Upstate and Western New York Fishing Report – April 29 , 2021
Frank Campbell With the opening of the state’s wild turkey season taking place of Saturday, along with the opening of walleye, northern pike, pickerel, and tiger musky seasons, it will be a tough decision on what to do. Do not forget to throw in that salmon fishing is starting to take off along the Niagara County shoreline for its annual spring salmon fever and it is near impossible. Oh yeah, trout are still in the Niagara River and the bass are starting to turn on. Make your choices wisely.
Mike Rzucidlo on left and Mike Ziehm with a lake trout double.
Upstate and Western New York Fishing Report – April 22 , 2021
Frank Campbell The smelt are still hanging on in the lower Niagara River and the white bass are starting to show, too. Salmon are beginning a spring feeding frenzy between the Niagara Bar and 30 Mile Point – just in time for some derbies and tournaments on the local front. Both Mike Rzucidlo and Mike Ziehm of Niagara Falls reported catching some of the first white or silver bass of the season, using 5-inch Zoom plastics on jigs and big No. 4 and No. 5 spinners. In addition to the white bass, they were also catching some big lake trout up to 15 pounds this week from shore. Some muskies and sturgeons are also showing up cruising the shoreline. Musky season is completely closed, and sturgeon are a protected species. It is illegal to target these fish. According to Ziehm, water visibility was 5 to 7 feet and he did catch some steelhead as well in the gorge including some fresh fish. Water levels were low, fishing with h
Upstate and Western New York Fishing Report – April 15 , 2021
Frank Campbell The Niagara County Bullhead Tournament was held last weekend and Matt Bedient of Lockport won the friendly contest with two fish weighing in at 4.49 pounds. His secret bait was shrimp and he won $660 for his efforts. Second place was Olivia Lampman with two fish weighing 4.42 and third place was Terry Molisani with 4.12 pounds, tied with Taz Morrison also at 4.12 pounds. The youth winner was Chloe Weaver of Ransomville with two fish tipping the scales at 3.06 pounds. A total of 146 anglers competed in the weekend tournament. In the Lower Niagara River, smelt action has been good according to dipping reports, a nighttime activity that normally takes place this time of year around Lewiston. The run has been decent so far, but it probably will not last long. Lisa Drabczyk with Creek Road Bait and Tackle in Lewiston reports that Devil’s Hole is still producing trout – steelhead, lake trout and the occa
Upstate and Western New York Fishing Report – April 8 , 2021
Frank Campbell Fishing action is taking off throughout Niagara County and Western New York and novice and veteran anglers should take advantage of the long list of opportunities that are available. The Niagara County Bullhead Tournament is starting on Friday, April 9 at 5 p.m. This is a shore fishing only event, with anglers vying for the best 2 bullheads total weight to win the prizes. Weigh in will take place on Sunday, April 11 at the Wilson Conservation Club from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. For more info call Eric at 628-6078. The tournament ends at 1 p.m. on Sunday. Fish will continue to be stocked in the state’s inland waters and we are still awaiting notification for some of the urban areas like Hyde Park Lake and Gill Creek in Niagara Falls, and Oppenheim Park Pond in Wheatfield. The fish stocking phone number for the Randolph Hatchery is 358-2050 if you want to see what has been stocked so far. New fishing regulations
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