Warmer temperatures and rain could make for a messy weekend

Lake Erie and tributaries

Not too much going in Lake Erie or the tributaries. You might be able to find some stream action to the south, closer to the Pennsylvania border. There were some reports of ice fishing at Case Lake, according to Shub Stevens with Catt. Creek Bait and Tackle in Irving. Golden shiners were the ticket. With the crazy weather we’ve been having it’s not a bad idea to work on that fishing tackle that needs attention for next spring, recommended Capt. Jim Hanley with Northeast Outdoors. He would start out by pulling off the old line from last year and re-spooling with some fresh stuff. It’s not necessary to fill your spools with all new line. Figure out how much line you use for a particular situation and only replace that much. If you use braid, it’s always a good idea to use monofilament backing to save yourself a lot of money because braid is expensive. Learn how to tie an Albright knot as it’s the best for connecting braid and monofilament says Hanley.  

One thing Hanley does during the winter is to tie all new warm harnesses for his walleye charters. He will put them on “tangle tamer” cards so they’re ready to go next summer when he needs them. You can check out his worm harness videos and more on YouTube His channel is Jim Hanley’s Fishing Charters and TV show. One video is on how to properly tie a snell knot, great for worm harnesses. Captain Bob’s Outdoors on Main Street, Clarence, has everything you need to make your own harnesses. Another great idea is to change hooks on your favorite stick and crank baits. BKK Hooks has a new treble hook called the Spear-21 UVO. It’s painted with an orange ultraviolet paint that makes your bait highly visible to fish in deep water. Sharp hooks make all the difference putting fish in the live well. If you do go to Capt. Bob’s, sign up for the winter fishing derby that starts Jan. 2.   

One last tip for keeping you sane while the weather is trying to make you crazy is to once again, tune into YouTube and look up videos on your depth finder and GPS units, Hanley said. Most of the top manufacturers have excellent videos on how to go into the deeper settings on your unit. You’ll be amazed by how much you’ll learn about simple settings such as sensitivity and how to identify those crazy images that are showing up on your screens in deep water. 

Captains Connor and Chris Cinelli, of Grand Island, hit the water with Capt. Ned Librock, of Catching Dreams Charters, on Thursday before the storm and they started out snapping brown trout off Fort Niagara with Emerald shiners. One thing they noticed was the fish seemed to prefer a shorter leader off 3-way rigs, as short as 3-4 feet. Best action was in 16-20 feet of water. After catching browns, they headed upriver for some walleyes but could only catch bass and perch. Yellow perch have been hanging near the sand docks in Lewiston. When the water clears again, the fish will be hungry.

Mike Ziehm, of Niagara Falls, was out Thursday as well. The bite was decent, and he landed two rainbows in an hour in 4-foot plus visibility depending on where you were on river. It varied from spot to spot. He landed both fish early in the morning with pink No. 4 spinners. Once it approached around noon or just before, the bite fell right off no matter what bait he used and no matter where he went on the river. He returned to the river at 8 a.m. Friday, but at that point the river already started to turn over and it was high and dirty. The big wind and snow changeover came in and the visibility quickly changed from 2 feet to zero. It was pure mud with zero visibility by the weekend and into this week. He feels that if he can get a foot of visibility, he can catch trout from shore. It might be the new year before they are catching fish again.

Lake Ontario and tributaries

Scott Feltrinelli, of Ontario Fly Outfitters, reports that he managed a few nice fish during the beginning of the terrible weather. Barometric pressure changes, changes in light, and changes in water conditions are all major contributors to success on the creek. The bite has been aggressive recently, with fish being on the larger side lately. However, the overall numbers of fish are still way down, causing anglers to walk and work as they look for scattered “singles.” Many streams are iced up but should re-open with the warming temperatures and rain in the forecast. Ron Bierstine, of Oak Orchard Tackle at Point Breeze, reports limited fishing opportunities. The streams will be high and off color with the warmup.

In Olcott and 18 Mile Creek at Burt Dam, Matt Vogt, of Newfane, reports he’s been picking up a few trout the past week out of Fisherman’s Park. Fishing has been good, and Burt Dam has been producing trout on feather jigs. The ice was starting to set up in Olcott, too, but is not safe. Wilson looked promising but will most likely melt after this coming warm front and rain. Vogt’s advice is to wait until January to let the ice set up fully for any hard water anglers.

One hard water angler who has had some success in local farm ponds has been Phil Ptak, of Lockport. He was using small jigs with plastics to catch panfish through 4-6 inches of ice. Scott Brauer, of Gasport, reminds ice anglers to stay safe out there. His top three tips for early ice are: spud, spud, spud; never go alone in case you need each other’s help; and with the way the ice is building this year, it is very tough to read, with much wind and current pushing it around so it might be better to give it a few weeks. It is going to get cold again and we will have plenty of ice.

There is about 6 inches of ice on the south basin but still some open water around the bridge, according to Capt. Mike Sperry, with Chautauqua Reel Outdoors. Some anglers were on the ice in Mayville, but caution is advised. First ice is always unpredictable. One customer in the store said he landed a 26-inch walleye through the ice Monday on the upper end, where there was 5 inches of ice. 

Cayuga Lake is still producing lake trout and brown trout nearshore, reports Capt. John Gaulke, with the Finger Lakes Angling Zone. Expect some landlocked salmon and occasional brown trout on Seneca Lake. Pike fishing should still be good as should perch fishing regionwide. Scott Brauer, of Gasport, reports Loon Lake was fishable, there were some guys out on Honeoye Lake. Oneida Lake has a few people out, but most everything will be unsafe with the warm temps and rain coming.