The Fishing Line - November 19th Edition

Freshwater Fishing, Fisheries Management, and Fishing Access News

In This Issue:

• Stay Safe While Boating During Cold Weather Months
• Catch and Release Trout Season Reminder 
• Lake Erie Tributary Angler Survey Kicks Off
• New Fishing Access Site in Lewis County
• Annual Landlocked Atlantic Salmon Egg Collection Complete
• Make a New Thanksgiving Tradition

Stay Safe While Boating During Cold Weather Months

Just a reminder that from November 1 - May 1 everyone aboard a boat less than 21ft. in length (including canoes and kayaks) must wear a life jacket while underway.

Go online for more information:
Boating Safety & Laws 
Boating in NYS 

Catch and Release Trout Season Reminder

The new Catch and Release trout season in New York (Oct.16 - March 31 using artificial lures only) applies to inland streams only. Tributaries of the Great Lakes, Finger Lakes and Lake Champlain (from their mouths to the first impassable barrier) are not included in these regulations. The same applies for lakes and ponds.

For more information on regulations pertaining to the new Trout Stream Management Plan, visit DEC's website or check your current Freshwater Fishing Regulations Guide.

Lake Erie Tributary Angler Survey Kicks Off

As water temperatures cool down on Lake Erie and summer turns to fall, the focus of many anglers switches from the open lake to the tributary steelhead fishery. Lake Erie is stocked with the highest number of steelhead annually (~1.8 million) of all the Great Lakes, producing a world-class tributary fishery that typically boasts some of the highest catch rates in the country.

To assess the quality of the tributary steelhead fishery, DEC conducts an angler survey every 3-4 years to measure angler effort and catch rates on NY’s eight stocked tributaries. The 2021–22 survey began in October and will run through April.

Weather and stream conditions play a huge role in fishing effort and success, and frequent high rain events during October were a double-edged sword. Although it brought in fresh runs of fish, it also kept the streams in less-than-optimal fishing condition. Overall, steelhead angler effort was at a record low this October, with anglers mostly focusing on Eighteen Mile (PDF) and Chautauqua creeks (PDF). Despite reports of very good numbers of steelhead in all the Lake Erie tributaries, October catch rates were also lower than expected. The overall catch rate was 0.23 fish/hr, the lowest measured since the survey began in 2003 (October average = 0.45 fish/hr). While this is a low catch rate for the Lake Erie tributaries, it still ranks quite high nationally. As is typical, fishing quality varies between streams. In October, Buffalo and Cayuga creeks had the highest catch rates at 0.47 and 0.38 fish/hr. Cattaraugus Creek (PDF), NY’s largest and most popular Lake Erie tributary, is particularly susceptible to poor fishing conditions following rain events, and was mostly unfishable during October resulting in a catch rate of only 0.17 fish/hr.

Steelhead Streams in Western NY

Steelhead Fishing in Lake Erie Tributaries

(Taylor West on Chautauqua Creek, 2021, photograph used with permission)

New Fishing Access Site in Lewis County

Anglers now have boating access on a 10-mile stretch of the Black River between Castorland and Carthage that did not previously exist. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant fishing access site is located in the Town of Denmark at the confluence of the Deer and Black rivers. It features a single-lane gravel launch, with an additional area for launching canoes and kayaks. Anglers also have improved access to Public Fishing Rights (PFR) on 0.35 miles along the Deer River and approximately 0.66 miles along the Black River. Anglers can find smallmouth bass, walleye, northern pike and chain pickerel in this section of the Black River. DEC Region 6 Operations constructed the site with Marks Farms Natural Resources Damages settlement funds.

For more information, visit our website. 

Annual Landlocked Atlantic Salmon Egg Collection Complete

Over the course of two chilly days on Little Clear Pond in November, staff from DEC's Adirondack Fish Hatchery and Region 5 Fisheries completed the annual landlocked Atlantic salmon egg take.

Staff collected a total of 748,100 eggs from 174 wild females and 156 captive broodstock, allowing DEC to meet stocking targets for 43 waters throughout New York State.

Thanks to the continued success of this annual effort, anglers can expect good opportunities to catch a leaping landlocked.

Make a New Thanksgiving Tradition

Already harvested that big buck this year? Why not get out fishing on Thanksgiving morning and start a new tradition? Great spots to fish are closer than you think, so you can be sure you'll be home before the turkey's out of the oven! 

Plan your trip today.