Syracuse.com - June 6-8: Fishing remains slow on Lake Ontario; trout streams looking fine thanks to recent rains

[HuntingNY-News]

Anglers are still catching lots of panfish and catfish on Cross Lake. CNY FISHING FORECAST Reminder: The regular bass season opens June 16. Bait stores (list and map). INLAND TROUT STREAMS Streams across the area are low, but in good shape thanks to rains earlier this week. To find out how many trout (and what kind) are stocked in your favorite Onondaga County stream, call 689-0003. To hear the DEC’s weekly fishing report, which includes a list of streams that have been stocked in Region 7, call 607-753-1551. LAKE ONTARIO Fishing continues to be slow. Anglers report catching lake trout in 120 feet of water on the bottom, using cowbells (a series of flashers) with peanut rigs (floating jighead, with beads and a treble hook). Also, some are having luck using heavy (2- or 3 –ounce) bucktail or butterfly jigs and vertically jigging off the bottom. SALMON RIVER Water has gone down recently. A few smallmouth are being caught and released in the lower end, with an occasional sighting of a skamania or an Atlantic salmon. Also, some small stocked steelhead are being taken.OSWEGO RIVER Occasional walleye are hitting night crawlers, leeches, bucktail jigs and large stickbaits. Sheepshead and rock bass continue to be active throughout the river. Try using crayfish or worms. ONEIDA LAKE Walleye anglers continue to do well on the lake with fish being taken in 15 to 25 feet of water. Good baits continue to be bucktail jigs tipped with a fathead minnow and spinners and worm. Anglers are also catching perch and bluegills on minnows. Pickerel fishing continues to be very good in most of the lake. Pickerel, though bony, are good eating. The easiest way to deal with the bones is to filet the fish and then grind the filets in a food processor and make fish patties with them. Size limit for pickerel is 15 inches and the daily limit is 5. CROSS LAKE/SENECA RIVER Anglers are still catching lots of panfish and catfish on the lake. Nothing to report from the river.CAYUGA LAKE Lake trout are coming on flasher and fly rigs fished 40 to 120 feet down over 60 to 150 feet of water. Fishing stickbaits or spoons from the surface down to 30 feet, in 40 to 100 feet of water is still working for brown trout and Atlantic salmon.SENECA LAKE Atlantic salmon and brown trout fishing continues to be good fishing 15 to 20 feet down. Spoons fished off Dipsey Divers have been working well. Lake trout fishing has been good for anglers trolling flasher/flies or spoons with downriggers. Lakers are near bottom over a wide variety of depths ranging from 40 to 120 feet.OWASCO LAKE A few lake trout are being taken in 60 to 100 foot of water on spoons with the afternoon bite being better. Northern pike are hitting large minnows on the south end, while yellow perch are still hitting small minnows and night crawlers on the north and south ends. Also, some nice-sized sunfish are being taken, near the northern end. Occasional reports of walleyes being taken by anglers drifting with mooneyes in about 25 to 30 feet of water near northern end.OTISCO LAKE Bass fishing continues to be good for anglers getting out for the catch-and-release season with jigs working well. An occasional tiger muskie is being taken around the lake on minnows, and a few walleye are being taken off the causeway and from other, off-shore locations after dark. SKANEATELES LAKE Bass fishing along the shore has been good with plastics. Remember its catch and release only until June 16. Perch are still hitting in the north end of the lake in the 20- to 30- foot range using small minnows. SODUS BAY Perch fishing has slowed but bluegills and rock bass have been active. Pike are hitting along the weed edges.SANDY POND Northern pike fishing has been good and fish are being taken on Rapalas and spinnerbaits. Walleye fishing has been slow on the pond.WHITNEY POINT RESERVOIR Trolling around the islands and fishing below the spillway is producing some walleye. Yellow perch channel catfish and bullhead are being caught north of the islands.

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