07-17-2004, 07:00 PM
July 16 - 23, 2004)
Lake trout and yellow perch highlight the fishing action this week in Lake Erie. Water temperatures rise into the lower 70's.
Sometimes being a broken record is a good thing, and the perch fishing over the past month is one of those times. The excellent perch action in Lake Erie continued this past week out of Dunkirk, Cattaraugus Creek, and Sturgeon Point. In all spots, the perch schools seem to be moving around and can be found at different depths on any given day. Anglers fishing Cattaraugus Creek over to Sturgeon Point will find schools anywhere from 40 to 70 deep with many anglers fishing the 55-60 foot depth contour. Dunkirk anglers have had success anywhere from the 30 foot mud flats inside the red channel buoy to 60 feet deep straight off Point Gratiot. The key, regardless of where you go, is to be mobile and move if the bite isn't there. Emerald shiners remain the top bait, but anglers have had good success with creek minnows, salted minnows, and even nightcrawlers.
While the perch fishing has been good over the past month, the walleye fishing seems to be going the other way. After a decent June, July has been a bust for many trollers. Scattered fish can be found out of any marina, but there really is no one hot spot at this time. I feel that part of the problem is that there is a lot of bait in the form of smelt and emerald shiners in the eastern basin at this time, and most of the fish don't need to look too far to find their next meal. The best bet for walleyes in these conditions is to be versatile and cover a bunch of different ground, changing both baits and depths to find a combination that works. Expect to boat between 3 and 5 fish on a good day.
For the second consecutive year, some incredible lake trout fishing is setting up between Dunkirk and Barcelona. Anglers targeting lakers over the past week have recorded some memorable trips and catches, including one who landed 35 and lost 15 more in just 4 hours of fishing. The kicker was that all the fish ranged between 17 - 24 pounds! This action is just setting up this year as the lakes' thermocline is getting established, and looks very similar to the spectacular fishing that was around last summer. For the best lake trout action, head northwest out of Dunkirk to 105 - 140 feet of water, fishing spoons such as NK's and evil eyes off downriggers set 70-80 feet down just below the thermocline. If the action is slow, drop the spoons down just off the bottom. North to northeast out of Barcelona should also produce plenty of action that should last into early September. Remember that lake trout are trying to get re-established in Lake Erie and the creel limit is only one per angler, so please handle the fish as little as possible and practice good catch and release techniques.
Bass anglers are still finding plenty of fish at the 20-25 foot range in the usual rocky areas from Buffalo to Barcelona, but anglers seeking larger fish should focus on deeper water in the 30-40 foot range on the edges of the shoals and bars. Live baits such as chubs and crayfish and verticle jigs are good bets in the deeper water while tube jigs and crankbaits are best in shallower.
Speaking of broken records, the Upper Niagara River remains in its holding pattern with mainly bass and some pike about the only game in town. Crayfish, live minnows, chubs, and most plastics are good bets for bass anywhere from the harbors down to the Islands. The main channel from the roundhouse down to the islands and the weedbeds remain good areas for northern pike on large chubs, bucktails, large stickbaits, and spoons.
If you would like more fishing information or would like to contribute to the fishing report, please give Jim Markham a call at 716-366-0228 or send an e-mail to jlmarkha@gw.dec.state.ny.us
The fishing line can also be heard at (716) 679-ERIE.
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Lake trout and yellow perch highlight the fishing action this week in Lake Erie. Water temperatures rise into the lower 70's.
Sometimes being a broken record is a good thing, and the perch fishing over the past month is one of those times. The excellent perch action in Lake Erie continued this past week out of Dunkirk, Cattaraugus Creek, and Sturgeon Point. In all spots, the perch schools seem to be moving around and can be found at different depths on any given day. Anglers fishing Cattaraugus Creek over to Sturgeon Point will find schools anywhere from 40 to 70 deep with many anglers fishing the 55-60 foot depth contour. Dunkirk anglers have had success anywhere from the 30 foot mud flats inside the red channel buoy to 60 feet deep straight off Point Gratiot. The key, regardless of where you go, is to be mobile and move if the bite isn't there. Emerald shiners remain the top bait, but anglers have had good success with creek minnows, salted minnows, and even nightcrawlers.
While the perch fishing has been good over the past month, the walleye fishing seems to be going the other way. After a decent June, July has been a bust for many trollers. Scattered fish can be found out of any marina, but there really is no one hot spot at this time. I feel that part of the problem is that there is a lot of bait in the form of smelt and emerald shiners in the eastern basin at this time, and most of the fish don't need to look too far to find their next meal. The best bet for walleyes in these conditions is to be versatile and cover a bunch of different ground, changing both baits and depths to find a combination that works. Expect to boat between 3 and 5 fish on a good day.
For the second consecutive year, some incredible lake trout fishing is setting up between Dunkirk and Barcelona. Anglers targeting lakers over the past week have recorded some memorable trips and catches, including one who landed 35 and lost 15 more in just 4 hours of fishing. The kicker was that all the fish ranged between 17 - 24 pounds! This action is just setting up this year as the lakes' thermocline is getting established, and looks very similar to the spectacular fishing that was around last summer. For the best lake trout action, head northwest out of Dunkirk to 105 - 140 feet of water, fishing spoons such as NK's and evil eyes off downriggers set 70-80 feet down just below the thermocline. If the action is slow, drop the spoons down just off the bottom. North to northeast out of Barcelona should also produce plenty of action that should last into early September. Remember that lake trout are trying to get re-established in Lake Erie and the creel limit is only one per angler, so please handle the fish as little as possible and practice good catch and release techniques.
Bass anglers are still finding plenty of fish at the 20-25 foot range in the usual rocky areas from Buffalo to Barcelona, but anglers seeking larger fish should focus on deeper water in the 30-40 foot range on the edges of the shoals and bars. Live baits such as chubs and crayfish and verticle jigs are good bets in the deeper water while tube jigs and crankbaits are best in shallower.
Speaking of broken records, the Upper Niagara River remains in its holding pattern with mainly bass and some pike about the only game in town. Crayfish, live minnows, chubs, and most plastics are good bets for bass anywhere from the harbors down to the Islands. The main channel from the roundhouse down to the islands and the weedbeds remain good areas for northern pike on large chubs, bucktails, large stickbaits, and spoons.
If you would like more fishing information or would like to contribute to the fishing report, please give Jim Markham a call at 716-366-0228 or send an e-mail to jlmarkha@gw.dec.state.ny.us
The fishing line can also be heard at (716) 679-ERIE.
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