Ontario Tributaries (Where it's at....)

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Catch and Release

 

There's nothing wrong with keeping some fish for the frying pan. Fish are delicious and eating a few fresh fish is a great way of capping off a fun day of fishing. If you plan on releasing fish though, there are some steps you can take to help improve the survival of the fish.

Methods for Releasing Fish:

1. Use barbless hooks; they cause less damage to the fish.
2. Play a fish no longer than necessary. To do so decreases its chance of survival.
3. Wet your hands before touching a fish that is to be released. Dry skin will remove the mucous coating on trout. Avoid touching the gills.
4. Use of a landing net also increases the survival rate of a trout.
5. Gently push the hook out and cradle the fish in your hand, underwater and facing upstream.
6. After a moment, allow the fish to swim free. If the fish turns upside down, catch it and revive it as stated above.

Wiscoy and East Koy Creeks are nice for Troutdoorsman

WISCOY CREEK:
 Fed by cold springs these are some of New York State's finest wild brown trout streams. The Wiscoy Creek flows southeast thru Bliss and Pike.  There are about 9 miles of public access, popular with fisherman.

• A section of the North Branch of Wiscoy Creek can be accessed north of Bliss, off Route 362 (Pearl Street).
  Trout Brook is a quality tributary with brook trout that is just south of the East Hillside Road Bridge.
  Main Street, Route 19, near the Pike Library.
  Beardsley Park Rest Area on Rt. 39 outside of Pike.
  Water Street, west of Rt. 39, on CR 50.
  Rt. 19 to Canal Street turns into East Koy Road, CR 24, with 4 marked access points.
  
  
   CHECK OUT THIS LINK FOR A NICE CATCH AND RELEASE ON THE WISCOY
  https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10151565366139429&l=5123019477841586734
  
  
  NATIVE BROWN CAUGHT BY ANDREW MOCHRIE ON WISCOY CREEK
    

EAST KOY CREEK:

Nearby is East Koy Creek, which is between the hamlets of Hermitage and Lamont.  All these streams eventually combine and flow into the Genesee River.  This area of hills, forests and streams are very scenic.  There are several areas along these streams with public fishing rights access, about 12 miles.

• Bridge at Rt. 78 and Hermitage Road.
  Bridge on Hardy's Road, CR 10, SE off Rt. 78.
  Green Bay Road, east off Hardy's Road, south off Rt. 78.
  Shearing Road, east off Green Bay Rd., at railroad tracks along Shearing to Rt. 19.
  Murphy Road parking area, west of Lamont.

Hidden Gem with Brownies

Little Buffalo Creek in Marilla, NY has some great stock trout opportunities.  Andrew and I fish this stretch of creek every April and we never leave disappointed.  Most people fish the two rod sections of the creek but we have landed a fair share of the big boys in a honey hole that I can say produces.  We kept tossing the lures and they kept biting. The panther martins and the rooster tails usually do produce on this stretch of creek.  We like to fish were others don't and walk a great distance of the creeks.  In this spot the stretch of creek calms and turns about thigh high and there is a nice cut bank of sorts.  Its not too far from the East Rd Bridge and offers a sort of solitude from the slob fisherman on two rod. We have found that the fish move up a great deal and even though we did not land too many this year in years past its been pretty decent. The spot is within easy distance to walk and you don't need to worry about the pricker bushes and such that some honey holes have. Highly recommended spot for springtime stockers!!! till next time sniffers...... Keep on sniffing!!

Cazenovia Creek also has a wide variety of fish that run through its waters. Species include catfish, Large and Small Mouth bass, and Rainbow and Brown Trout to name a few. We fished the part of the creek located in Holland NY and caught quiet a few brown trout. Andrew was using his trusted panther martins and I was on the rooster tails and worms.  We moved downstream by Emery Park and saw a fellow fisherman catch his limit for the day.  He said that the shiners worked all day which was evident by his stringer full of two year old's. 
                              

Here are some of the Fish that we caught in Caz Creek:

Andrew on right caught a two year old with (panther martin)

Tim on left caught a small one year old with (mepps rooster tail)

Five more tips from the Sniffers!

1. For trout fishing, the leader should not be greased. It will not sink far enough to cause any difficulty when picking the line and lure from the water, but if it is allowed to float; it will cast a shadow on the bottom of the stream which may scare the trout.

2. The trout is one of the fishes that are usually secured through the use of the dry fly. For trout, the current as well as the pools should be fished. It may sometimes be a bit difficult to keep the fly from sinking or dragging because of the various conditions of the current, but this is a matter that the angler will have to figure out for himself.

3. It is not good practice when fishing for trout to fish directly upstream so the flies, line, and leader will float directly over fish. The fisherman should make the cast from one side of the stream so the fly will only float over the fish.

4. It is important to make the first cast the best. A feeding trout will usually strike the first lure presented if it is cast so that it will float over his private domain. The angler should never fail to fish the lower end of the pool first even if the trout are rising in the middle or upper end.

5. Trout are sometimes very moody or selective and will try the patience of any angler; hence, possibly a fly with less hackle will do the trick or it may be necessary to use a spent-wing fly or a fan wing.

FLY GUYS TOP 5 TIPS FOR SPOTTING RUNS OF TROUT (GOOD READ)

There are tricks to more effective run scouting. Here are my five top tips:

1. Get as high as you can, then as low as you can. In other words, seek a vantage point above the river, like high on a bank, even up in a tree. Once you get to the high ground, you want to keep a low profile, and not go jumping around so you will stand out and spook fish.

2. Put the sun behind you. This dramatically increases the risk of you casting shadows on the run, and shadows spook fish. But I'll trade that for a brighter clearer picture.

3. Find the right polarized glasses. As we discussed earlier, I think finding one pair of all-around glasses that you trust is more effective than wearing 10 different tints for 10 situations.

4. Learn to identify what is NOT a fish. The sooner you lose the distractions, the easier it is to tell what the real fish are doing.

5. Confirm your information. When you see a fish rise, don't barrel right down into the river. Watch it happen again. Then slowly slink into position. The more you understand why fish are behaving a certain way, the easier it is to catch them. You can't capture the why with one glance.

APRIL 1st 2013 !!!! More too Come!!!!

What does a Trout Sniffer Get for Easter?

Know what you are trouting about!

Steelheads are Running!

Lake Erie and Tributaries

Steelhead fishing opportunities remain throughout
the winter on the Lake Erie tributaries.

Although it is officially spring, it still feels like winter steelheading conditions. The creeks are open and flowing well, but anglers should expect snowy shorelines, floating slush in the mornings and shelf ice in the slack and slow water areas. Medium sized streams like Chautauqua, Canadaway, Eighteenmile, Buffalo and Cayuga Creeks are your best bets. They have moderate flows and favorable steelhead catch reports. Fresh steelhead are moving in and are spread throughout the creeks. The smaller streams have low and clear conditions. Cattaraugus Creek flowing at about 660 cubic feet per second is getting close to fishable condition, however daytime snowmelt will likely keep Catt flows running at current or higher levels. Egg sacs, egg pattern flies, trout beads and jigs with grubs work well in cold water conditions, drifted slow and deep. As we transition into spring, look for steelhead to hit additional baits such as stonefly imitations, streamer patterns, minnows and nightcrawlers.

Some steelhead are paired up and actively spawning. It is recommended that anglers avoid (not fish) active spawners and take care not to disturb redds (gravel nests), as natural reproduction adds to the future steelhead returns.

For those new to steelhead fishing, see the Steelhead Fishing in Lake Erie Tributaries page for information on steelhead fishing tackle, equipment and links to steelhead stream maps. The fish passage project at the Westfield Water Works dam on Chautauqua Creek has been completed. This fish passage gives steelhead access to an additional 10 miles of stream that runs through a deep, wooded gorge. There are about 7 miles of public fishing rights easements (PFR) over that stretch of stream. See the Chautauqua Creek PFR Map (PDF) (409 KB) to view these public access areas.

Under Pressure to Fish? FYI WNY Sniffers

 How Barometric Pressure Effects Trout Behavior

 The Swim Bladder

      

     When it comes to fishing, most people don't give the weather a thought other than for their own comfort. But, the same weather that makes us miserable also makes trout uncomfortable and therefore, knowing both the recent and present Barometric Pressure in your locale can help you to pick a good day to go fishing. The reason this information is helpful has to do with the relationship between the atmospheric pressure and the trout's Swim Bladder (buoyancy compensator). FYI, the amount of pressure that the Earth’s atmosphere exerts as it presses down on the Earth’s surface is measured in units called either "millibars" (mb) or "inches of Mercury" (inHg) and changes in this atmospheric pressure (also called barometric pressure) cause the ambient pressue on a trout's swim bladder to increase or decrease accordingly which can make the trout uncomfortable. So, as a general guideline for the continental United States, think of 30 inHg (1016 mb) to be a normal level with 30.5 inHg as an extreme high and 28.5 inHg as an extreme low. Thus, because a higher or lower barometric pressure exerts more or less pressure respectively upon the surface of the water, the water pressure also changes in direct proprotion to the changes in the atmospheric pressure and therefore, fish feel these changes in their swim bladder. Consequently, a rapid rise or fall in the barometric pressure or an extended period of either extreame high or extreme low barometric pressure can make a huge difference in the quality of the fishing on any given day. Consequently, a slight change +/- of just 0.02 inHg is enough to positively or adversely affect a trout populations feeding habits. Therefore, it is very important for a fly angler to be aware of the Barometric Pressure in their locale and how it affects both the weather and the fish’s habits and to use that knowledge to their advantage.

DEC Stocked Trout Listing Erie County

Erie County, DEC Region 9

Water	Town	Number	Date	Species	Size (inches)
Buffalo River	West Seneca	4000	Spring	Rainbow Trout	8 - 9 inches
Cattaraugus Creek	Sardinia	2760	March	Brown Trout	8 - 9 inches
Cattaraugus Creek	Sardinia	600	March	Brown Trout	12 -15 inches
Cattaraugus Creek	Sardinia	2180	April	Brown Trout	8 - 9 inches
Cattaraugus Creek	Sardinia	350	April	Brown Trout	12 -15 inches
Cazenovia Creek-East Branch	Aurora	2760	March	Brown Trout	8 - 9 inches
Cazenovia Creek-East Branch	Aurora	300	March	Brown Trout	12 -15 inches
Cazenovia Creek-East Branch	Aurora	70	April	Brown Trout	8 - 9 inches
Cazenovia Creek-East Branch	Aurora	360	April - May	Brown Trout	8 - 9 inches
Como Park Lake	Lancaster	200	April	Rainbow Trout	8 - 9 inches
Eighteenmile Creek	Boston	550	March	Brown Trout	8 - 9 inches
Ellicott Creek	Amherst	1250	April	Rainbow Trout	8 - 9 inches
Lake Erie	Buffalo	1000	Spring	Rainbow Trout	8 - 9 inches
Lake Erie	Evans	3640	Spring	Brown Trout	8 - 9 inches
Little Buffalo Ck	Lancaster, Elma	580	March	Brown Trout	8 - 9 inches
Little Buffalo Ck	Lancaster, Elma	200	March	Brown Trout	12 -15 inches
Main Park Pond - Village of Clarence	Clarence	300	April	Rainbow Trout	8 - 9 inches
Sprague Brook Park A and B Pond	Concord	200	April	Rainbow Trout	8 - 9 inches
Sprague Brook Park A and B Pond	Concord	100	April	Brown Trout	12 -15 inches
Sprague Brook Park Veteran's Pond	Concord	200	April	Rainbow Trout	8 - 9 inches
Sprague Brook Park Veteran's Pond	Concord	100	April	Brown Trout	12 -15 inches
Springville Field and Stream Club Pond	Concord	200	April - May	Brook Trout	8 - 9 inches

Thanks for the Support WNY Fishing Magazine

Tim MochrieWNY Fishing Magazine

19 hours ago · 

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