Lake Ontario and Tributaries

What a difference a week makes. Trollers struggled to find salmon last week after upwelling events scattered fish. This week, the bite has been progressively improving and anglers have been connecting with king salmon. Anglers report good action out of most Niagara and Orleans County ports, in 100-300 feet of water. Trolling with flasher-fly combos and spoons in the top 70 feet of water has produced catches of king salmon with some steelhead, coho salmon and lake trout mixed in. Brown trout are also available inside 60 feet of water. Spoons run near the bottom is a good bet.

Fishing for a mixed bag of warmwater species is a good bet in the lower, slower moving sections of the tributaries, up to the first riffle. Anglers can catch northern pike, black bass, rock bass, crappie, bluegill and yellow perch. Good waters to try include Eighteenmile Creek, Oak Orchard Creek and the Genesee River.

Lake Ontario Harbors & Piers
Anglers can still target brown trout from the Lake Ontario piers. Casting spoons or fishing a minnow under a float are good bets. Anglers have seen good bass and northern pike fishing in harbor areas. Large shiners and stickbaits are good bets for pike. Bass fishing is by catch and release only, artificial lures only.

Lower Niagara River
The lower river is the go-to spot for shore anglers still looking to catch lake run trout. Anglers fishing at Whirlpool and Devils Hole State Parks are still catching lake trout and the occasional steelhead. Smallmouth bass, white bass (silver bass) and yellow perch have moved into the lower river, expanding fishing opportunities. Smallmouth bass can be caught from Devils Hole down to the mouth of the river. Boaters can target bass by drifting with a bottom bouncing rig and tube jigs, or other plastic baits. Natural baits (minnows, crayfish, leeches, etc.) are not permitted for use when targeting bass, until the regular bass season opens on June 15th. Drifters can also cast stickbaits and jerkbaits towards shore for smallmouth bass. Anglers are catching white bass from shore sites along the lower river. Good catches of white bass have been reported from the NYPA fishing platform on small minnows and worms.

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