- Yellow Perch from 12-15 inches are common. Easy pickens right now through November.
- Anglers have also found the walleye stacked 20 feet thick in schools fishing at depths of 80-110 feet.
- Steelhead shore anglers can be effective right now, target steelhead from creelmouths.
By Forrest Fisher
On eastern basin Lake Erie, the fishing activity for GIANT yellow perch is kicking into high gear. Starting at 50-55 feet of water between Cattaraugus Creek and Sturgeon Point, about 20 minutes north of Dunkirk, New York, live emerald shiners fished near bottom is the top tactic when emeralds are available. The good news? When emeralds are “out pf stock.” golden shiners or frozen salted shiners are also totally effective. Perch from 12-15 inches are common. Take note that 50-fish limits per angler are also quite common. Four anglers? Yes, that means 200 perch for winter freezer staples.
Anglers have also found the walleye stacked 20 feet thick in schools fishing at depths of 80-110 feet just west from Dunkirk to Barcelona. Paul Soper Jr. from the Northern Chautauqua Conservation Club recently shared that he limited out in 100 feet of water off Dunkirk with a 3-man limit in two hours using simple stickbaits. Many of the fish were spitting up emerald shiners.
Did you put your boat away to head for the deer woods? Captain Daryl Glasner (716-462-8632) and Captain Tom Miranda (716-531-6683) are both still running perch and walleye trips from Sunset Bay at the Hanover Boat Launch. Glasner is running musky trips to Chautauqua Lake, as well. So is Captain Mike Sperry (716-763-2947) at Chautauqua Reel Outdoors from Asheville Bay Marina. Sperry has been hooking up with Chautauqua Lake musky on a regular basis lately. All are very affordable.
With little rain recently, the steelhead are almost nill in the lower section of Cattaraugus Creek which is running low and clear on most days. All the other tribs are at a trickle too and are practically void of fish. Shore anglers can be effective right now, target steelhead from the Cattaraugus Creek breakwall or by wading off the tributary creek mouths and casting spoons and spinners. The mouth of Chautauqua Creek can be so good for low water casting periods like this. Boaters can score by trolling these creekmouth areas.
At the Lake Ontario piers at Wilson Harbor and Olcott Harbor, and in the Lower Niagara River, the salmon fishing is about ready to end. It’s that time of year. Anglers are catching smallmouth bass, lake trout and steelhead in the lower river, both from the Devils Hole and Lewiston Landing areas from shore, and from the drift boaters.
For Western New York inland shore anglers, the DEC Randolph Fish Hatchery started their autumn stocking of broodstock trout three weeks ago. These trout are all over 2 years old and some are up to 30 inches long.
The following waters have been stocked: Red House Lake in Allegany State Park with 130 rainbow trout and 200 brown trout; New Albion Lake with 50 brook trout, 50 rainbow trout and 150 brown trout; Case Lake with 25 brown trout, 100 rainbow trout and 400 brook trout; Genesee River with 200 brown trout and 250 rainbow trout; Quaker Lake with 200 brown trout and 300 rainbow trout; Lake Flavia with 100 brook trout, 250 brown trout and 50 rainbow trout; Allen Lake with 225 brook trout, 50 brown trout and 50 rainbow trout; Harwood Lake with 300 brook trout, 50 brown trout and 50 rainbow trout; Case Lake with 400 brook trout, 50 brown trout and 50 rainbow trout; Genesee River with 400 brown trout and 245 rainbow trout; Cattaraugus Creek with 600 brown trout. For more info, call the Randolph Hatchery Stocking Hotline at 716-358-2050.
Gotta love the outdoors.