Upstate and Western New York Fishing Report- April 13, 2023

Greater Niagara Region

Frank Campbell

The Niagara County Bullhead Tournament is finally here, and weather conditions have been cooperating. It starts on April 14th at 5 p.m. and runs through Sunday, April 16th at 1 p.m. Best two fish in combination wins. The Cost is $10 for age 13 and older. Kids 12 and under are free. The weigh-in will take place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Wilson Conservation Club on Sunday only. Contact Eric at 628-6078 for details.

On to the fishing: Lake Ontario action really took off the past week as mild temperatures more indicative of spring finally arrived on the scene. Capt. Vince Pierleoni of Thrillseeker Charters says fishing has been tough on the lake due to the muddy conditions coming down from Lake Erie, but action has been good to start the season. Pierleoni says to find the mixed water as fish like salmon and trout are super tough to catch in the seriously stained water. So far, it’s a great spring because of the variety of fish being caught in the lake. No one knows what will bite next. Fishing is good but it would be great if the mud cleared. Most fish are caught in 10-80 feet of water depending on where the better water color meets a bit warmer water. Wade Winch of North Tonawanda and Adam Gierach of Pendleton fished out of Olcott Easter Sunday and worked the water in 13 to 18 feet with jointed Scatter Raps in various colors. They managed to net 13 browns and 1 king during their trip. Matt Vogt of Newfane has also been hitting the lake, trolling the shoreline off Wilson and Olcott in 5 to 30 feet of water with stick baits and spoons both Sunday and Monday. He’s also found some trout in the tributaries off Lake Ontario by using jigs. Mark Plennert of Niagara Falls continued to catch some nice steelhead this week in the streams as they started to clear. Black wooly buggers were the best bait for him.

Niagara River casting and drifting opportunities the past week fluctuated with the murkiness of the water, too. Capt. Joe Marra of Niagara Rainbow Charters reports some success drifting the lower Niagara River and Niagara Bar area with a mixed bag of trout. Water clarity was still at the mercy of wind and rain effects, but he caught fish from Devil’s Hole to the Niagara Bar off Fort Niagara. On Monday he caught browns at the Bar and at the fort using minnows. Some steelhead and lake trout are available in the Hole and along Artpark. Mike Ziehm of Niagara Falls hit the gorge at the end of the week in the pouring rain before wind destroyed the river. Conditions were good before that, with 4 lake trout one morning. This past weekend water conditions were tough with water visibility above the powerplant at 3-foot and a 1-1/2-foot below power plant. Conditions continued to improve Sunday into Monday. He landed 2 rainbows below the powerplant on blue and chartreuse mixed No. 4 spinners.

Wayne County Fishing Update

Chris Kenyon

Lake Ontario

The brown trout action has started. Set up by Port Bay and troll east past Scott’s Bluff and work ten to fifteen fow.

From Sodus Bay fish west towards Hughes’ Marina trolling shallow past Maxwell Creek.

Spring is planer board time using stickbaits. You can also fish the breaks in any stained water. Troll inside and out.

Most steelhead from Maxwell Creek are in the lake this time of year.

Streams

The streams have cleared from last week’s rainfall. In parts of Wayne County, we received 2 inches which for this region is a substantial amount.

There are a few browns and steelhead in Salmon and Maxwell Creeks. Use fresh egg sacs.

Cast out Cleos and Kastmasters in the channels of Port and Sodus Bays.

Lake Ontario tributary regulations:

Three fish in combination and not to include more than one Rainbow Trout (or Steelhead) and One Brown Trout.

Bays

Port Bay has muddy water and perch fishing is tough. It’s clear by the channel, however the south end is muddy.
Sodus Bay perch fishing has seen action on the northwest side near the old malt house.

They have also been hitting next to the islands. Use 2-to-4-inch bait. White and chartreuse yellow works. Tip the bait with perch eyes or fresh spikes.

Now is the time to concentrate on perch because once they spawn, the catch will be difficult.

The bullheads are stated to bite at Bay Bridge, the southern end of Sodus Bay.

Pike season ended March 15th and resumes May 1st.

When you launch your boat… remember from November 1st until May 1st New York’s law requires you to wear your PFD. That means it cannot be laying around your boat. It must be worn.

Bait for fishing is available on the south end of Sodus at Davenports and Bay Bridge Sport Shop.

On Port Bay Jarvis Bait shop is open on Brown Road. The signs are on East Port Bay Road at the junction of Brown Road. In Ontario, Grantley’s Bait at 1864 Route 104 Ontario, NY.

Erie Canal

Sections of the canal are still muddy and the current is strong. The runoff from all the tributaries entering the canal should slow down this week.

The New York State Canal Corporation recently announced that, conditions permitting, all portions of the New York State Canal system are scheduled to open Friday, May 19, 2023, at 7:00 a.m. for the 199th consecutive season of navigation.

Notable Freshwater Fishing Regulation Changes

The following list offers a summary of the most notable fishing regulation changes resulting from the adopted rulemakings described above.

• New statewide regulation for rainbow trout, brown trout, and splake in lakes and ponds. The season will now be open year-round, with a five-fish daily limit, any size, with a “no more than two longer than 12 inches” harvest rule.
• Statewide Atlantic salmon regulations will now allow for a year-round open season.
• Ice fishing is permitted on all waters in New York unless specifically prohibited with the exception of Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Hamilton, Herkimer, Lewis, St. Lawrence, Warren, and Washington counties where previous rules remain.
• New specific dates replaced floating dates for statewide season openers to include:
  • May 1 – Walleye, Northern Pike, Pickerel, and Tiger Muskellunge.
  • June 1 – Muskellunge. (Note that in 2022, DEC will allow for the fishing of muskellunge beginning the last Saturday in May to accommodate previously planned fishing trips);and
  • June 15 – Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass.
• A five-fish daily walleye limit in Oneida Lake.
• A new regulation to limit the growth of the walleye population in Skaneateles Lake. No daily possession limit; 12-inch minimum size limit, open year-round.
• The statewide sunfish daily harvest limit has been reduced from 50 to 25 fish: and
• The statewide minimum size limit for crappie has been increased from nine inches to ten inches.

Orleans County

Orleans County Sportfishing Coordinator Ron Bierstine:

Have you given up on the Oak for steelhead chances? Maybe you shouldn’t – check out the great fish caught just recently in the pic above courtesy of Lindsey Agness. A big fresh female that, by the looks of things, hasn’t spawned yet. And about now in this week of keen, drying out, warm weather, the drifting chances are improving thanks to dropping and clearing flows.

Yesterday there was some water level fluctuations and while the flows were down, it revealed a few pods of steelhead around where you would expect them in the gravel spots. Probably some fish had retreated to the holes too. Flows did rebound and anglers faced some difficult wading situations. Use caution when you find flows that are likely to change quickly. Flows are now slightly high with more then a foot of visibility that could be approaching 2 feet. Flows look like maybe one notch less then full bore turbine water. Look for a few steelhead spread out around the middle or lower river reaches. Fish will be dropping back from the dam too. And if fish could drop back from the overflow channel they would. But since they can’t you’ll have to go to float techniques for what’s probably a fair number of fish landlocked in that channel. Still good opportunity to re-release them back into the turbine channel for access back to the main Lake.

Suckers are numerous, a few bass are around and water temps are warming. So get your last lick of cold water steelhead chances while they last for April. Other area smaller tribs have medium to slightly high flows and slightly stained water color. Water temps are warmer than the Oak and no doubt things have moved further along in those smaller waterways. Look for a few steelhead and brown trout stragglers and more bass.

In the open Lake Ontario around the Point Breeze area anyway it’s a medium pick for mostly browns near shore. At the end of this past week, winds receded and left some nice green water near shore, the civilian and charter trollers did better on Sunday. Reports of some lakers caught in the 60fow range west of the harbor. Reports of a few salmon too. Forecasted stronger mid week winds may bring on the “yoohoo” water again but then the tasty green on the retreat. So be a student of the weather and winds and water conditions for best boating trolling chances. Those same past Sunday semi stained waters that trollers scored in also brought on some hook ups for the foot soldiers, land lubber casting crowd. Being stuck on a pier or the lakeshore doesn’t mean you can’t get in on the action too this time of the year!

Pen Rearing

Steelhead and salmon pen reared fish seem to be doing well. Going into our 2nd week of feeding before eventual release around 3 or 4 weeks. Steelhead are slashing at feed and bugs as they usually do while the Kings are a little bit more shy. Check out the staged fish pen rearing project pic to the right.

Orleans County

Orleans County Sportfishing Coordinator Ron Bierstine:

Have you given up on the Oak for steelhead chances? Maybe you shouldn’t – check out the great fish caught just recently in the pic above courtesy of Lindsey Agness. A big fresh female that, by the looks of things, hasn’t spawned yet. And about now in this week of keen, drying out, warm weather, the drifting chances are improving thanks to dropping and clearing flows.

Yesterday there was some water level fluctuations and while the flows were down, it revealed a few pods of steelhead around where you would expect them in the gravel spots. Probably some fish had retreated to the holes too. Flows did rebound and anglers faced some difficult wading situations. Use caution when you find flows that are likely to change quickly. Flows are now slightly high with more then a foot of visibility that could be approaching 2 feet. Flows look like maybe one notch less then full bore turbine water. Look for a few steelhead spread out around the middle or lower river reaches. Fish will be dropping back from the dam too. And if fish could drop back from the overflow channel they would. But since they can’t you’ll have to go to float techniques for what’s probably a fair number of fish landlocked in that channel. Still good opportunity to re-release them back into the turbine channel for access back to the main Lake.

Suckers are numerous, a few bass are around and water temps are warming. So get your last lick of cold water steelhead chances while they last for April. Other area smaller tribs have medium to slightly high flows and slightly stained water color. Water temps are warmer than the Oak and no doubt things have moved further along in those smaller waterways. Look for a few steelhead and brown trout stragglers and more bass.

In the open Lake Ontario around the Point Breeze area anyway it’s a medium pick for mostly browns near shore. At the end of this past week, winds receded and left some nice green water near shore, the civilian and charter trollers did better on Sunday. Reports of some lakers caught in the 60fow range west of the harbor. Reports of a few salmon too. Forecasted stronger mid week winds may bring on the “yoohoo” water again but then the tasty green on the retreat. So be a student of the weather and winds and water conditions for best boating trolling chances. Those same past Sunday semi stained waters that trollers scored in also brought on some hook ups for the foot soldiers, land lubber casting crowd. Being stuck on a pier or the lakeshore doesn’t mean you can’t get in on the action too this time of the year!

Pen Rearing

Steelhead and salmon pen reared fish seem to be doing well. Going into our 2nd week of feeding before eventual release around 3 or 4 weeks. Steelhead are slashing at feed and bugs as they usually do while the Kings are a little bit more shy. Check out the staged fish pen rearing project pic to the right.

Oswego County

Salmon River

Click Here of the 10 day Forecast
Click Here to see the the CFS at Pineville

The water on the Salmon River has been up and down the last week. This has led to some great fishing. But with the warm weather moving in and up to an inch of rain on Sunday we might see flows going up again.

Steelhead are getting very close to the end of the spawn. They have started to feed heavily as they start their journey downstream towards Lake Ontario. Fish are spread throughout the entire river from the upper FlyZone to the DSR, so crowds have been light.

The best bait to use right now are beads and pink worms! Opinions on the best color vary but a good starting point are beads that have a yellow hue, such as Buzzin’, Egg yolk and Light Tangerine. Other anglers prefer orange like Real Deal, SUV Orange, and Muskegon Madness. Fire worms and power bait have been good in the Bubble Gum colors.

Fly anglers have been finding success running egg patterns in a variety of colors, especially copper pink, peach, and chartreuse. An egg sucking leech or woolly bugger in black or olive has been productive, along with the “San Juan Worm.”

Lake Ontario – Oswego

Click Here of the 10 day Forecast

The water around Oswego Harbor has been very dirty with a high flow coming down the Oswego River, finding active fish in this dirty water has been a challenge. We recommend heading east or west to find cleaner water and more active brown trout.

Stick with standard size stingers in bright colors in the dirty water. Mongoose, Sodus Point Buckeye and Yellow Killer. Stick baits such as Fire Tiger, Jailbreak and Citric Shad work as well.

Lake Ontario Report – Mexico, NY

Click Here of the 10 day Forecast

In Mexico Bay, the water has less color, and the fish are more spread out. Concentrate around the creek where you’ll find dirtier water that’s holding more active fish.

In clear water, we recommend Black and Silver‘s Black Widows, Brown Trout, Chicken Wing Diehards and Green Glow. They’ve all been taking plenty of bites.

Oswego River

Click Here of the 10 day Forecast

Reports are paused for the spring and summer. We will resume reports again in late August.

Throughout the spring and summer, the Oswego River offers a variety of fishing opportunities, including panfish, bass, carp and walleye.

Year-Round Notice: There are mandatory personal flotation device zones on the river. The Oswego Fire Department offers loaner life jackets at no charge through its “Loaner for Life” program. For more information contact the east fire station by calling (315) 343.2161 or Click here for the Brookfield Varick Fish Safety brochure.

Spring Trolling For Oswego Brown Trout

Spring brings Lake Ontario’s brown trout close to shore in the greater Oswego area. And each year Captain Andy Bliss of Chasin Tail Adventures trolls the shallows in search of light tackle action as you’ll see on this episode of Pautzke Outdoors filmed on Lake Ontario.

• Learn More About Guided Trips with Chasin Tail Adventures
• Learn More About Pautzke Bait
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Free Oswego Fishing Guide

Click Here to Order a Free Guide

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.