Weekly Fishing Report

The winds have blown in a change in the lower Niagara River. Strong northeast winds turned Lake Erie over and sent some cooler water down the Niagara River. However, with those cooler temperatures, along came a tougher bite for both walleye and bass. Fishing continues to be spotty with some active fish responding to a few different presentations. Bass are being taken on both crawfish and minnows fished off three-way rigs and drop shot presentations. Walleyes have been taken mostly on worm harnesses and a few fish have been taken through jigging.

A good measuring stick for the fishing was the Fish Odyssey derby, which saw most of the leading fish caught at the beginning of the contest under stable weather conditions. Fishing should pick up again soon. Look for the first push of salmon to be in the river right now with the cooler water temperatures and rough Lake Ontario conditions.

Matt Wilson of Wheatfield hit the lower river on Sunday and found a large school of bass in front of Fort Niagara. After catching double-figure bass in 20 minutes, the action shut down. He moved into the river where he worked the drift from the clay banks to Joseph Davis State Park, casting Crush City 2-3/4-inch swimbaits – dragging and lifting. After plenty of consistent action, it was back down to the Coast Guard drift to catch three walleyes using Maxscent flat worms in goby and black colors. For the day, he caught 33 bass and three walleyes.

Tommy Holycross of Wheatfield reports the walleye action has picked up along the gorge shoreline this week at multiple locations. He had success at Devil’s Hole using bottom bouncer weights with white/silver paddletails. At Artpark, jerk baits seemed to be the bait of choice. He was fortunate enough to limit out at both locations the past couple of evenings. No sign of salmon yet at the NYPA platform.

Mike Ziehm of Niagara Falls got into some walleye and bass in crystal clear conditions using his homemade silver No. 3 spinners, and he’ll be on the hunt starting next week, looking for the first salmon of the season, as well as more walleyes.

John Van Hoff of North Tonawanda went back to the Niagara Bar to check things out in the lake and found warmer water, reaching 72-degree temperatures down 100 feet. He decided to run offshore around the 26 line with a spoon program 60 to 90 feet down. In two days of fishing, they enjoyed 70 bites from salmon and steelhead – including several doubles, triples and quadruples.

Karen Evarts with The Boat Doctors and Tackle Barn in Olcott reports that pier action has picked up for browns and pike on Cleos. With the lake rollovers, most stable water is deep near the border. Spoons in orange, green, black, and white variations are working best. In Olcott Harbor, bluegills, perch, and smaller bass are biting.

The Fall Lake Ontario Counties Trout and Salmon Derby is entering its final weekend, and there’s a new leader for the Grand Prize. 75-year-old Roy Hunsburger of Mexico, NY hauled in a 31-pound, 6-ounce king salmon on a Salmon Candy spoon to take over the Grand Prize lead for the $20,000 check. Top steelhead is a new leader, too. Nate Stephenson of Wilson was fishing out of Wilson when he caught an impressive 17-pound, 10-ounce silver bullet. Top Brown Trout is still a 15-pound 3-ounce fish hauled in by Bill Weber of Palmyra.

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