Niagara County

The Buffalo News provides a wealth of information and updates for this interested in the outdoors! See below for links and details! The Buffalo News Highlights New Sea Grant Video Bill Hilts Jr. provides important information in this article from The Buffalo News titled “New York Sea Grant video highlights salmon fishery.” According to the article, “The video delves into the value of the fishery and also discusses how Cornell University researchers and NY Sea Grant personnel are using modern technology to monitor salmon movement and behavior.” Click here to see! The Buffalo News Features Former Sabre Who Wrote Writing Fishing Book Bill Hilts Jr. tells the story of Jim Lorentz, who “spent his last six NHL seasons wearing No. 8 with the Buffalo Sabres back in the early to middle 1970s, enjoying his best seasons as a player” in this article from The Buffalo News called “Former Sabre Jim Lorentz finds the net with fishing book.” The article details Lorentz’s long history as a fisherman and the publishing of his book called “The Atlantic Salmon: Moody and Mysterious.” Click here to read more! “The Fishing Beat” from The Buffalo News Bill Hilts Jr. provides updates on the latest happenings on the water in this week’s “The Fishing Beat” from The Buffalo News. In particular there are tips and tricks for musky anglers and late autumn fishing. Bodies of water featured include Lake Ontario, the Niagara River, Chautauqua Lake, Lake Erie, and tributaries. Click here to see! “Catches of the Week” from The Buffalo News The Buffalo News provides photos and stories behind some of this week’s best catches in this edition of “Catches of the Week.” Click here to see!

Niagara Falls USA Fishing Forecast for Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2017 from Destination Niagara USA After some intense weather over the weekend and cold weather blowing in the end of this week, you will have to pick and choose how and where you want to fish. Niagara Falls USA waters fared better than most in Western New York, just in time for the Veteran’s Day Free Fishing Day on Nov. 11. In honor of our veterans, Nov. 11 is a designated free fishing day in the state. It means you don’t need to purchase a license for that day. However, you still have to abide by the fishing regulations! In the lower Niagara River, the water turned to mud and chased away the boaters until waters start to clear a little. Capt. John DeLorenzo of Niagara Falls got a jump on the Veteran’s Day celebration by taking out a mother and son through Western New York Heroes, when the weather was decent last Saturday. WNY Heroes is a non-profit veteran’s assistance organization. Along for the ride was Tim Finney of Wheatfield, who was helping DeLorenzo, Danielle Nichols and her 9 year old son Ty. They caught two nice steelhead up to 11 pounds and lake trout up to 40 inches for the morning. Best bait was a chartreuse trout bead fished on a three-way rig. Other captains working the drifts were doing well on MagLips and Kwikfish. Click here to see the rest of this report on ILoveNYFishing.com.

Updates from Buffalo The Buffalo News provides a wide variety of information of interest to outdoor enthusiasts in this week’s edition. See below for details! “Catches and Hunts of the Week” from The Buffalo News The Buffalo News provides photos and details about some of this week’s best catches in this edition of “Catches and Hunts of the Week.” Click here to see! “The Fishing Beat” from The Buffalo News Bill Hilts Jr. provides updates on the fishing scene on a number of bodies of water including Lake Ontario and tributaries, the Niagara River, Chautauqua Lake, and Lake Erie and tributaries. According to the article, “It may be difficult to find a fishing spot the next few days, thanks to some untimely weather events that brought us heavy rain and plenty of wind. To make matters worse, a cold front will be supplying us with some arctic air that will cover us with the coldest temperatures of the season. Nov. 12 is a free fishing day in honor of veterans.” Click here to learn more! “Fishing outings help veterans' families” from The Buffalo News Bill Hilts Jr. tells the story of the healing power of a fishing trip in this article from The Buffalo News. According to the article, “Time helps heal. So does a good old-fashioned lower Niagara River fishing outing. Western New York Heroes, a not-for-profit group serving the needs of area veterans and their families, teamed up with Capt. John DeLorenzo of Niagara Falls and Tim Finney of Wheatfield to take out Danielle Nichols and her 9-year old-son Ty last weekend. The two lost their husband/father in a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter crash.” Click here to read more! “Outdoors Calendar” from The Buffalo News The Buffalo News provides dates and details for several outdoor-related events in this edition of the “Outdoors Calendar.” Included are events between now and November 25th. Click here to see! “A Sportsman's Tale: An Alaskan salmon caught on the fly” from The Buffalo News Hollie Hanley tells the story of an angler’s experience fishing in Alaska (the first time she used a fly rod and the first time she’s caught a salmon) as well as fishing locally, where her father is a charter captain. Click here to read more!

Niagara Falls USA Fishing Forecast for Nov. 2, 2017 from Destination Niagara USA Weather conditions certainly impacted the fishing this past week. High winds and rain resulted in water temperatures dropping 5 degrees since last weekend. That said, it could be just what the fish doctor ordered to force a transition into the next phase of fall fishing. In the Upper Niagara River, the last month of musky fishing action improved with the adverse weather, just in time for the Niagara Musky Association’s Tim Wittek Memorial Catch and Release Tournament on Nov. 5 out of the launch ramp area at the foot of Sheridan from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. To get your blood circulating again, there will be a post-tourney chili fest at the foot of Sheridan in Tonawanda. Cost is $25 to enter this catch-and-release “iron man” tournament. Call Scott McKee at 225-3816 for more information. If you just want to find our more information about fall musky fishing in the Niagara, stop in at the NMA monthly meeting at the Eldredge Club, 17 Broad St., Tonawanda on Tuesday night (Nov. 7) starting at 7 p.m. Guest speaker will be Marc Arena with Red October Baits. Water conditions were murky this week thanks to the wind. The lower river musky season extends to Dec. 15. Click here to see the rest of this report on ILoveNYFishing.com.

Updates from Buffalo The Buffalo News provides updates and details about a number of outdoor-related topics in this week’s edition. See the articles below. “Catches and Hunts of the Week” from The Buffalo News The Buffalo News provides pictures and details about some of this week’s best happenings in this week’s “Catches and Hunts of the Week.” Included is a variety of species in several different locations. Click here to see! “The Fishing Beat” from The Buffalo News Bill Hilts Jr. provides details about the fishing scene on Lake Ontario, Lake Erie, the Niagara River, Chautauqua Lake, and a variety of tributaries in this week’s “The Fishing Beat.” According to the article, “Adverse weather conditions will have a negative effect this week on fishing, affecting the next few days, too. Hopefully things will settle down by the weekend. With bucks shifting into “rut” mode for bowhunters (including crossbow on Saturday), it should free up some shoreline real estate in the tributaries.” Click here to see!

Niagara Falls USA Fishing Forecast for Oct. 26, 2017 – brought to you by Destination Niagara USA There are many fishing activities going on right now so you will have to pick and choose what you want to do. For example, salmon fishing is good in Olcott right now at 18 Mile Creek and the lower Niagara River still has a mix of king salmon, Coho salmon and steelhead. If you want trout, you can catch them wherever there is good water flow. The most popular areas are the Niagara River and 18 Mile Creek, but you can do well after a rain in some of the smaller streams, too. Fishermen were picking up some trout in places like Keg and 12 Mile Creeks last week. Anglers are getting a few perch on Lake Erie and there are some bass around as well. There are lots of fish to cast for if you so choose. Click here to see the rest of this report on ILoveNYFishing.com.

Updates and Information from Buffalo The Buffalo News provides a wealth of information and updates for those interested in the outdoors. See below for details! “The Fishing Beat” from The Buffalo News Bill Hilts Jr. provides fishing reports for Lake Ontario and its tributaries, Chautauqua Lake, Lake Erie, and the Niagara River in this week’s edition of “The Fishing Beat: The steelies are coming” from The Buffalo News. As the article states, “The leaves are starting to fly and more and more hunting seasons are falling into place. Tough decisions need to be made. Salmon fishing in the Niagara River is becoming more of a challenge but Lake Ontario tributaries are still seeing good numbers of fish including some trout. Lake Erie tributaries, while lacking in salmon (although a few are being caught), are seeing plenty of steelhead around.” Click here to see the rest of the article! “Catches and Hunts of the Week” from The Buffalo News The Buffalo News provides pictures and details about some of the best fish caught in this edition of “Catches and Hunts of the Week.” Click here to see! “Outdoors Calendar” from The Buffalo News The Buffalo News provides dates and details for a number of upcoming events of interest to outdoor enthusiasts in this edition of its “Outdoors Calendar.” Featured events run from now through November 14th. Click here to see!

Niagara Falls USA Fishing Forecast for Thursday, Oct. 19 from Destination Niagara USA There are plenty of fish around to be caught! Scott Scheffler, Marina Director for the Town of Newfane and heading up Fisherman’s Park at Burt Dam/18 Mile Creek, reports that some dandy brown trout are starting to show up in the creek a bit more readily. It’s a nice complement to the salmon and steelhead that are already on the scene. Fresh fish can be found in all of the deeper holes further down towards the harbor and fish are still being caught off the piers and in the lake. When there’s a northeast wind, you can’t fish the piers at all because of the waves. However, when those winds subside, get out there and start casting spoons, spinners, rattlebaits, stickbaits or whatever. The fishing usually turns on! Another popular method is to use treated egg skein under a float. You can anchor or drift from a boat, too. Over in Wilson, they are still picking up some perch off the piers, as well as some nice trout. Use spinners and spoons for trout; minnows for the perch. Don’t rule out lake fishing either. If the weather cooperates – and it will be this weekend – don’t be afraid to try trolling for salmon and trout off the creek mouths or even out deep. There are plenty of fish to be caught! Click here to see the rest of this report on ILoveNYFishing.com!

Updates and Information from Buffalo The Buffalo News provides a wide variety of details for those interested in the outdoors in this week's edition. See below for details! “State’s Outdoor Writer’s Group Celebrates 50-Year Anniversary” featured in The Buffalo News Bill Hilts Jr. highlights a group of writers celebrating their 50-year anniversary in this article from The Buffalo News. As stated in the article, “A group of dedicated and passionate media professionals devoted to the outdoors – the New York State Outdoor Writers Association – celebrated its golden anniversary last weekend in the same area the group convened for the first time five decades ago, Lake George in Warren County. While there have been many changes through the years, both with the area and the organization, there was one constant that rang true with each passing year … William R. Hilts (Bill, Sr.), one of the founding members.” Click here to read more! “Catches and Hunts of the Week” from The Buffalo News The Buffalo News shares pictures and stories about some of this week’s best catches. Click here to see more! “The Fishing Beat” from The Buffalo News Bill Hilts Jr. provides details about the fishing scene on Lake Ontario and other bodies of water including Lake Erie, the Niagara River, and Chautauqua Lake in this week’s “Fishing Beat” from The Buffalo News. Click here to see more! “Scattershots” from The Buffalo News Bill Hilts Jr. provides updates about a variety of outdoor related topics in this week’s “Scattershots” from The Buffalo News. This week’s topics include the release of Ducks Unlimited license plates, Brook trout being featured at a meeting coming up on October 31st, and the DEC’s search for public comments on a draft Lake Sturgeon Recovery Plan. Click here to see! “Outdoors Calendar” from The Buffalo News Bill Hilts Jr. provides dates and details about a number of upcoming events in this week’s “Outdoors Calendar” from The Buffalo News. The calendar includes details about upcoming derbies, club meetings, and informational events for those interested in the outdoors between now and November 5th. Click here to see!

This Week’s Updates from Buffalo The Buffalo News provides a wealth of information for outdoor enthusiasts in this week’s edition. Click the links below to see. "The Fishing Beat" from The Buffalo News Bill Hilts Jr. provides an update on the fishing conditions throughout the region in this week’s "The Fishing Beat" from The Buffalo News. In addition to Lake Ontario reports there is information from the Niagara River, Lake Erie and its tributaries, and Chautauqua Lake. According to the report, “There’s plenty of fish in the system for anglers to catch.” Click here to read more! "Scattershot" from The Buffalo News Bill Hilts Jr. gives a variety of information useful for outdoor enthusiasts in this week’s "Scattershots" from The Buffalo News. Key information for anglers includes water safety tips now that the cooler weather is approaching. Other details include an upcoming event about what to do if you find an injured animal, information about lottery drawing guidelines, and details about trapping permits. Click here to read more! "Outdoors Calendar" from The Buffalo News Bill Hilts Jr. provides dates and details for a number of upcoming events now through November 4th in this edition of the "Outdoors Calendar" from The Buffalo News. Click here to see! "Catches and Hunts of the Week" from The Buffalo News This gallery from The Buffalo News shows some of the best catches from the past week! View the gallery to see a variety of steelhead, salmon, and much more! Click here to see!

Outdoor Related News and Updates This week’s edition of The Buffalo News provides a series of updates and information about topics related to the Lake Ontario fishery. See below for details and links! “Lake Ontario to maintain stocking levels in ’18, Niagara River needs help” from The Buffalo News In this article, Bill Hilts Jr. provides an overview of the stocking situation as well as an overview of what is happening in the lake in general. Click here to see! “Catches of the Week” from The Buffalo News The Buffalo News provides photos and details about several of this week’s best catches. Included are salmon caught off of Olcott, salmon caught off of Wilson, and more! Click here to view the gallery! “The Buffalo News Outdoors Named Best Outdoors Page by Great Lakes Writers Group” The Buffalo News shares the update that, “Outdoor writer Bill Hilts Jr. and the sports staff at the Buffalo News combined to earn "Best Outdoor Page" honors from a Great Lakes writers group. The News earned the Ducks Unlimited/Honda Best of Newspaper/Best Outdoor Page for 2016-17 as the Association of Great Lakes Outdoor Writers announced its Awards in Craft winners at its annual conference in Lake Of The Woods, Minnesota last week.” Click here to see! Outdoor Calendar from The Buffalo News Bill Hilts Jr. provides dates and details for a number of upcoming events now through October 21st in this week’s calendar. Click here to see!

Niagara Falls USA Fishing Forecast for Thursday, Sept, 28, 2017 by Destination Niagara USA A cold front finally came through the Western New York area, bringing some much-needed relief from the heat. With some 15 days of 80-plus degree temperatures during the month of September, water temperatures in area waters shot back up. Combined with the lack of precipitation, some of the fishing has been put on hold. Lake action for mature kings at the Niagara Bar, Wilson and Olcott is still holding on but you do have to work for them. Some mature king and Coho salmon are being taken regularly by pier head trollers pounding the waters with flasher-fly, flasher-meat, J-plugs or magnum spoons. Niagara Bar anglers are still reporting good numbers of salmon on the drop off in 70 to 80 feet of water using the same hardware that the pier head guys are using. Right now, there have been an equal number of Coho salmon and Kings being caught. This means that they are staging, hopefully to run up the Niagara River. Another option in the lake is to head out deep to 400-plus feet of water for a mix of salmon and steelhead. Target the top 80 feet of water with spoons or flasher-fly offerings. Make sure you throw on a free-floating slider spoon on your downrigger lines to pick up steelhead up high. If you want to learn more about salmon fishing in the lake, consider taking the LOTSA Salmon School set for Jan. 20 at the Conference and Event Center Niagara Falls. Sign up at www.lotsa1.org. Pier head casters are picking up a few salmon and trout off Wilson and Olcott, but a solid rain should trigger a run of fish. There could be some decent rain on Friday, just what the fish doctor ordered. Burt Dam and 18 Mile Creek has a few fish showing up, but the best is yet to come. The dam area is ready for fishermen after some extensive work by the Town of Newfane to repair paths and the shoreline. Click here to see the rest of this report on ILoveNYFishing.com.

News and Updates The Buffalo News provides photos and details about a number of outdoor related topics in this week's edition. See details below. The Buffalo News Reports on Blue Pike Bill Hilts Jr. provides an overview of the blue pike’s presence (or lack thereof) in this article from The Buffalo News called “Why the coveted blue pike disappeared from our waters.” According to the article, “Blue pike once were considered the most popular fish in Western New York. They could be caught seemingly at will in Lake Erie, the Niagara River and Lake Ontario with the best places being in the Eastern Basin of Lake Erie and on the Niagara Bar off Fort Niagara in Lake Ontario. While scientists have confirmed that the DNA samples on record were virtually identical to that of walleye, old time anglers will argue that point until the cows come home. Blue pike were different and they were the best eating fish ever.” Click here to see more! “The Fishing Beat: Cooling Temps Could Spark a Run” from The Buffalo News Bill Hilts Jr. discusses the impact of the recent heat wave in this article from The Buffalo News. According to the article, “A record wave of heat slammed into Western New York waters and warmed things up a bit for a couple of weeks. While it may have impacted salmon returns off Lake Ontario a bit, it hasn’t done anything to affect the excellent fishing on Lake Erie. The tributaries, well that’s another story. We need a cool rain and some cooler temperatures. They may be coming.” Click here to see the full article! “Scattershots” from The Buffalo News Bill Hilts Jr. provides details about several outdoor-related events in this week’s “Scattershots” from The Buffalo News. Included are details about a series of seminars about fall fishing as well as steelhead fly fishing. Click here to see! Outdoors Calendar from The Buffalo News The Buffalo News provides details about a number of upcoming events in this edition of the Outdoors Calendar. Included is information about the final day of lake trout season on Lake Ontario and other events between now and October 19th. Click here to see! Catches of the Week from The Buffalo News The Buffalo News provides photos and stories of several of this week’s catches. Included is a steelhead and king salmon caught out of Olcott, a Lake Ontario salmon, and more! Click here to see!

Niagara Gorge Featured in Outdoor News Bill Hilts Jr. discusses the Niagara Gorge in an article titled, “Niagara Gorge: Natural beauty, great fishing, step by step,” in the Outdoor News! He states in the article, “The Niagara Gorge is something special. This is the stretch of the Niagara River that was formed when Niagara Falls slowly started to erode away the land around it. Starting at the escarpment in Lewiston, the powerful water chipped away a few inches every year for thousands of years until it reached its present location. It left behind a gorge with 200-foot-high rock walls – picturesque, unique and inspiring. To fully appreciate it, you need to hike down into the belly of the beast, so to speak.” Click here to see more!

Niagara Falls USA Fishing Forecast for Sept. 20, 2017 from Destination Niagara USA The salmon run is happening in the Niagara River right now from both boat and shore. From boat, treated egg skein is the ticket. From shore, try tossing glow in the dark spoons or spinners under low conditions. The amazing weather we’ve been experiencing does have a down side. Water temperatures in the river have risen by 4 degrees already and it could impact the salmon run. If the kings and cohos make it up into the warm water, they probably won’t last long. Or they could head over to the tailrace of the power plant and the fishing platform guys and gals will do better. Things have slowed down a little there. Some bass and walleye are still available in the river, too. One area is just north of the Lewiston Landing area, where they have also been taking some perch. Directly relating to the run of salmon in the river is the Niagara Bar fishing. Capt. Matt Yablonsky of Wet Net Charters reports that the kings are staging again at the drop-off in 70 to 80 feet of water with E-Chip flashers and A-Tom-Mik flies or meat. Glow in the dark spoons work early morning and at dusk. In Olcott and Wilson, there has been some pier action for salmon and trout. Again, spoons and spinners work best. There was actually a hot bite for steelhead the past 24 hours for some reason up a Burt Dam, but with the warm temperatures near record-breaking the next 4 or 5 days, those fish will probably head back out into the lake. Speaking about out in the lake, trollers are using spoons, flasher-fly, flasher-cut bait or J-plugs to take salmon and the occasional trout inside of 100 feet of water. Fish are also available out deep. Wilson harbor was also producing some nice northern pike on spinnerbaits. Check out some of the catches featured this week in the Buffalo News website to see what’s really happening here fishing-wise (www.buffalonews.com). Click here to see the rest of this report on ILoveNYFishing.com.

Information for Outdoor Enthusiasts from The Buffalo News The Buffalo News provides a wealth of information for outdoor enthusiasts in this week’s edition. See below for summaries and links! "The Fishing Beat" from The Buffalo News Bill Hilts Jr. provides an overview of the latest fishing news in this edition of “The Fishing Beat” from The Buffalo News. He states that, “Warmer temperatures could … affect the pier fishing off Wilson and Olcott, as well as the tributary action off of Lake Erie. It may be more than a week before more traditional fall weather arrives.” Click here to see more. "Scattershot" from The Buffalo News Bill Hilts Jr. discusses a variety of outdoor-related happenings in this week’s “Scattershots” from The Buffalo News. Included in the article are details about celebrations taking place in Niagara and Erie counties in recognition of National Hunting and Fishing Day, taking place on Saturday, September 23rd. Click here to see more! "Outdoors Calendar" from The Buffalo News The Buffalo News provides dates and details for a number of upcoming events for outdoor enthusiasts now through October 10th. Click here to see more! "Catches of the Week" from The Buffalo News The Buffalo News provides photos of some of this week’s catches in this photo gallery. Among this week’s catches is a steelhead caught out of Olcott, a steelhead caught out of Wilson, a Lake Ontario smallie, an Olcott king, and more. Click here to see more!

Niagara Falls USA Fishing Forecast for Sept. 14, 2017 by Destination Niagara USA The salmon are snapping all around Niagara Falls USA as the mighty fish have shown up in the Niagara River and off the piers in Olcott. Lake action is continuing, too, for pier head trollers seeking a mature king. Out deep, some salmon are available along with a mix of two and three year olds, as well as steelhead. Out in the lake, the Niagara Bar has been a little slow for king action. Your better bet is to target mature kings on J-plugs, spoons, flasher-fly and flasher-meat rigs inside 100 feet. Capt. Mike Johannes of On the Rocks out of Wilson reports that the Niagara Bar was ice water after the recent northeast winds. He was finding good action in 300 to 400 feet of water straight out from his home port, 40 to 80 feet down on the riggers, 300 copper and 10 colors of lead core. Use flashers and meat for the biggest kings, UV orange spoons for steelhead. Out of Olcott, Capt. Vince Pierleoni of Newfane was doing some thrillseeking out to 500 foot depths, focusing his DW spoons and A-Tom-Mik flies in the top 80 feet of water. Off the piers, cleos and other heavy spoons are taking both salmon and trout, but the action isn’t hot and heavy. We need a good cool rain to really trigger a run. The east pier at Olcott is now open. Click here to read the rest of the report on ILoveNYFishing.com.

The Buffalo News Highlights King of Lower Niagara Shore Anglers Bill Hilts Jr. highlights a master at shore angling in this article from The Buffalo News called “Meet Mike Rzucidlo, king of Lower Niagara shore anglers.” The article states, “Mike Rzucidlo of Niagara Falls is an angling gladiator. His battlefield is the Niagara River, especially in the gorge below Niagara Falls. His weapons are fishing rods, some modified by him to the specifications he has encountered through four decades of combat. His projectiles are lures that are also made by him – spinners and jigs (although he does purchase some hard baits to expand his arsenal of ammunition).” Click here to read more.

Updates from The Buffalo News The Buffalo News provides a wealth of information valuable to outdoor enthusiasts in this series of articles! Catches of the Week The Buffalo News shares pictures and stories of some of this week’s catches in this photo gallery. Included are several salmon and steelhead caught on Lake Ontario as well as other bodies of water. Click here for more information! The Fishing Beat Bill Hilts Jr. shares fishing reports and updates from Lake Ontario as well as other bodies of water in this week’s Fishing Beat from The Buffalo News. According to the article, “Trolling off the pier heads in Olcott has been producing some mature kings on J-plugs, spoons, flasher-fly and flasher-meat rigs inside 100 feet.” Click here for more information! Outdoors Calendar The Buffalo News provides dates and details about several outdoor-related events coming up now through early October. Included are a special DEC public meeting, the Lake Ontario Trout and Salmon Association monthly meeting, the Southtowns Walleye Association monthly meeting, and more! Click here for more information!

Niagara Falls USA Fishing Forecast for Sept. 7, 2017 by Destination Niagara USA Daniel Clinger from Jersey Shore, Pennsylvania won the Fall Lake Ontario Counties Trout and Salmon Derby with a huge king salmon that weighed in at 39 pounds, 3 ounces. Wow! It was the biggest salmon he’s ever caught and they won the $25,000 Grand Prize hands-down by nearly 5 pounds. He caught it on a DW flasher and an A-Tom-Mik meat rig while fishing out of Sodus Point. First place in the salmon division was a 34 pound, 11 ounce king reeled in by Robert Reynolds of Auburn while fishing out of Fair Haven. He narrowly beat out Joe Oakes of Lockport who weighed in a 34 pound 8 ounce king off Wilson. In the steelhead division, Steve Gardinsky of Ohio set the pace with a 16 pound, 9 ounce fish out of Point Breeze. Second place was Rebecca Frye of Ashville while fishing out of Olcott. In the Brown Trout Division, Anthony DiGiovanni of Rochester took the top prize with a 16 pound, 15 ounce fish caught off Webster. Second place was a 15 pound, 5 ounce brown hauled in by John Nardone of Wayland. Go to www.loc.org for a complete leaderboard. Click here to view the full report on ILoveNYFishing.com.

Updates and Information from The Buffalo News The Buffalo News provides a series of articles and resources for those interested in the outdoors in this week's edition. Highlights include: "Pennsylvania angler cashes in with $25,000 salmon” from The Buffalo News As author Bill Hilts states in the article, “Dealing with large, mature Lake Ontario Chinook salmon is never an easy proposition when it comes to the fall – when these fish have reached a peak weight in a short life cycle. Just ask Daniel Clinger of Jersey Shore, Pa. who was fishing out of Sodus Point in Wayne County as part of the Fall Lake Ontario Counties (LOC) Trout and Salmon Derby held Aug. 18 through Sept. 4. Clinger weighed in a 39-pound, 3-ounce king salmon to take the top prize – a check for $25,000. He also took big fish on the day it was caught for an extra $500.” Click here to learn more! "Catches of the Week" from The Buffalo News The Buffalo News shares a series of photos and stories of fish caught in the past week in this photo gallery. Featured catches include a salmon caught off the Olcott pier, an 11-pound 5-ounce steelhead caught out of Wilson, a salmon caught out of Wilson. Click here for more information. "Scattershots" from The Buffalo News Bill Hilts Jr. provides information about current news and events in the region in this series from The Buffalo News. Featured in this week’s edition is a special DEC meeting about Lake Ontario taking place on September 13. As the article states, “If you are wondering what is happening with Lake Ontario’s forage base and what that will mean with overall stocking numbers for 2018, make sure you mark Sept. 13 on the calendar.” Click here for more information. "The Fishing Beat" from The Buffalo News Bill Hilts Jr. provides updates on the latest fishing-related happenings on Lake Ontario, the Niagara River, Lake Erie, and Chautauqua Lake in this article from The Buffalo News. Click here to see more. "Outdoors Calendar" from The Buffalo News The Buffalo News provides dates and details about a number of upcoming events between now and September 24 in this edition of the Outdoors Calendar. Click here to learn more.

Niagara Falls USA Fishing Forecast for August 31, 2017 by Destination Niagara USA The 41st Annual Greater Niagara Fish Odyssey Derby ended on a high note as the awards ceremony was held last Sunday at the Olcott Fire Hall. This year, the $3,000 Grand Prize winner was the Lake Trout Division and the lucky angler was Ed Klejdys of North Tonawanda. He earned the right to be in the drawing by weighing in a 21-pound, 6-ounce lake trout caught on the Niagara Bar. In the Walleye Division, Tony LaRosa of Lewiston was dragging a worm harness along the bottom on the Niagara Bar off the mouth of the Niagara River to reel in an 11 pound, 6 ounce winner. The most interesting thing about his catch is that it came during the solar eclipse. In the Smallmouth Bass Division, there was a tie for first place. Both were 5 pound smallmouth bass from Lake Erie … and they were caught by a husband and wife fishing duo – Dave and Kathy Muir of North Tonawanda. Since Dave’s was weighed in first, that was the tie breaker. Biggest salmon for the Odyssey was a 34 pound 8 ounce king caught out of Wilson in Lake Ontario by Joe Oakes of Lockport. Oakes also won a special $500 prize for the largest salmon caught by a LOTSA member. Biggest brown or rainbow trout was a 13 pound 9 ounce brown reeled in by Ken Trontel of Sharon, Pa. In the Carp Division, Paul Natiella of South Lima reeled in the winner from the Oak Orchard River using corn – a 30 pound 9 ounce fish. Nice catch! There is also a Junior Division for kids 15 and under. For the second year in a row, the Grand Prize species category was panfish. And, for the second year in a row, the lucky winner was 6 year old Alyssa McGrath of Niagara Falls. This time it was a 1 pound, 2 ounce Lake Erie perch that did it for her. Other Junior Division winners were: Megan Walsh of Niagara Falls with a 7 pound, 14 ounce lower river walleye; Abigail McGrath of Niagara Falls (Alyssa’s sister) with a 4 pound, 5 ounce Lake Erie bass; Cole Gallo of E. Amherst with an 8 pound Wilson steelhead; Alex Heath of Sanborn with a 26 pound 3 ounce Niagara Bar king salmon; and Jacob Velesko of Middleport with a 16 pound 6 ounce carp from the Oak Orchard River. The LOC Derby is still going on through Labor Day and the Grand Prize leader is now a 39 pound, 3 ounce king salmon reeled in by Daniel Klinger of Auburn. Top steelhead is a 16 pound, 9 ounce fish from the Oak, weighed in by Steve Gardinsky of Ohio. Big Brown is a 16 pound, 15 ounce Rochester fish checked in by Anthony DiGiovanni of Rochester. We still have a few days to go. Check out www.loc.org. Lake Ontario rolled over and there is cold water close to shore. In fact, a nice salmon was caught off the pier in Olcott (west pier) by casting a Moonshine spoon. The east pier should be ready to go by Sept. 15 as they are doing some renovations and clean up from the high water earlier this year. Lots of steelhead around and many fish were caught off Wilson in 150 to 300 feet of water in the top 50 feet. Spoons seem to work the best. For salmon, flasher-fly or flasher-cutbait has been the ticket. The Niagara Bar was tough with the roll-over but it should pick back up by the weekend if past performance is any indication. Lower river bass action has been great on leeches, crabs and shiners. Worm harnesses are working for walleye. Shad raps and Rapalas are producing walleye in the gorge under low light conditions. No word on the NYPA fish platform, but it could be opening soon. Click here to see photos and more on ILoveNYFishing.com!

Updates from "The Buffalo News" Bill Hilts Jr. provides photos, dates, and details about a variety of outdoor-related events on Lake Ontario and surrounding bodies of water in this series of articles published in The Buffalo News - see below for details and links! Catches of the Week from The Buffalo News Included is a Lake Ontario smallmouth, a 26-pound 2-ounce king salmon caught while fishing in front of Olcott, a 28-pound salmon caught while fishing out of Olcott, a 16-pound 9-ounce steelie caught out of Point Breeze in Orleans County, a 15 pound 5-ounce brown trout weighed in at South Bay, and much more! Submissions can be emailed to [email protected] and should include name, hometown and particulars of the catch. Click here to see! The Fishing Beat from The Buffalo News Bill Hilts Jr. provides the latest news from Lake Ontario and other nearby bodies of water in this edition of the Fishing Beat from The Buffalo News. He states that, “It’s hard to believe that September is upon us and that fishing activities will be undergoing a metamorphosis of sorts. Fishing contests are starting to wane. The NYS Summer Derby ends on Aug. 31 and the Fall Lake Ontario Counties (LOC) Derby wraps things up on Labor Day. Salmon and trout fishing will soon be transitioning from lake to river and stream. Lake Erie perch action will start to pick up and muskellunge activity will increase in the Niagara and Buffalo Harbor as the waters start to cool. A cool rain will probably trigger the first runs of trout into the Lake Erie tributaries. Could it be this week?” Click here to read the full article. Outdoors Calendar from The Buffalo News The Buffalo News provides details about a wide range of outdoor events from now through September 21st in this edition of the Outdoors Calendar. Click here to see!