Weekly Fishing Report

The access stairs near the NYPA fishing platform have finally been reopened for anglers looking to access the shoreline at Devil’s Hole. There are a limited number of parking spots at the base of the hill. The NYPA fishing facilities could be closing by December 1. Call 286-6662 for updates.

Speaking of Devil’s Hole and the gorge, Mike Ziehm of Niagara Falls continues to hit steelhead and brown trout his last few times out, along with incidental lake trout. They all like his chartreuse with white No. 4 spinners and white bucktail jigs. Look for shore action to pick up with the forecast of cooler temperatures and rain in the forecast. Water temperatures are continuing to drop. Lake trout season opens on December 1.

Capt. Frank Campbell of Lewiston reports that boat fishing is picking up throughout the river with brown trout starting to cooperate. Top drifts have been Pine, Jackson, and the Coast Guard. The most productive baits are beads and egg sacs. Lake trout can be found in large numbers in the Artpark area, but more steelheads are showing up daily. Egg and egg imitations are both working well.

At the Niagara Bar, a mix of trout and warm water species are showing up in greater numbers with bigger schools of baitfish drawing those fish into the area. Jigs and 3-ways rigs outfitted with MagLips or live bait have been most effective to entice bites. Campbell reminds boaters that there are quite a few boats on the water enjoying the good fishing. Check your surroundings before heading back upriver to make another drift.

Wade Winch of North Tonawanda has been hitting the lower river every chance he gets. Fishing was good from Artpark all the way to Bar for brown trout, and steelhead with the bi-catch of lake trout mixed in this week. He was using beads in various colors in the river and on the bar. Jigging soft plastics or blade baits will also work.

In the upper Niagara River at the foot of Ferry Street, Steve Brzuszkiewicz of Marilla decided to take a few casts from the shore and caught a nice perch. He saw some steelhead and walleyes caught while he was there, and they seem to be the most cooperative species for anglers. Steelhead action is leading the way. Live bait, jigs and swim baits are working.

Jim Evarts with The Boat Doctors and Tackle Barn in Olcott reports that Burt Dam still has browns, and some steelhead. Best baits are wax worms, egg sacs, wooly buggers, beads in pink and orange colors. Some perch are being caught off the East Pier in Olcott.

Vic Thibault of Newfane took his foreign exchange student from Italy fishing at the Burt. 16-year-old Alberto Coccoli caught his first brown trout over the weekend and it was a lunker.

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