Weekly Fishing Report

Fishing in the lake is on fire right now, perfect timing for the Lake Ontario Counties Trout, Salmon, and Walleye Derby that is set for May 3-12.

Don’t forget that on May 2 the Lake Ontario Trout and Salmon Association will be holding its May meeting, “At the Dock Talking Kings” with Capt. Bob Songin of Reel Excitement Charters. It will be at the back of Bob’s boat in Bootleggers Cove Marina in Wilson starting at 7 p.m. You will want to get there at 6 p.m. for free Marty Polovick hotdogs on the grill. Bring your own Weber’s. It’s also a great way to pick up a tip or two on spring kings for the derby.

John Van Hoff of North Tonawanda hit the lake on Sunday with Kevin Guenther of Niagara Falls and Wade Winch of North Tonawanda and they had an incredible day on the lake. By 10:30 a.m., the trio had hooked into over 30 salmon and boated 20 of them. Their target water was 50 to 90 feet of water from Fort Niagara to Wilson, prime area for the spring derby. The spoon bite was hot, placing riggers 40 to 60 feet down and dipsy divers out 90 to 140 feet on a 3 setting. They enjoyed multiple double headers. Their biggest king was 17 pounds and biggest lake trout 20 pounds. The spring action is on.

In Olcott, Karen Evarts at The Boat Doctors and Tackle Barn reports great fishing there, too. It has been a good mix of salmon and trout inside of 100 feet of water. Chinook salmon have been in the top 25 feet of water, but it will be changing. It has been an all-spoon bite there, too. The creeks have been muddy, but a few trout have been caught still. Mixed reports on perch fishing in Wilson and Olcott. Now that pike season is open, look for them to be available in both harbors.

In the Lower Niagara River, action has been decent. Water color is near perfect according to Capt. Joe Srouji of Angler Edge. Wind directions can change drastically daily, and that can make a huge difference. The river is still producing trout from Devil’s Hole to the Niagara Bar. Live emeralds or golden shiners are both taking fish. The river is a great option for smaller boats that can't get out on the lake on windy, wavy days, says Srouji. As for the Niagara bar, it was 46 degrees earlier this week. Fish are stacked everywhere. Pulling Kwikfish or MagLips has been great for catching kings, cohos, lakers, and browns. In Devil's Hole, white bass turned on the past weekend. There are still lake trout, steelhead, and bass available for shore casters.

In the upper river, Matt Wilson of Lewiston targeted bass last weekend when Lake Erie was too rough. He fished from Black Rock to the Huntley plant and bass were scattered. Big bass for the day was 5-pound, 12-ounce reeled in by Brian Barton of Tonawanda. They were using swimbaits, jerkbaits, and drop shot set ups. They hit the east river when the wind kicked up and Barton connected on two brown trout. Wilson emphasized electronics and he was high on a new Garmin unit with side scan. Side scan is an important tool this time of year to help find pre-spawn areas where chunk rock goes into the sand. When you find those locations, mark it on your GPS waypoints with date and water temperature. It helps him big time.

Sign up for a fishing tournament or derby in Niagara Falls USA. See the full schedule of events here.