Fall Salmon Bite is STARTING, Bass and Walleye Slowing down

  • Niagara Falls USA Fishing Forecast for Sept. 11, 2019 – from Destination Niagara USA
Dave Faccini of Niagara Falls shows off a 10-pound, 10-ounce lower river walleye he caught on a worm harness this week.

Get ready to rumble with the fall salmon run in the Lower Niagara River and nearby Lake Ontario ports.

Rich Pisa of Kenmore with a couple nice king salmon he caught this week in the Niagara Gorge on spinners.

While it hasn’t arrived in full force yet, the New York Power Authority is doing its best to make sure the fishing platform is ready to go. We just received word that they are cleaning and inspecting the popular fall fishing location and if everything goes as planned, they should reopen things this Saturday, Sept. 14. Call 796-0135 Ext. 45 to find out if it’s open.

There are a few kings swimming around according to Rich Pisa of Kenmore. He hiked down into the Niagara Gorge and tossed some spinners from shore to connect with a couple of nice salmon. Look for king action to slowly start to ramp up moving forward, especially if we get a cool rain.

Bass fishing in the lower Niagara River has been spotty this week, but fish are available as outdoor writer Dave Barus of East Aurora can attest.

Bass fishing at the Clay Banks and along Fort Niagara has been good for bass this week according to Lisa Drabczyk of Creek Road Bait and Tackle. Crayfish is your best bet.

Walleye action has slowed during the day, but the night bite has been decent along the Stella drift. Don’t rule out the Niagara Bar around the green buoy marker for bass and walleye, too. Worm harnesses or a simple spinner-worm rig are good baits for walleyes. Orange, copper, and purple too, are good colors to start with.

A few salmon have been reported off the pier in Olcott, but the main run has not started yet according to Karen Evarts at The Boat Doctors. If you are trying to catch a king, start at dusk by tossing Cleos, Spinners or J-13 Rapalas. End in the morning by 8:30 a.m.

Capt. Ernie Calandrelli of Lewiston with a smallmouth bass from the lower river, caught on a crayfish.

For the lake trollers, there hasn’t been a big staging event going on yet. Try for kings in 60 to 80 feet of water at first light with meat, J-plugs, flasher-fly or magnum spoons. Better action has been out deep about 8 miles out from Wilson and Olcott. It was primarily a spoon bite earlier this week for captains Tim Sylvester and Jim Gordon as they caught salmon limits on spoons. Black, red and caramel colors were working for the spoon selection.

Some pike and largemouth bass are also being caught off the piers in Wilson and Olcott, usually during the day. Sidney Syracuse caught a huge largemouth drop-shotting a nightcrawler off the east pier in Olcott last week while checking out the fall fishing action with her dad.

Nothing reported in Olcott Harbor or up at Burt Dam yet in the way of salmon and trout action.

Remember that National Hunting and Fishing Day celebrations will be going on at the NYPA Visitors Center in Lewiston on Sept. 28-29 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days. This free event will offer fishing (with the Niagara River Anglers fishing pond), archery, pellet gun shooting, crossbows and a long list of other activities for the entire family. Put it on your calendar!

Capt. Ernie Calandrelli of Lewiston with a chunky walleye he caught on the Niagara Bar on a worm harness.

Sept. 28 is another free fishing day around the state. Make sure you abide by the rules for the body of water you plan to fish. Check out www.dec.ny.gov.

The Reelin’ for a Cure tournament announced this week that the ladies fishing event raised $13,300 for this year’s benefactor, Hope for Two. Patty Murray accepts for Hope for Two (center) as Stephanie Pierleoni (right) and Renee Boyd present the check this week.

Bill Hilts, Jr. – Outdoor Promotions Director

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