Weekly Fishing Report

Each week, catch up on a full report on where to fish, popular baits and lures, weather conditions and upcoming fishing tournaments and derbies. So whether you packed your tackle box, or hire a charter captain in Niagara Falls USA, a fishing adventure awaits – along with that catch of a lifetime!

Niagara Falls USA Weekly Fishing Report for September 19, 2020

Pier action is fair as king salmon, brown trout and northern pike are all being caught off Olcott according to Karen Evarts at The Boat Doctors. Blue has been the hot color this week, spoons and stickbaits. The water is still way too warm and water temperatures were around 64 degrees. J13 Rapalas are hitting a few fish. Boat traffic has slowed a bit and staging fish in the lake have had lock jaw. Better success is being reported out deep in 500-plus feet of water for steelhead and a mix of salmon year classes off Olcott. Spoons and flasher-flies are working out deep; in close it is cut bait, j-plugs, flasher-fly, and magnum spoons. Capt. Mike Johannes of On the Rocks reports steelhead off Wilson in 400 to 450 feet of water. Spoons down 50 to 100 feet were taking steelies on riggers, sliders and divers. A 400 copper also took one fish on a flasher-fly. If you do head into the lake for steelhead, remember that the new daily limit is no more than 2 fish per person as part of your 3-fish aggregate for salmon and trout. Minimum size on steelhead in the lake is 21 inches. No salmon or trout have been reported at Burt Dam yet. When they do start showing up in the streams, minimum size is now 25 inches on steelhead. The daily limit is still one fish. Brown trout daily limit has also dropped from 3 to 1 fish, so be aware of the new change.

Mike Ziehm and Mike Rzucidlo, both of Niagara Falls, report decent success on king salmon migrating up into the Devil’s Hole area and beyond. No. 4 spinners were working their magic from shore. The NYPA fishing platform is still producing a few salmon in the corner near the tailrace. Off the other end of the platform it is bass, sheepshead, and a few other species according to Lisa Drabczyk at Creek Road Bait and Tackle. Bass and walleye are being caught downriver, from the launch all the way down to the lake. Crabs and shiners will work off three-way rigs for bass. Worm harnesses for shiners. Remember to stay out of Canadian waters. A lake roll-over the tail end of last week created an outstanding situation for bass action around the Coast Guard station and along Fort Niagara. When the lake flips, the bass will all congregate in the warmer river water coming down from Lake Erie. Watch the weather and the next time that happens, you know where to go. None of the new trout regulations changes apply to the river.

Sign up for a fishing tournament or derby in Niagara Falls USA. See the full schedule of events here. Please note, some events are canceled due to COVID-19/Coronavirus crisis.

Every week The Buffalo News gives outdoor sportsmen (and women) a full page of pertinent material as it relates to Western New York and beyond. Read more here.