Weekly Fishing Report

Fishing on the Lower Niagara River is starting to heat up with the lessening of ice and warmer air temperatures. There is little to no ice below Niagara Falls, but there is some debris to keep an eye on when traveling the river, says Capt. Joe Marra with Niagara Rainbow Charters.

The water temperature reached 40 degrees over the weekend with lack of ice floating, and the fish responded accordingly with steelhead, browns, and lakers all being taken throughout the entire lower river. Minnows off 3-way rigs are still the most productive bait and presentation. However, MagLips and eggs will still catch fish. Look for smallmouth bass to start responding to the warmer water and jigging spoons, swimbaits, and tubes should produce fish. Remember if you target bass, it’s artificial baits only.

A few Atlantic salmon have also been reported in the lower river off 3-ways and minnows. Brown trout are being caught in the lower river, using bait fish and their artificial imitations, reports Alan Raymond with The Wicked Worm in Youngstown. Steelhead are available upriver using beads/eggs. A rush of lake trout have been found on the Niagara Bar, with a few salmon being reported. With waters warming up every day, look for the smelt run to begin soon. By the way, the Wicked Worm is a weigh station for the LOC derbies this year.

Water is finally starting to warm up, but the king salmon haven't shown up in any large numbers yet, reports Capt. Matt Yablonsky of Wet Net Charters. He says that there has been good brown trout fishing out of Wilson with some Atlantic salmon and Coho salmon showing up. Junior Challenger stick baits in natural and goby colors are best on flat lines. Dreamweaver Super Slim spoons on the riggers have been working well, too. “Get ‘er Done” and “Mixed Veggies” were Yablonsky’s go-to color patterns. The best depth was 7 to 10 feet of water. For lake trout, head out to deeper waters outside the 50-foot mark.

If you want to hear what Yablonsky has to say about spring salmon fishing, the Lake Ontario Trout and Salmon Association will be holding its popular “At the Dock” session at Bootleggers Cove Marina in Wilson at 7 p.m. on May 1. Get there early (6 p.m.) for a Marty Polovick-grilled hot dog. Timing is perfect with the Spring Lake Ontario Counties Trout and Salmon Derby slated for May 2 to 11.

Matt Vogt and Matt DiTullio of Newfane hit the lake out of Olcott recently and, despite cooler water temperatures, they managed to find scattered brown trout in varying depths. On their last trip, they went six for eight on browns and a Coho salmon using sticks and spoons. Expect water to start warming, especially after the warm rain on Monday. In the harbors, Karen Evarts at The Boat Doctors and Tackle Barn in Olcott reports mostly a mix of panfish with an occasional trout being caught off the piers.

May 1 is also the opening of four different fish species. At the top of the list is walleye, carrying a minimum size of 15 inches and a daily limit of five fish as far as statewide regs. However, not all bodies of water are created equal. The daily limit is six walleyes per person on Lake Erie. On Lake Ontario and the lower Niagara River, the limit is three with a minimum size of 18 inches. Also opening May 1st, Northern pike, pickerel, and inland tiger musky seasons.

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