LAKE ERIE FISHING REPORT
June 29th, 2009 Most of the Smallmouth Bass are finished spawning and starting to set up on their typical summer hideouts; offshore humps, rock piles, drop offs and roaming some of the deeper flats. You may have to do a little running and gunning to find some fish as their scattered just about everywhere from the Buffalo Break Walls to Dunkirk. Minnows and Crawfish (Crabs) are the best live bait for the Smallies while you can entice them into hitting Tubes, Drop Shot Baits, Blades and Spoons.
The Walleye fishing is picking up nicely everywhere from Buffalo to Barcelona. The migrating school of bigger Walleye seems to be off Northeast, PA and moving east towards Barcelona. They look to be right on schedule in their annual migration to their summer area off Buffalo and should be here in a week or two to make the fishing a whole lot easier. But, there are a bunch of 2-4# eater sized Eyes and few Pigs in the 5-8# class being caught by the one willing to work a little for them. Once you find a school of Eyes, their preferring a worm harness whether it's drifted or trolled but a few will hit a trolled spoon, stickbait or crankbait.
June 15th, 2009 The temperature is about 60-62 degrees depending where you go and the majority of the Smallmouth Bass have spawned all ready or are spawning right now. The fishing has been fair to good for Smallmouths depending on the day but should starting getting better as more Smallies start to come out of there post-spawn blues and head into their traditional summer patterns. Minnows, Shiners, Tubes and Dropshot Goby & Minnow imitators are catching fish but crawfish/crabs or leeches should start taking some fish as well. The deeper flat between Seneca Shoal and Myers Reef should start holding some fish as well as any little rock pile, offshore hump or sharp drop off to deep water.
The Perch fishing is still excellent, they seem to be everywhere from 20-40' and you can't get away from them while Bass fishing. Minnows are working best but small jigging spoons and Gulp Alive 2 1/2" minnows are producing a few Hogs (11-14") as well.
The Walleye fishing is starting to pick up, the night trollers are catching limits some nights while most of the day trollers are hooking into 3-6 Eyes. This should improve as the summer goes on and the bigger migrating Walleyes start to show up in a week or two to go along with the great 2001, 2003 and 2005 year classes of Eyes that we have around all ready. At night stickbaits rule while during the day, worm harnesses are the hot bait most days off Jet Divers & Leadcore Line off planner boards, Dipsey Divers and occasionally off downriggers. But, a few also fall for stickbaits, crankbaits or spoons.
June 6th, 2009 The water temperature dropped backed 54 degrees from the high winds last weekend but has rebounded back to 58-60 degrees again. With the full moon, the Smallies are spawning right now pretty heavily even with the water temperature just tinkling 60. We are catching them in all phases of the spawn, some are still big pre-spawn females as well as post spawners that a are very skinny and lots of aggressive 2 - 2 1/2# males. Please don't target the fish that are on beds, they are guarding our future Smallies and there are still plenty of fish just off the first drop off 17-25' and in the deeper flat areas 28-30' to be caught. Minnows & Shiners are working well but you can get them to hit a tube or drop shot bait.
The Yellow Perch fishing continues to be very good to excellent most days, with 4 hot spots; Between Seneca Shoal & the Departure Buoy, just west of Wavorly Shoal (Canada), Off Sturgeon Point and the Cat (Cattaraugus Creek) mainly in 40-50'. But, you can find schools scattered all over in that depth range if you work a little to get on your own bunch of fish and stealthily work them over. Small minnows are the hot bait worked on the bottom.
The Walleye fishing is just starting to pick up with the Guys trolling stickbaits at night in 7-12' are doing better than the Day Drifters and Trollers. The day fishing should start getting better as the month progress's with worm harnesses drifted on the bottom or trolled off divers (Jet & Dipsey) or leadcore line.
May 25th, 2009 With the warm air temperatures and low winds, the water temperature has jumped up to 58-60 degrees over the last 3 days. The Smallie fishing has continued to be very good to excellent when you any breeze as it gets a little tough when it' dead flat. But, you just have to work a little harder to get bit then. The Smallies are still scattered, with a few just about everywhere from 35 into 5 foot of water with a bunch starting to congregate in 20-25'. Stealth and getting away from all the boats definitely makes for better catches most days. Nothing is more annoying, rude and unprofessional; than to get a few fish going all by yourself away from everybody, Then to have someone see you catch them, come over, set up on the fish your working and short drift you. There are fish all over and if you use your electronics, put to in a little time scanning to find your own pod of fish away from everybody. You'll have a much better day. That way everyone will benefit if we can get out of the Pack Mentality that seems to getting worse every year and shuts off the Smallies! Most people don't realize how much this extra pressure turns off the fish. Try it for yourself, go poke around, find a little spot off the beaten path. You'll catch more fish and see what I mean!
The tip of the week: Try to be covert and inconspicuous when your catching fish! Don't go waving your net around every time you catch a fish, lip the smaller fish and Don't Hoot & Holler every time you catch a Big One! Unless you want the company and your fish to get turned off!
See some of the Monster Fish caught on Lake Erie!
Lake Erie Near-Shore Marine Forecast
NIAGARA RIVER FISHING REPORT
June 29th, 2009 The floating moss has started hampering the fishing on the Niagara River coming down for Lake Erie. This will probably continue for about a month. If your going to attempt to fish down there, try fishing current breaks off the main river current or out on the Niagara Bar or Lake Ontario. Where you can get a way from the moss that coats your bait or lure.
See some of the Monster Fish caught on the Niagara River!
Lake Ontario Near-Shore Marine Forecast
Lake Ontario Daily Fishing Report
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