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 his son Corey. Remember that the NYPA fishing platform is open unless poor weather arrives like the snowstorm we are supposed to receive on Wednesday of this week. If you want an update on whether it is opened, call 286-6662. Capt. Matt Yablonsky of Youngstown fished the river on Monday after whacking some kings in the lake over the weekend, and he reported a decent bite in Devil’s Hole for a mix of lake trout and steelhead. Minnows and MagLips were good baits, fished off 3-way rigs. There is still some smelt in the river, so fishing is still a bit difficult. As water temperatures slowly increase, smallmouth bass action is starting to turn on throughout the river, both upper and lower. Try Ned rigs or swimbaits. Remember you must use artificial lures when targeting bass during the catch and release season.