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 occasional brown trout. Egg sacs, beads and spinners are all working to take trout. The NYPA Fishing Platform is a good spot to be this week as casters have been catching some nice mixed bag of fish.