November 29, 2012

St. Lawrence River With muskie season open through Dec. 15 on the big river, anglers were plying the water hoping for a truly big fish. No reports of late, however, of those exceptional muskies that can be caught this time of year. Black Lake Nothing new on the lake, with most sportsmen pursuing deer right […]

The Beaverkill and Willowemoc  were both clear and wadeable last week. Water temps have varied from the high 30s to the low 40s. Some small Olives are about in the afternoon, but conditions favor the nymph and streamer angler. The East Branch of the Delaware was in good shape both above and below East Branch.

The Southern Zone deer season was off to a solid start, with near-ideal weather conditions heading into the Thanksgiving weekend after a good opening weekend weather-wise.

Hunters bounced between the Northern and Southern zones for whitetails. Not a lot of reports of late, and fishing has pretty much come to  a standstill until the hard water season opens.

There was a lot of excellent fishing and hunting access news to report.  The access to fishing and hunting grounds continues to improve since nearly the complete closure of saltwater access and hunting areas following Hurricane Sandy. The Fire Island barrier beaches west of Moriches Inlet remain mostly closed, but most of the North Shore

Deer hunters were making their final push as the Northern Zone firearms deer season headed for a close. It’s been a fairly solid season thus far despite the lack of a regionwide snowfall again this year heading into the Thanksgiving weekend. Some good bucks were taken and rutting activity was generally good from early November

Canandaigua Lake Trolling small spoons, as well as flashers and flies, in 50 to 125 feet of water, was yielding both lake trout and rainbow trout. Rainbows have been slightly higher up in the water column than the lakers. Low water levels were a challenge Cayuga Lake With the low water there was little salmon

Lake Ontario and tributaries With the Southern Zone deer season in full swing, it’s actually a great time for casting a line since fishing pressure is generally light. Places like Fisherman’s Park along Route 78 in Burt is one such spot, making for more room to move around and more fish available to fewer people.