Fishing Line: Nov. 4
Great Lakes feeder streams offer a great mix of trout and some salmon.
That extra hour of morning light after the switch from daylight savings time has waders and walkers headed upstream earlier each day. Angler aggregations, especially just below those first impassible dams, can be a factor.
An early-to-rise approach to mid-fall fishing could relieve some of that fishing pressure — and add to the hit and catch count.
Lake Erie
Smaller feeders show better water quality than Cattaraugus Creek right now. Even feeders entering Cattaraugus Creek might be worth the work, but waters along the main creek are stained beyond fish-catching.
Water levels have been up in most of the smaller feeders. Clarity has improved. "Eighteen Mile (Creek) is fishable but was dirty earlier," said Dave Watts at Dave's Bait & Tackle in Derby.
Silver Creek, Canadaway Creek, Chautauqua Creek, and smaller feeders in Pennsylvania waters all showed varying numbers of steelies but water clear enough to fish.
Perch patrollers still run into ringbacks at both Cattaraugus Creek and Sturgeon Point. Boater numbers are scant, but their catches often average two dozen for a morning or evening stint. Catt runners head east; Sturgeon pointers head west. From both sites, depths of 50-53 feet get the most mention.
Live minnows and salted emerald shiners do the trick. Jigs and imitation minnows connect when schools actively feed, but the best buckets come from a minnow menu.
Oneida Lake
It's a long drive north of Syracuse, but the walleye and perch bites have been better than good, said charter captain Tony Buff, who is having fun with walleye after dark and perch during the day.
Boaters work shore and mid-lake shoal edges for perch at depths of 6-8 feet most hours of the day. Walleye turn on at and just after dark for both shore casters and trollers working minnow-type baits along the shoreline.
Niagara River
At Lewiston, the first slab of concrete cures and work crews are waiting to move the first of two slabs in place to renovate the launch ramp. Each slab requires a week of setting before movement or use. Boaters looking to access the lower river on the New York side have to head north to the Fort Niagara State Park launch sites for about the next two weeks.
Trout, and a few odd salmon, are on the move along lower river drifts. Lake trout often move in with the steelies and kings along the same drifts boaters work for salmon and other trout. Lakers are out of season until Jan. 1, but the steelie bite has begun earlier than usual.
Lake Ontario
Eighteen Mile Creek is seeing a steady run of fish and fishermen. Parking can be at a premium at the Newfane site adjacent to the Burt Dam access.
King salmon are fewer, but a fair run of brown trout and some steelies draw good numbers of waders and shore casters to waters at and close to the outflow at Burt Dam.
Waterport Dam draws similar legions of lure casters. A solid presence of browns and steelies, with a few late-run Chinook, make Oak Orchard Creek a busy place this time of year. Water below Waterport had been shut off at the dam earlier, but flow has been restored and fish are coming upstream now.
Smaller feeders such as Marsh and Johnsons creeks, also draw a good number of trout. Casters use virtually every salmonid-styled bait that can be cast into a stream. Fly anglers go with the egg-suck leach, a wooly bugger, or similar egg and/or bug pattern. Imitation single-egg offerings have connected. Both Mike's Eggs and EZ-Egg offerings have seen successes so far.
When waters clear, smaller live baits (waxworms, mousies and spikes) can entice browns and steelies.
Perch have made their way into bays and creek mouths. Schools at Irondequoit Bay have moved to the center of the bay and feed at 8- to 10-foot depths, said Dilon Chesboro at Bayside Bait and Tackle.
Oak Orchard Creek saw a good run of ringbacks this past week.
Wes Walker at Slippery Sinker Bait & Tackle in Olcott has seen a few nice buckets brought in from Eighteen Mile Creek and from the harbor piers, which anglers can get out and stand along the breakwater.
Fish for photos
Anglers with good shots of great catches can have their trophy photos displayed on the Fishing Page of The News' Web site (www.buffalonews.com/fishing).
New photos will be added as they are received. To get your photo published, 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 e-mail address listed below.
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