August 21, 2014

St. Lawrence River: Mostly a bass and pike game right now. Not hearing a lot on the walleye front. Black Lake: Bass fishing has been very good of late; keep in mind there’s a 15-inch size minimum if you plan on keeping any. Try top-water action in the evenings, and be prepared for the occasional […]

Beaverkill/Willowemoc: Rain last week helped. Keep an eye on conditions. Midges are on the water most days as well as some small BWOs and Light Cahills and Caddis close to dark. Terrestrials have been successful along with small nymphs and are a main source of food.  Delaware West Branch: Fishing well for August, although the fish

Not hearing a lot lately on the east-of-Hudson reservoir scene, or on the Hudson itself. Kensico Reservoir continued to yield a few lake trout, and most of the focus was on bass – early morning and later in the evening offering the best action.

Saratoga Lake: Bass have been moving in and out of 8-15 feet of water to feed, while pike and walleye will mostly stay in deeper waters. Most of the productive fishing has been early or late in the day. Lake George: Lakers and bass. Be aware of the 23-inch size minimum for the lakers, and

Snappers have invaded the docks and canals on both the North and South shores, providing plenty of action. Small tins, spearing fished under poppers and snapper poppers all worked well and offered a great opportunity to take the kids fishing. The blue crab fishing was excellent in the South Shore bays, with the best action

On the West Branch of the Ausable, water temps remained in the low 60s on most stretches. Rain last week boosted flows. Fly-fishers can go the banker’s hours route for Trico fishing at midmorning. Isonychias have made their appearance as well, and Caddis and stoneflies are always a good option. Lake Champlain has seen plenty

Cayuga Lake: Fleas and weed mats continued to make trolling more difficult. It varies by the day and location at to how bad they are. But anglers who have adjusted to the conditions were still getting lake trout and a few brown trout trolling 50 to 80 feet down over 150 to 250 feet of

Lake Ontario: Salmon fishing continues to be hit-and-miss as fish are still scattered. A good starting point has been to look for salmon in 150 to 300 feet of water and from 40 to 110 feet down. But with fish widely scattered keep an eye on the fish finder, looking for bait or fish, and

Lake Ontario and tributaries:  Action in the lake has been improving, but Mother Nature keeps throwing a curve ball with the weather. Capt. Matt Yablonsky of Youngstown had been doing well on the Niagara Bar drop-off for staging kings and a mix of other trout. Use magnum spoons for a mixed bag of trout (browns,