Weekly Fishing Report

It was another week of outdoor media in Niagara Falls USA, and this time it was Misty Wells of the Discovery Channel’s “Let’s Take It Outside” making a return visit with her daughter, Hudson. Captain Joe Marra of Niagara Rainbow Charters hosted Wells in the lower Niagara River, and the resource didn’t disappoint with a mix of steelhead, lake trout, and smallmouth bass. Marra concentrated on the Devil’s Hole area for the trout, utilizing MagLip plugs off three-way rigs. Smallmouth bass were cooperative on Ned Rigs downriver. The action all took place in a three-hour period and should make for a great episode to showcase the Niagara County area.

In Lake Ontario, Captain Joe Oakes of Salmonboy Sportfishing out of Wilson showed the television show crew what a world-class fishery the area is known for. Both Misty and her daughter Hudson tussled with beautiful Chinook salmon in the high teens in addition to several others, including some large Coho salmo,n despite some tough conditions. According to Oakes, Coho salmon action continues to be great. They can be found in 30 to 350 feet of water. Spoons and flasher-fly combos are working best. For kings, Oakes is doing best on spoons and meat rigs 60 to 120 feet down.

In Olcott, Karen Evarts at The Boat Doctors and Tackle Barn emphasized the excellent Coho salmon fishing. She said a hot bait has been peanut flies made by 3L. Dreamweaver 6-inch orange spin doctors and Northeast Troller are working well, too. Best meat options for kings have been Diabolical and A-Tom-Mik with corresponding rigs in black, blue, and purple, as well as with Mag spoons. Steelhead have also started hitting around 200 feet of water around scattered bait pods.

This is Skip Hartman Memorial Pro-Am week, so information is a bit tough to come by. The Don Johannes/Pete DeAngelo Memorial 3-Fish/Big Fish contest is on Thursday, May 29 this week. If you want to get in, sign up at The Boat Doctors or call Mike Johannes at 716-523-1727.

In the Upper Niagara River, Matt Wilson of Lewiston reports decent bass action over the holiday weekend. They worked stained water conditions to their advantage, seeking out shallow back eddies where they could position themselves in deep water casting to shallow flats. Swimbaits were key, using Keitech 2.8-inch size in darker colors like Goby and Electric Shad. Drop shot rigs took a few fish, too. Casting a ¼-ounce weight with a Z-Man scented jerk shad was another bait that worked.

Get ready for National Fishing and Boating Week June 1-8. Take a kid fishing!

Sign up for a fishing tournament or derby in Niagara Falls USA. See the full schedule of events here.