You are here: Salmon River, Oak Orchard, Oswego River, Oneida Lake, Niagara River, Fishing Report 2/23/08
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Salmon River, Oak Orchard, Oswego River, Oneida Lake, Niagara River, Fishing Report 2/23/08

If you like ice fishing then you know it is happening right now!!

Chaumont Bay and Black Lake continues to produce great catches of perch.
The ice fishing on Sandy Pond continues to be good with plenty of ice. The pike bite has been good with the perch bite being on and off.
Chris Kenyon from Wolcott tells me that Sodus Bay is fishing good as well.
Walleye on Oneida lake are biting in the North Bay area in 22-25 ft. of water. Jigging with castmaster spoons, Swedish pimples and sonar's tipped with small buckeye minnows seems to be working best. Look also for some perch to be mixed in with the walleyes. There is about 8" of ice along the shoreline there as well.

Even though there is good ice in most areas, please remember to use caution when moving about.
If you want to fish steelhead, you have about 10 weeks to make plane and get it done. I would look for each week from here on in to improve depending on conditions.
 The fishing pressure on the salmon river is picking up as everyone is getting Cabin Fever, which is typical for this time of year. Mornings have been cold, but it isn’t stop anglers from hitting the water.  The upper section of the river between Altmar and Pineville is producing the most action. Suggested baits are eggs, glo-bugs, estaz flies, hare's ear and caddis in (size 8-12). Bright colors are a great attractor for fresh fish, while natural colors are better for darker in river fish.
Look for most the fish to be in the deepest slowest water.
On the Oswego, eggs and small white jigs are producing most of the bites, but the water there is still real high, so use caution when trying to fish those areas.
A few pics from the Salmon River
Russ Croft with a few nice Winter Steelhead
Check this out.... A Triple!!
From Bill Hilts Jr.

Eighteenmile Creek and Burt Dam has been producing some nice trout according to Wes Walker at The Slippery Sinker in Olcott. Water levels are up a bit and clear for the most part, with not too much ice to contend with due to the increased flow. Marabou jigs tipped with wax worms or egg sacks are the top two baits being used on steelhead, with the occasional brown trout also being caught. Olcott Harbor has no safe ice and the piers are ice covered.

If you want hard water, then head down to Wilson where they are doing pretty well through 7-8 inches of ice. Chuck Brolinski of Lewiston did well last weekend at Wilson by using marabou jigs tipped with mousies to take 25 perch and 20 bluegills.

If you’re looking for more consistent ice angling, head to Irondequoit Bay where they’ve been doing very well. One report that came in saw one group of anglers take 100 perch, with many in the 12-13 inch range. A Swedish pimple was the best bait there. 

On Sunday, don’t forget that the Lake Ontario Trout and Salmon Association will be holding their first annual Lake Ontario Fishing Expo and Flea Market at the 4-H Building of Cornell Cooperative Extension Niagara, 4487 Lake Avenue, Route 78, Lockport from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Some great seminars and 46 different exhibitors will be on hand. The $5 admission fee will be used for pen rearing projects in Niagara and Orleans counties.

 Lower Niagara River ~   The cold temperatures finally impacted Lake Erie enough that ice cover is protecting much of the water from storm erosion. Even the winds of last week had a minimal impact to water conditions. Last weekend was decent as far as water clarity and everyone seemed to be catching fish during the Niagara River Angler’s Roger Tobey Memorial Steelhead Contest. Capt. Roy Larson of North Tonawanda bested 76 other anglers to take the top prize with a 14 pound, four ounce trout he took on a pink egg sack at the tail end of the Stella drift. Water clarity is good enough to catch fish.

Capt. Vince Pierleoni was using egg sacks to take a half dozen trout on Wednesday and his customers missed a few more in the process. It should get better as the water color continues to improve. Nick Custodi at Village Hardware has been trying to keep with the fishermen as far as keeping bait available at his shop. He noted that shore fishing has been a bit tough due to ice conditions. There has been quite a bit of ice floating down the gorge, too. Best egg sack colors have been pink and chartreuse.

If you a have question or comment, feel free to e-mail me anytime. Send your mail to Troy @ lakeontariooutdoors.com You can also log on to our website at www.Lakeontariooutdoors.com for daily fishing reports, events, charters and river guides, as well as numerous links to great sites and area businesses.
Remember to stay safe, be respectful of others and put a few back for another day.
This is Captain Troy Creasy, See you out there.