August 2026 Reports
There was more stormy weather through the past weekend with another dose of heavy rains and then winds with rougher water for the beginning of this week. The open waters are a little mixed up now but hopefully settling out with flatter conditions for the mid or end of week. Charters and recs are getting back out there looking for those biggest of the season Kings for the remainder of the open Lake action. Look for heavy and stained water discharges from the Oak and local tribs. Inside waters have warmed up mostly top to bottom and some staging fish are likely to have slid back out to mid or off-shore waters. There are reports of a few trout running the Oak but with warmer water temps prevailing for now I wouldn’t expect any great numbers to be sniffing the trib waters just yet.
Hard to say what winds or water conditions may be ahead. Are we due for some hotter and drier weather after all the wet and cool that we’ve had – I don’t know? But now’s your chance to come ply the Orleans County and nearby waters and get in on what’s been a great summer bite and maybe get your derby fame in the big money grand finale LOC Fall Derby.
Capt. Mike G. of Get Hooked Sportfishing is out there right now Tuesday finding rough water. “We are at the 26- 27 line in really rough water! Water is warm but we are getting bites. All fish are 95 – 135 ft down.”
Capt. Bob S. from Sunrise II says “the inside water was starting to set up then the NW wind brought really warm water in. So the staging fish may have moved a bit deeper. The mid to off-shore fishing remains steady, a nice mixed bag of different size Kings and some really nice steelhead.”
Before the weekend stormy weather one solo rec boater found mature Kings in 250 – 280 fow. He spotted a break that looked to be easing out. He dropped two rods down and when he crossed the break the down temp at 90 ft went from 54 to 44 F and both rods went off. He worked the break for more bites and the best turned out to be at 250 – 260 fow just outside the break.
Don’t forget to use your eyes along with your electronics to find any fishy water!
Solid summer salmon action continues here at the Oak and Orleans County waters! There was some NE winds this past weekend that brought in some cool if not cold water, yet it didn’t seem to change what’s been largely an off-shore good bite. Most trollers are finding their action at the 27 line or around 400 fow and beyond. With less fanfare and a little slower and steadier - fish have been coming inside of that too. Some anglers remark that when you find fish its kind of like a wolf pack and that there will be more around at that spot. Then it may go a little cold until you troll into the next biting wolf pack.
Looks like a return to prevailing winds and a likelihood of shifting currents as the water temp profile tries to stabilize again. Recent Oak orchard weather buoy data will show you how quickly that water temp profile changes with conflicting currents. Savvy anglers are reading all the signs of what the spread is doing down below for speed and lure action. It matters to the fish and to avoid those not fun gear tangles! Trollers are getting their strikes on riggers and copper lines and divers with different colors working. If you have confidence in it then get it out there at the right speed and its been working.
Capt. Jon F. of Mister Charters says “fishing has been great. Started off the past weekend fishing in 70 – 90 fow for brown trout and found salmon mixed in too. Then the NE wind flipped the Lake enough to where we had to fish off-shore around the 28 – 30 lines for a great class of Kings and steelhead.”
CJO of Tightlines Charters has been into some nice mature Kings around the Bald Eagle area in 250 fow. “Kings are hitting flasher/fly rigs 40 – 50 ft down and steelhead on spoons 35 ft down. Limits are common on smaller fish for some boats but I’m so far into nice matures. We’ve been able to release some Kings for another day! Browns lately have been pretty quiet.”
PLEASE NOTE:
One of the east side boat launch ramps at Point Breeze is temporarily closed for NYSDEC spill containment and should be reopened by end of week Thursday or Friday. One ramp remains open and the west side Point Breeze boat launch ramps are open.
The Orleans County open water Lake action for Kings remains real good. There are still some nice steelhead in the mix too. But for the most part with both recs and Charters able to target, locate, have cooperate and box out usually early – why wouldn’t you try for these nice plump Kings that still seem heavy on the bite and feed!
One rec angler said the fish are usually taking the hooks deep. Kings and steelhead have alewife tails sticking out of their gullet yet they are still biting. And they are fighting crazy good. The sizes are good and averaging something better then last year. Guys are getting slamming strikes just setting rods or reeling in trying to break down! This good raft of fish and pods of bait out front of Oak Orchard and nearby waters has been consistent as of late, so hopefully anglers can get in on it before staging time when some fish may start easing toward home tribs like to the east.
The local Live Linz boat, a nicely appointed Tiara found their fish from about the 27.5 – 30.5 line mostly north of port. “Down temp at 55 ft was 48 F. Bam fly with a green geezer paddle and cut bait on green A-Tom-Mik heads on a 160 - 180 dipsey took fish. Any green UV spoons seemed to be working. The riggers were set from 50 to 75 ft down.”
Capt. Bob S. from Sunrise II Charters says “the fishing is on fire! A little bit off shore from the 26 – 29 line there are a lot of nice active fish - steelhead and Kings. For me it’s gold spoons on the riggers 40 – 70 ft down and paddles and flies on the divers.”
We are on the backside of heavy area rains through yesterday with more wrap around precipitation for Monday morning, and then some westerly stronger winds. The Niagara Frontier received 3 – 4 inches of rain in less then 24 hours so look for area tributaries to be running high and stained and pumping that water out into the Lake. This week’s weather ahead is looking decent, no major heat waves and chance again for precipitation by mid or end of week.
Nearly all Charter and rec anglers are having continued almost exceptional action right now. Kings are plentiful, most trollers are targeting them in the off-shore zone. There are some nice steelhead mixed in with those good salmon catches too. If you can get any of the smaller or immature fish in like on a rigger road without too much ado and it looks in good shape, its probably not going to limit your limit on bigger fish if you’re able to release that fish. Most all reasonable presentations at a fair speed and the right depth are getting bit – some anglers aren’t even getting their whole compliment of rods in the water.
Capt. Lou B. of Get the Net Charters says, “Saturday fishing out of Bald Eagle was nothing but spectacular! Most boats were taking good Kings all day. Our best water was 90 - 110 fow early, then 200 – 240 later in the morning. It was mostly a mag spoon bite for us, with active fish feeding heavily. Riggers, divers and copper lines all took fish. It was so busy we could only run 4 – 5 rods at a time.”
The Getting Wet rec boat recently had good mixed bag catches of salmon and steelhead on riggers and Chinook divers. Most of their bites came on green and black and gold combo spoons.
Capt. CJO of Tightlines Charters aboard Troutman2 is getting limit catches. “We are running half the standard number of rods and limiting out in a few hours. Anywhere from 100 – 500 fow has been good with fish attacking my “O frog” spoon - all that’s needed!”
