Salmon River, Oak Orchard Fishing Report
Capt. Troy Creasy
December 15, 2008
Salmon River - Freshwater Fishing Report
Here we are in the middle of December with weather more like February and fishing more like mid November. Wow! is all I can say. The bite just doesn't stop.
A few of the lakes to the north were just starting to freeze up, but the rain and warm temps wiped out what little ice there was. We will have to wait for another cold snap before anyone does any ice fishing.
The rain showers and warm temps have brought the levels up in area streams. The big question now is where to go. The water on the Salmon River is 750cfs plus a lot of run-off for the remainder of the week. The flows wioll be about 1,000 at Pineville and over 1,200 in town. Good flows for fresh fish to move in.
Look for fish moving up from the lower river. Fish the pockets and the faster water in the head or tailouts of the deeper pools. The anglers having the most success have reported that the key is to COVER LOTS OF WATER because the fish are spread out. If you are fishing the small streams, try pink and chartreuse egg sacs if the water is colored and blue or white if it is clear.
On the Oswego, the water level has is about 9,500cfs. A great flow to fish this river. There is a good number of fish there and the local guides have been doing well. Eggs and jigs under floats or bottom boucing will both work well.
On Oneida Lake walleye anglers are finding some activity from the shore using stickbaits. The blue/silver and black/silver color combinations have been very successful. Perch fishing has been slow.
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Western New York fishing report by Jay Peck - www.jaypeckguides.com
We have found ourselves in a winter fishing pattern in all our streams and rivers. Water temperatures have been ranging from 34 to 38 degrees depending on the particular river or creek you are fishing.
Starting with the Genesee River, the rainfall that came through on December 9 and 10 was significant enough to bring the Genesee River water flow above fishable levels. The way things are looking it may take about two weeks for this shot of water to work its way through the system. Until the rainfall, the fishing action has been consistent, a slow to moderate but steady pick of steelhead. Most of the fish are holding in the pocket water below the powerhouse. Also the Genesee River has not been having issues with slush ice during our last cold snaps.
On the Genesee River for the fly fishermen use your favorite egg patterns presented under a strike indicator. For the conventional fishermen stay with medium size egg sack in chartreuse or orange, fishing under a strike indicator is also hopeful.
Oak Orchard River water flows have come up to a moderate to high flow with about 2 feet of visibility. This is still a fishable flow of water even with the cold water temperatures.
The pools below the dam, down to the estuary water now are holding primarily steelhead with a few Brown trout mixed. Most of the Brown trout are now holding in the deeper slower water at the estuary portion of the Oak. These Brown trout are now feeding aggressively on forage minnows. Productive flies for fishing below the dam in the pools are, egg patterns in colors of Oregon cheese, orange, chartreuse. Flies for fishing the slower water are woolly buggers and bunny flies in colors of white, black, Brown.
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Niagara County Report, By Bill Hilts Jr.
Lake Ontario and Tributaries ~Rain and melting snow has kept water flowing in the Lake Ontario tributaries. It hasn't really brought in significantly more fish, though.
Jason Rekker of St. Catharines sends word that he visited 18 Mile Creek and Burt Dam last weekend and found fishing difficult at first. Good water flow and color resulted in very few fish. However, he adjusted to move down to the railroad bridge and switch to large egg sacks, at least an inch in diameter. That proved to be the ticket as he hooked into two steelhead, a brown and a king salmon.
When the power station stopped generating, though, his fishing shut down. Meanwhile, back to the dam, anglers were using minnows to catch some trout while there was zero flow coming through the power station.
Some fish will continue to inhabit 18 Mile Creek and if the winds cooperate, you might want to try casting a spoon or spinner off the piers in Olcott and Wilson for a mix of trout. Some perch should still be available in both harbors, too.
The Oak Orchard River had some fish in it, too, but waters were generally low and clear before the rain on Tuesday. Flows should be back down again by the weekend.
Lower Niagara River ~ Despite the winds and rain last weekend and earlier in the week, the place to be for fishing right now has to be the lower Niagara River.
Shore fishermen have been doing well on trout - primarily steelhead - from the Whirlpool area to Artpark according to Jeff Pippard at Niagara Outdoors in North Tonawanda.
The hot lure continues to be Super Vibrax spinners in either blue and silver or firetiger patterns. Egg sacks are also catching some fish.
From boat, Capt. Frank Campbell sends word that his customers smoked the steelhead earlier in the week by using Kwikfish to take advantage of some southwest winds blowing through. They ended up catching - and releasing - over 20 steelies and also managed to catch (and release) some lake trout at the same time.
Remember that lake trout season is closed on the New York side of the river until the end of the year; the Province of Ontario side has been open since Dec. 1.
Top steelhead drifts including Devil's Hole and Artpark. If the wind isn't helping your Kwikfish action, you can also do well on egg sacks or egg imitations like yarn balls.
The New York Power Authority has announced that their fishing platform is now closed for the winter and will not re-open until the spring.
I have plenty of open dates for over the next month or so. Watch the weather and give us a call.
See you on the water, Troy
Target Species:
steelhead, brown trout
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