July 2025 Fishing Reports
The anglers are a wandering out there! Well, some are, mostly the rec boats that are moving to offshore waters. But charters have been a little more stay-at-home, and Capt. Mike G. of Get Hooked Sportfishing says, “There are Kings in 80 – 100 fow. There is a chance for a NE blow coming Wednesday night and through the end of the week.” We will have to wait and see if that is realized and what that may do to the temp profile out there. Not that long ago, with NE winds and the resultant cool water moving around, there was a whopper King caught aboard Troutman2 in just 30 fow out of the Oak. Now that’s a nice surprise and will test a brown trout spread!
Boaters and trollers, be aware that Oak Orchard dredging operations are all clear. Don’t forget you can check the Oak Orchard weather buoy for up-to-the-minute water and temperature conditions one mile north of the rivermouth. Info is golden to take note of the thermocline level. The most recent hot and humid weather is expected to break by mid-week with a chance of showers on Thursday and a return to some cooler temps.
One of the accomplished rec boats from PA out there off-shore found some more consistency than their trolling efforts of a couple of weeks ago. The Mike D. crew filled some of their freezer with nice King and coho and steelhead fillets that they carefully first bled, iced and filleted and pulled the y-bones. Now that’s the way to respect the resource while making great future table-fare! Kings came deep on meat or flasher and flies. The direction of the troll and prob lure action vs current played a role in hook-ups, but 2.2 mph was pretty solid. If they were not getting bit, but the screen looked good, they changed direction and speed, and then the rods would fire.
The Chris and Chelsea G. crew fished in 400 – 500 fow to the west. That area produced Kings and bonus cohos and steelhead over the past 2 weeks, with lately being more consistent. Meat with a green glow Twinkie was best, and they said, “We love Lake Ontario fishing, no matter how the catch rate is.” That’s a great fishing spirit!
Capt CJO of Tightlines charters says, “Adult Kings have become more consistent off the Orleans County coastline. Fishing depth can vary based on water temperatures. This week we’ve hit big Kings from 30 – 90 ft, and mixed bags have included big football browns and bonus Atlantics. Remember minimum size for Atlantics is 25 inches, and catch and release can be carefully practiced. Fish On!”
We’ve had slightly cooler and less humid weather so far for the start of this week after rain at the end of the past weekend. Our old “friend,” the east winds have tried to make a comeback, but so far are limited to earlier in the day, whitewater. The forecast ahead looks warmer and more humid and chance of storms through the weekend. Always check the marine forecast when heading out. Weather and winds with fast-moving storms can change for the worse rapidly.
Diversity is the name of the game in the Lake Ontario Orleans County waters. This season’s trolling action may well be remembered for the mixed bag action as much or more than the number of Kings landed. Yet even though mature Kings remain somewhat elusive, big fish are still coming to hand. Just check out the summer LOC Derby results for confirmation of that. If the salmon keep eating bait for the rest of the summer, there should be some legit heavyweights for the fall LOC Derby and tributary runs!
One serious rec angler described the action as a “casual pick.” Great numbers of Atlantics, chunky browns, good steelhead, those cooperative cohos, and fill-in lakers are making up for any perceived shortage of Kings. Fish seem hungrier now, too, with bait showing up as more scattered than earlier in the season when spinning bait was everywhere.
Tightlines Charters CJO says, “several programs are working on whopper browns and Atlantics with skirmishes on Kings day to day. Modified spoons are getting the goby eating brownies at Bald Eagle to the Flats, as well as west at Green Harbor to the County line. Northwest and west winds usually push the fish together.”
Oak Orchard die-hard anglers Karen and Dan J. had several steelhead just shy of the Summer LOC leaderboard by only an ounce! They let the fleet get an early start and took a leisurely 1000AM start and found their hook-ups around the 29 line straight out of the Oak. The King and one steelhead came on a dipsey with a bikini bottom paddle and a Leonard Fly. The other 2 steelhead came on a raspberry NK mag off a downrigger 72 ft down.
Capt. Rob W. of Legacy Sportfishing has for sure been making the best of the diversity and getting his anglers multiple hook-ups. Check out the Lake Ontario grand slam that his NH anglers boated just recently. Look at those quality fish – all 6 species of trout and salmon! That’s a tough creel to pull off anywhere else in Lake Ontario and perhaps in the rest of the Great Lakes! And how about this to top that off? That’s the 2nd Lake Ontario grand slam for his anglers so far this season. Now that’s making the best of things with quality hook-ups! Lately his action has been inside of 150 fow.
The summer trolling season is in high gear now on the Lake Ontario Orleans County waters! Only a sea bag can help slow it down! Plenty is going on – like the summer LOC Derby with robust leader boards all around, the second leg of the KOTO, charters, and rec anglers all bending rods. Hook-ups include more and bigger Kings, good numbers of Atlantic's, brown trout, and plump-looking steelhead. Congrats to Dave Wolinski of Team Richmond VI for the KOTO second leg victory. They’ve been leading from the wire, but the tourney is close and there’s still time for more competition.
The summer hot weather is hanging in fairly consistently. Calm winds lately or meager lake breezes are the norm. Mostly dry weather with storms and rain over the past week passing north or south of the area and blowing up once past the Niagara Frontier going east. The forecast is for continued hot weather through mid-week and a chance of thunderstorms with a slight seasonal cool down ahead for the weekend.
Hard to pick one best pattern yet, trollers are working in different zones. But the productivity has definitely improved. Capt. Lou B. of Get the Net Charters says, “Fish are still scattered, but fishing has improved. We are finding the best water just west of Bald Eagle Creek at 150 – 250 fow. Spoons are best for Kings and steelhead with a few cut-bait bites. Bites are higher early on and then deeper at 60 – 80 ft down later in the morning.”
Tim M. from PA aboard the Yankee Troller on Crazy Yankee Sportfishing brought in the big King good enough for 5th place in the summer LOC. It fought so hard that they had to slow the boat down to fight it into the net. It hit off a diver out 150’ rigged with cut bait. Capt. Rick H. said, “We were on the 26N line trolling east. The thermocline was down 45- 50 ft. The bait was a Kryptonite E-chip pulling a homemade meat rig running in 48°F water.”
The Rigger Mortis boat got a good King and the 18th place steelhead for the summer LOC. They were catching them on UV Michigan Stingers at or just below the break in 56 – 58 F water, which was about 54 ft down this past weekend.
Other serious rec anglers like a family team from PA, as of today, got some big Kings over 20 lbs and 4 brown trout. A local tin boat troller also of today on a short AM troll before work got 3 species (King, coho, steelhead) all in close, where he found the best cool water.
Oak Orchard river mouth dredging efforts are just about wrapped up. We expect the heavy equipment barges and tugs to be departing soon. With more and more boating traffic out there, including anglers and pleasure boaters, let's all use courtesy and respect while we give appropriate rights of travel so all can enjoy time on the water!
Summer and warmer weather look to be finally settling in here on the Orleans County waters of Lake Ontario. Hot weather and the resultant warming Lake temps are upon us.
Coming off a busy July 4th weekend, it feels like more trolling anglers are out now, and they are having better success. Charters are grinding away, and now it's good to see a healthy amount of serious rec anglers working the water too. Yes, many anglers are still searching in-shore or off-shore – but a good outing might bring 2 – 3 or more mature to the back of the boat. The weather ahead in the near term looks to continue warm with highs in the 80s F. There were some passing storms for the beginning part of the week, and the forecast looks clear for this mid-week. Slight chance of thunderstorms for Thursday and again for the end of the upcoming weekend. Any lake breezes for now look light and variable.
The Mark and Teresa team aboard Getting Wet recently fished a couple of days and had good catches of cohos in the 8 – 10 lb range. Most of their action came in 300 – 450 fow fishing anywhere from 55 – 75 feet down. Teresa took a great steelhead on a flasher/fly off a chinook diver out 195’. Mark got nearly a 20 lb King on a white 2face flasher and Atomic stud fly off the chinook diver out 210’.
Another solo troller decided he should check the nearer shore waters off the Park for a few hours sunrise troll. There were good marks and lots of bait. All the previous stressed dead and dying alewives look to be done, and there were still big pods of bait out there at 35 – 55 feet down. One good fish took a rip on a flasher/fly off a wire diver out 160’ on a 2.5 setting. One hundred to 120 fow was the hot zone for a couple more matures netted. One came off a rigger at 70’ with a flasher/fly, and another on a standard diver out 120 on a 2.5 setting. Water temp was 49 F down 70’ and 55 F down 60’, so that’s not too bad for an inside water set-up.
Did you know there’s a salmon so big here at the Oak we need a trailer to move it?! Charlie the Chinook is the “King” of Orleans County, don’t you know, and he made a big splash at the July 4th festivities and Lyndonville parade. Maybe you were able to snap a quick photo while he was “creeled” at Point Breeze this past weekend.
Charters and rec anglers are covering water and hunting up some on and off good action here on the Orleans County waters of Lake Ontario. The most consistent pattern has been change! Seems like we get a day or two of stable weather and traditional summer temp patterns try to set up. Last week about mid-week it was 44 F down at 95 ft and 55 F down at 70 ft and most fish were coming at 65 – 95 ft down. Then there was another east blow end of week that ripped that all up. That sent the fleet back in search mode for the past weekend. And once again it looks like the Kings are starting to show back up.
Lately and so far for the start of this week savvy trollers are easing north and looking. Fish might be found anywhere from 250 fow or out to 450 – 500 fow. Watch the forecast and marine forecast if heading off shore. Today there is the chance of passing storms and it looks like favorable weather after that with prevailing winds. Slowly but surely all that cold spring water is getting milder and hopefully that will mean more consistent action for the summer ahead. Come on out to the Oak for your fishing fireworks for July 4th!
Capt. Jon F. from Mister Sportfishing had a good day this week with his West Virginia anglers. “The name of the game is cover water. We fished from the 25 line to the 32 line yesterday and picked off a few fish. We came back to the 29 line at about 500 fow and found 44 F down 60 ft. It was an all flasher and fly bite for us and we ended the last part of the trip strong with 8 fish.”
Boaters be aware that routine dredging (usually every 4 – 5 yrs) is taking place at the Oak Orchard River mouth. Routine dredging helps keep the harbor open for all mariners and makes for easier and safer passage. Access to the open Lake is still available but do give the working barges and tugs wide berth. They are working long and hard to clear out for their next job. We are a few days into what should be something like a 2-week effort.
