Fall Preperation’s
As summer has come and seemingly just about gone, we find ourselves a few weeks away from Labor day in the states. A sure sign fall has arrived, it marks a change of schedules, fisheries and sceneries.
Kids start the voyage back to school, water temperatures begin to drop and leaves begin their annual color change before dropping to the ground. This time of year runs parallel to spring, as being my favorite time on the water.
As the water temperatures begin to average lower, we see our lake run fishery begin to take flight. Depending on how cold the temps average, along with the water levels, will determine where and when the fish begin their annual migration.
We start to see Salmon showing up in the Lake Ontario tributaries first. Mainly King’s, they infiltrate most of the tributaries that surround the lake. The Salmon River being one of the biggest early season attractor rivers, its a good waterway to gauge when the fish are entering systems. It’s not only a dam release, but the headwaters are based in the Tug Hill Plateau, where higher elevations bring some cooler, early season water.
On the Lake Erie side, we have fish running to the smaller, colder systems first. Although, I am surprised to see sporadic fish enter some of the larger systems early when conditions aren’t ideal. The NYS DEC has done a good job stocking Rainbow Trout fingerlings in past years which helps with some of those early returning fish. We see quite a few stragglers from other states that surround the lake, but mainly Pennsylvania as they stock an immense amount of fish into their small portion of Lake Erie.
The Niagara River begins to show its cold water fishery around October / November. Salmon, Browns, Steelhead and Lake trout all start stacking up on the banks of the river. One of the most amazing and intimidating fisheries I think there is on the east coast, this river makes or breaks anglers. One skunking on this river leaves anglers not wanting to return for years, but to the contrary, a good day on this river has anglers spending multiple days at a time fishing the uneasy edges of this 200,000 CFS monster.
Uncle Ryan & first mate broomer
We begin to see other fisheries pick up. Inland trout streams start to see fish movement, as Brown trout start their migrations to spawn. We have some phenomenal inland trout fishing that can be had relatively year round, but we start seeing some larger fish in zones they haven’t been in since the spring before. This is the time of year where you cant pass up any pocket, edge or undercut as you never know where these fish are sitting. Late season attractor patters, streamers and nymphs all play a role depending on the current conditions you are fishing.
