Lisa Drabczyk with Creek Road Bait and Tackle reports that fishing has been tough the past week due to extremely clear water conditions and a cold, brisk wind that has hampered boat drifters. Mike Ziehm of Niagara Falls reports that he has been out twice the past week and that bucktail jigs have worked really well for chrome, catching two rainbows and a steelhead in the Whirlpool and beyond. In some back eddy pockets, water is crazy clear at 6 feet plus. Down river of the power plant, it is a little more stained but still clear. All these days with the southwest and west wind gusts have made it tough to drift bounce. Jigs in orange and white and all-white jigs have been working for Ziehm. Mike Rzucidlo of Niagara Falls reported 7 to 8 feet of water clarity on Tuesday, and he used No. 4 spinners to take three steelhead in a couple of hours. It has been a bit tough for the boaters, too, according to Capt. Joe Marra of Lewiston. Minnows worked well for him on Saturday. With super clear conditions, extend your leader a bit longer and use fluorocarbon line. Smaller hooks when using egg sacs or minnows will help with hook-ups. Sunday was a different story as fishing became much tougher. The Niagara Bar has yielded brown trout and lake trout when the north wind is not blowing.
Lake Ontario and tributaries
Steelhead fishing at Burt Dam and 18 Mile Creek has been decent according to Karen Evarts at The Boat Doctors in Olcott. Start by using egg sacs or egg imitations. Lisa Drabczyk with Creek Road Bait and Tackle reports that other smaller tributaries along the lake are holding trout, too. Scott Feltrinelli with Ontario Fly Outfitters reports that he encountered very high, muddy water last week and that it requires keen observation and an alternate strategy. After a few swirling refusals on a large copper flash Intruder, he realized these fish would bite but not that fly. He changed to a bright yellow, size 4 bugger and that worked. Bright color flies and movement in directions opposite of current are critical to fishing high muddy water. The fish’s vision is much better than one would expect in all conditions. He was skating the fly along the surface and these fish were coming off the bottom (three feet of muddy water) and smacking the fly on or near the surface. Feltrinelli says that steelhead are starting to show up. The next three weeks should be good, then once things warm up, it will slow down considerably. Smallmouth bass will be moving into our creeks in the next few weeks, too. Ron Bierstine with Oak Orchard Tackle reports that flows in the Oak are dropping back and clearing slowly. Flows are considered medium at this point. Water clarity is getting clearer at two feet of visibility or slightly better. Good steelhead action is underway according to reports with guys getting hook-ups at the dam, downstream through the fast water areas, and in the shallow water areas that this year are not very shallow due to lower Lake Ontario levels, according to Bierstine. Decent medium flows allow fish to be throughout the river, so fish all the water. Other smaller tributaries have moderate and mostly clear flows. The Lake Ontario Trout and Salmon Association will be getting their salmon and trout pens ready for DEC stocking on March 27 at the Town of Newfane Marina in Olcott starting at 9:30 a.m. Normally, they would ready the pens the first weekend in April but that is Easter weekend this year. Bring wire cutters.
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