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The Buffalo News provides articles and information on a wide variety of topics of interest to outdoor enthusiasts! See below for details and links! “Fate Steps in as Salvalzo Wins $11,000 in Summer LOC Derby” from The Buffalo News In this article from The Buffalo News called “Fate Steps in as Salvalzo Wins $11,000 in Summer LOC Derby,” Bill Hilts Jr. tells the story of the fish caught over the weekend that won the big prize. Also detailed are several other award winning fish caught as part of the summer tournament. Click here for details about these fish as well as information about the fall derby! The Buffalo News Shares "Scattershots for August 1, 2018" In this edition of "Scattershots" from The Buffalo News, Bill Hilts Jr. provides information about a variety of topics including "Sandy Creek Shootout a Salmon Fest," "DEC’s Einhouse Retiring," and "Reelin’ for a Cure August 17." Click here to see! "The Fishing Beat for August 1, 2018" from The Buffalo News Bill Hilts Jr. provides details about 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, Chautauqua Lake, and Lake Erie. Click here for more information! The Buffalo News Shares the "Catches of the Week (July 31)" The Buffalo News provides photos and stories of some of the fish caught in the region in this edition of "Catches of the Week." Click here to see! "BN Outdoor Calendar for August 1, 2018" Bill Hilts Jr. provides dates and details about several upcoming outdoor-related events in this edition of the "Outdoor Calendar" from The Buffalo News. The calendar includes events between now and August 29. Click here for more information! The Buffalo News Shares "A Sportsman’s Tale: Day on the water with Fishing 411" This article from The Buffalo News called "A Sportsman’s Tale: Day on the water with Fishing 411" shares the story of a fishing trip won during the Greater Niagara Fishing and Outdoor Expo. Click here for details!

The Buffalo News provides information on a wide range of topics of interest to fishing enthusiasts. See below for details and links. The Buffalo News Shares “Scattershot / Outdoor News and Notes” Bill Hilts Jr. provides updates and information about a variety of topics of interest to outdoor enthusiasts in this edition of “Scattershot / Outdoor News and Notes” from The Buffalo News. Topics covered include, “Costa Fishing League Worldwide Series in Buffalo, Lake Erie,” “Unified Fishing Derby July 28,” and “Mid-River/Nick’s Wins Sunset Bay Shootout,” and “Hidden Valley DeerFEST August 2.” Click here to read more! The Buffalo News Presents “The Fishing Beat (July 25)” In this edition of “The Fishing Beat” from The Buffalo News, Bill Hilts Jr. provides an overview of the fishing conditions throughout the region. Bodies of water discussed include Lake Ontario, the Niagara River, Chautauqua Lake, and Lake Erie. Click here for details! The Buffalo News Shares “Catches of the Week (July 24)” Photos and stories of many of the great fish caught this week are included in this edition of “Catches of the Week” from The Buffalo News. Click here to see! The Buffalo News Shares the “Outdoors Calendar (July 25)” Bill Hilts Jr. shares dates and details about several upcoming events of interest to outdoor enthusiasts in this edition of the "Outdoors Calendar" from The Buffalo News. Events included range from now through August 25. Click here for more information!

The hard east winds last weekend mixed things up like a washing machine according to Capt. Mike Johannes of On the Rocks Charters. On Tuesday he fished in 200 to 350 feet of water straight out from Wilson and put his temperature probe down 80 feet. It recorded 44 degree water. An hour later it was 64 degrees. While he marked good numbers of fish on his electronics, getting them to hit was tough. They did manage to catch 2 kings over 20 pounds. Flasher-fly rigs and 400 copper line set-ups produced the big fish. The Wilson Bicentennial tournament was postponed last Sunday and was rescheduled for July 28. Contact Johannes at 523-1727 for information. The Lake Ontario Trout and Salmon Association held its club tournaments last Friday and Saturday. According to one of the coordinators for the event Kyle Hovak: “Fishing was lights out for a lot of teams. Mag spoons tended to be what the bigger fish hit - riggers down 40-50-60 feet. Long lines - copper/10 color lead cores with spoons pulled a lot of fish. We fished more flasher-fly and Dreamweaver big foot paddles with meat deep. Caught a ton of fish but they tended to be in the 15-pound range. Most guys trolled north-south until they found a good class of fish.” Click here to see the rest of this report on ILoveNYFishing.com.

The Buffalo News provides stories on a variety of topics of interest to outdoor enthusiasts in this week’s edition! See below for details and links! The Buffalo News Shares “The Fishing Beat” for July 15 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, Chautauqua Lake, the Niagara River, and Lake Erie. Click here for more information! The Buffalo News Features “Scattershots for July 18, 2018” Bill Hilts Jr. provides details about several topics of interest to outdoor enthusiasts in this edition of “Scattershots for July 18, 2018” from The Buffalo News. Topics covered include, “Sunset Bay Shootout blasts off Saturday” and “FLW Costa Series invades Buffalo July 26-28.” Click here to see! The Buffalo News Provides Updated “Outdoors Calendar” Bill Hilts Jr. provides dates and details for several upcoming events in this edition of the “Outdoors Calendar” from The Buffalo News. Events included range from now through August 8. Click here for details! The Buffalo News Shares the “Catches of the Week for July 17” The Buffalo News provides photos and stories about some of the fish caught recently in this edition of the “Catches of the Week for July 17.” Click here to see! Additionally, Bill Hilts Jr. provides a beautiful tribute to his mother in this edition: “Bill Hilts Jr.: A mother’s love and support cannot be replaced” from The Buffalo News In this article from The Buffalo News called “A mother’s love and support cannot be replaced,” Bill Hilts Jr. reflects on the life of his mother, Sylvia, who was recently transferred to Niagara Hospice. He states in the article that, “Like the saying goes, behind every successful man is a good woman. The saying couldn’t be more true than in our family growing up.” He shares a wide variety of memories of his mother’s influence in this piece, which serves as a beautiful tribute to a remarkable lady. To see the full article, click here.

Salmon fishing continues to be very good in the lake out of Wilson, Olcott and out of Fort Niagara on the Niagara Bar. It’s too late to sign up for the Lake Ontario Trout and Salmon Association’s club tournaments July 20 and 21, but it’s not too late to sign up for the Wilson Bicentennial Trout and Salmon Tournament July 22. Call Mike Johannes at 523-1727. The contest is only $100 per boat and it’s a Big Fish, 3-fish tournament. Make sure you are in line for the weigh in at Bootleggers Cove Marina in Wilson by 3 p.m.There is $10,000 in prize money up for grabs as the community prepares to celebrate its 200th anniversary. Scott Rohe of Cheektowaga did well off Olcott in 200 to 300 feet of water. His best rigger was 60 feet down, 20 feet behind the ball with a spin doctor and fly. The two face spinny and a stud fly did the trick. His 85 foot rigger also took a couple of fish as did some divers set back 180 feet on a No. 3 setting. A green Pro Troll paddle in front of a green hammer fly was the ticket. His biggest was 22 pounds. With the Lake Ontario Counties Trout and Salmon Derby going on until July 29, your odds of catching a winning fish are better than playing the lottery. Time and time again, possible winning fish are caught by people who did not enter the contest. Steve Nichols and his son Arri are the latest victims of fate. They were fishing east of Wilson with Capt. Mike Johannes of On The Rocks Charters over the weekend and Steve reeled in a 27-pound, 3-ounce king salmon on a 400 foot copper rod rigged with a custom painted flasher and meat. Nope, no derby ticket. The leading fish is a 26-pound, 15 ounce Wilson fish hauled in by Scott Foster of North Tonawanda. Of course, that could change this weekend with a flurry of fishing events from LOTSA and the Wilson Bicentennial contest. Bob Migra of Lorain, Ohio heard about the good king fishing and decided to give it a try. Most of their fish were 15 to 26 pounds. Yes, 26 pounds. No, they weren’t in the derby. The 26 pounder was caught in the afternoon in 140 feet of water just east of Wilson. They also caught steelhead over 10 pounds in 400 feet of water. In the meantime, Capt. Joe Gallo of Two Bulls Sportfishing hit the water last weekend outside Wilson in 250 feet of water using a meat rig on a long copper line. His reward was a 26-pound king that is in third place on the LOC board. Click here to see the rest of this report on ILoveNYFishing.com.

The Buffalo News provides information about a variety of topics of interest to outdoor enthusiasts. See below for details and links. The Buffalo News Shares “The Fishing Beat for July 11, 2018” In this edition of “The Fishing Beat” from The Buffalo News, Bill Hilts Jr. provides updates on the fishing conditions in several locations. Bodies of water discussed include Lake Ontario, the Niagara River, the Erie Canal, Chautauqua Lake, and Lake Erie. Click here to see! “Scattershots for July 11, 2018” from The Buffalo News Bill Hilts Jr. provides updates on several topics of interest to outdoor enthusiasts in this edition of “Scattershots” from The Buffalo News. Topics discussed include “LOTSA Club Tournament Set,” “Wilson Bi-Centennial Tournament July 22,” and “SWA Kids Fishing Derby July 14.” Click here for more details! “Outdoor Calendar for July 11, 2018” from The Buffalo News Bill Hilts Jr. provides dates and details about several outdoor related events in this edition of the “Outdoor Calendar” from The Buffalo News. Events included range from now through August 13th. Click here to see! The Buffalo News Shares the “Catches of the Week for July 10th” The Buffalo News provides photos and stories about some of the fish caught recently in the region in this edition of the “Catches of the Week.” Click here to see! The Buffalo News Remembers Will Elliott In this article from The Buffalo News titled, “News writer Will Elliott remembered as great outdoorsman, lover of English language,” Bill Hilts Jr. provides a tribute to a well respected writer. As the article states, “Elliott made his mark writing for The Buffalo News for more than 30 years. His first column appeared April 25, 1986, with the headline, “Warmer Weather is Good News for Fishermen.” His last piece appeared in August 2016.” Click here to read more.

King salmon fishing continues to be good to very good on the lake. With the good is the bad though. The sea fleas have also been a nuisance. A new LOC Derby leader came to the scales out of Wilson this past week when Scott Foster of North Tonawanda recorded a 26-pound, 15-ounce king to take over the lead for the $10,000 Grand Prize. Another notable catch was a 19-pound, 4-ounce brown trout that tipped the scales for Kurt Charland of Victor while he was fishing out of Bald Eagle Marina in Orleans County. A 21-pound Niagara Bar lake trout was weighed in by Steve Klejdys of North Tonawanda this week to take over the lead for the weekly prize as he sat in 4th place. The leaderboard is posted at www.loc.org. If you want a reason to get into this month-long derby, ask Capt. Tom Pearse of Grand Island. His customer, Cole Welcomer of Harrisburg, reeled in a 36-pound, 41-inch long king salmon while fishing out of Olcott this past week. It’s not a fish story. There are pictures. No, they weren’t in the derby. If you are looking for mature kings, run flasher-flies or meat rigs 90 to 110-feet down over 90 to 140 feet of water according to Wes Walker at the Slipper Sinker in Olcott. Boaters are also picking up kings 60 to 80 feet down over 150 to 250 feet of water, fish the top 60 feet if you want to try for steelhead or Coho salmon with spoons. On the Niagara Bar, John Van Hoff of North Tonawanda had good success over the weekend fishing spin doctors and flies as well as spoons over 150 to 200 feet of water. Click here to see the rest of this report on ILoveNYFishing.com.

Lake Ontario is continuing to offer up a mix of good fishing opportunities for Salmon and Trout. Scott Foster of North Tonawanda took over the lead in the Summer LOC Derby with a 26 pound, 15 ounce salmon while fishing out of Wilson with a Dreamweaver spoon on July 5. No other details because the derby continues through July 29. Top lake trout is 21 pound, 15 ounces caught by Steve Burkowski of Rochester. It is just 1 ounce better than Ed Klejdys’ Niagara Bar laker. Randy Snyder of Marion is top brown trout catcher with a 13-1/2 pound Wayne Co. fish. Top steelhead is a 12 pound, 13 ounce fish reeled in by Bob Holdsworth of PA. Check out www.loc.org for the complete leaderboard. John Van Hoff of North Tonawanda headed out on the 4th and had some fireworks out on the Niagara Bar with some feisty king salmon up to 21 pounds. The water was messed up a bit from earlier east wind. They caught their fish from the drop off to 270 feet of water, 40 to 75 feet down with spoons and flasher-fly combos due to cold water issues. Click here to see the rest of this report on ILoveNYFishing.com.

The Buffalo News provides articles and information on a variety of topics of interest to outdoor enthusiasts in this week's edition. See below for details and links! This Week's “Catches of the Week” from The Buffalo News The Buffalo News provides photos and stories from some of the best fish caught recently in this edition of the “Catches of the Week.” Click here to see! “Scattershots for July 4, 2018” from The Buffalo News Bill Hilts Jr. provides details about a variety of topics of interest to outdoor enthusiasts in this edition of “Scattershots” from The Buffalo News. Topics discussed include: “Former TBN Outdoor Writer Elliott Dies,” “Paul J. Stoos Flea Market Sale on Saturday,” and “Ferguson Electric, Cinelli double up with BassEye win.” Click here for more information! The Buffalo News Discusses "The Fishing Beat" Bill Hilts Jr. provides an overview of the latest fishing news and conditions in this edition of "The Fishing Beat" from The Buffalo News. Bodies of water discussed include Lake Ontario, the Niagara River, Chautauqua Lake, and Lake Erie. Click here for details!

This coming weekend is the start of the Lake Ontario Counties (LOC) Trout and Salmon derby, set to kick off June 30 and run through July 29. The summer contest runs for a month, offering up $29,000 in cash prizes. Included in the mix is a $10,000 Grand Prize for the largest salmon and $1,750 in weekly prizes - $1,000 for salmon and $250 each for lake trout, brown trout and rainbow/steelhead … every week. If you are going to be fishing in Lake Ontario the next month, it’s worth rolling the dice and taking a chance. Last year it was Sandra Brown from Pennsylvania fishing the Niagara Bar during the LOTSA in-club tournaments who walked away with the big prize. Find out more at www.loc.org. Fishing for salmon and trout continues to be good off the ports of Wilson, Olcott and Point Breeze. While east winds have put a bit of a damper on the comfort end of things, it hasn’t seemed to affect the fishing that much. For Capt. Joe Gallo of Two Bulls Sportfishing out of Wilson, he’s seen consistent fishing right in front of his home port 40 to 80 feet down over 100 to 160 feet of water. He also caught fish in 250 to 300 feet of water, running a couple of afternoon trips with Capt. Alan Sauerland of Instigator Charters. Spoons, flasher-flies and cut bait on twinkie rigs all produced fish. On Monday afternoon they were 14 for 18 on salmon and trout in 4 hours of fishing. They had 30 bites Sunday afternoon. Capt. Mike Johannes of On the Rocks Charters caught a limit on Sunday for his customers hitting those same waters and running primarily a spoon program of Green Hulk and Geezer spoons. He was hitting some fish up high using sliders off his riggers and 100-foot and 200-foot copper line set-ups. The lake is a good place to be with the forecasted heat wave starting this weekend. Cooler water temperatures will serve as a natural air conditioner. In the Erie Canal, the 28th Annual Stephen Harrington Erie Canal Fishing Derby will be starting July 4 and run through July 15. All of the details can be found at www.eriecanalderby.com. This year’s event will remember its founder who passed away last fall. Click here to see the rest of this report on ILoveNYFishing.com.

The Buffalo News provides stories on a variety of topics of interest to outdoor enthusiasts. See below for details and links! The Buffalo News Provides “The Fishing Beat” Bill Hilts Jr. provides details about the latest fishing related happenings 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, Chautauqua Lake, the Erie Canal, and Lake Erie. Click here for more information! “Scattershots for June 27, 2018” from The Buffalo News In this edition of “Scattershots” from The Buffalo News, Bill Hilts Jr. provides information about a variety of topics of interest to outdoor enthusiasts. Topics covered in this edition include: “CF Greater Niagara Celebrity BassEye set,” “Erie Canal Fishing Derby remembers founder,” “Register online for hunter safety classes,” and “Gander Outdoors grand opening Saturday.” Click here for details! The Buffalo News Highlights the “Catches of the Week” The Buffalo News provides photos and details about many of the fish caught in the region this week in this edition of the “Catches of the Week.” Click here to see!

The Buffalo News provides information on a variety of topics of interest to outdoor enthusiasts. See below for details and links! “New York's Free Fishing Days Weekend needs support from all anglers” from The Buffalo News In this article from The Buffalo News titled, “New York's Free Fishing Days Weekend needs support from all anglers," Bill Hilts Jr. provides an overview of this exciting event. As he states in the article, "Through the years, the events scheduled for this special weekend are geared to creating a better awareness for our natural resources and initiating contact with nature that will hopefully grow as the years pass." Click here for more information! "Scattershots for June 20, 2018" from The Buffalo News In this edition of "Scattershots" from The Buffalo News, Bill Hilts Jr. provides an overview of outdoor-related events taking place. Topics covered include: "Veterans fishing day with WNY Heroes June 29," "Summer LOC Derby begins June 30," "NYS Summer Classic July 1," and "Kids Fishing Derbies this weekend." Click here to see! The Buffalo News Provides the "Outdoors Calendar" In this edition of "The Outdoors Calendar" from The Buffalo News, Bill Hilts Jr. provides dates and details about several upcoming events of interest to outdoor enthusiasts. Dates between now and July 21 are included. Click here for more information! The Buffalo News Discusses "The Fishing Beat" Bill Hilts Jr. provides an overview of 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, Chautauqua Lake, and Lake Erie. Click here to see! The Buffalo News Shows the "Catches of the Week" Photos and stories about many of the fish caught in the region are displayed in this edition of the "Catches of the Week" from The Buffalo News. Click here to see!

It’s a Free Fishing Days weekend in New York State and Niagara Falls USA has plenty of things going on to get a line wet. This coming Saturday, June 23, there will be a kids fishing derby at the Town of Newfane Marina in Olcott for kids ages 4 to 15. The fishing starts at 8 a.m. and concludes at noon. Fish in the harbor, off the piers or up the creek for the heaviest fish. If you have any questions, call the Marina at 778-5462. Also on Saturday is the Hyde Park Summer Bash. Things start early at 7 a.m. with a kids fishing derby for ages 6 to 16. Sign up at the Oasis Pavilion in Hyde Park in Niagara Falls with the entire fishing action taking place in Hyde Park Lake. The fishing ends at 11 a.m. followed by awards. For more information contact Joe Urso, contest coordinator at 334-0835. The lake offers up carp, catfish, bass and panfish so it should be a fun morning. Kayaking on the lake will follow at 12:30 p.m. with other fun things going on all day long. Lake Ontario salmon and trout action is starting to pick back up a little bit as waters become more stable off Wilson and Olcott. Capt. Matt Yablonsky of Wet Net Charters found decent fishing off Wilson on Tuesday by putting spoons and flasher-fly combos 50 to 80 feet down over 250 to 350 feet of water using divers, riggers and lead core. There was a good temperature break that you could see on the surface and he found 48 degree water down 70 feet. On board yesterday was writer Ron Hustvedt, Jr. of Minnesota who brought along his kids Vivian and Ronny. He also had his father-in-law Rich DeLisle of Wisconsin and his grandson Drake. They had just completed a whirlwind bucket list tour of fishing all five Great Lakes, catching fish in all 5. They caught king salmon, Coho salmon, lake trout and steelhead in Lake Ontario. A similar program was being run out of Olcott. The fishing should only get better from here. Get ready to compete in one of the big Lake Ontario derbies when the Summer Lake Ontario Counties (LOC) Trout and Salmon Derby gets underway June 30 and running to July 29. $10,000 is the Grand Prize for the biggest salmon. You can also win $1000 for the division winners for salmon, brown trout, lake trout and rainbow/steelhead. The biggest salmon each week can also win $1,000 and the trout categories can win $250 each week for additional incentive. A total of nearly $30,000 in cash will be given away. Check out www.loc.org for additional details. Click here to see the rest of this report on ILoveNYFishing.com.

The Buffalo News provides information and updates on a variety of topics of interest to outdoor enthusiasts! See below for details and links! "Tagged fish program leads to impressive results for local angler" from The Buffalo News Bill Hilts Jr. discusses the experience of catching tagged fish as well as an overview of the tagging program in this article from The Buffalo News called "Tagged fish program leads to impressive results for local angler." As the article states, "Catching a tagged fish is not something that you see every day. In fact, it is considered a rare feat within fishing circles." Click here for more information and to learn about the program! The Buffalo News Discusses "The Fishing Beat" In this edition of "The Fishing Beat" from The Buffalo News, Bill Hilts Jr. provides an overview of the fishing conditions throughout the region. Bodies of water discussed include Lake Ontario, the Niagara River, Lake Erie, Chautauqua Lake, and the Finger Lakes. Click here to see! "Scattershots for June 13, 2018" from The Buffalo News Bill Hilts Jr. provides details about a few timely topics in this edition of "Scattershots for June 13, 2018" from The Buffalo News. Topics covered include, "DEC angler outreach event for Lake Erie, Niagara River," "Father’s Day shoot at North Forest," "Fly Fishers International meeting June 21," and "Wilson Kids Derby adds Huck Finn Division." Click here for details! The Buffalo News Provides Details About the "Catches of the Week" The Buffalo News shares photos and details about some of the fish caught in the region recently in this edition of the "Catches of the Week." Click here to see!

The third Saturday in June is the statewide opening of the regular bass season and Great Lakes muskellunge season. To help kick the bass season off, there are plenty of options going on such as the 1st Annual Brauer’s Restaurant Opening Day Bass Contest. This fun competition is for two-person teams and score will be based on the weight of the best two fish. You can fish the upper Niagara River and Lake Erie OR the lower river and Lake Ontario. The challenge will be on. Sign up at Brauer’s Restaurant on Campbell Blvd. in Pendleton or sign up at Creek Road Bait and Tackle in Lewiston. Cost is $40 per team. If you have any questions, contact Dave or Kathy Muir at 695-5552. Bass fishing has been decent in the Niagara River, both above and below the falls for anyone casting artificial baits like tubes or swimbaits. As of Saturday, you can use live bait again to target bass with the opening of the regular season. Gianni Etopio of Youngstown has been doing well off the NYPA Fishing Platform on silver bass, walleye and smallmouth. Boaters are bouncing bottom with tubes and swimbaits or dragging bottom with three-way rigs using Kwikfish. There are still a few trout in the river but it won’t be for long. The upper river, too, was producing some trout. Capt. Chris Cinelli of Grand Island reported that he caught four chunky steelies while walleye fishing around Strawberry island. Some walleye were caught this week by fishermen using jigs, but with the Southtowns Walleye Contest going on, we can’t tell you where. Click here to see the rest of this report on ILoveNYFishing.com.

The Buffalo News provides stories about a variety of topics of interest to outdoor enthusiasts in this edition! See below for details and links! "Bill Hilts Jr.: Wet Net, Hound Dog Set Pace in 34th Niagara Pro Am Salmon Tourney" from The Buffalo News In this article from The Buffalo News called "Wet Net, Hound Dog Set Pace in 34th Niagara Pro Am Salmon Tourney," Bill Hilts Jr. provides a recap of the 34th Annual Lake Ontario Pro Am Salmon Team Tournament. Click here for details! The Buffalo News Provides the "Catches of the Week" In this edition of the "Catches of the Week" from The Buffalo News, Bill Hilts Jr. provides photos and details of some of this week's best catches. Click here to see! The Buffalo News Provides "The Fishing Beat" Bill Hilts Jr. provides an overview of 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, Chautauqua Lake, and inland streams and tributaries. Click here for more information! "Scattershots for June 6, 2018" from The Buffalo News Bill Hilts Jr. provides details about a variety of topics of interest to outdoor enthusiasts in this edition of "Scattershots" from The Buffalo News. Topics discussed include, "Great Lakes Experience Festival June 9," "Clay Wins National Award," "Summer Sizzler Archery Shoot Set," "Johannes/Wilson Tournament Scholarship Offered." Click here to read more!

The Wet Net team, led by Capt. Matt Yablonsky of Youngstown, came from behind under some difficult conditions to win the Pro Division of the 34th Annual Lake Ontario Pro-Am Salmon Team Tournament out of Niagara County June 1-2. After a near perfect day that left the Wet Net team in fourth place with a score of 213.32 points (based on 10 points per fish and a point per pound), Lake Ontario kicked up a bit and forced teams to deal with more difficult conditions. Yablonsky and his team of Mike Barry, Jim Dolly, Jr. and Matt’s wife Christin came in with the best score of the day, bringing a 12-fish tournament limit to the scales for the second day in a row and score 231.21 points. Their two-day total was 444.53 points, good enough for the $11,000 check. They narrowly beat out Yankee Troller and Capt. Richard Hajecki of Rochester with a score of 441.57 points. Second place won $6,000. For Yablonsky, he was fishing off Wilson in 120 to 180 feet of water, focusing on water temperatures 50 to 70 feet down. They ran three riggers and four divers to take a limit of fish both days. It was almost all spoons for the Wet Net squad, using UV and Glow magnum Silver Streak spoons in green and chartreuse colors. James Spinelli and the Hound Dog team from Wellsville swept the Amateur Open class when they won both the Friday and Saturday contests. Also on the team were Jeremy Beckwith and Brian Insley, both of Wellsville. They fished the Niagara Bar both days in 200 to 250 feet of water. Best lures were Moonshine and Michigan Stinger spoons with anything orange in color. The 22-pound king came on an A-Tom-Mik stud fly and a two face double crush white flasher. They, too, were fishing 50 to 70 feet down with riggers, divers and 300-foot copper wire rigs. After winning the first day with a score of 79.87 points ($900) for their best three fish and a big fish of the day at 22 pounds ($250), they duplicated the 3-fish win with a score 57.97 points ($900). They also had the best two day total among the amateurs, giving them the Amateur Cup, a check for $500 and a Raymarine Dragonfly 7 unit. Big Fish for the second day went to American Dream led by Rick O’Hara of Ransomville with a 12.90 pound king. Click here to see the rest of this report on ILoveNYFishing.com.

After a bit of northeast wind, Lake Ontario saw fish scatter. Yes, fishing suddenly became a bit more difficult after a month that was often spectacular. The tough conditions can only mean one thing – the Greater Niagara Pro-Am Tournament must be here! When the contest is in May or June, it seems like when the tournament shows up the fishing changes, almost on cue. Set for June 1-2 out of Wilson and Olcott, this year will see 43 boats plying the waters in search of salmon and trout. In the meantime, despite the tougher conditions, the Buffalo Sabres Alumni Charity Fishing Outing went off without a hitch on Wednesday and plenty of fish were caught by the 22 boats who participated. The largest fish weighed in was “only” a 17-plus pound salmon hauled in by Bob McManigle of North Tonawanda while fishing with Jonathan Ross of the Tomahawk boat. Second place was a 16-plus pound king, reeled in by Bill Santana of Wilson while fishing with Capt. Matt Yablonsky aboard the Wet Net. Click here to see the rest of this report on ILoveNYFishing.com.

The Buffalo News provides information on a wide variety of topics of interest to outdoor enthusiasts! See below for details! “Bill Hilts Jr.: Catching Finger Lakes fever on Cayuga Lake” from The Buffalo News Bill Hilts Jr. gives a detailed overview of Cayuga Lake in this article from The Buffalo News called, “Catching Finger Lakes fever on Cayuga Lake.” He provides information like, “Cayuga Lake is the longest of all the Finger Lakes, checking in at 38 miles from tip to tip. It is the second deepest at 435 feet and the second largest as far as total surface area (only to Seneca Lake). It’s also very versatile as far as fish species, affording good warm and cold-water fisheries for a true two-tier fishing lake.” along with many other helpful and interesting pieces of information. Click here to read more! The Buffalo News Provides “The Fishing Beat” Bill Hilts Jr. provides details about 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, Chautauqua Lake, Cayuga Lake, and Lake Erie and tributaries. Click here for more information! “Tonawanda Kids Fishing Derby set for June 16” from The Buffalo News Bill Hilts Jr. discusses the 23rd Annual City of Tonawanda Parks and Recreation Department Free Kids Fishing Derby, coming up on June 16 in this article from The Buffalo News. Click here for details! “Gugliotta wins Seneca Lake Derby” from The Buffalo News In this article from The Buffalo News, Bill Hilts Jr. shares details about Andrew Gugliotta’s victory in the 54th Annual National Lake Trout Derby. Click here to learn more! "Brauer’s opening-day bass contest set" from The Buffalo News Bill Hilts Jr. provides details about the inaugural Brauer’s Fishing Club Smallmouth Bass Contest in this article from The Buffalo News. He states that, “you can fish Lake Erie and the Upper Niagara River or the Lower Niagara River and Lake Ontario. New York State waters only are eligible.” Click here to learn more! The Buffalo News Shares the “Catches and Hunts of the Week” Photos and details about some of the best fish caught recently are included in this edition of “Catches and Hunts of the Week” from The Buffalo News. Click here to see!

Congratulations to all of the derby and tournament winners! In the Wilson Harbor Invitational tournament last Saturday, it was Tom Allen’s A-Tom-Mik team winning the $20,000 check by scoring 162 points – based on 10 points a fish and a point per pound – for his 6 best salmon. Runnerup and earning a check for $10,000 was On The Rocks led by Capt. Mike Johannes of Ransomville. In the LOC Derby, the 28 pound, 10 ounce Oswego fish held up for the $15,000 Grand Prize – caught by Daniel Manti of Cortland. Salmon were being caught all around the lake. More than half of the salmon winners came from Niagara. Niagara Falls USA also produced the first place lake trout and the leading walleye. In the laker division, Steve Klejdys of North Tonawanda took top honors with a 22 pound, 5 ounce fish caught on the Niagara Bar. For walleye, it was Harry Crannell of Queensbury winning the division with a 12 pound, 1 ounce fish he also caught on the Niagara Bar. Capt. Chris Vogt of Albion won the brown trout division with an 18 pound, 1 ounce fish caught out of Bald Eagle Marina in Orleans County. Lake Ontario After a crazy couple of weeks of salmon fishing on the lake, things slowed down a little bit as the waters need to set back up again following a northeast blow. Most consistent action has been to the northeast of Wilson and Olcott in 250-plus feet of water. Capt. Mike Johannes of On the Rocks Charters, coming off a second place finish in the Wilson Harbor Invitational tournament last weekend, reported he had to go a bit deeper on Tuesday morning. His best rigger was set at 80 feet down, divers were back 150 and he was hitting fish with 200 feet of copper wire out, too. Best baits were a sea sick waddler and a 2-face spoon. Everything was magnum size. Earlier, most of the fish were up high in the 30 to 60-foot range, with divers working the best getting spoons out away from the boat. Lake trout were stacked up on the Niagara Bar again, but there weren’t too many salmon around according to reports. Next big events on the angling calendar include the Don Johannes-Pete DeAngelo Memorial Big Fish-Three Fish Contest on May 31 and the 34th Annual Lake Ontario Pro-Am Salmon Team Tournament June 1-2. Check out www.lakeontarioproam.net. Deadline to register for the Pro-Am without a penalty/late fee is May 25. Click here to see the rest of this report on ILoveNYFishing.com.

The Buffalo News provides information about a variety of topics of interest to outdoor enthusiasts. See below for details and links! “Derby fishing stories by the thousands (of dollars)” from The Buffalo News Bill Hilts Jr. provides an overview of fishing tournaments that have taken place on Lake Ontario so far this year in this article from The Buffalo News called, "Derby fishing stories by the thousands (of dollars). In the article he says that, "The salmon fishing has been nothing short of incredible, continuing where things left off last fall." Click here to read more! The Buffalo News Discusses "The Fishing Beat" The Buffalo News provides details about the latest fishing conditions on several bodies of water in this edition of "The Fishing Beat." Click here for details! The Buffalo News Recaps Recent Perch Contest In this article from The Buffalo News called "Jemiolo wins SWA perch contest" Bill Hilts Jr. provides a recap of the recent event. He states that, "Joe Jemiolo, Jr. of Boston took top honors in the Southtowns Walleye Association of WNY’s spring perch contest last Saturday on Lake Erie." Click here for more information! The Buffalo News Shares that "National Fishing and Boating Week Offers Plenty of Activities" In this article from The Buffalo News called "National Fishing and Boating Week Offers Plenty of Activities," Bill Hilts Jr. provides details about the event coming up June 2-10. He states that, "This national celebration puts a huge focus on fishing and boating to create a better awareness for these popular outdoor activities, encouraging people and groups to create activities and events that can help highlight our natural resources for the benefit of youngsters and oldsters alike." Click here for more information! "St. Lawrence River yields state-record walleye" from The Buffalo News Bill Hilts Jr. shares details about the new state record walleye, which was caught in early May in the St. Lawrence River in this article from The Buffalo News. Click here for more details! "State-record crappie caught in Cattaraugus County" from The Buffalo News In this article from The Buffalo News called, "State-record crappie caught in Cattaraugus County" Bill Hilts Jr. highlights the recent record. He states that, "What started out as a fun fishing outing at Lake Flavia in western Cattaraugus County on May 6 turned into a momentous catching outing when a 4.075-pound black crappie was reeled in – breaking the 20-year-old state record." Click here to read more! The Buffalo News Shares the "Catches and Hunts of the Week" The Buffalo News provides photos and stories about some of the best fish caught this week in this edition of the "Catches and Hunts of the Week." Click here to see!

What a week is all we can say. The start of the Lake Ontario Counties Trout and Salmon Derby kicked off, the CIPS International Fishing Congress was going on and the Salmon Slam and $1,000 a Day Derby started on Monday as a precursor to the Wilson Harbor Invitational Tournament May 19. Yes, there were plenty of things going on and, yes, the fishing has been great! Some big catches have been coming to the scales in the Lake Ontario Counties Trout and Salmon Derby going on right now. Even if you are going fishing for one day, take the chance and sign up. There are plenty of ways you can win some cash prizes. The leader for the $15,000 Grand Prize is Daniel Manti of Cortland with a 28-pound, 10-ounce king salmon caught off Oswego. While anglers have been catching salmon at a variety of locations around the lake, the best place to be is still the waters off Niagara County. The king fishing has been crazy good so far this year. Kings can be found from the Canadian line off Fort Niagara to Wilson. 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 Buffalo News Shares the Latest “Fishing Beat” Bill Hilts Jr. provides details about the latest conditions on several bodies of water in this edition of “The Fishing Beat” from The Buffalo News. Bodies of water discussed include Lake Ontario and tributaries, Lake Erie and tributaries, the Niagara River, and Chautauqua Lake. Click here for details! “Catches and Hunts of the Week” from The Buffalo News The Buffalo News provides photos and stories about some of the fish caught in the region this week in this edition of the “Catches and Hunts of the Week.” Click here to see! “Niagara salmon Pro-Am structured for serious and casual fishermen” from The Buffalo News Bill Hilts Jr. discusses the upcoming Lake Ontario Pro-Am Salmon Team Tournament in this article from The Buffalo News called “Niagara salmon Pro-Am structured for serious and casual fishermen.” He states that, “This is the tournament that started it all back in the day, setting the standard for competitive salmon fishing.” Click here for more information! “Options abound for Southtowns Walleye tourney” from The Buffalo News Bill Hilts Jr. discusses the 34th Annual Walleye Tournament being hosted by The Southtowns Walleye Association of WNY in this article from The Buffalo News called “Options abound for Southtowns Walleye tourney.” Click here for details! The Buffalo News Shares the “Outdoors Calendar” The Buffalo News provides dates and details for several upcoming events of interest to outdoor enthusiasts in this edition of the “Outdoors Calendar.” Events included range from now through June 17. Click here to see!

It’s time for the long-awaited International Fishing Congress in Downtown Niagara Falls USA and delegates from around the world were greeted with bountiful sunshine and 80 degree temperatures. The first couple of groups wanted to sample Lake Erie’s smallmouth bass fishery and they weren’t disappointed. Swimbaits and spot-tail shiners were the ticket for most of the fish, including bass up to nearly 6 pounds and a musky around 39-inches that was immediately released. Meanwhile, a group went after trout in the lower Niagara River. Action has been good for boaters, producing a mix of steelhead and lake trout. An occasional walleye and musky is also being caught. If you want to target smallmouth bass with artificial baits, they are also cooperating for anglers. Tube jigs and swim baits are the ticket for smallmouth; Kwikfish, MagLips and minnows/shiners for trout, all fished off three-way rigs. Shore guys are working the NYPA fishing platform with jigs and spinners to take trout and a mix of whatever else swims in the river like suckers, silver bass, smallmouth bass, muskellunge and maybe even a sturgeon! Out in Lake Ontario, the fishing for kings turned on last weekend and is continuing, a great start for the LOC Derby set for May 11-20. For more details go to www.loc.org. Best salmon action with a mix of kings, cohos and lake trout. Target 60 to 100 feet of water with spoons and flasher-fly. Greens and golds were working, but so are some glow colors. Fish are hungry. Water temps were around 45 degrees in the lake. Our international guests will be hitting the lake Thursday morning and we hope to have some nice pictures to share in the future. You can check out photos of the media event at www.buffalonews.com/section/sports/outdoors to see an impressive gallery. In addition, don’t forget that the Wilson Harbor Invitational Tournament is set for May 19 and, as a lead-in to that big event, there are two other salmon contests that will be held from May 14 to May 18. The first is a $1,000 a day option for the biggest salmon caught each day. The second is the Salmon Slam. There are five days of fishing and the competition focuses on the best 7 fish for those 5 days. You pick and choose when to weigh a fish in. A certain amount of strategy is involved. Find out information on all three at www.wilsonharborinvitational.com. 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! “International Fishing Congress invades Niagara Falls” from The Buffalo News Bill Hilts Jr. discusses the 39th Annual Congress of the Confederation Internationale de la Peche Sportive (CIPS), taking place in Niagara Falls in this article from The Buffalo News called “International Fishing Congress invades Niagara Falls.” As the article states, “CIPS is the governing body that currently oversees 144 National Federations from 77 countries. Add up the numbers of members that they represent and the total is more than 50 million anglers from around the globe.” Click here for more information! The Buffalo News Shares the “Catches of the Week” The Buffalo News provides photos and stories about some of the fish caught in the region in this edition of the “Catches of the Week.” Click here to see! The Buffalo News Shares “The Fishing Beat” Bill Hilts Jr. provides updates about the latest 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 and tributaries, the Niagara River, Lake Erie and tributaries, and Chautauqua Lake. Click here for details! “Yet another tagged bass for Cinelli’s boat” from The Buffalo News Bill Hilts Jr. tells the story of how Capt. Chris Cinelli recently caught his fifth tagged smallmouth bass in this article from The Buffalo News called, “Yet another tagged bass for Cinelli’s boat.” Click here to read more! “Wilson to host salmon events” from The Buffalo News Bill Hilts Jr. provides detail about several fishing-related tournaments and events coming up in Wilson in this article from The Buffalo News called, “Wilson to host salmon events.” Click here for more information! The Buffalo News Highlights “Teach Me to Fish Program May 20” Bill Hilts Jr. provides details about the 14th Annual Jimmy Griffin’s Teach Me to Fish Program planned for May 20th in this article from The Buffalo News. Click here to read the full article, called “Teach Me to Fish Program May 20!” The “Outdoors Calendar” from The Buffalo News The Buffalo News provides dates and details for several upcoming events of interest to outdoor enthusiasts in this edition of the “Outdoors Calendar.” Click here for details!