March 2026 Reports

There’s a good slightly high and stained water window in the Oak and area smaller tribs on the back side of previous higher flows from warm temps, rain and snowmelt. Looks like the WNY south shore of Lake Ontario is pushing toward spring now. Warmer days, more direct sunlight and precipitation mean it's spring steelhead time! Oh, no doubt we’ll have some cool days ahead too, but that just helps prolong the cool water tributary window for steelhead action and the remaining or fresh run brown trout.

Flows in the Oak are slightly high and stained with about 1 foot of visibility. There’s a strong head of turbine flows, probably at or near max and overflow levels have diminished. Previous higher and dirtier flows may have retreated somewhat quicker than expected. Look for turbine flows to stay up even as water color may clear up some in the near term. Chance of passing rain today, Tue, and more again tomorrow, Wed. Any significant precipitation could quickly raise flows back up again with dirty water color and overflow water. Snowpack is gone now and so runoff will be more direct with a chance for dirtier water color. Somewhat of a cool down in temperatures is expected for the end of the week.

Light to mod fishing pressure on the Oak is reported with fresh fish action. Even thru the higher and challenging flows of the past weekend, anglers were into some nice steelhead. Look for good drifting chances up and down the water course now when flows are more drift and swing friendly and before any high water may return. Ice cover is gone from Lake Alice so trib water temps could be on the rise thru the higher 30’s or into the 40’s F. Some primed steelhead are likely to stage or spawn despite what the “book” says about higher spawning temps. With up and down weather so too will be the spawning activity. Plenty of redds can be worked unseen in higher and dirtier flows. Success for anglers on the Oak has been with jigs and bait like at the dam, egg sacks throughout the waterway and big dead drifted egg fly patterns or swung flies.

The other area smaller tribs are open through their whole stream courses at med to slightly high flows and stained water color. Look for the same high water window there now for fresh fish chances before any new precipitation might raise water flows again. Just a few anglers are spread thru those waterways finding some steelhead to the west and mostly browns and a few steelhead to the east. Near-shore big Lake casting or trolling action can be at hand too when there’s cooperative wind, waves and slightly stained water color at hand. In most cases, boat ramps and launches are clear of ice or plowed snow, but launch docks are still some weeks away from installation. For trollers its still primarily a small tin boat pursuit with bigger Charters still in prep and shake down mode.