CHAUTAUQUA LAKE

This past week saw the walleye anglers getting more action in the northern basin than the southern basin on Chautauqua. Trollers are more consistent in their creels, by working jointed stick baits in perch color off Warner’s Bar and Lighthouse Point. The key seemed to be keeping offers in 25-40-foot range, with the bigger “eyes” staging 10-12 feet off the bottom. The muskie bite continues to off a little from the early season but casters that put in the work are still doing well casting stick baits off the Mayville flats and Warner’s.

LAKE ONTARIO AND TRIBUTARIES

Out of Olcott, Capt. Vince Pierleoni of Thrillseeker reports that mature salmon are highly scattered with all of the wind changes. Salmon can be caught from 50 to 500 feet of water. Good steelhead can also be found in deeper water where conditions are more stable. Fishing should only get better. With winds out of the south or southwest, look for mature kings to begin staging. Hats off to the Reel Alewives of WNY who won the Reelin’ for a Cure Tournament out of Olcott and Wilson last Friday. The team, fishing aboard the White Mule with Capt. Bob Cinelli of Newfane weighed in a six-fish limit of 114 pounds with a big fish of over 25 pounds. A total of 36 boats competed in this year’s event, all lady teams from four states. Out of Wilson, Capt. Alan Sauerland of Instigator Charters had the pressure task of producing some fish for governors Andrew Cuomo and Ned LaMont of Connecticut this past week. They managed to catch a few steelhead and the crew lost a 20-pound salmon at the back of the boat when the fish jumped out of the net. At least, that was the way Sauerland told it. They were fishing 8-10 miles out.

NIAGARA RIVER

In the Niagara River, Blake Kowalski of Tonawanda was bottom bouncing with a worm harness near Strawberry Island, managing to catch three walleyes and a few smallmouth bass. Then he hooked into something big. He wasn’t quite sure what it was until it was near the end of his two-hour battle, a big sturgeon. It broke his line just a short distance from his boat. What a battle. In the lower Niagara River, walleye action continues to be good both in the river and on the Niagara Bar.