Fishing Line: Oct. 27
More hunting-season openings give dedicated stream anglers greater space along pools and riffles.
Fall turkey, duck and goose, woodcock, pheasant and big-game archery seasons all increase field activity and decrease stream pressures on waters, especially trout and salmon runs.
Salmon runs have slowed to a walk, but trout are something to shout about. Browns and steelies have begun showing in many Great Lakes feeders. Perch offer another mid-fall option for both sizes and numbers of ringbacks.
Warming trends this past week and reduced daily daylight draw trout upstream and tighten perch schools in lakes and bays in and around Western New York.
Streams have more open stretches for bank casters and waders. Ringback runners could pick up a few extra perch this weekend — even with clocks falling behind on Sunday morning.
Lake Erie
Cattaraugus Creek remains a key starting point for both trout and perch anglers.
Shore casters have done better just inside the mouth than from the break wall this past week. When waters settle out, casters do well on steelies from the launches near the mouth well up to the Routes 5 and 20 bridge.
With the right water conditions, waders find silver fish all along the Catt, through Gowanda and up the dam at Springville.
Each day offers different conditions in clarity. Be sure to have a current New York State and Seneca Nation of Indians fishing license when hole hopping up stream. Rain, often not falling down stream, has stained creek waters in Lake Erie feeders.
Best approach is to bring a variety of baits — live and artificial — and move up stream or onto smaller feeders into the Catt and along the Erie shoreline. The trout run is heavy this fall but they have to see lures to be allured.
Niagara River
Varying water-clarity conditions have tested both lower Niagara River salmon and trout trip planners' patience. A fair number of older kings remain in the river and a more-than-fair number of steelies have shown in recent weeks.
High winds on Lake Erie often rile waters at the head of the river and often leave clarity somewhere under the rainbow — stained too much for fishing.
Work continues on the Lewiston ramp renovations and boaters have to run down stream to launch at the Fort Niagara ramp. Repairs should be finished in two weeks.
Lake Ontario
Boaters still have a shot at flat-lining runs along the shoreline for kings, browns and steelies. Feeder streams have picked up for both steelies and browns in most major feeders.
The king run has slowed at Burt Dam, but trout continue to gather in holes below the dam down to the harbor mouth at Olcott. Waterport Dam remains the most active site for late runs of kings and great starts for trout.
Perch
Musky and bass seasons remain open. Trout and salmon occupy time for many anglers. But perch, the premier panfish species for area anglers, show in nice numbers and substantial sizes as the fall season progresses.
Lake Erie perch schools have moved closer to shore off Cattaraugus Creek. Those few boaters that make the run have hit into some good schooling at and just inside 50-foot depths just east of the Catt. Boaters venturing off Sturgeon Point have found fair numbers just west of the point — again at 45- to 50-foot depths.
Finger Lakes perch prospects are good at both Seneca and Keuka Lakes, with Conesus Lake running a fair third for numbers. Live minnows on a small jig head have done well along drop-offs in the 20- to 35-foot range.
Irondequoit Bay boaters are seeing an uptick in perch presence. The fall run has yet to peak, but schooling tightens daily along 15- to 20-foot bottoms at the east side of the bay.
Occasionally, perch will move onto shallow humps at 6-8 feet, but buckets fill better at mid depths.
Devoted perchers might consider a run to Oneida Lake. Dayside casting runs often feature show-stopping runs along weed edges at depths of 5-6 feet.
Chautauqua Lake has offered a shoreline shallows run of ringbacks throughout the summer and early fall. Sizes are smaller but respectable.
At all perch sites, minnow-like offerings — live bait or lure designs — do better than bug-like baits right now.
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