As whitetails begin to go into the rut, fewer fishermen will be in the streams, on the lakes and along the rivers. Take advantage of this time as salmon action starts to wind down, trout start to ramp up, musky action improves, bass are bulking up and perch are cooperating. The lower fly-fishing area on the Salmon River will be reopening Saturday.
Lake Erie and tributaries
Tributary action continues to improve, according to Justin Stevens at Cattaraugus Creek Bait and Tackle. The heavy rains last week brought in steelhead from the Route 5 bridge all the way to Versailles. Pink egg sacs, beads and marabou jigs are working well. Steelhead should be at the Scoby dam, too – larger than the jacks that were hanging around before the rain. Guide Vince Tobia with Cattaraugus Creek Outfitters reports that fishing has been picking up everywhere, just in time for a special Veterans Day free fishing day and free fly fishing trip. If you are a veteran and you want to learn to fly fish, call Cattaraugus Creek Outfitters at 479-2327 with your name and email. Space is limited. Veterans Day is Nov. 11. Guide Nick Sagnibene of Ellicottville reported that lake-run fishing has picked up with the rains. Coupled with the great temperatures, the fishing for steelhead and browns has been good. Focus on small egg flies or nymphs in the smaller shallower tributaries. Black stone flies have been the big producer, Sagnibene said. Don’t be afraid to put a white or black wooly bugger under a bobber as the fresher fish from the lake will easily take advantage of this offering.
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Steve Brzuszkiewicz of Marilla reported that he got into the yellow perch Tuesday. Using emerald shiners, he hammered a limit of perch in 53 feet of water in front of Cattaraugus Creek. It was his biggest batch of perch he could remember, with a few in the 14-inch range and many in the 13-inch range. He also reported that there are no side docks in place at the Hanover launch. One boat was drifting and catching walleye in 50 feet of water in front of the Catt. Capt. Joe Fonzi of Gasport said there are some perch around Myers Reef, and no one was there fishing. Also, Sturgeon Point is holding fish, but no one wants to make the run. Off the Catt, he found perch in 56-65 feet with some smallmouth mixed in. If he hit a smallmouth, though, he would have to pick up and move to find the perch again. It appears that the bass might be feeding on the perch.
Speaking of bass, congrats to Andy Full of Tonawanda and Destin DeMarion of Grove City, Pa. They came in with 29.28 pounds for five fish to win the Douglas Rods Big Money Open Bass Tournament last weekend. Check out the full story in Sunday’s News. Second-place finishers Fonzi and Larry Mazur of East Aurora were second with a very respectable 27.11 pounds. They also had the tournament-best 7.22-pound lunker smallmouth. Their best depth was 36 foot, and their best baits were Gajo swim baits, Steel Shad blade baits and drop shots with Gulp smelt.
The WNY Bassmasters will be hosting a Lake Erie Fall Bash from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday out of Safe Harbor Marina. This is a two-person team event with a $100 entry fee paid the morning of the event. No preregistrations. If Lake Erie is too rough to fish, the tournament will be held in the Niagara River out of the launch at the foot of Sheridan Drive. For more info, contact Justin Warriner at 946-6514 or Andy Full at 535-0908.
Niagara River
The highlight this week was not the salmon and trout, but a record white bass that was caught – and released – by Mike Rzucidlo of Niagara Falls. He was tossing a No. 3 spinner along Artpark when the big “silver” hit. Throwing it on his hand-held scale, it weighed 3.8 pounds. The previous record was 3.5 pounds caught earlier this year in the same area by Morgan Fonzi of Gasport. However, Rzucidlo tossed it back. He also caught several lake trout. Lisa Drabczyk of Creek Road Bait and Tackle reported trout is the focus right now for the charter guys. Salmon is almost over, although anglers have caught a few off the NYPA fishing platform. Lake trout are in the river heavy and remember that the season is closed. A few brown trout are being caught. Bass are hitting with regularity downriver on swimbaits, tubes and Ned rigs. Shiners also will work off three-way rigs. Not too much to report in the upper river. Smallmouth bass have been munching on shiners. Musky movement should increase as waters cool.
Lake Ontario and tributaries
Salmon are still around and things are on the downhill slide for kings, but with an upswing for browns in places such as the Oak Orchard River. Adam Slavinsky with the Orvis Store reported this is a great time for a mixed bag of fish that can include Chinook and Coho salmon, brown trout, steelhead and Atlantic salmon at the Oak and other tributaries. Remember that the minimum size for steelhead and Atlantic salmon is 25 inches. The daily creel for brown trout, steelhead and Atlantic salmon is now one each. Water flow is medium or better with a slight stain at the Oak, according to Ron Bierstine with Oak Orchard Tackle. You don’t have to fish for salmonids. Wade Rowcliffe of Rochester and Dan Robinson of Leroy were fishing the lower section of the Oak with jigs and Gulp minnows to take largemouth bass and even a walleye last Sunday. They were in 10-15 feet of water. Remember that if you encounter areas where it is difficult to socially distance at least 6 feet apart, you should wear a mask. At Burt Dam and 18 Mile Creek, good numbers of fish have arrived, according to Karen Evarts with the Boat Doctors.
Chautauqua Lake
The lake level rose back to normal with the rain the past week, according to Mike Sperry with Chautauqua Reel Outdoors. The walleye fishing continues to be good, with the best approach being vertical jigging in the north basin in 30 to 50 feet of water. Jigging Raps and 2-ounce Gotchas are working well, Sperry said. Try using different colors. The Fall musky bite has fired up. Casting 6-inch to 9-inch Jerkbaits, glide baits and crankbaits are working well close to weed lines. Finding healthy green weeds is the key to finding fish. This bite should continue through November. He was also hearing reports of some nice-sized crappie catches. Yellow Perch are abundant. Minnows are the ticket from a boat or from shore where accessible.
Inland Waters
Guide Nick Sagnibene of Ellicottville reported that the inland streams remain very low, even after the rain. Browns and brook trout are starting to spawn. Please be mindful when walking the streams to not step on trout redds or fish to actively spawning fish. The low water conditions are keeping the dry fly fishing alive, though. Small caddis, blue winged olives or small terrestrials are bringing some fish to the surface. Put a pheasant tail or copper John dropper under a dry fly or bobber and you will have some success. Please read up on the open streams, as most have closed for the season. Focus on the Cattaraugus system for the best results and open water. Know your regulations.