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Bill Hilts Weekly Weekend Fish Locator 

     
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Bill Hilts Jr. is a past president of the 
New York State Outdoor Writers Association.
In addition to the above, Hilts is an avid outdoorsman, 
an outdoor writer who has contributed articles to numerous 
national and local magazines, newspapers, and other publications. 
Hilts is also responsible for Niagara County Tourism Sportfishing Programs.
He freelances from his home in Sanborn N.Y.  
Hilts was inducted in the New York State 
Outdoorsmen Hall of Fame in the Spring of 2007! 

Email Bill at; Bill Hilts Jr.     
  This column as it appears here is seen in the Niagara Gazette on Fridays.
The Niagara Gazette is the area's leading outdoors sports information newspaper

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Bill Hilts Jr.


 


 

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THIS BILL HILTS Jr. WEEKEND FISHING FORECAST
IS UPDATED EVERY WEEK FOR YOUR WEEKEND FISHING!
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On this page is the complete, uncut, unabridged, unedited version of the weekend fishing forecast

 Note: Hilts SUNDAY Outdoor Column appears on this website HERE  

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Up to date fishing report for your weekend fishing;
FRIDAY MARCH 24 2016   

Weekly Weekend Fishing Report and Weather Forecast [at top]           

An outdoor show on LCTV (Time Warner Cable Channel 22; Phone number is 716-434-1733; www.lctv.net  is on Wednesdays at 4 pm called “The Outdoor Beat”, bringing aboard local experts on area outdoor activities. It will be live for call-in and also air several other times on Thursday and the weekend. Check it out!


Inland Trout Season Opens Next Friday

1.Lake Ontario and tributaries – With the roller coaster weather that has been going on, anglers will have to pick and choose which days to head out on the water or along the shoreline. A little bit of everything is going on right now. Out in the lake, with water temperatures hovering around the 40 degree mark, shoreline trolling is producing a mix of trout and Coho salmon. Capt. Joe Czyrny of Pendleton has been producing double-digit catches by working the waters in less than 15 feet, especially around creek mouths or muddy water. His tip is to keep an eye on the water temperature. A small increase of a degree or two can make a huge difference. His best baits, fished off in-line boards, has been Challenger Junior stickbaits in hot tiger, fluorescent orange, metallic trout, froggy glow or brown trout color patterns. He’s running the baits 100 to 125 feet back behind the boards. Bob Fronczak of Ransomville was fishing with his dad, Bob, out of Wilson and picked up trout between the breakwalls and the west section of creek in a small, clear pocket of water using purple stickbaits. They also had one fish that straightened out the hooks! When the northeast wind started blowing, though, it forced them off the water. In the creeks, water flow was good and the waters were clear, but that was before the rain hit on Wednesday. That could change everything. Steelheads are still skeined up according to Wes Walker at The Slippery Sinker so the run is still happening. Anglers need to be aware of where they are fishing in some of the streams. At Four Mile Creek off Route 18, there is private land there. You must respect the wishes of the landowers. That's not to say you can't ask permission. Some section do not offer public fishing rights. When the water is clear in the harbors, some perch can be caught. Piers can also see some action, depending on the wind direction. Don’t forget that the Wilson Conservation Club will be sponsoring a Niagara County bullhead contest again April 8 starting at 5 pm and running it through April 10 at 1 pm. Weigh in will be from 9 am to 1 pm on Sunday. Any Niagara County waters are eligible. Online registration is available. Go to the tournament’s Facebook page for more details. Contact Eric at 628-6078 if you have questions.


2.Lower Niagara River – Trout fishing has been decent in the lower river, but you do have to work for them. Outdoor writer Freddie McNight of Pennsylvania brought in a group of Keystone State anglers and they did well on a mix of steelhead, lake trout and browns on Monday. Included in their catch was a 16-plus pound steelhead. Minnows were the best bait, especially baits that have been colored up green using the Pautzke Fire Dye. The Niagara Bar can be good if you can get on the lake based on wind direction and how strong those winds are. No reports on smelt yet. April 1 is also usually when the New York Power Authority opens up the Reservoir and the fishing platform to the public, as well as the stairs to the Devil’s Hole shoreline. This comes at a good time because work on the Whirlpool State Park gorge trail stairs will be started this coming week and that access point will be shut down to July. The lower trail could be impacted during the week below the Whirlpool stairs from Tuesday to Thursday to allow for protection from falling debris. Repairs to the stairs are necessary for safety reasons. Hikers and anglers can still use the stairs at Devil's Hole and at the NYPA access road. Remember that the Aquarium of Niagara will be hosting a Fish Forum with the Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper in March 31 starting at 6:30 pm. Contact Jarrett Steffen at 852-7483 to register. It is near a sell-out right now. April 2 is another About Boating Safety Course with the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary at the Officer’s Club of Fort Niagara State Park from 9 am to 5 pm. Call Bob Hasse at 954-3453 to reserve your spot in advance. This is a required course for anyone who wants to operate a jet ski or anyone who wants to operate a boat that was born after 1996.


3.Upper Niagara River – Waters have cleared and they are catching some fish from shore at Broderick Park and the Bird Island Pier. For trout, use minnows, egg sacs or spinners and spoons. Some perch at the foot of Ontario and Ferry streets. Waters are slowly starting to warm. The stockings of trout in Hyde Park Lake, Oppenheim Park Pond and Gill Creek will probably take place the second week of April like previous years. No announcement has been made yet.


4.Lake Erie and tributaries – Perch action is starting to happen out in the lake. Recent trips by Capt. Joe Fonzi of Gasport produced some nice catches while fishing with Matt Guber. Fish seemed to be in small schools and they worked to stay on them. Best depth one day was 56 foot; next day it was 48 foot. Targeting 45 to 55 feet of water is usually a good bet. Sturgeon Point has a dock in to allow for easier launching. Ditto for Buffalo Harbor. Tributaries have trout in them and flows were good, but that was before the rain. That will probably create some high and muddy conditions. Remember that the smaller streams will clear first.


5.Chautauqua Lake – Anglers are picking up crappies off Rock and Grass islands in 8 foot of water. A few perch are also being reported. You can also catch fish directly in front of the Mayville launch ramp. Crappie is the primary focus. You do have to weed through them to catch legal size fish.


6.Finger Lakes – Inland Waters - April 1 is the opening of the inland trout and landlocked salmon season and don’t be surprised if you see DEC fish stocking trucks around the WNY area. Thousands of trout are stocked into New York’s ponds, streams and lakes – in an effort to help more people catch fish. By inland, I mean away from the Great Lakes. Those big water opportunities are available year-round for the most part. Stocking inland waters like Hyde Park Lake and Oppenheim Park Pond are but a few examples of where the fish are stocked inland. Those smaller waters in Niagara County are usually stocked the second week of April and we’ll let you know an exact date as soon as we know. There are dozens of streams around Western New York that receive hatchery-reared fish in Region 9. To find out more information on stocking, call the stocking hotline for Region 9 at 358-4755.


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Lower Niagara River –  That was until Wednesday when water clarity improved enough to produce a nice mix of fish for Capt. Frank Campbell. His customer Michael Xu from the NYC area managed to catch some nice trout, a musky and a walleye on Wednesday – hitting double digits in the fish department. The secret, according to Campbell, was using the Pautzke’s Fire Brine on his minnows to give the bait a UV glow with a green coloration. Congratulations are in order to Tyler Morrison of Barker who won the Trout Category of the NYS Winter Classic contest with a 16.79 pound lake trout from the Niagara Bar. Some nice fish were weighed in this year. For the final leaderboard check out www.nyswinterclassic.com .



 

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<<<<< This was the catch of the week with 9 year old Corey Fekete of Ransomville reeling in his first ever lake trout while fishing with dad and grandpa off Fort Niagara in 30-40 ft of water, dragging spoons (silver and black) Corey (just turned 9) caught this by himself but it was too big and jumpy for him to hold
 

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                     

<<<<< Ed Klejdys of North Tonawanda is tops in the lake trout category with a 32 pound, four ounce Niagara Bar fish.

 

 







 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Dropshotting for bass:
[Lake Erie]
Capt. Jim Hanley sends word that just prior to the Labor Day weekend and the nasty weather he had experienced some of his best fishing of the year around Sturgeon Point, Myers Reef and Seneca Shoal. You could catch all the 14-15-inch smallmouth bass you wanted in 25 feet of water or you could slide out a bit deeper – out to 45 feet – to catch some bigger fish up to 5 pounds, six ounce for him. He had back to back days of 120 bass coming to the boat. Top bait was crayfish and Gulp green worms fished on a drop shot rig. « Go to Link


 Outdoors Forum Here  [Daily Reports]

Olcott Beach Wins Ultimate Town Fishing Contest!


Drop Shotting the Niagara River and Lakes! HERE ODN Exclusive!  
A perch killer at Seneca Lake tipped with live minnows!- Feel everything -Almost weedless!

Finger Lakes Hotspot Fishing Website!  Go Here


Go to Bill Hilts Outdoors Sunday Column HERE

Go To Straight Talk "Straight From The Field" 
Go to Sportsmen Protecting Our Future [SPOF] web page and read the letter 
that was sent to the NY DEC regarding deer management change proposed regulations [SPOF]

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The above column is as it appears here is seen in the Niagara Gazette weekly.
The Niagara Gazette is the area's leading outdoors sports information newspaper


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 Back to Olcott Fishing Website               Back to LOTSA Links page

TO LINKS ON THIS WEBSITE

ALL ABOUT ► Blue Pike

Fishing Niagara? Fishing Tips Page

A-1 Bait Supply & Outdoors Niagara September 2010 GO HERE FOR RESULTS

Wilson NY Spring Steelhead Stocking  PHOTOS  / To see the picture of the week Look Here  

Big Bass Contest Lower Niagara/Lake Ontario - Go Here for all the Information!

Go to the Official DEC Press release regarding the VHS Disease in fish

UP TO DATE PICTURES AND INFORMATION ON THE LEWISTON LAUNCH RAMP REPLACEMENT AND FISH GRINDER OVERHAUL  

Niagara River Cabela's Masters Walleye Tournament story in photos HERE 

NEW! New York & Ontario Fishing Regulations HERE

NEW! Finger Lakes Fishing Website! Check it out here! Finger Lakes Fishing  Fishing reports & weather at the Fingers

Photos and story on the Lewiston Launch Ramp repairs and replacement October 23 2009 startup Go Here ~ Exclusively on Outdoors Niagara!

For LOC photos & stories from the Niagara River/Lake Ontario/Youngstown area go to: LOC Derby on Outdoors Niagara  Stories & Photos exclusively on Outdoors Niagara!

WALLEYE CLASSIC Contest  Information is all right HERE!

Go here for Lewiston Louie's picture and story    ONLY ON OUTDOORS NIAGARA! EXCLUSIVE! ☺☺

NEW! New York & Ontario Fishing Regulations HERE

New Finger Lakes Hotspot Fishing Website!  Go Here

ALL DERBY DATES POSTED HERE Compiled by Bill Hilts Jr.

NEW! Drop Shot Fishing - Find Out HERE

Walleye Fishing Clubs - New York Walleye and Southtowns Walleye Associations
See how walleye fans keep these organizations afloat
Great story & brief history of these two clubs HERE

By Will Elliott

ALL THESE COLUMNS ARE UPDATED REGULARLY:

Go to Hilts Weekend Fish Locator
Go to Bill Hilts Outdoors Sunday Column / 
Go to Joe Ognibene's "Outdoor Scene"/
Go to Will Elliott's "Fishing Line"  / 
Go To Bill Josephs "Straight From the Field"
Go to Mike Gillis "Outdoors in Niagara Experiences"
Bob Confer's Outdoors

Fishing Tips Page ~                         

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 13 2009 - We must preface this report with some sad news. One of the local giants in the sportfishing industry passed away this week. Capt. Doug Stein of Grand Island, a charter captain and guide for many years, died after a valiant bout with cancer. Doug was the president of the Niagara River Anglers Assn. for nearly a decade, with one of his big initiatives being the first pen rearing project for salmon in the county. He was one of those guys willing to go out on a limb to support what he believed in and always willing to help when work needed to be accomplished to help the sportfishery along. He was a big man with an even bigger heart and I’m proud to say that he was a friend of mine. We fished, hunted and shot together and he will be sorely missed by many. Bill Hilts Jr.

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