Lower Niagara River Anglers CATCHING BIG FISH

Bill Hilts Niagara Falls USA Fishing Forecast for March 13, 2019 from Destination Niagara USA

**Greg Schloerb of Amherst, NY, with a Lake Ontario tributary steelhead.**

Action has picked back up again in the lower Niagara River according to Lisa Drabczyk of Creek Road Bait and Tackle in Lewiston. Steelhead fishing was good in Devil’s Hole and along Artpark on pink egg sacs and Kwikfish. Some fish have also been caught on MagLips. There was no ice and water clarity was good, for now anyway. Best color of Kwikfish was gold.

**Tim Thomas of Kenmore, NY, with a Lake Ontario tributary brown trout.**

Some browns are still hitting downriver and walleye are still being caught. Emerald shiner fishing has been consistent off three-way rigs. Remember that walleye season closes in the state on Friday, March 15.

From shore in the gorge, be careful of the shelf ice. Artpark only had a foot or two, but more could be found further up into the gorge toward the Whirlpool.

Mike Rzucidlo of Niagara Falls was using jigs and spinners from shore to catch steelhead. Others were using egg sacs in pink, purple and chartreuse.
If you can find some open water in the tributaries, you should be able to catch steelhead and the occasional brown trout. One area is 18 Mile Creek near Burt Dam but don’t be afraid to try some exploring in the smaller streams.

**Mike Rzucidlo of Niagara Falls was casting a jig off Artpark to take this lower river steelie.**

Temperatures are getting close to 50 today and near 60 tomorrow and 50 on Friday so that could make a difference along the streams. Egg sacs, egg imitations and jigs fished under a float are all good approaches for this time of year.

**Nick Calandrelli of Lewiston with a lower Niagara River steelhead.**

We just received word from DEC that Oppenheim Park Pond will be stocked with 300 trout on April 11 at 10 a.m. and Hyde Park Lake and Gill Creek in Niagara Falls will be stocked on April 11 at 11 a.m. with over 2,500 trout.

The winners were announced for the Niagara County Federation of Conservation Clubs Conservation Awards for 2018. Check out the Buffalo News on March 14 for who they are. The dinner is April 6 in Lockport at Cornell Cooperative Extension starting at 5:30 p.m. Call Dave Whitt at 754-2133 for tickets or more information.

**Mike Goostree of Cleveland, OH, with a 14-pound brown trout he caught in the lower river fishing with Capt. Chris Cinelli of Grand Island.**

Bill Hilts, Jr. – Outdoor Promotions Director

Destination Niagara USA, 10 Rainbow Blvd., Niagara Falls, NY 14303
p: 1-877 FALLS US | 716-282-8992 x. 303, f: 716-285-0809
www.niagarafallsusa.com

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