Hardwater and Softwater Fishing is in the Forecast at USA Niagara – It’s Free Fishing Weekend! Feb. 16-17, 2019

• Niagara Falls USA Fishing Report for Feb. 13, 2019 

It’s a free fishing weekend in New York!

Feb. 16 and 17 are designated Free Fishing Days in the state, originally approved to help promote ice fishing in the state.  It looks like there will be plenty of that going on, but thanks to some untimely warm-ups…make sure you check your ice thickness, especially around the shoreline.  While you don’t need a fishing license, you do need to abide by the regulations for the body of water you intend to fish. Check out the DEC website at dec.ny.gov for more info.

The only hardwater action going on in Niagara County is Wilson Harbor in Tuscarora Bay.  Steelhead, pike and panfish are the species of fish being caught.

Soft water action in the lower Niagara River has been on fire, at least when you can get out there. Heavy winds last week pushed lots of ice into the river and created problems for a few days around the launch ramps. When the ice was gone, though, it was game on. And it’s blowing again right now!

Capt. Matt Yablonsky has been doing well on trout and walleye using a mix of minnows, egg sacs and plugs like MagLips or Kwikfish. These are all fished off three-way rigs.

All the main drifts are holding fish and they are eating everything. Incidentally, the daily limit on walleye is ONE FISH in the lower Niagara River.

Shore anglers in the gorge are also catching some fish using No. 4 spinners, jigs and egg sacs, but caution is advised due to the icy shoreline.

In the Lake Ontario tributaries, these are tough to fish right now with the ice and varying temperatures. Look for open water near the first impassable barrier upstream, like Burt damson 18-Mile Creek, and similar barriers. 

Above Niagara Falls, walleye action has been good for jiggers in some of the deeper holes. Denis Kreze of Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada,  even caught an Atlantic salmon this past week. A very rare catch indeed for this stretch of upper Niagara River.

The Niagara River Anglers have rescheduled its Roger Tobey Memorial Steelhead contest for the lower Niagara River and Lake Ontario tributaries. The new date is March 2^nd and the hours are sunrise to 2 p.m. with awards to follow at Lewiston No. 1 Fire Hall.  You must be a member of the club to compete. Call Paul Jackson at 998-8910 for more info.

Also on March 2 is the Antique Fishing Tackle Ice Breaker show at the Elk’s Lodge on North Canal Road in Gasport, NY, from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Bring your old fishing tackle in.