Lake Erie & Western New York Fishing Hotline

November 30 to December 8, 2023

New Albion Lake

Important Notice: There will be temporary impacts to fishing at New Albion Lake due to lake water levels being lowered during spillway maintenance work beginning on Monday, November 13. See DEC's Press Release for details.

Lake Erie, Harbors & Tributaries

Cattaraugus Creek has far and away offered the best fishing conditions and steelhead catches so far this season. There have been some bright spots on the other Lake Erie tributaries, but chronic lower water levels has generally dampened the fishing there. However, with a couple of flow bumps in the past week, there are now more steelhead scattered around the other creeks. At report time (Thursday) stream levels ranged from moderate to slightly lower. Probable snow melt later Thursday followed by rain on Friday will certainly bring creek levels up. Keep an eye on the USGS Streamflow Gages when planning your outing. In colder water conditions, drifting techniques with egg sacs, trout beads, egg flies, nymphs and jigs fished at the bottom is a dependable approach. Slow down the drift and target tail-outs, seams and current breaks.  For those new to steelhead fishing see the Steelhead Fishing in Lake Erie Tributaries page.

Important Notice: Due to site and trail improvement projects, the Valentine Flats parking lot and access trail at the Zoar Valley Multiple Use Area are closed until further notice. The nearby access point at Forty Road on S. Branch Cattaraugus Creek remains open. See Zoar Valley Multiple Use Area for details.

When weather has permitted, a few hardcore Lake Erie anglers have been catching decent to good numbers of yellow perch between Cattaraugus Creek and Sturgeon Point. Depths around 55 feet is a good starting point. Launch docks remain in place at Buffalo Harbor launch all year. Launch docks have been removed at most other Lake Erie launches, but the launch ramps remain open.

Niagara River

Anglers have until December 15^th before muskellunge season closes on the Niagara River, and the tail end is often the best of the season.  Target muskie by casting large stickbaits or drifting and jigging large tube jigs (8"-10"). Trolling around the outer Buffalo Harbor breakwalls and gaps produces muskie catches as well.

Lower river anglers have been enjoying solid action for a variety of species. However, this week’s high winds and resulting muddy water has shut down the fishing temporarily. Look for the shoreline action to pick back up first as things start to settle out. Anglers in the upper drifts and gorge had reported a plentiful mix of lake trout and steelhead, with a few brown trout mixed in. With lake trout and brown trout spawning in full swing, trout beads, egg sacs and egg patterns have been hot. Brown trout numbers are better in the mid to lower drifts. Smallmouth bass and walleye are other possible catches. When weather has permitted, anglers report a great bite on the Niagara Bar for lake trout and brown trout, along with some silvery king salmon mixed in. Lower Niagara River season notes: Lake trout season opens on December 1^st; muskellunge and tiger muskellunge seasons close on December 15^th. The NYPA fishing platform and other fishing facilities are closed for winter season. For fishing access maps and lower river fishing information, see Fishing the Lower Niagara River.

Attention anglers: The Artpark State Park Fourth Street entrance and Parking Lot D (lower lot) are closed until mid-May 2024 for a site improvement project. The lower park and shoreline are still accessible to pedestrians who park in the upper lots and walk down.

Lake Ontario, Tributaries, Harbors & Piers

The crowds have died down, but the fishing remains pretty good at Eighteenmile and Oak Orchard Creeks. Brown trout are still the most prevalent catch, but steelhead numbers have been on the rise with the colder weather. There are still a few king salmon around too. The action has slowed a bit at Sandy and Johnson Creeks, where anglers are catching mostly brown trout and a few steelhead. Smaller streams remain very low with no fishing effort observed. I would expect flow levels to be trending up with rain arriving on Friday, so keep an eye on the streamflow gages. Note the trout and salmon daily limit of 3 in combination in the Lake Ontario tributaries is not to include more than 1 brown trout. See the Fall Fishing Program for detail on supplemental Erie Canal water releases. For those new to salmon fishing, see the Pacific Salmon Fishing in Lake Ontario Tributaries page for more information.

Chautauqua Lake

Muskellunge season is closed as of December 1^st. During the transition period between open water and ice fishing seasons, there is typically not much fishing activity. However, walleye are typically available along shorelines at night. Try casting shallow diving stickbaits. Vertical jigging round the deeper holes in the north basin for walleye is also worth a shot. Visit the Chautauqua Lake page for more information.

Surplus Broodstock Trout Stocking

DEC Randolph Fish Hatchery completed the fall stocking of broodstock trout between October 6 and October 30. All broodstock trout are over 2 years old. The following waters were stocked. Quaker Lake received 250 rainbow trout (14"-30") and 400 brown trout (12"-24"); Red House Lake received 30 rainbow trout (30") and 450 brown trout (12"-18"); Case Lake received 800 brook trout (12"-18"), 75 brown trout (12"-24") and 50 rainbow trout (12"-24"); Harwood Lake received 390 brook trout (14"-18"); Allen Lake received 325 brook trout (14"-18") and 50 rainbow trout (14"); Lake Flavia received 50 brook trout (14") and 125 brown trout (18"-24"); Genesee River received 400 brown trout (18"-24") and 450 rainbow trout (14"-30"); Cattaraugus Creek received 465 brown trout (12"-24"); East Koy Creek received 825 brown trout (12"-24"). Call the Randolph Hatchery Stocking Hotline at (716) 358-2050 for updates.

If you need more fishing information or would like to contribute to the fishing report, please call or e-mail Mike Todd (716-851-7010; [email protected]). Good Luck Fishing!