Rain, Rain, and Please More Rain

The rain has finally come!!  With the day of rain we got last Wednesday, today and the forecasted rain for the rest of this week, the run is FINALLY in full swing.  Good numbers of salmon are pushing their way through the Lake Ontario tributaries with the browns slowly trickling in as well.  Despite there being fair numbers of fish at this point, most of them are still on the kamikaze mission upstream and not stopping for anything.  This can make hooking one a trick.  Some of the keys are finding a fish that seems to be less in the mood to move.  These are the fish that will typically take a well presented fly.  Productive flies have been earth tone color streamers with hot spots (chartreuse and flame orange) and otter eggs.  The 8mm otter eggs have been producing both salmon and brown trout.  The salmon have liked the "ruby" color where the browns have not really had much of a preference.

The Lake Erie tributaries are coming along as well.  Steelhead are making their way into the streams as a snails pace however this rain will move things along.  Stay tuned for more updates to come on the Erie trib fishing!

Be sure to check out my YouTube page for fishing videos as well as fly tying tutorials!  If you are interested in booking a trip with me please send me an email (wnyflyguy@gmail.com) there are prime days still to come!  Thanks again for reading and tight lines!


Current Stream Information: 

18-Mile Creek (Burt):  October 22nd, 2019
Heavy fishing pressure

Rising Flows
18-Mile Creek (Burt) Data

18-Mile Creek (Hamburg):  October 22nd, 2019
Rising Flows

18-Mile Creek (Hamburg) Data

 

Cattaraugus Creek:   October 22nd, 2019

Stained Flows

Cattaraugus Creek Data

Oak Orchard Creek:   October 22nd, 2019

Heavy Fishing Pressure

Clear Flows

Oak Orchard Data

Oatka Creek:   October 22nd, 2019

Stained Flows

Oatka Data

My YouTube Channel 

Early October Update

The run here in WNY is starting to get established.  The mostly dry/warmer weather has delayed this years run by a couple weeks it looks like.  The cooler weather and spotty rain has brought in some pods of fish here and there but no serious movements or concentrations yet.  The low light periods are when the fish seem to be doing the most movement, however this is the time of year where the salmon just don't seem to stop.  Streams with dams such as 18 Mile Creek and Oak Orchard have medium concentrations of fish at the dams with no real concentrations of fish in the more fly friendly areas.  Smaller streams are running clear and have salmon scattered all over the creek. 

The sluggish start to the run has kept the crowds down for now but the fishing has been spotty. 
Be sure to check out my YouTube page for fishing videos as well as fly tying tutorials!  If you are interested in booking a trip with me this fall please send me an email (wnyflyguy@gmail.com) as days are filling up!  Thanks again for reading and tight lines!


Current Stream Information: 

18-Mile Creek (Burt):  October 8th, 2019
Med fishing pressure

Low/Clear Flows
18-Mile Creek (Burt) Data

18-Mile Creek (Hamburg):  October 8th, 2019
Low/Clear Flows

18-Mile Creek (Hamburg) Data

Cattaraugus Creek:   October 8th, 2019

Clear Flows

Cattaraugus Creek Data

Oak Orchard Creek:   October 8th, 2019

Med Fishing Pressure

Clear Flows

Oak Orchard Data

Oatka Creek:   October 8th, 2019

Stained Flows

Oatka Data

My YouTube Channel 

Resurrection

Wow.... it has been AWHILE since my last post.  For the readers that don't already know, my absence has been due to my attendance of graduate school in Michigan.  However the good news is that I will be returning to WNY at the end of September and have the rest of the year to guide and fish to my hearts content.  That being said my guide schedule is fairly open and I'm ready to get people on the great migratory fishing opportunity here in WNY. 

It is still early in the year for any serious numbers of fish to be accumulating in the tributaries.  However the larger tributaries have steady pushes of salmon.  The larger the tributary the more fish there will be right now.  Mostly the fish are concentrated in the lower "frog water" sections of the streams however some fish are already up in the upper reaches.  Oak Orchard and 18 Mile Creeks already have reports of salmon at the dams.  These are small pods of fish, but still fish.  The Lower Niagara River has seen some action with a few fish being taken as well.  The Salmon River has salmon moving up the DSR every day with the crowds starting to build as more and more salmon begin their journey.  As far as the Lake Erie tributaries, the Catt might have a few fish trickling in but the water is still into the 70's and there has not been much in the way of precipitation to bring up the flows and bring in the fish.

The best fishing has happened early in the morning until sunrise and late in the evening until just after sundown. Be aware that the seasonal tributary regulations (September 1st - March 31st) are in effect!!  Please see the following links regarding the special seasonal regulations regarding the tributaries.
Great Lakes and Tributary Regulations
Special Regulations for Great Lakes Tributaries

The forecast for the next week does not include the chance of any significant precipitation and has highs in the 70's-80's.  This is not exactly welcome news in terms of migrating fish, however this is par for the course for September.

Be sure to check out my YouTube page for fishing videos as well as fly tying tutorials!  This fall I am excited to be uploading more frequent content.  If you are interested in booking a trip with me this fall please send me an email (wnyflyguy@gmail.com) as days are filling up!  Enjoy some of the pictures fish I've brought to hand as well as some happy customers!  Thanks again for reading and tight lines!


Current Stream Information: 

18-Mile Creek (Burt):  September 16th, 2019
Light fishing pressure

Low/Clear Flows
94 CFS

18-Mile Creek (Hamburg):  September 16th, 2019
Low/Clear Flows

25.2 CFS

Cattaraugus Creek:   September 16th, 2019

Clear Flows

257 CFS

70.2 ⁰F

Oak Orchard Creek:   September 16th, 2019

Light Fishing Pressure

Clear Flows

229 CFS 

Oatka Creek:   September 16th, 2019

Stained Flows

71.8 CFS

NOTE:  Please fish inland trout during the cooler hours of the day to reduce the stress to the fish.  Trout are a cold water species and being caught in the heat can kill them.

My YouTube Channel 

 

Winter Woes

Again it has been awhile since my last blog post but as everyone is aware this time of year can be a tough time to fish.  Whether it's hard to motivate yourself to get out in the cold of if the streams are just blown out from runoff it can be challenging.  However there is no shortage of fishing opportunities going on right now.

Many popular tributaries are currently ice free.  With the fickle weather (as opposed to the deep freeze we had in early January) the fishing conditions are decent.  Larger tributaries such as the Catt are still high and brown wit flows retreating and will be perfect for the weekend.  Other popular tributaries like the Oak, the 18 Miles (both Ontario and Erie), and Sandy Creek are retreating to medium flow with stained water.  However the weather forecast is predicting some colder more consistent weather that will freeze up the slower sections of the tributaries.  Fishing at the dams (the Oak and Burt) will likely be your best bets to find open water as well as fish this coming weekend.  Egg patterns are producing pretty well as well as marabou jigs under an indicator. 

Another great fishing opportunity this time of year is fishing the inland streams for trout.  The one hitch for opting for the inland trout is that the inland species are currently out of season.  However there are a handful of creeks that are open to catch and release during this time.  Oatka Creek in Mumford is one of these creeks.  Fishing for trout can be difficult but small midge nymphs like zebra midges can be productive.  However my favorite way to fish this time of year is fishing with streamers.  These brown trout are post spawn and are looking to put on the feedbags.  They smash streamers and put up an exciting fight in the winter.  Black has worked well as well as olive in clear water.

Be sure to check out my YouTube page for fishing videos as well as fly tying tutorials!  If you are interested in a nice inland trout rod you can email me or see the link below!  Thanks again for reading and tight lines!


Current Stream Information: 

18-Mile Creek (Burt):  January 31st, 2018
Light fishing pressure

Med/Stained Flows
151 CFS

18-Mile Creek (Hamburg):  January 31st, 2018
Med/Stained Flows

3.21 ft 

Cattaraugus Creek:   January 31st, 2018

Muddy Flows

1000 CFS

32 ⁰F

Oak Orchard Creek:   January 31st, 2018

Light Fishing Pressure

Stained Flows

390 CFS 

Oatka Creek:   January 31st, 2018

Stained Flows

281
CFS   

My YouTube Channel 
St Croix Imperial 3wt

Mo' Fish Movember

So it's been awhile since my last update but finally the weather is seemingly leveled out.  Over the last few weeks we haven't had rains of biblical proportions like we have experienced this year and the temps are normal.  That being said we can now have an easier time predicting what the fish are going to want. 

On nearly all of the tributaries the salmon are all but gone.  Only moldy zombies still remain other than the potential for VERY few fresh fish.  The brown trout bite has been great on the Ontario tribs recently with the steelhead fishing starting to pick up.   Most of the fish coming on egg patterns.  Earlier this month the Erie Canal started its annual draining and has since tapered off in the past few days.  Streams that experience this runoff will have a color similar to that of tea.  When the water is this color the fishing is pretty great.  The clarity isn't terrible but it's enough fr the fish to feel comfortable in the open water.  Larger egg patterns worked well during this time with limited success swinging flies.  Currently the conditions are streams dropping a bit since the canal drainage is slowing.  The larger tribs like oak orchard are still getting this surplus canal water.  On the smaller tribs, the water is clearing up and downsizing your flies will be useful.

As for the Lake Erie Tributaries, the steelhead are spread out all throughout the waterways with fish readily taking eggs and some nymph patterns.  Dead Drifting both have been effective.  Finding seams and deeper pools on the brighter days are going to be the keys to success.

Look for days that are going to be warmer than others.  This change in temp really gets the fish in high gear.  Yesterday with the higher air temps the fish were very eager to take flies.  As mentioned earlier the best flies have been egg patterns with sizes depending on water conditions.  In the clear water size 12-14 have worked well and in the tea water sizes 8-10 have been the best.  Yarn eggs, blood dots, estaz eggs, and otter eggs have been the go to's.

I have dates available for catching some later browns and winter steelhead if you are interested.  If your new to fly fishing and don't mind a little cold weather this is the perfect time to land the big one!  You can contact me at wnyflyguy@gmail.com.  Be sure to look out for my latest videos about tying the otter egg pattern (will be out soon) and my latest tributary trip (will be out in a few days)!  Thanks again for reading and tight lines!


Current Stream Information: 

18-Mile Creek (Burt):  November 29th, 2017

Heavy/Moderate fishing pressure

Med/Stained Flows
52.4 CFS

18-Mile Creek (Hamburg):  November 29th, 2017

Med Flows
2.93 ft 

Cattaraugus Creek:   November 29th, 2017

Stained Flows

610 CFS

43.2 ⁰F

Oak Orchard Creek:   November 29th, 2017

Heavy Fishing Pressure

Tea Flows

173 CFS    

My YouTube Channel

Mixed Bag

The salmon run in well established in the Lake Ontario tribs and we are starting to see some old and moldy fish especially on the larger streams.  Spawning salmon have sparked up the egg bite too.  Salmon, browns, and even some steelhead are being caught on egg patterns.  Swinging streamers has still been productive but it is starting to make the transition from bigger flies to egg patterns and even some stoneflies.  With the lack of any really serious rain this past week the creeks are clear and the small tribs are low.  Purple has been a good color in the early morning switching over to earth tone colors (black, olive and brown) in the afternoon. 

The Erie streams are similar conditions to Ontario streams with clear and low water.  Good numbers of steelhead are well spread throughout the waterways.  With the water so low smaller nymphs and some low profile egg patterns have been producing. 

This is a great time of year to get out for the fresh chrome.  These hard fighting fish will give you the battle of a lifetime!  If you're interested in taking a guided trip with me feel free to email me at wnyflyguy@gmail.com.  I still have a few prime dates open.  Thanks for reading and tight lines!

Current Stream Information: 

18-Mile Creek (Burt):  October 24th, 2017

Heavy fishing pressure

Low/Clear Flows
17.6 CFS

Cattaraugus Creek:   October 24th, 2017

Low/Clear Flows

293 CFS

55.5 ⁰F

 

Oak Orchard Creek:   October 24th, 2017

Heavy Fishing Pressure

Med/Clear Flows

51.3 CFS    

 

Salmon River:        October 24th, 2017
488 CFS


My YouTube Channel

Fall Push

It's been awhile since I've made a post and the last month has been a busy one!  Up until the last week or so the weather had reverted to its summer blaze.  Warm temperatures and lack of rain made me anxious about the prospects of a good salmon run.  However fall finally came in full force.  Rainy cool weather has brought many fish into the local tributaries and the fishing is hot.  Despite there being a lot of fish in the streams, they are in the mindset of getting as far upstream as possible and not stopping for anything.  This makes the fish a little tough to work.  However there are some salmon that were early runners that have settled in and are taking flies readily.  Fishing early in the morning and just before sunset have been the most productive periods.  The change of light and cool water temperatures make for good pushes of fish upstream.  Creeks like Sandy, Oak Orchard, 18 Mile, and Johnson have fish spread throughout the waterway so there is a great shot at seeing and possibly catching many fish.  Obviously the larger the stream the more fish there will be.  However on the other side of that coin the larger the stream the more fisherman there will be as well. 

The most productive flies have been woolly buggers, stoneflies,and woolly leeches in earth toned colors.  Egg sucking leeches and egg patterns have produced a few fish as well.  Swinging and dead drifts have both worked equally as well.  The fresh salmon are still pretty aggressive and hot to take a bunch of line. 

I still have prime dates available for fishing the tribs this fall.  November is a great time to land a trophy Brown Trout or fresh steelhead.  You can contact me at wnyflyguy@gmail.com.  Be sure to check out my latest video!  Thanks again for reading and tight lines!


Current Stream Information: 

18-Mile Creek (Burt):  October 12th, 2017

Heavy fishing pressure

Med/Stained Flows
110 CFS

 

Cattaraugus Creek:   October 12th, 2017

Stained Flows

1250 CFS

59.5 ⁰F

 

Oak Orchard Creek:   October 12th, 2017

Heavy Fishing Pressure

Med/Clear Flows

109 CFS    

 

Salmon River:        October 12th, 2017
482 CFS


My YouTube Channel