Niagara River early December?

[sailinghudson25]

I am going to be at niagara falls 1st week of december.  Is it too late for any good fishing in there?  Also, what do you advise for lure or bait at the fishing pier by the plant?   I got the usual assortment of striped bass fishing gear.  Weights, rigging, spoon, bucktails, 11 and 9ft medium surf rod 1/2-3oz range w/30lb braid.  Got a 50lb and 80lb braid with heavier 10ft rods for chunking.

 

Thinking a slider rig with a bank sinker and a kwiskfish or spoon.  What size bank sinkers and what size spoons?  Colors? 

[Jeremy K]

Fishing the power plant  is only decent if the number one turbine is turned on (the one closet to the pier) I would start in the corner closet to the wall . It forms a nice whirlpool that you can throw something bright (white or chartreuse twister) into that whirlpool . If there are other people fishing that corner ,there is an order of casting that works so everyone can get a drift . I typically stay away from fishing  the power plant all together. You can fish from it anywhere and usually catch sheephead if that is something you're into.

[sailinghudson25]

sheepheads are there?  Like the saltwater ones.   IS the plant daytime only, you know the hours?

[turkeyfeathers]

Used to fish Art park    Long way up the stairs after you’re done.  Lake trout and occasional steelhead.  Lake trout only tug when turned sideways but you’ll know you have a steelie when they start a run upstream and drag screams.   We used spinning combos with 8-10 pound test and powerbait eggs.  Be careful, that river is dangerous 

Edited November 22, 2018 by turkeyfeathers

[sodfather]

Big Lakers on the lower Niagara but boat and drift sock works the best for those 

[sailinghudson25]

Howdo you rig for the plant pier?   Float, weight, and jig.   Steelies are on the bottom?  OR they can be anywhere in the water collumn where an eddy is.

[Jeremy K]

21 minutes ago, sailinghudson25 said:

sheepheads are there?  Like the saltwater ones.   IS the plant daytime only, you know the hours?

Are the saltwater ones super nasty that everyone gets pissed when you catch one? If so then the same ones. The power plant closes at sunset or there abouts . I've spent many hours fishing from shore down there from the power plant up to the whirlpool rapids . I got down there once this year before archery season opened and the water level was so high that all my spots i used to fish didnt exist . Like i said before ,you can use a twister with an egg sinker above the swivel and about 18 inch leader ,the weight will vary depending on the current you are fishing . Keep in mind ,that water is going around 30 MPH ,the only method that works from shore is to cast upstream and let the current do the work . You can use fire tiger vibrax as well this time of year.  Other things to try are chrome KO wobblers or chrome little cleos.

[helmut in the bush]

Saltwater Sheephead and a freshwater Drum AKA Sheephead are 2 different fish

[sailinghudson25]

Saltwater sheephead.

Great tasting fish.  Tough to fish.  Very mild to feel the bite.  They hold close to structure too.  Somewhat like tog to fish. They like small crabs like reen and asian crab.  Shrimp and clam can catch them too.   Got to hold the rod in your hand and have a steady boat yo feel the bite.  

 

Brining the surf rod with 30lb braid, and just bought a 9ft salmon rod to match my penn spinfisher 5 3500 with 14lb fire line.

Got those juhr flatfish baits, smaller swivels, a bag of 5 split shot,  Berkley power eggs.  #6 egg bait holder hooks. A few cleo spoons, and a couple of those steelhead jigs.  A red jig head with 2 red beads for a body and a bit of red feather for a tail.

Got plenty of vibra lures.  My freshwatwo favorite 

Edited November 24, 2018 by sailinghudson25

[sailinghudson25]

I went, fished monday through thursday from 3:30 to 5pm.   Monday and Tuesday were duds, water quality.   Caught a nice 20"+ Walleye and a steelhead at the lewiston docks.  Caught them on a kwikfish lure with a 1oz egg sinker ahead of a 2ft or so leader.   Caught them on an eddy current right near the docks.  No luck on thrusday.  The water quality was best wednesday.  Monday and tuesday were cloudy.  The wind was kicking the lake Erie shores making the river water dirty.

 

The water flow can change pretty quickly.   This is from the power plants.   I was noticing eddy currents and upcurrents from rocks there for awhile, then calm down pretty quickly.

 

Going back this saturday for new years.