Upstate and Western New York Fishing Report – April 1 , 2021
Greater Niagara Region
Frank Campbell Happy Easter! April 1 is the traditional opener of the state’s inland trout fishing season. Of course, this does not include Great Lakes tributaries (they are open all year). However, it does include Gill Creek, Hyde Park Lake and Oppenheim Park Pond. Due to COVID-19 concerns, the state will not be announcing a specific time and date for when fish will be stocked. One way to keep tabs is to call the fish stocking hotline at 358-2050 to see when fish are stocked after the fact. They are usually stocked the first week in April. The NYPA Fishing Platform, including the elevator and the fish cleaning station, should be open starting April 1. Check the hotline at 286-6662 to see the status. The upper reservoir and the water intakes in the upper river are both open as well. Some mixed smelt reports in the lower river. We heard of one decent report prior to the water changing color, bu
Upstate and Western New York Fishing Report – March 11, 2021
Frank Campbell Air temperatures are scheduled to break the 60 mark today so being outdoors is a must. While it will be cooling back into the 40s by the weekend, spring is just around the corner. March 15 is the final day for walleye, pike, pickerel, and tiger musky action in the state, but there is still plenty of trout fishing to be had here – in both the tributaries and the Niagara River. Our tip of the week comes for Captains Ernie and Nick Calandrelli, who took Kevin Kishel of East Aurora out on Tuesday in the lower Niagara. The trio did very well on steelhead using Kishel’s Fish Scent on MagLip plugs, and fished off 3-way rigs. It really seemed to make a difference. Lower Niagara River trout action is picking back up again and best baits have been egg sacs or egg imitations, minnows or shiners and any kind of a body bait like a Kwikfish or a MagLip from boats, all fished off 3-way rigs. Water clarity is good.
Upstate and Western New York Fishing Report – March 4, 2021
Bill Hilts, Jr. The highlight this week is the fishing action in the lower Niagara River this past weekend. In the Roger Tobey Memorial Steelhead Contest hosted by the Niagara River Anglers Association last Saturday, Matt Cipolletti of Lewiston won first place with an 11.62-pound fish he reeled in on a pink egg sac.
Matt Cipolletti of Lewiston caught this 11.62-pound steelhead in the lower Niagara River to win the Roger Tobey Memorial Steelhead Contest sponsored by the NRAA. He was fishing with Capt. Ryan O’Neill and it was caught on a pink egg sac.
Upstate and Western New York Fishing Report – February 11, 2021
Greater Niagara Region
It is cold out there. The temperature this morning was 12 degrees. This cold snap will stay with us for at least another week or so. The polar blast has had a serious impact on Lake Erie and what was once wide-open water as recent as last week now has 80 percent ice cover according to recent reports. What that means for lower Niagara River fishermen is that storms will not have as much of an effect on the river fishery. The storm last week blew out the river and the muddy water conditions shut things down for several days. The wind also blew in quite a bit of ice chunks so dodging small ice pieces will be an issue when boats make it back on the water or shore fishermen start casting hardware. The shore casting could start as soon as today. Mike Rzucidlo of Niagara Falls reports that there was 3 feet of visibility in the water Tuesday and he will try to head down soon to give it a go. Spinne
Upstate and Western New York Fishing Report – February 4, 2021
Bill Hilts, Jr. Take advantage of the next couple of days if you want to fish in the Niagara River before another winter storm blows in from the west. Action has been spotty, along with the weather, but some nice fish are available if fishing from a boat or from the shoreline in the gorge area.
Capt. Richard Brant of Tonawanda reports that he was out for 3 days in the lower Niagara River and did decently on trout. steelhead, brown trout, and lake trout are all available in the river system. Winds will dictate if you can get out on the Niagara Bar or not off the mouth of the river. The water was offering about 6 feet of visibility but cloudy. The northeast winds over the weekend made it difficult fishing from the boat. Early morning action has been slow from sunrise until 10 a. m. Water temperature is 33 degrees with very soft slow bites on plugs and egg sacs. A fresh push of fish came up the river last weekend.