Niagara County

The Buffalo News provides information on a variety of topics of interest to outdoor enthusiasts, including fishing derbies, details on the latest fishing conditions, and more! See below for the latest details and links! “Scattershots (Oct. 16, 2019)” from The Buffalo News In this edition of “Scattershots” from The Buffalo News, Bill Hilts Jr. provides details on a variety of topics of interest to outdoor enthusiasts. Topics discussed include, “Samland, Cashdollar win Lake Erie Bass Open,” “Krueger to speak at Hartland Sportsmen’s Dinner,” “Capt. Bob’s Outdoors Fall Fishing Derby set” and “Western Zone duck season opens Oct. 19.” Click here to read more! The Buffalo News Shares “The Fishing Beat (Oct. 16, 2019)” Bill Hilts Jr. discusses the latest fishing conditions and news in this edition of “The Fishing Beat” from The Buffalo News. Bodies of water discussed include Lake Ontario and tributaries, the Niagara River, Lake Erie and tributaries and Chautauqua Lake. Click here for details!

As this is being written, it’s raining throughout WNY, providing some much-needed water flow in the Lake Ontario tributaries and hopefully pull more salmon and steelhead into them. There are a fair number of kings at Burt Dam and 18 Mile Creek according to Karen Evarts at The Boat Doctors in Olcott. Mixed reports from anglers – some catching a few, some striking out. Pier action has been slow. Some anglers with small boats are working the creek in some of the deeper holes and picking up some salmon. The dam has a good mix of fish but getting them to hit with all the pressure has been tough. With the added rains, one option might be to seek out streams away from the high-pressure areas for a mix of trout and salmon. With the opening of numerous hunting seasons this weekend, stream pressure should be lighter, and the weather should be good. Click here to see the rest of this report on ILoveNYFishing.com.

The Buffalo News provides information on a variety of topics of interest to outdoor enthusiasts, including the salmon run, fishing reports, photos and stories of recent catches and more! See below for details and links! "What is happening with this year’s salmon run in the Niagara River?" from The Buffalo News In this article from The Buffalo News called "What is happening with this year’s salmon run in the Niagara River?" Bill Hilts Jr. discusses the status of this year's salmon run. As he states in the article, large numbers of salmon are not yet in the Niagara River. Click here for more details! The Buffalo News Shares "The Fishing Beat (Oct. 9, 2019)" Bill Hilts Jr. provides updates and information on the latest fishing conditions throughout the region in this edition of "The Fishing Beat" from The Buffalo News. Bodies of water discussed include Lake Ontario and tributaries, the Niagara River, Lake Ontario, Lake Erie and tributaries, Chautauqua Lake and more. Click here to see! "Scattershots (Oct. 9, 2019)" from The Buffalo News In this edition of "Scattershots" from The Buffalo News, Bill Hilts Jr. provides updates on a variety of topics of interest to outdoor enthusiasts. Topics discussed include, "DEC posts pheasant release sites," "Kustich to speak at fly fishing meeting," "Brook trout discovered in “fishless” lake" and "Ruffed grouse help needed." Click here to read more! The Buffalo News Shares "Catches and hunts of the week (Oct. 8)" The Buffalo News shares photos and stories of several fish caught recently throughout the region. Species featured include salmon, brown trout, steelhead and more. Click here to see!

If you are looking for salmon, the best area in Niagara Falls USA would have to be Olcott. Karen Evarts at The Boat Doctors in Olcott reports some fish being caught off the piers by spoon chuckers. A few have been caught on J13 Rapalas, rattle baits (like Rat-L-Traps) and spinners. Drifting egg skein is also a good approach. You can do the same thing from small boats and other watercraft in the harbor and up 18 Mile Creek. Trolling, casting or still fishing in some of the deeper holes. At the dam, there was good brown trout action over the weekend, with some salmon and steelhead being caught. However, things have slowed back down again with the warmer weather this week. That could all change with the cold front coming through this weekend. Egg sacs were working best at the dam, with pink being a hot color. If we get some rain, you can look for salmon at Wilson, too. A total of 10,000 kings were put into pens in 2017 and some of those fish could be returning early as 2 year olds. There should also be browns and steelhead around. Warm water fish like bass and northern pike should also be in both Wilson and Olcott harbors. Out in the lake, some boaters have pounded the piers with limited success. Better luck for salmon and trout has been out deep, but no specific details are available. Click here to see the rest of this report on ILoveNYFishing.com.

Charter captains have been struggling in the Devil’s Hole area for salmon. In fact, some captains have cancelled their salmon season due to sparse numbers. The shore guys are catching a few, like off the NYPA fishing platform. Glow spoons have been the ticket. A few brown trout have been caught by casters using spoons and spinners according to Lisa Drabczyk of Creek Road Bait and Tackle. Mike Rzucidlo of Niagara Falls caught 2 steelhead and 2 smallmouth bass casting spinners off the platform on Tuesday morning, so some fish are available. Many have opted to switch gears and chase bass in boats. Capt. Joe Marra of Niagara Rainbow Charters took out Kurt Gregory Smutko of North Carolina and Dr. George Smutko of Lewiston on the Niagara Bar area this week around Fort Niagara and they had a banner day, catching some 50 fish in the process – and no sheepshead. Minnows were the top bait and they caught several smallmouth bass over 5 pounds. The fishing days aren’t all like that but this day was a special one. Click here to see the rest of this report on ILoveNYFishing.com.

The Buffalo News provides information on a variety of topics of interest to outdoor enthusiasts! See below for details and links! "The Fishing Beat (Oct. 2, 2019)" from The Buffalo News Bill Hilts Jr. provides photos and details on the latest fishing conditions in this edition of "The Fishing Beat" from The Buffalo News. Bodies of water discussed include Lake Ontario and tributaries, the Niagara River, Lake Erie and tributaries, Lake Alice and Chautauqua Lake. Click here for details! The Buffalo News Presents "Scattershots (Oct. 2, 2019)" Bill Hilts Jr. shares details about several topics of interest to outdoor enthusiasts in this edition of "Scattershots" from The Buffalo News. Topics discussed include, "DEC trapping permit applications available," "North Forest ladies to hold Halloween Partner Shoot," "Ten X youth shooting program underway" and "Youth deer hunt set for Oct. 12-14." Click here to read more! "Catches of the Week (Oct. 2)" from The Buffalo News The Buffalo News shares a variety of pictures and stories of fish caught recently throughout the region in this edition of "Catches of the Week." Species featured include king salmon, brown trout, and more! Click here to see!

Remember that there are a few big events coming up this weekend, Sept. 28 and 29. On Sept. 28, NY will be offering another free fishing day around the state. It’s also National Hunting and Fishing Day and the NYPA Wildlife Festival will be held both Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 28 and 29 at the visitors center located at 5777 Lewiston Road, Lewiston next to Niagara University from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days. Lots to see and do for the whole family, and it’s free! For Lake Ontario, action on the lake for salmon and trout has been spotty. Capt. Alan Sauerland of Newfane ran straight out of Wilson to deep water (he turned around at the Canadian border) and caught a mix of fish on spoons. There are some fish staging off Olcott, but numbers seem to be down. Salmon are jumping near the piers but not coming into the creek. If you can find a pocket of fish in the lake and stay on them, you can do well. Capt. Vince Pierleoni of Newfane found them in 100 feet of water one day and then they were gone the next. Pike fishing off the piers and in the harbors at Wilson and Olcott has been decent. A few browns and salmon are being caught. Try casting large J13 Rapalas or spinnerbaits, spoons or spinners. A couple salmon and steelhead have been reported at Burt Dam, but nothing of any significance. Perch and bass in the creeks according to Karen Evarts at The Boat Doctors in Olcott. Click here to see the rest of this report on ILoveNYFishing.com.

The Buffalo News provides details on several topics of interest to outdoor enthusiasts, including updates on the latest fishing conditions, NHF Day, inland stream meetings and more! See below for details and links! The Buffalo News Presents “Scattershots (Sept. 25)” In this edition of “Scattershots” from The Buffalo News, Bill Hilts Jr. provides details on a variety of topics of interest to outdoor enthusiasts. Topics discussed include, “Inland stream meetings set,” “Youth Waterfowl Hunting Weekend Oct. 5-6” and “NHF Day Program Reminders.” Click here to read more! “The Fishing Beat (Sept. 25)” from The Buffalo News Bill Hilts Jr. provides updates on the latest fishing conditions in this edition of “The Fishing Beat” from The Buffalo News. Bodies of water discussed include Lake Ontario and tributaries, the Niagara River, Lake Erie and tributaries and Chautauqua Lake. Click here for details!

The Buffalo News provides details on a variety of topics of interest to outdoor enthusiasts, including an overview of celebrations in recognition of National Hunting and Fishing Day, updates on the latest fishing conditions and more! See below for details and links! "Festivals help celebrate National Hunting and Fishing Day" from The Buffalo News In this article called "Festivals help celebrate National Hunting and Fishing Day" from The Buffalo News, Bill Hilts Jr. provides an overview of a variety of events being held in recognition of National Hunting and Fishing Day on September 28. Events on both a national and local level are included. Click here for more information! The Buffalo News Shares "Scattershots (Sept. 18)" Bill Hilts Jr. provides details on a variety of topics of interest to outdoor enthusiasts in this edition of "Scattershots" from The Buffalo News. Topics discussed include, "Oliver, CF win big in lower river challenge," "Pheasant hunt permit lottery set for Oct. 1," "ATA shoot at Evans scheduled for Sunday" and "Iroquois waterfowl meeting on Monday." Click here to read more! "The Fishing Beat (Sept. 18)" from The Buffalo News In this edition of "The Fishing Beat" from The Buffalo News, Bill Hilts Jr. provides updates on the fishing conditions throughout the region. Bodies of water discussed include Lake Ontario and tributaries, the Niagara River, Lake Erie and tributaries, and Chautauqua Lake. Also included is a section titled, "Fonzi places fourth in BFL contest." Click here for details! The Buffalo News Presents the "BN Outdoor Calendar (Sept. 18)" In this edition of the "BN Outdoor Calendar" from The Buffalo News, Bill Hilts Jr. provides details on several upcoming events related to the outdoors. Details for events between now and October 14 are included. Click here to see! "Catches and hunts of the week (Sept. 18)" from The Buffalo News The Buffalo News provides photos and stories of several fish caught recently throughout the region in this edition of the "Catches and hunts of the week." Click here to see largemouth bass, pike and more.

The Buffalo News provides updates and information on several topics of interest to fishing and hunting enthusiasts! See below for details and links! "Williamsville angler representing N.Y. in Big Bass Junior Championship" from The Buffalo News In this article from The Buffalo News titled "Williamsville angler representing N.Y. in Big Bass Junior Championship," Bill Hilts Jr. shares the story of a 17 year old from Williamsville who has qualified for the Big Bass Junior Championship. Nick Sanderson will represent New York State in this first ever event! Click here to read the full story! The Buffalo News Shares “Scattershots (Sept. 11)” Bill Hilts Jr. provides details about several topics of interest to outdoor enthusiasts in this edition of “Scattershots” from The Buffalo News. Topics discussed include, “Reelin’ for a Cure announces donation,” “Newfane wild game dinner Sept. 21,” “Pennsylvania angler wins Oneida Lake elite tourney” and “Pheasants Forever youth hunt is set for Sept. 29.” Click here to read more! “The Fishing Beat (Sept. 11)” from The Buffalo News In this edition of “The Fishing Beat” from The Buffalo News, Bill Hilts Jr. provides details about the latest fishing related news and conditions from throughout the region. Bodies of water discussed include Lake Ontario and tributaries, the Niagara River, Lake Erie and Chautauqua Lake. Click here for details! The Buffalo News Shares “Catches and hunts of the week (Sept. 11)” Photos and stories of several fish caught throughout the region are shared in this edition of the “Catches and hunts of the week” from The Buffalo News. Included are brown trout, salmon and more. Click here to see! “BN Outdoor Calendar (Sept. 11)” from The Buffalo News In this edition of the “BN Outdoor Calendar” from The Buffalo News, Bill Hilts Jr. provides dates and details for several upcoming events related to fishing, hunting and other outdoor activities. Events included range from now through October 1. Click here for more information!

Get ready to rumble with the fall salmon run. While it hasn’t arrived in full force yet, the New York Power Authority is doing its best to make sure the fishing platform is ready to go. We just received word that they are cleaning and inspecting the popular fall fishing location and if everything goes as planned, they should reopen things this Saturday, Sept. 14. Call 796-0135 Ext. 45 to find out if it’s open. There are a few kings swimming around according to Rich Pisa of Kenmore. He hiked down into the Niagara Gorge and tossed some spinners from shore to connect with a couple nice salmon. Look for king action to slowly start to ramp up moving forward, especially if we get a cool rain. Bass fishing at the Clay Banks and along Fort Niagara has been good for bass this week according to Lisa Drabczyk of Creek Road Bait and Tackle. Crayfish is your best bet. Walleye action has slowed during the day, but the night bite has been decent along the Stella drift. Don’t rule out the Niagara Bar around the green buoy marker for bass and walleye, too. Worm harnesses or a simple spinner-worm rig are good baits for walleyes. Orange, copper and purple are good colors to start with. Click here to see the rest of this report on ILoveNYFishing.com.

The Buffalo News provides information on a variety of topics of interest to outdoor enthusiasts, include details on the LOC Derby winners, updates on the latest fishing conditions and relevant news about the outdoors! See below for details and links! "West Seneca angler wins $25,000 LOC Derby prize" from The Buffalo News In this article from The Buffalo News called "West Seneca angler wins $25,000 LOC Derby prize," Bill Hilts Jr. provides information about Capt. Codey Allen whose salmon earned the top spot in the competition! Click here to read the exciting story! The Buffalo News Shares "The Fishing Beat (Sept. 4, 2019)" Bill Hilts Jr. provides updates and information on the fishing conditions on several bodies of water in this edition of "The Fishing Beat" from The Buffalo News. Bodies of water discussed include Lake Ontario, the Niagara River, Lake Erie and Chautauqua Lake. Click here for details! "Scattershots (Sept. 4, 2019)" from The Buffalo News In this edition of "Scattershots" from The Buffalo News, Bill Hilts Jr. provides details on a variety of topics of interest to outdoor enthusiasts. Topics discussed include "3-F youth mentor hunt Sept. 14 has openings," "Waterfowl identification classes in September," "Harvest Shoot set at Double T on Sept. 21-22," "LOTSA meeting to hold lake season wrap-up" and "Fall Sportsman’s Show set for Sept. 21 at Batavia Downs." Click here to read more!

It was almost a derby trifecta for Niagara County as the Lake Ontario Counties Fall Salmon and Trout Derby came to a close on Labor Day. The derby kicked off in high gear as Codey Allen of West Seneca reeled in a 33-pound, 8-ounce king salmon out of Olcott on the first day of the derby to take over the early lead and never give it up. They were looking for stable water and headed 10 miles out to over 500 feet of water. That was when he saw 3 rods start screaming. They managed to bring in two of the fish, both 20-pound class salmon. Allen was fighting the big boy, a 33-pound, 8-ounce king salmon that hit a Michigan Stinger spoon in green, black and white behind a dipsy diver set back 140 feet on a No. 2 setting. They won the $25,000 Grand Prize plus big fish of the day, earning another $500. Top steelhead also came from Olcott. Nicholas Dougherty of Lockport was fishing in the same general area as Allen on the second day of the derby (August 17) over 500 foot depths with his brother Christopher of Lockport and his father Thomas of Niagara Falls. They were enjoying a banner day out of their 22-foot Triumph Chaos named “Thor’s Hammer II” as they caught over 20 fish and hooked up and lost over twice that many. At 9:30 a.m., they had a fish hit that they thought was a salmon. When they finally netted the fish, they realized it was a 15-pound, 6-ounce steelhead. That lunker fish also held on for the duration of the derby, earning a check for $2,750. The lucky lure was a Purple-Glow Moonshine spoon, fished behind a dipsy diver that was set out 88 feet back on a 1.5 setting. In the Brown Trout Division, only 10 ounces separated first from fifth. Third through fifth came from Niagara County waters. Kim Hubert-Bickel of Newfane was third place with a 15-pound, 7-ounce Olcott fish. Richard Barber of Niagara Falls tied Bickel with a 15-pound, 7-ounce Niagara Bar brown, but hers was weighed in first (tiebreaker). Patrick Barber of Niagara Falls was fifth with a 15-pound, 3-ounce brown he caught on the Niagara Bar. It was the one that was NOT weigh in the derby that would have made the difference. Capt. Vince Pierleoni on the Thrillseeker out of Olcott had a young 10-year-old customer out-duel a 21-pound brown trout the first week of the derby, but he had failed to enter the contest because it was a last-minute afternoon trip. Click here to see the rest of this report on ILoveNYFishing.com.

The Buffalo News provides a wide variety of information of interest to outdoor enthusiasts, including details about fishing conditions, photos and stories about recent catches, tournament updates, upcoming events and more! See below for the latest details and links! “Catches of the Week (Aug. 28)” from The Buffalo News The Buffalo News shares photos and stories of several fish caught throughout the region recently in this edition of the “Catches of the Week.” Click here to see! The Buffalo News Provides “The Fishing Beat (Aug. 28)” Bill Hilts Jr. provides details on the latest fishing related happenings as well as updates on the fishing conditions in this edition of “The Fishing Beat” from The Buffalo News. Bodies of water discussed include Lake Ontario, the Niagara River, Lake Erie and Chautauqua Lake. Click here for more information! “Scattershots (Aug. 28)” from The Buffalo News In this edition of “Scattershots” from The Buffalo News, Bill Hilts Jr. provides information about several topics of interest to outdoor enthusiasts. Featured this week are: “Vision Clinic wins Innovative Outdoors Walleye Challenge,” “Greater Niagara Fish Odyssey results,” “Ladies Shoot ’N Hoot hosts outdoors event” and “Goose season opens Sept. 1.” Click here to read more! The Buffalo News Shares the “Outdoor Calendar (Aug. 28)” Bill Hilts Jr. provides dates and details about several upcoming events in this edition of the “Outdoor Calendar” from The Buffalo News. Click here for details!

The Fish Odyssey is over, the LOC Derby continues through Labor Day and river and stream anglers are itching to see some salmon and trout in the rivers and streams. The first king salmon was caught in the lower Niagara River last week. No, the run hasn’t started but we aren’t far off. Every year, there are a few caught in the gorge the last week of August. September is when the run will start to take off, usually around the 2nd or 3rd week. Walleye and bass are still the most sought-after species right now. The winning walleye in the Fish Odyssey Derby was a 12-pound lower river fish reeled in by Richard Barber of Niagara Falls on a worm harness. Maribou jigs have also been working for walleyes, tipped with a worm. Both the river and the Niagara Bar have been good for walleye action. Bass fishing has been consistent, especially down by Fort Niagara. According to Capt. Chris Cinelli, most of the drifts in the lower river are holding bass. Crabs are still the best bait. Dropshotting has been working also with most Strike King plastic baits. In the upper river, Cinelli reports that there has been good bass fishing with crabs on the flat between Donnelly’s wall and the roundhouse. Out in Lake Ontario, Northerly and easterly winds have things messed up in the lake. Your best bet is to head out deep according to Karen Evarts at The Boat Doctors. Target 400 to 500-foot depths for a mix of kings and steelhead on spoons, flasher-fly and even cut bait rigs. When you find them, you can do well. Capt. Jim Gordon of Appleton went out Tuesday and found a pocket of kings between 400 and 450 feet of water straight out of Wilson. He found good temperature 80 feet down and staggered his riggers in 60, 70 and 80 feet with green and black Moonshine spoons to limit out in short order. Brown trout can be found near-shore in shallower depths. Target 100 feet or less. That’s where Eric Bickel’s 12-pound, 4-ounce brown came from on a Stinger spoon to win the Brown Division in the Odyssey and his wife’s (Kim Hubert-Bickel) 15-pound, 7-ounce brown came from to place second in the LOC Derby so far. The LOC Derby continues through Labor Day. Check out www.loc.org for details. Lake trout are starting to stack up on the Niagara Bar. Click here to see the rest of this report on ILoveNYFishing.com.