Summer Bears, Black Bass and Walleye in Chautauqua, NY

  • Black Bass fishing competition in Chautauqua Lake attracts anglers from multiple competition circuits on a weekly basis all summer long.
  • Lake Erie walleye tournaments from Chautauqua County offer $500,000 cash and prize packages…AND MORE!
  • Expanding Black Bear numbers are attracted to bird feeders and backyard garbage cans. 
Photo by NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation

By Forrest Fisher

In summertime – anglers, photographers, hikers, bikers, boaters and family campers are attracted to the southwest corner of New York State for many reasons.

Black bears have recently become a secondary common occurrence in Chautauqua County. According to the NYSDEC, early summer is the time for black bears to roam for multiple reasons. The youngest of bears, the “bear cubs,” are growing fast each day and are beginning to follow mom, who is constantly searching for food. DEC says early summer grasses and plants are less nutritious than fall-time nuts and berries. So mother bears roam bird feeders and garbage cans and teach their young to do the same. That’s when most of us can capture a picture, and have, in recent weeks. Some bears are brave and small enough to walk through the pet door and into your kitchen. When that happens, it’s a new world for people and bears.

The intermediate-age bears, the juveniles that denned up with mom over winter, got booted this spring to make room for the new cubs. They are about 18 months old and full of energy, curious, have little fear, and like to explore – but they are still learning. Backyard pickings are their target, as trained by mom, but while these bears are easily confused, they quickly learn what to avoid. Residents can find them close to their homes, but they are warned to leave them alone for their own safety.

Chautauqua Lake offers multiple weekend bass fishing tournaments and is the region’s top inland lake bass fishing destination. Forrest Fisher Photo

I did not realize until recently, learning more about bears, that both male and female bears may mate several times in early summer. It’s not unusual for cubs from a single litter to have a different father. While female bears rarely leave their home range for the good of the gene pool, they let the males come to find them. So, adult male bears may travel long distances through various females’ home ranges. Adult male bears are roaming far and wide in search of a mate. These are the big bears often seen by residents and visitors alike.

That’s the background. A word to residents and visitors is to SIMPLY be extra vigilant right now. Residents are requested to ensure there is nothing around their property that will attract bears. More importantly, the NYSDEC says don’t approach bears, don’t feed bears, and don’t call all your neighbors to come watch. If the bear is headed to a safe space for bears, leave it alone. Call your state wildlife agency if you’re worried it’s at risk because it’s wandering through a densely populated area. And then make sure you and your neighbors have no unsecured food sources, pet food, birdseed or other attractants that would tempt it to hang around. To learn more, visit https://dec.ny.gov/nature/animals-fish-plants/black-bear/bearwise and https://bearwise.org/.

The Chautauqua Lake Bassmaster Association regularly conducts organized tournaments (catch and release), with lake resources and conservation as a primary group focus. Photo by Chautauqua Lake Bassmasters Association

In New York State, bass anglers have quickly moved from the opening day of bass season in NYS (June 15) and into July! With all the local tournament action on Lake Erie for walleye, the black bass is overshadowed, but they are still there and are world-class fish by size. Visitors here are lucky to have two species of bass in WNY: the largemouth bass and the smallmouth bass. Largemouth prefer shallower, weedy water like the Chautauqua Lake south basin, Cassadaga Lakes and Findley Lake.

Smallmouth bass are found in all those lakes, but Lake Erie is the prized resource for abundant large smallmouth bass. The deepwater dropoffs near Brocton Shoal, Van Buren Point, and Point Gratiot are local hangouts for schools of smallmouth bass that can tilt the scales with 5-pound+ fish, that’s huge for consistent smallmouth bass catches. Lake Erie offers the finest smallmouth bass fishing in New York State and, arguably, the entire United States. The smallmouth are found along the NY shoreline. Blade baits, jigs and drop-shot rigs are among the favored local angler rigs.

Chautauqua Lake offers multiple weekend bass fishing tournaments and is the region’s top inland lake bass fishing destination. Largemouth bass and smallmouth bass can each provide good action for those fishing in the right spots. Look for rock drop-offs, points, gravel shoals, gravel bars near creek mouths, and the sunken islands in the south basin. The largemouth are found around the dock systems and weedbeds. To learn more about local hotspots and specific lures and baits, visit https://www.tourchautauqua.com/shop/bait-tackle-and-sporting-goods

One 6-gallon bucket full of walleye will make a tasty dinner table. Forrest Fisher photo

The three major boat launch ports of Lake Erie allow easy access to bass, walleye, lake trout, and steelhead for anglers with trailerable boat rigs.  These three ports are Barcelona Harbor (Daniel Reed Memorial Pier), Dunkirk Harbor (Chadwick Bay) and Sunset Bay State Park Marina (Hanover).

From the start of June through the end of September, there are 10 Lake Erie walleye tournaments from these three ports of Chautauqua County. The walleye are big, tasty and easy to catch. How can it get better for resident and non-resident anglers?! The fish and wildlife organizations of Lake Erie estimate the Lake Erie walleye population to be about 150 million. The highest of all time. Fishing methods include rod-in-hand trolling, casting with jigs and blade baits, and the most popular – trolling with multiple lines adjusted to the proper depth to attract the fish at their suspended lake levels near the stratified thermocline layer found here in the summertime.  For a list of walleye tournaments, visit https://www.tourchautauqua.com/events/category/fishing-tournaments

Grab your camera and your fishing pole for Chautauqua Country!

CBS Morning News Videographer Carl Mrozek, with a nice walleye catch from Lake Erie near Dunkirk, NY. Forrest Fisher photo.

Gotta love the outdoors!

NYSDEC Eastern Lake Erie Fishing Report – June 10, 2017

Lake Erie and Harbors

Fishing from a very windy Sunset Bay in Irving, NY, retired Charter Captain Bob Rustowicz and teammates, caught a few walleye from Day 1 of the Southtowns walleye Association Tournament in Lake Erie.

The night bite along the nearshore reefs has fallen off. Most walleye anglers are now targeting daylight hours and catches have been slowly improving in 40-60 feet of water near major spawning areas. Productive methods include trolling with worm harnesses or stickbaits just off the bottom, or by slow trolling (1 mph or less) with a bottom bouncing rig and worm harness. Working deeper edges off the walleye spawning structures is also worth a try. Some walleye anglers are still doing well at night off the Buffalo Harbor’s outer breakwalls out to 30 feet of water, with a few catches inside the harbor as well. There have been some decent yellow perch catches recently out of Cattaraugus Creek starting in 60 feet of water. Anglers fishing in around 50 feet of water report plenty of nuisance goby. Live emerald shiners fished near the bottom work best for perch.

Smallmouth bass are still available in and around Lake Erie harbors and their breakwalls. Early this week, Dunkirk Harbor anglers were catching between 15-35 smallmouth per outing. On Lake Erie, depths of 20-30 feet of water over rocky shoals has recently been productive. Good spots to try include Myers Reef, Seneca Shoal, Evans Bar and Van Buren Reef. Many smaller reefs, rock piles and humps will hold bass as well. Tube jigs, jigs with twister tails, deep diving stickbaits, live minnows and crayfish are good bass baits. For more information see the Smallmouth Bass Fishing on Lake Erie page.

Lake Erie Tributaries

Some smallmouth bass are still available in the Lake Erie tributaries. However, with low and warming waters in the small to medium streams, the bite is fading. Best chances for bass is in the lower end of Cattaraugus Creek.

Upper Niagara River

Smallmouth bass catches are on the rise around Grand Island. Bass fishing is by catch and release only, artificial lures only in the Niagara River north of the Peace Bridge, until the regular season opens on third Saturday in June.

Chautauqua Lake

Musky fishing along weedlines has been productive since the season opened. Good techniques include trolling large stickbaits along weed edges or casting stickbaits over weed beds and retrieving towards open water. There has been some decent walleye fishing during daylight hours. One group caught a bunch of keepers in 15-18 feet of water by drifting with bottom bouncing rig and worm harness and by trolling (1.3 mph) with harnesses or deep diving stickbaits. See the Fishing for Walleye page for more information. Yellow perch and sunfish seem to biting well lake-wide inside of 10 feet of water. Perch catches are also good in deeper areas.

Inland Trout Streams

Trout streams throughout the region are in great shape with moderate flows. Warming water temps also have more bug and fish feeding activity at the surface. Sub-surface nymphs are good bets early in the day, while dry flies can be productive in the afternoon. Look for hatches of March browns, sulphurs, caddis flies and stone flies on the streams that have them. Productive offerings for spinning anglers include worms, salted minnows and small inline spinners. Western New York anglers have a variety of Wild Trout Streams and Stocked Trout Streams to choose from. In addition, Public Fishing Rights Maps are available for many of the region’s best trout streams. Check out the Fishing For Stream Trout page for introductory information on trout baits, lures, equipment and fishing techniques.

Spring Trout Stocking

All of Region 9’s trout stocking waters have been stocked with all of designated stocking increments. For County lists of stocked waters check the Spring Trout Stocking 2017 page. Hatchery staff stocked some surplus two-year-old brown trout in the following waters between May 23rd and 26th: Genesee River – 400 brown trout from Wellsville to PA border; Cattaraugus Creek – 400 brown trout in Erie and Wyoming Counties; Cohocton River – 275 brown trout; Oatka Creek – 275 brown trout.

Genesee River Angler Diary Program

DEC Region 9 Fisheries Unit will be running an angler diary program for the Genesee River during 2017, and is currently looking for anglers to keep diaries. The diarist program aims to record data for trout and bass fishing trips on the Genesee River from the Pennsylvania line downstream through Letchworth State Park from March 1st through October 31st, 2017.

If you fish the Genesee River (even once) and would like to contribute your observations by keeping a diary, please call DEC Fisheries at (716) 379-6372 or email fwfish9@dec.ny.gov.

More Information:

If you need more fishing information or would like to contribute to the fishing report, please call or e-mail Mike Todd (716-851-7010; michael.todd@dec.ny.gov). Good Luck Fishing!

The fishing hotline can also be heard at (716) 679-ERIE or (716) 855-FISH.