For many anglers the season begins

[Spiel]

For many anglers the season begins

 

May 1, 2008

Fishing Line by Will Elliott / buffalonews.com

 

 

 

For many anglers the season begins with the statewide opening of walleye, northern pike and tiger musky seasons and the start of a Lake Erie trophy bass season Saturday.

 

If this is an initial outing this weekend, be sure to renew that New York State fishing license before heading out. Ontario Province and Seneca Nation of Indians angling licenses are issued annually starting Jan. 1; New York State licenses are valid yearly starting Oct. 1.

 

Lake Erie

 

Lake Erie anglers have been tagging perch and an unusually large number of smallmouth bass in deeper waters off Sturgeon Point and Cattaraugus Creek.

 

Boaters have to get over 50-foot depths or greater and often have to move around to find feeding fish. The bite is tight to the bottom and salted emerald shiners often work as well as live fatheads and other certified minnows. A Lake Erie perch fishing report will appear on Sunday’s Outdoors Page.

 

The special Lake Erie bass season will begin Saturday. Catch-and-release casters have been working the Dunkirk to Sturgeon Point shoreline at depths of 25 feet, but a good stain and continued warming waters could move the smallies into shallower rocky structures for the opener. One note: when bass fishing on Lake Erie before the Saturday opener and on inland waters before the June opener, catch-and-release anglers can only use artificial lures; live bait can be used only during open bass seasons.

 

Walleye activity moved up the calendar with the recent summer-like spell of high temperatures. Don Einhouse, DEC Unit Leader at the Lake Erie Unit in Dunkirk, noted spawning walleye began moving into Van Buren Point shallows about two weeks ahead of time.

 

With waters much warmer than usual — open-water surface temperatures were at 51-52 degrees some afternoons — the normally sluggish start to night trolling for walleye out of Buffalo Harbor may be more bonanza-like at the statewide start at midnight Friday.

 

Despite the recent heat and an abundance of suckers and bass, feeder streams still hold a few decent rainbow steelies. Cattaraugus and Clear creeks have gotten much mention recently.

 

Niagara River

 

Smelt schools move close to shore just after dark at Lewiston Landing and the Artpark access. Both sites should be busy Friday and Saturday evening during the Annual Smelt Dip and Fry.

 

Drifters still hit into steelies in Devil’s Hole and sites down current.

 

Lake Ontario

 

Lake trout hit minnows on drifting rigs bumped along the Niagara Bar. Open-water trollers out of Oak Orchard, Olcott and Wilson have seen more brown trout than Chinook (king) salmon.

 

Biggest numbers and sizes for kings still come from west of the Niagara River mouth.

 

Wilson Harbor has seen a good run on perch.