St. Lawrence River Smallmouth action was generally good throughout the river, with 25-30 feet a good starting depth. Crayfish patterns, plastics and drop-shot rigs should produce fish. Pike were deeper, given the warm water temps. Minnows, or better yet, suckers, should do the trick. Black Lake Richard at Chapman’s Sports (315-324-5265) in Hammond reports bluegill action continues to impress, and…
As of midmonth, both the Beaverkill and Willowemoc were low and clear, with water temperatures an issue and conditions marginal at best. On the West Branch of the Delaware, wading was easy and water temps had not yet become an issue, but long leaders and a good presentation were important. Tricos in the morning, terrestrials are effective, and there were…
Lake Ontario and tributaries Fishing has been good of late, according to Capt. Vince Pierleoni of Olcott. Best fish zone for him has been in 250 to 450 feet of water, using flasher and fly or spoons in the top 85 feet of water. There has been scattered big kings and steelhead. Bait has been spread out so work an…
Lake Ontario Chinook salmon were still scattered, so if you’re not marking fish or bait, keep searching. Fishing down 75 to 120 feet over 200 to 300 feet of water has been a good starting point. Large spoons and flashers and flies are working for the salmon. Good colors continued to be whites and greens. Brown trout were being found…
Cayuga Lake Waterfleas were less of a problem, but floating weedmats were still an issue for trollers. Lake trout were hitting spoons or flasher-fly rigs, fished 50 to 80 feet down over 80 to 150 feet of water. Many methods are used to get lures down to depth such as copper, wire, lead core, Dipseys and downriggers. Running Dipseys 200…
Steve Koop at Adirondack Outdoor Co. reports lake trout action continues to be excellent on Lake Champlain, with fish being taken by trollers in 80-100 feet of water on spoons. The lakers are on the bottom, and some fish up to 12 pounds have been reported. The salmon bite has slowed but some nice fish are still being caught. Look…
The fishing has remained good to excellent but anglers have had to adapt to the unusually warm water temperatures by searching out cooler water in the deeper parts of the Sound and fishing the incoming tides on the South Shore. There is a lot of bait in the bays and Sound and there are large schools of squid and bunker…
Lake George continues to see outstanding lake trout fishing, with lakers being taken in the 80- to 120-foot range but also right at the thermocline at 50 feet. It you want good numbers of smallmouths, fish a double-tailed jig in 25-35 feet; 35-feet and deeper for the bigger bronzebacks. Smallies are schooled up nicely right now, report the folks at…
Hudson River The water temperature are generally in the high 70s. Anglers were still having success catching smallmouths even with the warm water temps. Look for them around “suck holes,” submerged rocky points and sweeps. Largemouths were biting well also; look for them around weedbeds and the edge of the chestnut beds. Anglers continued to do well catching catfish in…
Lake Ontario and tributaries Action on the lake has been decent, especially for big fish. Capt. Bob Cinelli reports that the best bite out of Olcott has been 120 to 150 feet for kings or out deep for a mixed bag of kings and trout, the 27 to 30 line of the GPS. Flasher-fly combos or spoons should work. Lake…
Lake Ontario Chinook salmon fishing slowed down over the last few weeks, with fish becoming more scattered and harder to locate. So if you’re not marking fish or bait, keep searching. Fish were being found in 150 to 300 feet of water. Fishing down 90 to 150 feet with spoons, flashers and flies, or flashers and cut bait was working…
Cayuga Lake Waterfleas were less of a problem, but floating weedmats are still an issue. It seems to change from day to day, with spoons outfishing flashers and flies one day and then the reverse the next. Lake trout were hitting spoons, or flasher-fly rigs fished 55 to 80 feet down over 80 to 150 feet of water. Starting Dipseys…
Lake Champlain Top-water action for bass – both smallmouths and largemouths – is always a fun option, but drop-shotting plastics will also work well. Not hearing a lot on the trout and salmon front, but fishing has been good all summer, with some big, alewife-fed lakers and landlocks being taken. West Branch of the Ausable Water temps could be an…
Overall, the fishing has been good to excellent. The most notable improvement has been the freshwater fishing. The heavy rains and cooler nights have cooled the ponds and lakes a few degrees, putting the fish on the feed. There is plenty of bait in the bays and Sound, including mullet, bay anchovies, shad, spearing and peanut bunker; offshore and in…
The folks at FISH307 report that lake trout action on Lake George remains outstanding even in the dog days of the summer, with fish being caught from the thermocline (45 feet) all the way to the bottom. Smallmouth bass can be found in great numbers from 20-40 feet, with the biggest bronzebacks deeper than that. Drop-shotting is a good way…
Bass action was solid on almost any of the region’s waters. Kensico Lake continued to yield some trout, while Lake Gilead was offering up the occasional laker. Bobs Sport and Tackle Categories: New York Fishing Reports, Southeastern NY
Beaverkill/Willowemoc Fishable at last look, with water temps in the low 60s, but keep an eye on rising temps and give the fish a break if needed. The Horton section of the Beaverkill is closed through Aug. 31 to protect trout from thermal stress. Delaware East Branch Decent numbers of tricos in the morning, with some Sulphurs, Olives and few Light…
St. Lawrence River Not hearing much, but bass action should be superb right now, and look for northerns in their typical summer hangouts – near the weeds, but perhaps deeper in hot weather. Black Lake Richard at Chapman’s Sports (315-324-5265) in Hammond reports superb bass fishing for both smallmouth and largemouth, especially for late evening anglers tossing topwater lures. Some…
Lake Ontario and tributaries Fishing action for salmon and trout has been good to very good. As far as the local fishing, Capt. Jim Gordon of Appleton reported great fishing in 100 to 300 feet of water right in front of his home port. A mix of spoons and flasher-fly combos is producing primarily salmon 40 to 80 feet down….
Lake Ontario Chinook salmon fishing continued to be good, with fish being found in 150 to 300 feet of water. Fishing down 90 to 150 feet with spoons, flashers and flies, or flashers and cut bait are all working for the salmon. Good colors have been whitesand green. Brown trout fishing also continued to be good early in the morning…
Cayuga Lake There were reports of abundant waterfleas, which can make trolling frustrating so be prepared with flea flicker line or try vertical jigging instead. There are also reports of floating weed mats; these free-floating mats can also make trolling frustrating. Lake trout were hitting on spoons, and Spin Doctors and flies fished 70 to 100 feet down over 100…
Due to high water temperatures, early morning has been the only realistic time to hit the West Branch of the Ausable. When the heat wave breaks and we get some cooler nights, evening will be an option. That said, the tricos have been showing themselves in the mornings. Bass action has been good just about anywhere in the region, with…
The ocean fluke fishing improved significantly, with fluke to 10 pounds weighed in at all the bait and tackle shops along the South Shore and in New York Bight around the Ambrose Channel. The best fishing was in 80 feet of water with the top bait whole squid since there is an incredible amount of squid offshore. In the South…
On Lake George, the folks at FISH307 report that lakers have headed deep – from 100 feet down all the way to the bottom – but are still cooperating for anglers getting down to them. Bass action, particularly smallmouths, has been outstanding, and this is the time of year to fish topwater at dawn, dusk and even a bit after…
John Miller at Bob’s Sport and Tackle in Katonah reports anglers continued to catch bass – mostly largemouth, but some smallmouth in those waters that hold them – in virtually all the area reservoirs. Trout were still active; a 10-pounder was weighed in last week, taken from Croton Falls Reservoir. And some crappie have been caught in the past couple…
The region’s rivers have had some water temperature issues of late due to some hot summer weather, so make sure if you take to the water you’re not unduly stressing trout. The Horton section of the Beaverkill is closed through Aug. 31 to protect trout from thermal stress. The West Branch of the Delaware was quite fishable at last check….
