Fishing and Outdoors in WNY: Fishing is outstanding right now

Article and Photos by Capt. Frank Campbell

Director of Outdoor Promotions for Destination Niagara USA

It took a while, but summer is in full swing on the fishing front.

The walleye fishing in Lake Erie is just about as good as it gets right now. Limit catches are the norm throughout New York state waters of Lake Erie, as the tasty fish species are looking to the central and western basin to seek out cooler water temperatures.

The lake temperature off Buffalo is at a record high for this date, as it sits at 78 degrees. The warm waters, coupled with the population estimates in the 100,000,000 range, are a recipe for success for Empire State anglers. The fish have responded to just about any presentation put in the water.

Many a team had great success recently in the Sunset Bay Shootout, which took place in mid-July with 153 entries and most teams reeling in limits, while searching for quality-size walleye to enhance their chances at cashing a big payday. When the dust settled, it was team Knee Deep repeating as the champs and adding almost $50,000 to their pocketbooks for the one-day event. I must comment on what a great event Donnie Rupert and his team run.

On the lower Niagara, the walleye fishing took off as soon as the moss lightened up enough to let baits be presented in a proper fashion to entice strikes. As far as top baits go, it’s hard to beat the ever-reliable worm harness presented on a three-way swivel. This presentation is best drifted slightly faster than the speed of the current, to allow the blade to spin and attract the walleye to the worm.

One of the best things about targeting walleye on the lower Niagara is that fish can be fooled by other presentations, such as jigging a spoon or swimbait and casting crankbaits. It’s always nice to have a reasonable expectation of success fishing the way you enjoy most. Although the Niagara doesn’t have a population equal to Lake Erie, it does harbor a very healthy population with a world-size factor not found in too many areas of the country.

The smallmouth bass fishing has taken a backseat to the great summer walleye angling the Niagara Frontier has been experiencing, but it has been really good lately as well. With the warmer water, early mornings have been producing some nice casting action with spinnerbaits and buzz baits targeted toward the shoreline. Best areas have been those with the river current and some type of structure to deflect the flow, such as logs or rocks, which create small eddies the fish can hold in and ambush prey. As the day wears on, look to deeper areas, such as drop-offs at the points that end drifts. Smallmouth bass like to school up in those areas and can be very responsive to live bait or plastic presented on a drop shot rig.

If you are more into pure power and size, then Lake Ontario is where you need to be heading. Just as the weather is heating up, so is the cold-water fishing in Lake Ontario. By controlling the depth at which baits are presented, it is possible to target preferred temperatures of trout and salmon and thus catch these sought-after game species all summer long. Even with a surface temperature in the 70s, there will be some 50-degree water at some depth in the much deeper parts of the local Great Lakes.

Anglers can control the depth at which the baits run by use of downriggers or dipsey divers, and in doing so effectively keep the baits in the “sweet spot,” which is most likely to draw strikes. The chinook salmon are the largest of the salmon species and, therefore, the most sought-after for the long runs and extended battles they offer anglers. In the past couple of weeks, the salmon being taken have been the largest Lake Ontario has seen in a long time.

If you would like to take advantage of some of the best fishing opportunities in the country, now is the time. If you don’t have access to a boat or lack the equipment needed to enjoy a day on the water, consider contacting one of the many local charter captains that call Niagara home.

I hope to see you enjoying the local outdoors. Every week, I produce a fishing report, the Niagara County Fishing Hotline. Access it online at www.niagarafallsusa.com or by simply calling 716-282-8992, Ext. 4, to hear what’s up in the world of fishing. It is updated every Wednesday.