Fishing Update; Lake Erie & Lake Ontario

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Fishing Update; Lake Erie & Lake Ontario

 

04/24/08

Will Elliott / buffalonews.com

 

 

Lake Erie

 

Boaters out of Cattaraugus Creek have been heading east toward 52-foot depths off Evangola State Park for a perch run that had begun late last week. Some anglers have had days with a 50- fish limit and a few reaching the 15-inch mark, according to Rick Miller at Miller’s Bait & Tackle in Irving. Both live fathead minnows and salted emerald shiners have done well on the ringback run. Peak catching periods vary depending on the time of day and wind directions, but the bite is on in deeper waters, and area experts expect to see similar results soon at Sturgeon Point, Cattaraugus Creek and Dunkirk Harbor hot spots. Catfish numbers slowly rise at Cattaraugus Creek. Better bullhead batches come from shoreline shallows at the east end of Dunkirk Harbor. Lake Erie feeders lost water levels and gained unusual numbers of early-arriving smallmouth bass this past week. Steelies still hold in deeper waters of larger feeders, but warming, clearing waters have made trout fishing more like hunting.

 

Lake Ontario

 

Some salmon have moved east of Port Dalhousie, but the bigger draw has been lake trout and some browns, with a few coho shooting through at the Niagara Bar. Feeder streams have seen a few big steelies, but warming waters have sent bass, perch and other warm-water species up into creeks and Oak Orchard River this past week.

 

Niagara River

 

Smelt schooling has been heavy, but boaters still can head up to Devils’ Hole for steelhead, which hit either egg sacks, minnows or Kwikfish, says Capt. Frank Campbell. Smelt dippers have done well this past week, but the action often starts well into the evening before anyone hits the eight-quart limit of rainbow runners. Both the Lewiston Landing and the Artpark stair-walk site get dippers close enough for dip-net work.