Bill Hilts Fish Locator

PICTURE
CAPTAIN: Rich (left) and Bob Klemm
holding up the 31 pound brown trout
caught Monday while fishing with
Capt. Frank Campbell of Niagara
Falls. It was caught on a spottail
shiner. 033017REPORT 1
Local fishing is really starting to
ramp up with the opening of the
inland trout and salmon season on
April 1. Increased opportunities
become available throughout the
state, spreading out the anglers and
giving everyone a spot to cast. Even
some inner city-type situations will
exist early in the season such as
Hyde Park Lake, Gill Creek and
Oppenheim Park Pond in Niagara
Falls. Be sure to mark April 5 on
your calendar. Oppenheim Park Pond,
along Niagara Falls Boulevard. in
Wheatfield, will receive 100 browns
and 200 rainbows around 10 a.m. Hyde
Park Lake in Niagara Falls will
receive 200 2-year-old browns and
1,650 yearlings at 11 a.m. In
addition, Gill Creek will be the
recipient of 540 browns from Buffalo
Avenue upstream to the dam at the
lake.In Erie County, April 4 will see
2,800 yearling rainbows stocked in
Cayuga Creek in Lancaster. On April
6, Sprague Brook Park Ponds A and B,
Veterans Pond and Foote Road Pond
will receive over 700 browns and
rainbows. On April 7, Main Park Pond
will get a dumping of 300 ‘bows and
Ellicott Creek in Amherst will
receive 1,250 rainbows. Pre-April 1
stockings:Goose Creek in Chautauqua County
(Harmony and N. Harmony – 870
yearling browns, 300 2-year old
browns and 1,050 yearling brook
trout. Erie County stocking
locations will be Cattaraugus Creek
in Saardina (3,140 yearling browns
and 600 two year old browns); East
Branch Cazenovia Creek at Aurora
(2,560 yearling browns and 300
2-year-old browns); Little Buffalo
Creek at Lancaster and Elma (1,070
yearling browns and 200 two year old
browns); Eighteenmile Creek in
Boston (620 yearling browns).In Wyoming County, stocking sites
are Buffalo Creek in Java (1,070
yearling browns, 200 2-year-old
browns and 400 brook trout);
Cattaraugus Creek in Java (1,980
yearling browns and 600 2-year-old
browns); Little Tonawanda Creek at
Middlebury (580 yearling browns);
Tonawanda Creek at Orangeville (990
yearling browns and 200 2-year-old
browns); East Koy Creek at
Gainesville (3,300 yearling browns
and 650 2-year-old browns). Allegany
County stockings: Allen Lake at
Allen (2,800 yearling browns and 500
2-year-old browns); Dodge Creek at
Clarksville (2,550 brook trout; 200
2-year-old browns); Little Genesee
Creek at Bolivar (200 2-year-old
browns and 2,200 yearling brook
trout); Genesee River at Wellsville
(2,060 yearling browns, 750
2-year-old browns and 2,850 yearling
rainbows) and at Amity (5,240
yearling browns and 750 2-year-old
browns)For Cattaraugus County, Great Valley
Creek and Forks Creek in Great
Valley (2,230 and 1,320 yearling
browns); Wrights Creek in Humphrey
(700 yearling browns); Cattauraugus
Creek, South Branch in East Otto
(990 yearling browns); Mansfield
Creek in Mansfield (410 yearling
browns and 100 2-year-old browns);
Great Valley and Beaver Meadow
creeks in Ellicottville split 700
yearling browns; Connoisarauley
Creek in Ashford (400 yearling brook
trout); Bay State Brook in Red House
(450 yearling browns; Quaker Run in
Cold Spring (1,470 yearling browns);
Red House Brook and Science Lake in
Red House (990 and 220 respectively,
yearling browns); Bone Run, Guernsey
Run and the North Branch of Sawmill
Run in South Valley (250, 170 and
120 yearling browns); Little
Conewango Creek in Conewango (1,440
yearling browns and 200 2-year-old
browns); Paisley Park Pond in
Randolph (50 yearling brook trout).
The stocking hotline number for the
Randolph hatchery is 358-4950 for
updates.

Lake Erie and tributaries

With an increased amount of rain in
certain sections of the region,
you’ll need to keep an eye on the
weather forecast and do your best to
avoid the wet stuff in some streams.
If a stream is low and clear, look
to see where the rain will help
matters along. Danny Colville with
Colville Outfitters in Hamburg
hooked five steelhead on Eighteen
Mile Tuesday morning. However, bass
and suckers are starting to show up.
Canadaway is doing much better and
Cayuga and Buffalo creeks are
fishing decent with some fresh
runners in the system.

Lake Ontario and tributaries

Eighteen Mile Creek was flowing at
530 cfs coming out of the weekend
and it was down to 310 cfs at
mid-day Tuesday. It could be
fishable by the weekend. Water was
stained from Burt Dam to the piers.
The east pier was totally ice-free
and the west pier was almost there.
Cast spoons or spinners. You can
also fish worms, minnows or egg sacs
under a float. The same will work
over in Wilson. Best bet in the
streams will be the smaller ones
like Keg, Hopkins or 12 Mile. To the
east, Johnson Creek was starting to
clear up and so was the Oak.
Bullhead are starting to hit in
Wilson, just in time for the Wilson
Conservation Club Bullhead
Tournament April 7-9. Call Eric at
628-6078 for details.

Niagara River

Everyone is still talking about the
lunker 31-pound brown trout reeled
in by Bob Klemm of Pennsylvania
Monday morning along Fort Niagara!
He was fishing with his brother Rich
from New Jersey and Capt. Frank
Campbell of Niagara Region Charters.
The water was slightly off-color and
fishing was a little tough, but
boats were reporting a mixed bag of
steelhead, browns, lake trout, bass
and walleye. Klemm was using a
spottail shiner, but egg sacs have
also been working very well,
especially pink. Shoreline casters
up in the gorge have been struggling
a bit the past three or four days,
but it should improve as waters
clear. The New York Power Authority
fishing platform, gorge stairs and
upper reservoir all open April 1.

Chautauqua Lake

Crappie action has started in the
canals according to Mike Sperry at
Chautauqua Reel Outdoors. Best times
are early morning and after dark.
Emerald shiners, tube jigs and small
marabou jigs fished under a float.
Good numbers of perch, too.

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Read on, NIAG RIVER, L. ONTARIO,
TRIBS, ETC. REPORT 2
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Destination Niagara USA Fishing
Forecast for March 30, 2017

The big news this week was the 31
pound brown trout caught by Bob
Klemm of Pennsylvania fishing with
Capt. Frank Campbell of Niagara
Region Charters. That’s all we are
going to tell you this week because
it will be a feature in the Buffalo
News next week on Thursday, April 6.
You have to hear the whole story on
this one. Also, if you want to learn more

about split grip vs full grip rods follow the link.

Lower Niagara River trout
action has been decent from both
boat and shore. Some days you have
to work a little more than others.
Best drifts have been Devil’s Hole
and Artpark for rainbows and lake
trout, but you should be able to
find trout throughout the river
system. Egg sacs have been working
best on the steelhead; minnows for
the lake trout. Boat drifters are
using 3-way rigs to bounce the
bottom. For browns, target down
river closer to the lake with
minnows or shiners. From shore,
casters are still using spoons,
spinners and egg sacs in the gorge
from Artpark to the Whirlpool. The
New York Power Authority Fishing
Platform in the Niagara Gorge, as
well as the stairs leading down to
the shoreline along the NYPA access
road near Niagara University, will
be open for business on April 1.
Also on April 1, the NYPA reservoir
is also open for fishing. The NRAA
John Long, Sr. Memorial Raffle and
Feast is April 1 from 2 to 6 p.m. at
the Niagara Active Hose on Lockport
Rd. in Niagara Falls. Great eats!The weather forecasters are calling
for some rain this Friday so that
could put a damper on the stream
action off Lake Ontario. Burt Dam
and 18 Mile Creek is stained, but
there is good flow. Silver steelies
are being caught but you do have to
work for them. Jigs tipped with wax
worms or grubs will work as will
small floating stickbaits two to
three inches long in rainbow color
patterns. There is no ice on the
piers any more so catching hardware
like spoons and spinners is the way
to go. Minnows and worms will also
work. Smaller creeks like Keg,
Hopkins and both branches of 12 Mile
were flowing nicely. Some bullheads
are being caught in Wilson, perfect
timing. The Wilson Conservation Club
bullhead contest is set for April
7-9. Weigh in is held out of the
Wilson Conservation Club, 2934
Wilson Cambria Road (Route 425),
Wilson. The tournament is based on
your best two fish with the
tie-breaker being the overall length
of the two fish. Any Niagara County
waters are eligible. Entry fee is
$10 for 13 years of age and older;
free for junior anglers 12 and
under. The fun contest actually
starts at 5 p.m. on Friday and runs
until 1 p.m. on Sunday. All
weigh-ins will take place from 9
a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Wilson club.
You can register at CMC Auto Repair,
418 Lake Street, Wilson or The
Slippery Sinker, 5780 W. Main Street
(at Jackson), Olcott. If you have
any questions, contact Eric at
628-6078.On April 8, the LOTSA pen rearing
project will start at the Town of
Newfane Marina starting at 9 a.m.
They will ready the pens and get
them in the water to prepare to
receive the fish.The Hyde Park Lake, Gill Creek and
Oppenheim Park Pond trout stockings
will take place on April 5.
Oppenheim Park Pond, along Niagara
Falls Blvd. in Wheatfield, will
receive 100 browns and 200 rainbows
around 10 a.m. Hyde Park Lake in
Niagara Falls will receive 200
two-year-old browns and 1,650
yearlings at 11 a.m. In addition,
Gill Creek will be the recipient of
540 browns from Buffalo Avenue
upstream to the dam at the lake.
They will be fair fame to the public
as soon as they are stocked.