CHAUTAUQUA LAKE

With opening day of gun hunting season this weekend, a hardcore group of anglers are taking what the lake has. While late-season fishing on Chautauqua can be trying at times, the extra effort can offer some great rewards and this past week has seen walleye anglers filling their freezers. With regular muskie and bass season closing Nov. 30, hardcore muskie hunters are still finding good numbers of “toothie critters” holding tight to weed edges and other structures around the lake. Running oversized crank baits on the outside of the weed edges is producing best for both muskies and monster largemouth.

LAKE ERIE & TRIBUTARIES

Canadaway, Chautauqua and Eighteenmile creeks are producing the best. With the recent snow, the water has stained a bit, but for anglers that are looking for some wide-open action, this weekend should be great with the opening of gun season. The Cattaraugus Creek is still in good fishing shape but could start to run high with more rain/snow in the forecast. More steelhead will be moving in on this high-water event and with each subsequent rain/snow event through November. Again, the steelhead bite is generally good just as streams drop back into fishable shape after a storm. Fly anglers are still targeting steelhead by drifting egg patterns, trout beads, nymphs and woolly buggers or by swinging streamers. Egg sacs, trout beads and jigs are always the best bet for spinning gear anglers.

LAKE ONTARIO & TRIBUTARIES

There was some decent flow in some of the bigger Lake Ontario tributaries and eggs and beads were producing some fish at places like Burt Dam according to Jim Evarts at The Boat Doctors in Olcott. Jigs, wooly buggers and other egg imitations are catching fish, too.

LOWER NIAGARA RIVER

This week it was a 10-plus inch snow and cold temperatures that are impacting local angling action. There are a few bright spots though. Trout action on the lower Niagara River was good as waters cleared up and fish became a bit more aggressive, especially for steelhead. Lisa Drabczyk of Creek Road Bait and Tackle in Lewiston reports good action for trout throughout the gorge on beads and sacs. Brown trout have been staging at the mouth of the river, too. Glow spoons were working for shoreline casters around the Fort. Mike Rzucidlo of Niagara Falls reports he’s been getting some trout on eggs, jigs and spinners. He even caught a salmon on a jig. He noted that the NYPA plant has had the No. 1 pump off all week. It’s been slow in there, but trout are jumping. The NYPA fishing platform was closed on Tuesday and Wednesday due to icy conditions and it wasn’t getting any warmer until the weekend. Call 796-0135, ext. 45 to find out if it’s open. In the Tim Wittek Memorial Musky Tournament last Sunday, Josh Kane was the winner with a 46¢-inch Buffalo Harbor fish. Runners-up were Dave Gorski and Jay Decarolis with 42-inch Buffalo Harbor muskellunge. Capt. Chris Cinelli of Grand Island reports he’s been taking two muskies on average each trip out when the weather conditions allow for it.