting some hook ups and are seeing fish porpoising. Reports that weeds are a little less bothersome in the lower river. Yesterday’s SW winds may have stalled the action some but a forecasted NW wind off the big Lake O tomorrow should make for some nice water color and near shore and Rivermouth chances. Mixed in with the Kings have already been some browns and steelhead and at least a couple Atlantic salmon. Only moderate fishing pressure that’s likely to pick up thru the weekend.