January 21, 2016

Much of the fishing effort this report period was concentrated on freshwater species. The lakes, ponds and streams remained generally ice-free, so anglers were targeting brown and rainbow trout under the winter trout fishing regulations, as well as panfish. A few largemouth bass were reported by anglers targeting sunnies and yellow perch while using worms. […]

Surprisingly, ice fishing activity remains stalled a bit due to conditions. Steve Koop at Adirondack Outdoor Co. in Lewis (Essex County) reports that one of the hottest spots of late – and one of the few hard-water options – has been Upper Saranac Lake, where smelt fishing has been good. Lake Champlain fishing remained on

Cayuga Lake: No safe ice to report. A reminder that Finger Lakes Tributary fishing closed on Dec 31; a section of Fall Creek remains open however, for catch and release angling. Please review Finger Lakes tributary regulations for more information. Seneca, Keuka and Canandaigua lakes: No safe ice to report as of late last week.

A reminder that from Nov 1 to May 1, all persons regardless of age, aboard a pleasure vessel less than 21 feet, must wear PFD  while in  motion.  A number of county websites offer good information on fishing in the area, including bait shops, guides, etc. A few examples are: Onondaga County (fishonondagacounty.com); Oswego County

Lake Ontario and tributaries: Winter finally arrived on the local scene and it has impacted angling activities a bit. Water levels have come back down around the Burt Dam area of Eighteen Mile Creek. According to Wes Walker at The Slippery Sinker, the water flow was around 120 cubic feet per second and there were