Niagara River Fishing Tips

 


      

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Lower Niagara River Fishing Tips  For
Newbies
[And tough guys too]

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to “Niagara River Winter Steelhead”


Pick the Right Gear – Attention Steelheaders!
Bill Hilts Jr.
Beginning of winter in Niagara. First and foremost, you
have to be dressed for the part. Layers of clothing are the way to
go, keeping that warmth in as much as possible. There are days when
you can be overdressed, so being able to take off some of those
clothes can be just as important. And no matter how cold it can get
– remember that water flowing down through is pegged at 32 degrees –
when you are catching fish, it just doesn’t seem to feel all that
cold.Thanks to a new law that was enacted in 2009, all boaters (21
feet or less) are now required to wear a personal flotation device
from November 1 through May 1 – unless you are on a charter boat.
Charter vessels are exempt from this new legislation. That said,
it’s still not a bad idea either way.
We do recommend fishing with a
charter person your first time or two on the river to learn the
ropes. Capt. Frank
Campbell
actually provides survival suits for his customers as
an added precaution – and to help keep his clients warm. It’s food
for thought. If you are uncomfortable, you won’t have a good “total
experience.” His personal touches keep his customers coming back
year after year.For the fishing end of things, Campbell has some personal
preferences that all contribute to his success. For example, his
choice of rod allows him to catch more fish. “I use a Quantum Tour
Edition seven and a half foot medium action rod with a soft tip.
I’ve found that the fish will like to hang on to a bait for a period
of time and the soft rod tip will help keep the fish available to
customers longer. A stiffer tip will let the fish feel the
resistance sooner, causing them to let go of the bait offering,
whatever that may be – such as egg sacks, single eggs, egg
imitations like yarn balls, or live bait like minnows. More on that
a bit later. The rod also has slightly larger guides that will not
freeze up as quickly in the cold.The next most important component is the reel. Campbell’s
personal preference is a Quantum Energy baitcasting reel, outfitted
with eight pound test Cajun fluorocarbon line. “I use fluorocarbon
line for the visibility factor, especially when the water is clear,”
insists Campbell. “I also don’t get as much line stretch, so it
helps with the hook set. And when the water becomes super clear,
I’ll drop my leader off the three-way down to six pound test and
even extend the leader a foot or two.A three-way rig is the tried and true method for taking these
trout in the winter. Using a three-way swivel, they will extend a
leader off the trailing eye five to seven feet back before they
attach the bait. Off the bottom eye is a foot of leader with some
type of a weight attached. For rain fishing, Campbell prefers
starting out with a one ounce pencil lead. If the water is really
clear and he needs to get the bait away from the boat, he’ll trim
that lead down – sometimes in half – to get the presentation
required to catch fish. He may have to add weight if he’s fishing in
deeper water, again another consideration when facing clear
conditions.

“In the winter, when the ice bridge forms below Niagara Falls and
Lake Erie has frozen over, water clarity becomes an issue,” says
Campbell, who also serves as co-chairman of the Niagara Tourism and
Convention Corporation’s Board of Directors. “We have to adapt to
those clear conditions by downsizing our bait, lightening up our
line and fishing a bit deeper water. My hook size could be as small
as a No. 12, down from the normal No. 6 or 8 that I will use. Last
year, one of my best baits when the water was clear was a single
salmon egg treated with Pautzke natural cure*. It gave the egg a nice
orange tint to it and I would put that single egg into a sack. It
seemed to make a difference for me.” Knowing what the fish want on
any given day seems to be an intuition that Campbell has. Then
again, being on the water almost every single day doesn’t hurt
either. “Keep a good supply of different baits on your boat,”
reflects Campbell, “from minnows and yarn balls to egg sacks and Kwikfish. I can’t be caught without something that will work on any
given day.”

GO TO THE PAUTZKE BAITS PAGE
TO SEE THE VIDEOS ON EGG CURING AND PICTURES OF CATCHING FISH IN
DEVILS HOLE AREA

 

Niagara River Tips and Tactics Continued …….

Presenting your fish offerings in a way that’s appealing to
the fish is critical for consistent success.
“You have to figure
out what the fish want based on the conditions – be it clear water
or wind direction,” says Capt. Frank Campbell of Niagara Region
Charters and Kayak fishing. “Often it’s both. Boat control is essential for catching
fish.” Boat control is one of the biggest “secrets” to catching fish
when drifting the Niagara River for trout – how fast you drift, what
it’s doing to your bait, whether your boat needs to be turned
sideways or into the current, to name but a few. One of the hot
lures on the river is a Kwikfish. Similar to a flatfish, these
banana-type baits give a wobbling motion that trigger trout to hit.
Last year, with quite a bit of wind from the south or southwest,
those baits were on fire for all trout – steelhead, browns and lake
trout. Wind from these directions will push you down the river and
give these baits the motion required to make them most effective.
However, every one of the boats (Campbell operates a 21-foot deep V
aluminum Lund boat, the preferred choice on the Niagara) that fish
these waters for hire have a bow-mount trolling motor. If a
northerly wind is holding you up, you can always pull yourself along
and increase your speed to adjust and make just about any bait work
for you.

Best sizes for Kwikfish are K-8 and K-9. Top colors are silver,
silver-blue, silver-green, silver-pink, silver-chartreuse and gold,
again depending on the conditions of the water. Most of the guides
will remove the set of treble hooks on the belly of the lure,
especially if catch and release is practiced. And like the other
baits, a three-way rig is used with a slightly shorter leader.
Maintaining contact with the bottom is important to keep your
offerings in the prime fish zone on all accounts.

When wind isn’t as much of a factor, the trolling motor can be
used to keep your boat sideways. Egg presentations are normally the
same speed as the current or slightly faster, so keeping your line
perpendicular to the bottom can be a factor – but not always. “Stay
away from the pack of boats and find active fish on your own,” says
Campbell. “If you can find active fish, you can stay on them all day
and not be bothered by anyone else. And you can find fish throughout
the river, from Lewiston all the way down to the mouth on the
Niagara Bar and all points in between. Because this is a shared
resource with the Province of Ontario, having a Canadian fishing
license is a bonus, opening up new waters when the conditions
require flexibility. However, you can get away with just a New York
license just fine.”

So just how good is the Niagara? Like with any kind of fishing,
there are no guarantees. On the Niagara, an average day for Campbell
is to expect at least double digit hook-ups. You won’t catch that
many every time out, but you should have that opportunity all things
considered. There are days when you can catch two or three times
that. The average size for a steelhead trout is six to eight pounds,
but Campbell sees a good number of fish over 10 pounds. His biggest
steelhead to date was a 22 pound lunker. Brown trout average four to
six pounds and his biggest fish to date was a 30 pound monster. Lake
trout average eight to ten pounds and his biggest so far has been a
35 pound behemoth.

 


 

Hope this guideline helps the ones just
getting started!
This article with the following tips may help some
fishermen and yet there are others that use their own methods quite
successfully. This is meant as a general guideline to help “newbies”
get started. The riggings here have proved to be quite successful with
many seasoned Niagara River fishermen. There are more tips on this page
so be sure to read them all! There are other articles and pages on this
website that offer some great inside information on fishing the Mighty
Niagara. Lines and leaders depend on whom you
are asking. Most everyone fishes something similar.For Chinook [Kings] a good
generalization would be 14 to 17 pound line from your rod, and some even
use 20# line. Remember the heavier the line, the more water resistance
and more weight required. Leader off the 3-way swivel to the bait would
run 8 to 9 feet depending on the length of your fishing rod and if you
are using egg sacks or skein. That will allow your bait to move freely
and more natural. If using the favorite hard bait like
Kwikfish lures,
shorten up on the leader maybe to 5 to 7 feet. The leader line weight
should be 14-15# or less depending on your rod length etc. clear mono,
or a lot of river fishermen are using the new, thinner, stronger fluorocarbon
lines. The line off your drop pencil sinker should be 8 to 10 inches and
8 or 10 pound test mono so you can break off easily in case of a snag.
Sinker weight varies with the wind and the current.
Generally start around 1 to 1 1/2 ounce, Pencil sinker. Pencil sinkers can be cut
to size the way you want with a pair of side cutters or most needle-nose
pliers have a cutter on them.Tips on Steelhead, Lakers, Browns, etc.Basically, rigging the same way you would for Kings will provide
super results but DO lower your line poundage tests on your rod line,
[suggest 8-10#] leader line [6-8#] and your drop sinker leader [6-8#]
accordingly. Pencil sinkers can start at 1 ounce or less. In all cases,
make sure you are either on the bottom or just inches above it.
Niagara River Winter Steelhead offers some of the most fabulous steelie
fishing in the United States.Pay Attention:

  • Always use good line and good knots; especially pay attention to
    the fluorocarbon line knots.
  • The fluorocarbon lines are good but it lacks the elasticity
    required sometimes that is needed with big fish and light lines, light
    rods, and strong currents. Using it for leaders to your bait is a real
    asset because of its thinness. But make sure you go light.
  • A good trolling motor can be a great asset by helping you control
    your drifts.
  • Pencil sinkers help reduce the loss of conventional sinkers,
    therefore reducing the need to keep tying another rig every time you
    lose a weight. Especially in cold weather! Pencil sinkers come in
    different sizes and weights. Start with 1 ounce or 1 1/2 ounce and
    work from there.
  • In cold weather most fishermen will have their rigs all rigged to
    go BEFORE getting on the water
  • Always remember: Practice Safe Catch and Release!

Shore Fishermen Tips;

  • There are many shore fishing opportunities, and number one would
    be at the New York Power Authority fishing dock/pier. A long walk down
    to the dock but you can drive down and have someone drop you off or pick
    you up. DO NOT park your car there. There is parking provided at the
    top. You could be in for a heap of stink by parking below. There is very
    limited handicap parking below for those that need it. Always be
    courteous to the boat fishermen drifting by, even though some of them
    don’t seem to reciprocate, they are busy too.
  • Devil’s Hole State Park allows for a great fishing experience
    but is for the hardy and young at heart. There is a long climb down a
    set of stairs cut into the rock shale. Hauling a 25-pound salmon up is
    no fun either. But the fishing can be the greatest of all. By all means,
    do not go there without a camera. The scenery is just beautiful and
    trying to explain what you saw is not as good as the picture. Even a
    picture of your catch and release fish with the background of the river
    is worth framing. Fall is really exciting.
  • In Lewiston, go to the Artpark parking lot [free for fishermen]
    and walk towards the river. [Follow signs] There is access that will
    take you to some really nifty shore fishing. A long trail and well worth
    the price you pay for the walk. You will see the favorite spots to fish
    on the trail by the way the area looks along the shore. Some will be
    really beaten down from others using those spots. Again, don’t forget
    the camera.

OK. Shore fishermen. What baits do you use? Tough question. Everybody
has their own favorite but some true, long-standing favorites are heavy
spoons, spinners and egg sacks or skein. NOTE: all these lures
and methods work super if fishing off Olcott Pier and up stream from
there.

[See Photos Below]  Spoons could be Little Cleos, mostly silver with a blue stripe 2/5
ounce or K.O. Wobbler Spoons. Spinners, could be Super Vibrax in sizes 4 or 5.
Blade colors used are mostly silver, the body colors vary, but silver,
florescent green, or chartreuse are good choices. Florescent red has
been known to be a potent color on some days. Egg Sacks and/or Skeins
are tough to beat some days and at certain times in the Fall. They can
be bought at your local independent tackle dealer. Your independent
tackle dealer KNOWS what is hot. Your clerk in the big box stores are
there to draw a paycheck and need a sale to justify their job. Always
support your local tackle dealer, there are only a few left!

Spoons and spinners are best if used without snap swivels but we
suppose you could if you are into changing your lure sizes and colors
frequently. Tie directly on the end of your line and cast up river,
about at the 10 o’clock direction and allow the bait to drift down to
about the 2 o’clock angle and reel ‘er in, hopefully with that big
fish! Do the same with egg sacks/skein or single eggs sometimes. But now
you need weight. Three-way swivels rigged like the boat fishermen will
work or better yet, use a split shot of suitable weight pinched up the
line. The split shot should be up the line far enough to allow the eggs
to drift naturally.

K.O.
Wobbler Spoon     3/4 ounce


Super Vibrax Spinner Use #4’s or
#5’s

 

Acme’s Little Cleo ~ Use 2/5 ounce in this
color or the ever popular NNB color [Nickel Neon Blue]

Kwikfish
~ A “Banana Bait” used just like the other popular “Flatfish”


Typical # K-9 Kwikfish used for drift fishing the
Niagara – This is the popular Silver color – It is available in all
kinds of colors & patterns. Popular colors are silver with blue scale
sides, silver/pink, silver/green, silver/chartreuse. In many sizes but
sizes K8, K9, K11, the good sizes with K9 being the most popular. Kwikfish
rigging is done basically just like rigging a Yellow Sally or egg
sack/skein presentation with the 3-way
swivel and drop sinker. Wind, wind direction and current are critical for
proper presentation. 

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