– Monster Salmon, Steelhead and Trout all year long
– Hang on to your Hat!
By Forrest Fisher
If you have ever had the “itch to fish” a world class fishery in a hotspot fishing adventure wonderland, you gotta try dropping a line in the Lower Niagara River at Devil’s Hole from a boat.
The sheer sound of the gurgling water flowing past will bring a pleasant surprise to your hearing senses. It is so relaxing at first, but only until you hook into a monster salmon or steelhead or brown trout or lake trout, or maybe even a sturgeon, and your drag begins to sing a song that you’ve never heard before. You know, that pleasing, whining, sound of a continuous rip-off of your fishing line with a fish that you have not seen yet, but you know that fish is heading off somewhere into the horizon. You want him! Anglers scream when this happens, some holler, some cheer, some find a new combination of letters that describe a brand new word. Yes, it’s mystifying and these are among the ultimate moments that sportsmen can call “Incredible Fun!”
The best part? You can fish the Lower Niagara River all year long – summer and winter, as the flowing water changes level and never freezes due to reservoir fill and release cycles from the electric power generation plants located on both shores of the river. There is one in New York, USA, and one in Ontario, Canada.
Different fish species become available at different times of the year, but there are always fish to be caught in the lower river. One of my favorite fishing charter captain friends is Captain Jeff Draper. He says, “Starting in September, giant King Salmon that get in the 30 lb range move up river to spawn. This great fishery lasts until the end of October. Then in November, some of the finest steelhead angling in North America begins with fish that average 8-10 lbs and get up to 20 lbs. The Steelhead are followed by Lake Trout and Brown Trout that can get even bigger, 20 lb Lake Trout are not uncommon. Many of these fish stack up at the mouth of the river and Lake Ontario in an area called the Niagara Bar. This season peaks in spring, in April, with Coho Salmon, Lakers and Browns everywhere feeding on bait. We drift for all these fish with light tackle using eggs, minnows and lures for bait.”
To say this kind of big fish fishing is simply fun would be a simple understatement. It is an unforgettable adventure! The rushing water, the power plants, the boat ride itself is exciting and fun, but the fish straining the rod and line is the best part that will forever etch a location in your memory for all time.
Watch this video and see for yourself, how a 4-hour fishing trip on the Lower Niagara River with Captain Jeff Draper unfolds from start to finish, in this excellent and informative video provided to created by Jack Lavoy: https://vimeo.com/188567458.
Most of all, it is hard to believe how all this fishing is so affordable. Check it out: http://niagaraguides.com/index.html. A whole day on the water for less than the cost of an overnight stay in a nice hotel. Not sure how Captain Jeff can do it, but you’ll need to call ahead for reservations as his schedule is usually very well booked.
