What a difference a dry makes.

Wet, stormy weather had lakes, ponds, rivers, and streams up, muddied, and

downright dangerous.

Access ramps at Cattaraugus Creek (Hanover, Hidden Harbor, and the DEC

sites) all have been cleared and can be used. The stain line along the Erie and

Ontario shore is less a factor in fishing-site selection this week.

Inland lakes have seen an uptick in bass as well as panfish production this

past week.

Lake Erie

Just after Anthony Becket weighed in his near-record lake trout (40.25 pounds) last Tuesday, a

substantial school of walleye began showing just west of Dunkirk Harbor.

Trollers got an 'eyes surprise later last week with a turn-on of walleyes be

tween Van Buren Point and Barcelona Harbor. Despite heavy schools of

smelt, minnow-type baits and spoons accounted for many five-fish limits

during weekend outings.

"We're getting them in 80-foot depths with down-rigs set at 60 feet," said

charter captain Dan Dietzen. Most of his fish were from the 2003- and 2005-

year class, measuring either mid 20 inches or 18-20 inches.

Dietzen runs Dream Weaver spoons and Renosky Chatter-Sticks.

"The 3-inch "sticks' worked fine, but the smelt schools are bigger fish now, and the 5-inch

lure might be even better," he said, adding, "the 5-inchers even accounted for five perch

yesterday."

Perch seekers might try reconnaissance runs with trolling gear to find ring

back sizes and numbers right now. Like bass, walleye, and even muskies,

perch often move well off bottom, chasing those thick schools of smelt that

populate virtually the eastern basin of Lake Erie waters.

Best perch depth mentioned this past week for Cattaraugus Creek runners

has been 70 feet and slightly west of the creek mouth for fair numbers.

Smallmouth bass can be found in fair numbers anywhere, but the better sizes

usually show at depths of 25 feet and deeper. Casters adept with artificial

baits can stick smallies along the upper Niagara River out to 50-foot depths

or more in Lake Erie, but the best of baits right now has to be crayfish (soft-

shelled crabs) dropped slowly down to just off bottom. Kept above rocks and

gravel beds lowers (not completely) the prospects for round goby predation.

Top tourney

A few area anglers are entered, but walleye tournament activity goes mainly to the pros this

week. Cabela's Masters Walleye Circuit gets plugged in at 5 p.m. on Thursday with a rules

meeting at the Clarion Hotel in Dunkirk. Competition begins on Friday (Saturday if bad

weather) and goes for two days out of the harbor.

Teams can make late entries with penalty payments. The awards ceremonies

go either Saturday or Sunday afternoon, depending on weather and water

conditions.

For complete details, check with site coordinator Al Zurawski or Don Ryan at

Chadwick Bay Marina (366-1774).

Lake Ontario

The Fall Lake Ontario Counties derby officially begins Friday, with not only a variety of

species entries but good reports from all Ontario ports on both trout and salmon catches in

Western New York waters.

The Orleans County Derby ended Sunday with an 18-pound steelie winner

and a 32-pound king salmon topping the board. LOC Derby entrants look for

ward to size guys while working Ontario waters until Labor Day, Sept. 7. For

entry details, go to LOC.org.

For good fish numbers, start shallow but work deeper as the sun rises each

morning. The recent heat has cooked shoreline shallows too much for salmo

nid comfort. Some 50-foot depths reach 75 degrees.

Yet, the bigger kings make initial moves to spawning sites, showing at 50-150

feet on occasion.

"Most of the mature kings moving into shallower water hit the flasher-and-

fly rig," said Wes Walker at Slipper Sinker Bait & Tackle in Olcott Harbor.

For numbers and a better shot at steelies and coho, the heat has moved both

bait and badgering trout and salmon out to deeper water some 10-12 miles

from shore off Olcott. Flashers and spoons both work out deeper, and rigs

rarely have to be set more than 50 feet from the surface for best results.

Photo worthy fish catches

Anglers can have their trophy photos displayed on the Fishing Page of The Buffal News' Web

site (www.buffalonews.com/fishing). E-mail it along with a brief description of the catch,

including the name and home (city, town or village) of the angler, the location of the catch

and how the fish was caught to the address listed below.