April 17, 2014

St. Lawrence River: Not hearing anything as most folks await the departure of the ice. Black Lake: Between ice and open water fishing now.

Conditions were slowly improving, although the Beaverkill and Willowemoc remained high as of late last week. The West Branch of the Delaware was also high and float fishing was a better option than wading. A few black stoneflies and Blue Quills were emerging. The Main Stem of the Delaware was high for wading but was

Waters stocked ahead of the trout opener included: Dutchess County: Fishkill Creek, Sprout Creek, Roeliff Jansen Kill, Crum Elbow Creek, Sawkill, Ten Mile River, Webatuck Creek, Swamp River. Putnam County: Croton River East Branch, Croton River West Branch, Diverting Reservoir, West Branch Reservoir. Westchester County: Kensico Reservoir, Stone Hill River, Mianus River, Amawalk Inlet, Peekskill

Not hearing much of late, but streams like the Mettawee, Battenkill and Kayderosseras may be fishable soon, if not now.

Trout season opened up with plenty of brown and rainbow trout being caught in Belmont Lake, the Carlls River south of Southard’s Pond, and the stocked lakes in Nassau County.  Roostertails and trout magnets have been the lures of choice. Trout worms were a good choice for anglers working the pockets in the small streams

Not a lot happening right now as we enter that time between the ice and open-water seasons. Backcountry brook trout anglers are predicting a late start to their season as they wait for the remote ponds to lose their ice. And the popular trout streams are still pretty much encased and unfishable.

Trout streams stocked earlier this month include: Broome County: Chenango Lake, Dudley Creek, Nanticoke Creek, and East Branch Nanticoke Creek Cayuga County: Fall Creek Tioga County: East Branch of Owego Creek, Owego Creek, and West Branch of Owego Creek Tompkins County: Enfield Creek, Virgil Creek, Buttermilk Creek, Salmon Creek, Fall Creek and Sixmile Creek. Chemung

Trout streams stocked earlier this month include: Chenango County: Otselic River Cortland County: Otselic River Madison County: Canaseraga Creek, Chenango River, Chittenango Creek, Oneida Creek, and the Otselic River Onondaga County: (Stocked by Carpenter’s Brook Fish Hatchery. Their stocking hotline is (315) 689-0003.) Pools Brook, Tannery Creek, Spafford Brook, Furnace Brook, Limestone Creek, West Branch.

Lake Ontario and tributaries: Local creeks like Eighteen Mile, Keg and Four Mile were all producing some nice trout despite some high and stained water conditions. Pink or red egg sacs, egg imitations or small white jigs tipped with a wax worm are good approaches for taking steelhead and brown trout at Burt Dam, according