February 2025 Fishing Reports
In somewhat fits and starts, it looks like we are breaking toward some milder weather. Not to be confused with an all-out warm-up, with blowout runoff and the opening of all waterways—just not yet, anyway! For now, we have a few days of warmer temperatures and some rain showers today. There's also a chance of more rain around midweek, with above-freezing temperatures hanging on until about Thursday. Precipitation may only reach around 0.25 inches on the high end of the forecast.
Nighttime temperatures are dropping back just enough to slow the rate of melt-off, and later this week and into the weekend, those nighttime temperatures will drop further toward outright freezing. Flows in the Oak are up to about moderate from low and are still mostly clear. Flows will likely continue to rise in the Oak over the next couple of days as hydro managers make further adjustments, so expect something like medium or higher. The water color should also continue to get more stained.
Other area tributaries, even down to the smallest waterways like Marsh Creek size, are still iced in. They are definitely running somewhat higher and dirtier, but for now, those flows are mostly under ice, and all downstream estuary waters remain ice-covered. We'll have to wait and see how much, if at all, the smaller waterways will continue to open up over the next few days of this warm-up.
The more agreeable weather and temperatures have brought a few more anglers out on the Oak, but fishing pressure remains light. Some of the dour winter fish that have been hiding around should be reinvigorated and redistributed thanks to the rising and off-color flows. There's also a chance that any fresh steelhead holding in the lower river Oak waters could move upstream with any rising waters after such a long previous period of lower flows.
This week's fishing report by Ron Bierstine...
After the past weekend snows, we’ve come into more wintery weather for this week. Cold temps are expected through the week. Even though the Lake Erie lake effect snow machine has been mostly turned off because of ice cover, there is a Lake Ontario band setting up that actually originates from the upper Great Lakes. Orleans County is getting brushed by it with wind and off and on snow expected through Wed.
There is a travel advisory and roads are hard to travel in exposed areas because of the wind and whiteouts. Chance of an area wide snow of a few inches on Thu. Temps and weather may moderate some by the close of this weekend. No one is fishing that we know of.
Flows in the Oak are low and running chunky thanks to the cold and snow. Downstream slow water areas are slushing up. That stretch of water may close in completely soon. Other area smaller waterways are iced in. So for now the area is building up something like a 2-foot snowpack (much higher banks and drifts in spots) that will surely mean a high water spring when it begins to melt.
Into Feb now and winter weather is hanging on. A modest area snowpack is building though, and right now there is about a foot of windblown snow that should yield better flows ahead when it melts.
The forecast ahead through the week is for cold temps except for a quick warmup midweek with a chance of rain after starting out as a wintery mix or snow. The short-lived warmup and any liquid precip may be absorbed by the existing snow so not expecting any great run off just yet. Chance of another winter storm and minor snow accumulations for this upcoming weekend.
Flows in the Oak are real low and clear. Moving water remains open, except for bank ice, and there is still an open channel in downstream slow water areas. Other area smaller waterways are iced up. If you are hardy enough you can possibly find some open driftable water in the most upstream fast water areas on the largest tribs like the Genny. Niagara bank drifts or Lund drifts will be available too as the weather may dictate.
Just prior to the real low flows coming on again there were a few darker steelhead hook ups like in the pic below. And at the dam the resident sore mouth fish should also drop a float here and there!
A few guys out on the Oak are finding mostly low and clear flows. There’s (skinny) open water to drift from the dam all the way to the downstream flat water. A little bit of recent melting and precip doesn’t seem to be enough to change flows in the Oak just yet. If the power company bumps up the flows at the Waterport dam there is the chance for flows to come up a little.
The other area smaller waterways are up slightly to mod flows but the rise in flows looks to be moving through under the ice cover and nothing has opened up significantly. For now and ahead everything seems to be tightening back up with temps back on the drop. Temps are forecast highs in the 20’s F and into the 30’s F on Thu with a chance of a wintery mix of precip before a change over to rain or showers.
On the Oak there’s open water to drift or swing from the dam, downstream thru some of the holes/slots and at the downstream flat water beyond the bank ice. Intel is pretty light, but small and light presentations should yield a few steelhead or brown trout hook-ups.
We’ll have to wait and see how the weather ahead goes, but there’s at least a little bit of snowpack now and reasonable groundwater levels that could mean some run off ahead. With the chance for all the waterways to open up on some future later winter or spring warm-up with higher flows, there should be more options for fishable water – and fresh steelhead migrations should be not far behind!
