October 2025 Fishing Reports

By sun tan standards the weather sure is agreeable, by fall fishing standards not so much! We’ve had some amazing warm and clear and calm and sunny and dry days lately – and the near term forecast looks about the same. Chance of barely a cool down over the mid-week period, then warm again. No real good chance for any precipitation for about a week. The area remains in a droughty period.

Thanks to Erie Canal enhanced water feed for the Oak, Johnson and Sandy those tribs are fairing way, way better then would be expected due to the dry conditions. Those flows for almost med in the Oak and mod in the smaller waterways are allowing for the action we are having despite the warm weather. With a little cool down and added precip things could really pick up. Night time temps have been dropping back so water temps are at least not spiking hot.

So as much as we’d like to see a more serious cool down with some precipitation to fire up the trib and near shore Lake action, anglers are still getting into some good Kings on and off. At the Waterport dam there are pretty good numbers of fish reported, with the best bite usually early or late in the cooler temp periods. Otherwise in the bright and heat of the day its reported the fish aren’t in a biting mood. Downstream fast water spots aren’t yet holding many salmon that we know of. Please keep in mind though, that any fish at the dam has had to come through the downstream spots, so you just have to be there when they are migrating through. If they decide to hold for a bit in a slot or run then a drifting angler has a shot. Lately not a lot of fish reported crashing around in lower river staging spots. Small numbers may be stealthily moving thru or more then likely most fish are still staged in the Lake. 

There is a decent number of small craft boaters around Point Breeze working the Oak rivermouth like on the weekends. These casters and trollers and jiggers have reported some good action at times. The same bluebird calm weather though will make for a tougher bite out there when clear and calm water prevails – and so the low light or at night periods become the best option. Today there is a bit of a forecasted NE wind that could make for a little stain to the water. A prevailing W wind or something SW would sure help clear out a lot of weeds that have been troublesome at times. 

Stay tuned, the spawning salmon and soon to follow trout action should only improve as things might cool down and get a little wetter! 

The St. Mary’s Archers Club 2025 public access fall season parking will be from Oct. 10 through Nov. 11. Parking is $10, with gates opening at 4-5 a.m. and closing at 4 p.m. A lunch will also be served this year. For updates, visit the Sportsman’s Archery Club of St Mary’s Inc Facebook page.