Well we are making ice now! This latest cold snap has locked up the area lakes and ice fishermen have big smiles on their faces.
Areas like Sandy Pond, Henderson Harbor, Chaumont Bay and Black Lake are the hot spots as they are all producing good catches of perch.
Oneida lake conditions are improving by the day. Big Bay is producing good catches of bluegills and crappies (particularly at night). Over in Cleveland and Constantia, some perch are being taken in 15 foot of water. Over at North Bay, there's reports of catches of perch, mixed with walleye. At Williams Park (Cicero), anglers are catching perch in 8 to 15 foot of water.
Reports from sodus bay are the same. Good ice in certain spots, but you need to use caution.
Perch have been the main target and small caty jigs in a variety of colors are taking most of the fish there as well..
On the salmon river steelhead are scattered from top to bottom, but this cold weather has most of the river is full of slush. You will have to concentrate your efforts in the upper end of the river, The Schoolhouse and the wire pool has been fishing real good with a mix of dark and silver fish. Blue eggs, trout beads and small pink and chartreuse flies are doing the job there.
On the Oswego River. Flows are once again pushing 14,000 cfs and the only fishable spots are right on the edges, near the dam and at lock 7.
Pink and chartreuse egg sacs under floats are producing some nice steelhead and a few browns. Please use extreme caution when fishing the river as flows are very high. There are also some browns being caught behind the hotel on white bucktail jigs
Western New York fishing report by Jay Peck -www.jaypeckguides.com
All of the streams and rivers in western New York are finally starting to settle down from the past high water event. For now the Oak Orchard is still running high but is wadeable, the water temperature is 32 degrees and the water color is still muddy. You will need to carefully pick and choose where you wade. Taking a spill while fishing is never fun, however during the winter a spill in the river can be extremely dangerous. The water flows for the Oak should continue to drop over the next two weeks. The way the conditions are looking, the next two weeks the Oak Orchard River should fish very good.
Despite the high water the Oak has been producing steelhead and a few Browns in all the pools from the dam on down River. Productive flies have been large bright egg patterns in size 8 and 6 in fluorescent colors plus streamer and Leach patterns in size 6 and 4 in colors of white and black, pink.
It is winter and the temps are cold but the rivers are full of fish just waiting for yoy to get here.
I am wide open over the next month with just a few trips on the books. Give me a all and we will get you into some hot fishing.
If you a have question or comment, feel free to e-mail me anytime. Send your mail to Troy @ lakeontariooutdoors.com You can also log on to our website at www.Lakeontariooutdoors.com for daily fishing reports, events, charters and river guides, as well as numerous links to great sites and area businesses.