# Lower Niagara



## kayak1979 (Jul 13, 2014)

My dad and I are going on an adventure of a lifetime to the lower Niagara mid September. Just booked the hotel today and we'll be launching out at the mouth of the river. We have no desire to go to the Devil's Hole at all so we won't have to worry about getting sucked into anything. Anyone that has any advice on tackle, line etc.? Please let me know as we will only have 2 days to fish this area and I don't want to come home without successful stories.


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## Noah F. Doak (Jun 8, 2015)

I've been there, it's amazing. Lots of salmon, lake trout, steelhead, and walleye. I would suggest drift fishing from a boat. We used salmon eggs and had great success with lake trout, and we went in early November. 










We landed several lakers including this one in the 20 pound range. Have fun and good luck.


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## kayak1979 (Jul 13, 2014)

Yes, we will be drift fishing from a 16' boat. I've read late August to early September the fishing begins to get good so I'm hoping mid September won't be too early. Lake trout are actually my #1 target as I've never caught one yet! Thanks for the information.


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## Deep Trouble (Jul 8, 2010)

Hope you have a great time. I fish that area a few times every year. Salmon will be in transition in mid September. If they haven't moved into the river yet you can troll for them just north of the Niagara bar. Best bet may be drifting the bar for a variety of species. Other options are the Stella and Art park drifts around Lewiston. You'll be drifting in anywhere from 10-40' of water. In the river you use a trolling motor to slow down the drift. Rigs are typically braided mainline to 3 way swivel with a 2oz or so pencil weight and a spoon, flatfish, egg sacks, minnows etc off the other end of the 3 way. Lastly, Devils Hole isn't that bad once you've done the drift with someone and assuming you have a reliable motor 

If you haven't seen the following sites before, they have a ton of info. Good luck!

http://www.outdoorsniagara.com/bill_hilts_fish_locator.htm

http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/39271.html


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## triton175 (Feb 21, 2006)

We went mid-September last year. The salmon were not running up the river yet so we targeted smallmouth. Caught a lot of smallies and had a great time. The area is just beautiful and the clearity of the water is amazing, you can see your bait 10 feet down. Drifted from Lewiston to Fort Niagra, used crayfish for bait.


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## KTkiff (Jul 30, 2004)

If you fish the coast guard drift you will catch a ton of smallies. I have been going up for a few years in my kayak. Dropshotting, tubes, jerk baits, cranks all work. I will tell you this right before the coast guard in the slow water right before it gets dark the smallies go on a feeding frenzie. It has happened numerous times. As for trout and salmon you will need to go up a little further to the faster water.


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## Steelhauler (Apr 7, 2004)

Sorry to say it's way to early for Lakers. They like really cold water. I usually fish for them from December through April. 

Wes


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## bcnulater (May 7, 2007)

Deep Trouble said:


> Hope you have a great time. I fish that area a few times every year. Salmon will be in transition in mid September. If they haven't moved into the river yet you can troll for them just north of the Niagara bar. Best bet may be drifting the bar for a variety of species. Other options are the Stella and Art park drifts around Lewiston. You'll be drifting in anywhere from 10-40' of water. In the river you use a trolling motor to slow down the drift. Rigs are typically braided mainline to 3 way swivel with a 2oz or so pencil weight and a spoon, flatfish, egg sacks, minnows etc off the other end of the 3 way. Lastly, Devils Hole isn't that bad once you've done the drift with someone and assuming you have a reliable motor


I've been fishing Devils Hole since the 80's and I would *NOT* recommend following the underlined advice given !!
I know of a couple horror stories there and in one case an inexperienced guide went in the wrong place and lost his life, one of his passengers life and the boat. In front of the American Power Authority Dam there can be 2-3' drop offs in the water and when things are "just right" whirlpools can open up big time !
My trips up and down thru that area number in the 1000's, I myself am a very experienced boater and I would never attempt it. Call Chris Cinelli (google him) and he'll do his best to get you on a boat whether with one of his guys or someone else. The man knows that river like no one else.
Trolling the mouth and the bar and drifting the coast guard for smallies however IS good advice


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## kayak1979 (Jul 13, 2014)

bcnulater said:


> I've been fishing Devils Hole since the 80's and I would *NOT* recommend following the underlined advice given !!
> I know of a couple horror stories there and in one case an inexperienced guide went in the wrong place and lost his life, one of his passengers life and the boat. In front of the American Power Authority Dam there can be 2-3' drop offs in the water and when things are "just right" whirlpools can open up big time !
> My trips up and down thru that area number in the 1000's, I myself am a very experienced boater and I would never attempt it. Call Chris Cinelli (google him) and he'll do his best to get you on a boat whether with one of his guys or someone else. The man knows that river like no one else.
> Trolling the mouth and the bar and drifting the coast guard for smallies however IS good advice



So everyone is saying that I have absolutely no chance of catching a brown trout or steelhead or salmon at the mouth area at all? I was told by someone who lived there that they will be there.


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## KTkiff (Jul 30, 2004)

I have caught all 3 at the mouth of other creeks that time of year but not the Niagara. I have heard they just shoot right up the Niagara that time of year and stage at the other smaller creeks. I have only gotten smallies around the mouth. I did see a laker caught but that was later in the year.


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## Steelhauler (Apr 7, 2004)

I didn't get that out of the posts. All I said is that there's a slim chance of catching a Laker this time of year. You stand a pretty good chance for Salmon. They start staging for the run about that time. And the Steelies and Browns follow the run. I hope you guys do have the adventure if a life time

Wes


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## larry peters (Jul 16, 2012)

I was born and raised in the Buffalo/Niagara Falls area. The lower (and upper) Niagara River fishing Is really as good as everyone says but very seasonal. Go for what's hitting - don't get stuck on one or two species. There are times your back will hurt from catching big salmon and trout. Other times you will only catch weird fish like eels. And yes, sometimes you'll get skunked. Respect the catch and release local customs on various game fish. Any questions - don't hesitate to ask the locals or the New York or Ontario game wardens. There are plenty of fish to go around and people here are more helpful than most places. Don't be shocked at the prices - it is a border town. Don't stay in crummy motels - they are an embarrassment to us. Keep shopping - there are good motels that are worth your money. If you learn the excellent area interstate system and drive before or after the short Rustbelt traffic rush you'll find great off season lodgings in the suburbs of Buffalo/Niagara Falls at low costs. Don't fish Ontario waters (be careful here, especially on the upper Niagara) without a non - resident license (and a flashlight in your boat). Believe all those stories about what was dumped in the water during and since WWII. If you want to take a chance and eat those fish - OK - just don't feed them to children. I am in my sixties with terrible cancer. A shocking number of my childhood friends (especially the women) that ate local fish and local garden vegetables as children are cancerous. No one knew. Now you do.

Here's where we go when we are done with boat fishing or the weather is bad. From mid September to late May. follow the river to the Goat Island tourist area. Do not cross the bridge to Goat Island. Turn around and park across from Goat Island. Start across across from the southern tip of Goat Island and work the bank south for about two hundred yards. Use 5/8ths ounce Little Cleos in chrome and green or blue. Expect snags - the water is only 3 to 4 feet deep. Sometimes this place is lousy with big steelheads. If nothing, get in your car and drive south to the "Waterfowl Viewing" turnoff. Work that shoreline with Cleos to the giant "Boating Forbidden" sign. Try for smallies with spinners where the waste water stream empties. If nothing, stay out of the casinos - it's not your day.

Sorry this so windy but I've met many out of state fishermen there that stayed in filthy motels and spent way too much money. Spend a day with a good map, wandering around and talking to the locals. It's a great place to fish and doesn't have to be a bank buster. I am too sick to fish it now. But I had over sixty good years there. Have fun.

Larry Peters


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## kayak1979 (Jul 13, 2014)

Leaving Sunday night and it's all I can think about right now. Wish the week would speed up, and I'm hoping this cold front will get some of the fish moving in! I heard Blue fox pixee spoons are good too...anyone have a recommendation on what size spoons for salmon?


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## kayak1979 (Jul 13, 2014)

larry peters said:


> I was born and raised in the Buffalo/Niagara Falls area. The lower (and upper) Niagara River fishing Is really as good as everyone says but very seasonal. Go for what's hitting - don't get stuck on one or two species. There are times your back will hurt from catching big salmon and trout. Other times you will only catch weird fish like eels. And yes, sometimes you'll get skunked. Respect the catch and release local customs on various game fish. Any questions - don't hesitate to ask the locals or the New York or Ontario game wardens. There are plenty of fish to go around and people here are more helpful than most places. Don't be shocked at the prices - it is a border town. Don't stay in crummy motels - they are an embarrassment to us. Keep shopping - there are good motels that are worth your money. If you learn the excellent area interstate system and drive before or after the short Rustbelt traffic rush you'll find great off season lodgings in the suburbs of Buffalo/Niagara Falls at low costs. Don't fish Ontario waters (be careful here, especially on the upper Niagara) without a non - resident license (and a flashlight in your boat). Believe all those stories about what was dumped in the water during and since WWII. If you want to take a chance and eat those fish - OK - just don't feed them to children. I am in my sixties with terrible cancer. A shocking number of my childhood friends (especially the women) that ate local fish and local garden vegetables as children are cancerous. No one knew. Now you do.
> 
> Here's where we go when we are done with boat fishing or the weather is bad. From mid September to late May. follow the river to the Goat Island tourist area. Do not cross the bridge to Goat Island. Turn around and park across from Goat Island. Start across across from the southern tip of Goat Island and work the bank south for about two hundred yards. Use 5/8ths ounce Little Cleos in chrome and green or blue. Expect snags - the water is only 3 to 4 feet deep. Sometimes this place is lousy with big steelheads. If nothing, get in your car and drive south to the "Waterfowl Viewing" turnoff. Work that shoreline with Cleos to the giant "Boating Forbidden" sign. Try for smallies with spinners where the waste water stream empties. If nothing, stay out of the casinos - it's not your day.
> 
> ...



Thanks for all the information Larry. We will be fishing the lower only though and for the most part will only go upstream from Ontario to Lewiston and back to Fort Niagara State Park. If it is not wavy we may venture out onto the bar in Ontario as well


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## KTkiff (Jul 30, 2004)

I was up there camping this weekend and fished very briefly in my yak around Fort Niagara. The smallmouth were hitting very good that day. If you are dropshotting or fishing a 3 way rig make sure you have enough weight.


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## KTkiff (Jul 30, 2004)

Oh and no signs of many salmon in the river yet.


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## kayak1979 (Jul 13, 2014)

The first day at the Lower Niagara was a bust. We started at Fort Niagara and trolled a good distance upstream. Then decided to motor further upstream towards Art Park. On the way the only other fishing boats out were around the Stella area and they were drift fishing for walleye. We got our boat to the Art park area and saw how strong the current was and decided not to go further. The current was going different directions and was turning the boat erratically. We stopped at the launch there in Lewiston and I talked to some people and a guy gave me some good info at the shore about going over to Olcott and trying the 18 mile creek and pier area. The lake on Monday was way too choppy that big boats weren't even going out. We made our way over to Olcott and tried pier fishing. We watched a nice salmon get landed from the pier. Being the photographer I am...I grabbed my SLR quickly and captured the photo below. That photo gave us hope and suddenly our spirits were lifted to land one ourselves. We fished there for about 3 hours and finally gave in to hunger and left for the evening since we had been awake since 4:30 am. I had heard the fish really turn on during the night and early morning so we planned to get to Olcott as early as possible the next day.

Tuesday morning came fast and we arrived at Olcott marina before dawn. We were out on the water and were able to watch the sunrise while on it. The pier was loaded with fishermen, many more than the previous day. I didn't see any landing them. Charter boats were cruising out past us as we were just in a 16' aluminum bass tracker PanFish 16, which is a flat bottom...but I had kept a careful eye on the nearshore forecast and saw it was Southwest winds 5 to 10 knots and 1 to 3 foot waves. The lake was very nice for us as we didn't go too far from the harbor. There were some other smaller deep v boats as well trying their luck. I told my dad to swing around back from 30 to 40 fow towards the beach area near the pier and troll alongside back towards the channel at the pier. We were in 12 fow when I saw my Uglystik double over that had a Blue Fox Vibrax Spinner (blue/silver) #6 which is really big! At first it seemed like I wasn't fighting something big and thought maybe I had a smallmouth but soon the drag was peeling and I knew it was a salmon. Sure enough it jumped and the fight began. My dad did a fine netting job and I landed my first salmon ever which was a king! It ended up being 33 1/2" and 15 lbs. That was the only fish we caught and I really was hoping to catch one again and let my dad fight it, but the luck wasn't there for both of us. Regardless it was great to fish with my Dad who is approaching 70 years old. It's great fun to catch fish, but more importantly it's a blessing to do so with the guy who first showed me how to put a worm on a hook and catch bluegill. On the way back to Ohio I told him we've come a long way from catching Northern Pike in the Cuyahoga. =)


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## miked913 (Feb 29, 2008)

You're done now! It only takes 1 you'll be back!


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## KTkiff (Jul 30, 2004)

Very nice job. I am sure you will be hooked like me and go back every fall. Take the yak the next time! Lol

Are you sure that is not a steelhead in the pic on the pier? While the Kings porpoise a lot I haven't had any go airborn like that up there.


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## KTkiff (Jul 30, 2004)

Very nice job. I am sure you will be hooked like me and go back every fall. Take the yak the next time! Lol

Are you sure that is not a steelhead in the pic on the pier? While the Kings porpoise a lot I haven't had any go airborn like that up there.


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## FL-boy (Feb 12, 2013)

Me and a couple buddies go to NY every fall. We go further east and its later in the year. Fly fishing for the Browns, steel, coho, and atlantics that follow the Kings upstream. They're all awesome but hooking into and landing a King on a fly is one of the greatest rushes. I love it over there and we have the countdown going year-round. 33 days by the way. I wanted to say Larry that is awesome the amount of info and learned knowledge you shared.


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## kayak1979 (Jul 13, 2014)

Thanks I will be back there for sure, already thinking about taking my kayak just for a day trip waking up early and making the drive. It is worth it after catching that first one! It was a king, at first I thought it was a different fish as well from the way the light was hitting it, but I had other photos and here is one zoomed in once it was on the pier. I also ran into that same guy who caught the fish standing by his boat when we were back at the harbor the next day and while talking to him he said he had caught a king yesterday on the pier and then it clicked and I said hey you're the guy who caught one while we were out there. lol


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## RedJada (Jun 21, 2009)

Gota love that Olcott sunrise....


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## Noah F. Doak (Jun 8, 2015)

Nice! Those are some beautiful pics


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