January 2026 Reports
We are in the midst of some winter weather with cold temps and snow. The previous winter storm made for 12 + inches of snow here for all of WNY. For now, there is 1 – 2 ft of windblown accumulations. Cold temps are expected to hang in at least through the upcoming weekend with teens for highs and single digits or lower for lows. Chance of some snow showers off and on, but no serious accumulations are expected.
Any effects for WNY from the east coast winter storm forecast for this weekend are so far not well forecast. The LES machine off Lake Erie is mostly turned off for now because of ice cover. However, LES from upstream Great Lakes or off NW winds off Lake Ontario are still possible for the area.
Angling effort has fallen off in relation to the cold weather coming on and most tributary waters are becoming iced up. The area's smaller waterways, east and west of the Oak, have low and clear, and frozen flows. Those waterways will continue to build ice and become more inaccessible with the current near-term forecast. Flows in the Oak are low – mod and clear and heading toward lower and more frozen flows as the cold weather may deepen. Downstream frog water spots are frozen and mostly closed in. Moving upstream, the faster water areas' bank ice is likewise building and as future flows may go lower, then those drifts will also close in.
For now and in the near future, with the same cold temps forecast, the most viable drift spot on the Oak will be at the dam. With long, light, and subtle presentations of small jigs or bait, the residing steelhead there will turn on and off for some hook-up action. Consider quick land and release or leaving the fish in the water, as these cold temps can be rough for fish out of the water, like with quickly freezing gills.
We have a good snowpack out there now, and groundwater recharge is already decent, having improved from previous fall-time droughty conditions. We’ll have good flows for sure, as the weather may break toward spring, so we’ll have to wait and see if it’ll be a slow warm-up or something like a fast and furious melt off that brings some more fresh steelhead action not too soon enough!
Welcome back to winter! Looks like this end of Jan weather is now settling into a winter cold snap. Dec was looking like winter had settled in, then we got a bit of a break for the end of Dec and beginning of Jan with warmer temps and a couple of higher water events. Those nice flows had made for good steelhead action in the Oak and even opened up flows in the other area tribs.
The Oak Orchard area is currently escaping most of the current lake-effect snow, but wind and cold temps are expected this week after a moderate temp day on Wed. High temps for the upcoming weekend may be in the single digits. Southwest of here, off Erie, is where the bulk of the lake-effect snow band(s) are setting up. There is currently just a few inches of windblown snow here in Orleans Co. Niagara Co accumulations may be more. An area-wide snow from a clipper system is expected Wed with the chance for a few inches of accumulation.
Look for flows all around to be dropping, clearing and icing up, especially in the smaller waterways. Flows in the Oak are moderate and mostly clear. There are a few drift anglers plying the waters, mostly at the dam. Action has gotten tougher with the dropping and clearing flows, but there’s still been some real good fish hooked up.
Those earlier fresh fish from the last recent higher flows are lurking somewhere, like nosed up to the dam or dropped back to slack water. Downstream flat, frog water is likely headed to frozen-over conditions. The other area, smaller tribs have low to mod and clear and mostly frozen or slushy flows that will be getting all the more icy by the day for now.
There’s a nice couple of days warm-up underway today and tomorrow with high temps forecast around 40 and it looks like some anglers are targeting this nice weather window. Chance of some rain showers through tonight or tomorrow, but no significant accumulation is expected. Previous rain from a couple of days ago likewise did not amount to all that much, so for now all the waterways are slowly on the drop.
There’s a quick cool down expected after falling temps tomorrow, and then it looks seasonably cold through the upcoming weekend with the chance for some LES for a few inches on NW winds. Although right now it looks like all tribs are open with fishable conditions, another cold snap could ice back up the smaller waterways.
Flows in the Oak are slightly high and look like one click or so less than the turbines being maxed out. Flows consist of all turbine flows with about 2 ft of stained viz. Conditions look real nice by winter time standards and fresh steelhead could show at any time. There’s still a decent amount of guys spread through the stream course, with prob a few more guys at and nearer the dam. A few anglers report the hook-ups are coming a little slower than when the first bit of fresh fish (and uneducated) showed up not too long ago.
There are dead drift float guys using beads and jigs and sacks. There are fly guys dead drifting egg patterns and nymphs and some are swinging or retrieving streamers too. Nearly every day, we hear of some angler hooking up on a hard-fighting big chrome fish, even if they don’t land it! Those are the kind of steelhead that bring us out this time of the year! The other area, smaller tribs look to be offering up a fishable window right now without any serious icing conditions.
There may still be some lower river ice or jams, but upstream fast water areas are open under med to slightly high and stained flows. Look for 1 – 2 ft of viz and the chance for some fresh steelhead or browns redistributed.
Judging by the amount of cars at the Oak, it doesn’t seem like that many anglers have spread back out to those smaller tribs. Some conscientious anglers have remarked that the litter and trash and debris along the waterways, especially at the Waterport dam, is disappointing. On these private property fishing parcels, like on the power company property, we would all do ourselves a favor to preserve the fishing privileges by picking up after ourselves. Let's keep it neat and clean and carry trash out so we can all enjoy future access for fishing!
The weather is somewhat up and down so far for this beginning part of the new year. There’s been some colder days with snow and then following there’s been some warmer days. Long-range forecasts through this month of January are so far pointing to more of the same up-and-down weather.
In the near term, there is a warmup forecast with above-freezing temperatures for the rest of this week that may last into the start of the upcoming weekend. Chance of rain or showers for a couple of days this week, with the possibility of 0.25 – 0.50 inches of rain through tonight and tomorrow.
Flows in the Oak are somewhere between mod and med and just slightly stained or going on the clear. Look for flows to likely not drop much more in the near term, thanks to the forecast. There is a better chance that flows could be on the rise at some point this week, thanks to rain or warm temps or snowmelt.
The steelhead action by winter time standards has been good, although the earlier fresher run fish are now prob a little more educated and nosed further upstream nearer the dam. The lowering and clearing flows can make for spookier fish, but generally, the flows have still been high enough for productive drifts in most of the traditional river spots. Jigs and flies and bait like worms, wax worms, and egg sacks have been producing.
The other area, smaller tribs east and west, have low to mod flows that are mostly iced in or running slushy. After this week's forecasted warmup, we’ll have to wait and see if any of those waterway flows will come up enough to open up better fishable conditions. The nice little bit of recent early Jan steelhead action sure is encouraging for later winter, spring action in the more typical Feb, Mar, Apr timeframe!
