CHAUTAUQUA LAKE

Northern basin walleye prospects are good at water depths both shallow and deep. An angler reported that his group did very well Sunday afternoon casting for walleye from shore, catching 24 walleye with only 3 shorts in the mix. Swimbaits were key to their success, while stickbaits were practically ignored. The shoreline bite may even be better after dark. A DEC night electrofishing survey this week showed solid numbers of walleye inside 6 feet of water. Other walleye have moved to deeper water and anglers targeting the deeper holes in 30-50 feet of water have done well. Vertical jigging with spoons, jigging Rapalas or medium sized shiners are good bets. South basin trollers continue to catch decent numbers of walleye down the center of the basin in 14-18 feet of water. Muskellunge fishing has been hit or miss. Trolling outside weed edges with large stickbaits or drifting and casting around weed beds are still producing good strikes.

LAKE ERIE & TRIBS

Cattaraugus Creek remained the best steelhead option this week and will remain so until the area receives significant rain. The Catt currently has a flow of 180 cubic feet per second with about 2 feet of visibility. The best fishing has been on Seneca territory and around Gowanda. There has not been much steelhead action closer to the mouth lately. All of the other Lake Erie tributaries have very low flow and are crystal clear. Rain is badly needed to get something going on those creeks.

There have been a few reports of a sandbar forming at the mouth of Sturgeon Point Marina, with care boats are still able to successfully launching out of the harbor at report time. The DEC creel survey indicates that fishing effort has drastically dropped off in October, yet excellent walleye and improving yellow perch prospects remain. Good numbers of walleye are available from Cattaraugus Creek to the PA line in 50-90 feet of water. Worm harnesses and stickbaits run 45-65 feet down have been productive. The Lake Erie Unit sends word that there is a high concentration of 3-year-old walleye (17″-19″) in around 60 feet of water off Brocton.

Yellow perch fishing has improved out of a few ports. The bite straight out of Cattaraugus Creek has been more consistent in 50 feet of water. Some decent to good catches have also been reported out of the Catt at depths of 35 feet and 57 feet. The key is to find a school first before dropping lines. Some quality catches have come from depths of 50-60 feet off Sturgeon Point as well. In addition, the Lake Erie Unit warm-water survey also showed solid numbers of perch from east of Dunkirk to west of Cattaraugus Creek in 60-62 feet of water. East winds over the past few days may even drive perch schools shallower, so keep an eye on the electronics for perch schools on the way out

LAKE ONTARIO & TRIBS

As of mid-week it’s been raining with more forecasted which providing some much-needed water flow in the Lake Ontario tributaries and hopefully pull more salmon and steelhead into them. There are a fair number of kings at Burt Dam and 18 Mile Creek according to Karen Evarts at The Boat Doctors in Olcott. Mixed reports from anglers some catching a few, some striking out. Pier action has been slow. Some anglers with small boats are working the creek in some of the deeper holes and picking up some salmon. The dam has a good mix of fish but getting them to hit with all the pressure has been tough. With the added rains, one option might be to seek out streams away from the high-pressure areas for a mix of trout and salmon. With the opening of numerous hunting seasons this weekend, stream pressure should be lighter, and the weather should be good.