CHAUTAUQUA LAKE
The deeper action is hot. As water temperatures begin to lower, anglers are catching walleye in the northern basin. The walleye bite from the edge of the weedline out to 25 feet of water. Trollers do well with bottom bouncing rigs with worm harnesses and with stickbaits run near the bottom. Vertical jigging with jigging Rapala-style lures is also productive, especially tight to the weedline. Anglers can target muskellunge along weedlines, or suspended 10-15 feet down over 20-35 feet of water. Fishing along weed edges and in pockets with live minnows and worms is a good bet for a mix of yellow perch, white perch, white bass and bluegill.
LAKE ERIE AND TRIBS
The Pennsylvania line to Catt. continues to report good limits. Directly off Cattaraugus Creek and to the west, trollers report a good bite in 70-90 feet of water on gear run 40-60 feet down. Stickbaits have been most productive. Dunkirk anglers have done well in 75-95 feet of water for walleye suspended 50-60 feet down. Barcelona trollers report consistent action in 80-110 feet of water on stickbaits and spoons run 50-70 feet down. Steelhead are mixed in with the walleye and primarily hit spoons. Barcelona trollers working deep waters outside 100 feet are also catching some lake trout. Off Sturgeon Point and to the west, modest catches are coming from depths over 70 feet on gear run 10 feet off bottom.
LAKE ONTARIO AND TRIBS
For the hot bite on Lake Ontario, Capt. Tom Pearse of Grand Island has been running offshore about 15 miles (straight out and a west troll). His hottest spoon by far is a Carbon 14. There are some fish straight out in 350 feet of water. That is where the 28-pound, 4-ounce king came from reeled in by Titus Bergey of Pennsylvania during the Odyssey. Those fish are a slow bite most of the time though. Pearse has moved some inside fish in 70 feet of water with flashers and flies (white paddle Green Dot and 2 face) and meat rigs early in the morning. Those are his three most common spots lately. Offshore is the best bite, by far, holding large steelhead and some of the big mature kings that have not staged yet. There was some excitement on Saturday when Tim Anderson of Columbus, Ohio hauled in a 31-pound, 5-ounce king salmon to take over the lead for the Grand Prize in the Fall Lake Ontario Counties (LOC) trout and salmon derby that ends on Labor Day. He was fishing with Capt. Vince Pierleoni of Thrillseeker Sportfishing. A new Steelhead Division leader came this week out of Olcott, too, when Shaun Pinkham of Sanborn weighed in a 15-pound, 9-ounce fish on a spin doctor and fly. While Maria Jackson of Rochester is still holding on to the Brown Trout Division lead with a 17-pound, 14-ounce fish, Ray Mahtook of Youngstown came close to knocking her off when he caught a 17-pound, 4-ounce brown trout on Tuesday while fishing the Niagara Bar with a flasher and cut bait.
NIAGARA RIVER
Fishing has been inconsistent for bass and walleye in the Niagara River, but when the fishing is on, it is tough to beat. Sunday morning was one of those times when the fishing was on, according to Tom Wilson of Lewiston. Fishing with his 6-year-old son, Logan, they caught more than 20 bass using different tactics. Young Logan was using a drop shot rig with a Berkley flat nose minnow on the hook when a big fish hit. It turned out to be that 8-pound, 3-ounce walleye we mentioned earlier. It was his first walleye and his biggest, taking first place in the Junior Division of the Fish Odyssey with minutes to spare before the end of the derby. At the complete opposite end of the river, Tom Wilson had his sons Aiden and Trevor fishing for bass near the round house. While they did catch some nice bass, the two youngsters ended up taking first and third in the Sheepshead Division of the Odyssey with a 9-pound, 14-ounce, and an 8¢-pound freshwater drum. Some good fishing stories there. After the derby was over, Capt. Joe Marra of Lewiston guided Becky Capobianco of Derby to her biggest walleye ever, a 12¢-pound fish from the lower river and caught on a worm harness at the mouth of the river.
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