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Fishing Report

CHAUTAUQUA LAKE

The Northern basin is still producing some decent walleye catches in 20-30 feet of water. Try tolling worm harnesses or stickbaits near the bottom, or vertical jigging with blade baits, jigging Rapalas and jigs tipped with a nightcrawler. Muskellunge fishing has been decent to good, with catches coming along weed edges and over deeper water (suspended). Largemouth bass are available in shallower, weedy areas and readily hit surface lures, live shiners and spinnerbaits. Smallmouth bass are found along deeper rocky points and drops outside of the weedline. Live crayfish, shiners and leeches work well.

LAKE ERIE AND TRIBS

Walleye fishing off Buffalo has fallen off as fish move west. Sturgeon Point is also a little slow, with better catches for those who motor west to depths over 65 feet. Anglers fishing off Cattaraugus Creek to the Pennsylvania line report very good to excellent walleye fishing. The walleye haven’t been picky either, readily hitting stickbaits, spoons and worm harnesses. Out of the Catt, anglers are picking up limits in 70-80 feet of water on gear run between 50 feet down and the bottom. Depths of 70-90 feet have recently been very productive off Dunkirk. Eyes have been biting well off Barcelona all season and anglers have recently been filling their boxes in 65-90 feet of water. Most of the action off Dunkirk and Barcelona has been in the bottom third of the water column. However, northeast winds at mid-week caused some upwellings of colder water which scattered fish. Temperature profiles should be back to normal by the weekend, but fish may still be more scattered within the water column.

Coldwater upwellings generally occur due to stiff or sustained northeast winds. During these events, coldwater can be pushed much closer to the surface or into shallower depths, thus scattering fish. If fishing during or shortly after an upwelling, the shallower or deeper offshore waters typically have more stable temperature profiles and are more productive.

The relatively few anglers who are targeting lake trout are doing well out of Dunkirk and Barcelona. Head for depths of 110 feet plus. Spoons run close to the bottom are a good bet, but lakers may also be suspended. Yellow perch fishing has generally been slow. Anglers have been picking up some decent catches at times off Dunkirk in 50-60 feet of water. There have also been some incidental catches for those fishing walleye out of Sturgeon and Cattaraugus Creek.

LAKE ONTARIO AND TRIBS

Capt. Jim Gordon of Appleton headed out of Olcott 9-10 miles and did well on a mix of salmon and trout using spoons, flasher-flies and meat. Rigger depths were 50, 60 and 80 feet, producing a limit on kings. The spoon bite was hot with silvers, greens. The in-shore bite in 100 to 200 feet of water was good last weekend and started to pick back up Tuesday, but it’s anyone’s guess what will happen with east wind in the forecast for the start of the LOC and Odyssey contests. Fish were also reported on the Niagara Bar drop-off, but many of those fish were smaller, according to reports from Karen Evarts at The Boat Doctors. Rock bass and bowfin were being caught in Olcott Harbor, too, from shore.

NIAGARA RIVER

Lower Niagara River action has been great for walleye. Parker Cinelli of Grand Island caught and released an 11¢-pound fish early this week on a spinner and a worm. There have been some big bass around, too. George Shively, a 19-year-old from Annapolis, Maryland, was fishing with Capt. Joe Marra of Lewiston on Tuesday when a 6¢ pound smallmouth hit his minnow in the lower river. Action overall has been consistent from Artpark to Lake Ontario. This will be a popular stretch of water for the Fish Odyssey Derby.

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