Weekly Fishing Report

The entire south shore of Lake Ontario is on fire right now reports Capt. Vince Pierleoni of Thrillseeker Sportfishing who operates out of Olcott. Pick your species – brown trout, king salmon, Coho salmon, and lake trout are all in the mix and you can find them from 6 feet of water to 80 feet of water, according to Pierleoni. Spoons were the best enticement for him.

Early baitfish movements have been coming in shallow and those fish are hungry. With the muddy water coming out of the tributaries with the recent rains, look for a distinct mudline to target brown trout with stickbaits, moving in and out of the line. Don’t be surprised if a salmon or two show up.

Capt. Joe Oakes of Salmon Boy Charters reports that despite the dirty water and crazy weather, fishing remains good for both brown trout and lake trout, with more salmon showing up daily fishing out of Wilson. Best depths have been from 10 feet to 80 feet, depending on what you want to target. Sticks, spoons, and flasher-fly are all taking fish from the surface to the bottom.

Capt. Frank Campbell of Lewiston reported that he had some media people in from the Association of Great Lakes Outdoor Writers and there were three boats working the shoreline from Fort Niagara to 4 Mile Creek – wherever they could find clear water. When they found it, they did well on Chinook and Coho salmon, brown trout, lake trout, and some bomber bass. They would use the bow mount trolling motor to slowly work the shoreline in 10 to 20 feet of water using small stickbaits.

In the river, Capt. Joe Srouji of Angler Edge saw the conditions change in the lower river as the day went on last Friday. Since then, it has been difficult to fish. He did find some cleaner water on the Canadian side of the river near the mouth. It looks like it should be fishable again for boaters working from Devil’s Hole to the Niagara Bar by today or Thursday this week. With some strong east winds in the forecast for today, having the river available for options will be a great back up plan.

In the Tenth Annual Niagara County Bullhead Tournament last weekend, there were 111 entries in the contest, including 21 youth 12 years of age and under. Conditions were difficult. Brandon Poole of Newfane won the tourney with two fish weighing 4.45 pounds. Second place was Rich Hahn of Grand Island with 4.20 pounds for two fish. Top youth was Ashton Clement with 3.54 pounds for two fish. If you would like to find out more about the proposed hydrokinetic project in the Niagara River, stop down to Black Rock-Riverside Community Alliance located at 52 Amherst Street, in Buffalo on Saturday, April 20th. Scott Kitchen with the Niagara Musky Association will be giving a presentation between 10 and 11 a.m.

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