Skip to Main Content

Ron Bierstine from Oak Orchard Tackle & Lodge reported:

The rain thru the end of the past weekend was not enough to cause any great change in trib flows. Chance of maybe an ever so slight bump up and back down quick with a little more color to the water. A cooler, gloomy day today (Monday) with forecasted warmer days ahead mid week with chance of precipitation and windy conditions around Wed, Thurs. Any snow will be likely south of the area.

A few more guys out on the Oak today than the past weekend, but still not all that much fishing pressure. We took a look at flows and found the same medium-ish or slightly high that its been and some stain, but maybe not as dirty as reported a few days ago. Flows are plenty high enough to hide fish and encourage fresh fish migrations. Hook ups may come a little harder for guys used to lower flows. Looking out across the water and spotting fish def not as easy as it would be if flows were lower and clearer. Anglers report a few brown trout hook ups with steelhead hook ups possibly coming on stronger, and still a coho here and there. That may be a result of the good flows bringing in those steelhead. Look for flows to stay similar since the Canal feed is scheduled to continue thru the first part of Dec. Any significant precipitation could cause flows to go higher.

Other area smaller tribs like Sandy also hanging in with flows about as they've been, chance for a little more color to the water thanks to the last rain. By most accounts if you're moving around and trying different drifts and spots, guys are hooking up.

Ron Bierstine from Oak Orchard Tackle & Lodge reports:

A fall cool down on the backside of the weekend rains is upon us! A nice spate of water which is hanging on in the Oak and retreating in the other area smaller tribs back to the base Canal feed. There were briefly low flows in Sandy but my estimation is Canal feed has resumed and bumped flows back up slightly.

Fishing pressure is down all around, especially in the Oak. Some decent brown trout action now for most anglers on the Oak seemingly on the backside of these most recent higher flows. Most guys upstream- ish report good action while those downstream like in the flat water report tougher action. Note to self – after any kind of high water after stale conditions try more upstream then downstream. And that flat downstream water on the Oak is just tougher to fish period except for good float techniques or cast/retrieve. Classic drifting, not so much.

A couple anglers reported when flows came down thanks to turbine rack cleaning it revealed strong numbers of browns and some steelhead nearer the dam, even if they hadn't been good biters prior. This is in some contrast to earlier reports of mostly Kings kicking around on the lowering flows. Here's the skinny on the weather, and we are not meteorologists. Some LES is coming this weekend. And that's after a brush with some area wide snow tonight and tomorrow that might only be a dusting this far north on the WNY Niagara Frontier. Same for the LES that is coming. Its a semi serious band forecast to set up off Lake Erie. This area will be on the far end of it. Oh winds could shift it this way and that would mean we'll get some snow. But in all likelihood the greater accumulations will be SW of here with the chance that the WNY Niagara Frontier may not get all that much. Either way it'll be colder with continued clearing and lowering flows like in the Oak.


A special shout out to St. Mary's Archer's Club for providing breakfast for so many of our anglers and guests this past month and allowing them access for fishing! The team at Orleans County Tourism appreciates it as well as so many anglers we hear from.

Ron Bierstine from Oak Orchard Tackle & Lodge reports:

The weather it is a changing… A cool day today with winds NE off the Lake. Forecast ahead is for a mid week warmup with chance of rain or showers end of week and then sharply cooler for the weekend. The full moon that was maybe responsible for the uptick in migrations just recently is now on the wane. Chance of some Lake Effect Snow this weekend with any accumulations expected south of here off Lake Erie.

On the Oak guys are getting brown trout hook ups each day with that action seeming to heat up as the fresh salmon action begins to cool down. There are still Kings around, about in a one qtr green fish to three qtr old moldy ratio. Since its still busy with plenty of Kings around, anglers need to carefully spot the places where the browns are shadowing the Kings. Once pressured, browns may move a little distance from the tails of the salmon but they will still likely be in the closest broken water downstream. And along with the browns there's the chance for Atlantics, cohos or steelhead rounding out nice mixed bag chances. Brown trout on an average are on the smaller side this year with a bigger one here and there mixed in.

Expect daily water level fluctuations this time of the year because of leaf fall and wind. Flows are mod or almost med and mostly clear. Fishing pressure most days pretty agreeable with salmon anglers falling out of the mix now and only mod numbers of guys pursuing brown trout so far. Not sure if we are even going to see the typical influx of trout guys – those crowds are already tardy not unlike the trout and salmon migrations. Some anglers are spread out like in the other tribs east and west. With fair to good bolstered flows from the Erie Canal guys are reporting good brown trout action with a green King here and there and/or a sporty colorful coho.

Ron Bierstine from Oak Orchard Tackle & Lodge reports:

Welcome to November and better brown trout chances! And really – you may not want to give up completely on salmon efforts just yet. There's still good numbers of fish higher in the Oak watercourse nearer the dam. Many still in good green shape with some old moldies now on Halloween zombie patrol downstream. Fishing pressure not bad, as mentioned above we may be in a bit of a lull between ending salmon efforts and starting brown trout efforts.

Flows yesterday in the AM were down but did rebound nicely to the mod or almost med flows we've had this season. Nice to see most all flows now contained in the turbine channel. Some forecasted showers that for once turned into more like rainstorms yesterday and today have brought along that nice gloom for fish migrations, but probably will not change any trib flows much. Reports of lowering flows in Johnson Creek – and we are unsure why? Canal feed should be continued there so if we find out any intel for that we will pass along.

Warm weather forecasted to prevail all week and warmer yet for the upcoming weekend around 70°F. When it cools down eventually its going to feel downright chilly. Anglers are finding it an up year for Atlantics and cohos. Guys are getting hook ups daily. Not a lot of steelhead mentioned yet, but still plenty of time with colder weather ahead to bring on some chrome migrations. Brown trout reports still about 50% good/50% slow. Some guys reported a good push of browns yesterday on both the Oak and Sandy. Today seems slower again for some. Those fish are there somewhere and its likely not in the same old downstream water but probably upstream nearer where Kings are concentrated.

Check out the dandy nice big brown below Jonathan Halpert and Big Kev's Guide Service found on the Oak yesterday along with more hook ups.

Stay Connected