Sunday, May 31, 2015

Fishing for muskellunge

Musky fishing regulation changes are in effect on New York waters for the season opener June 20 for the St. Lawrence River, Great Lakes and tributaries, the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has reminded anglers.
“Fishing for muskellunge, northern pike, walleye and channel catfish is expected to be outstanding across the state this year,” said DEC Commissioner Joe Martens.
Changes affecting the North Country include:
 For the St. Lawrence Seaway, opening date remains the same: third Saturday in June (June 20, 2015). Minimum size has been increased to 54 inches on Lake Ontario and the Niagara and St. Lawrence rivers to make it consistent with Lake Erie; throughout the rest of the state, minimum is increased to 40 inches.

Saturday, May 23, 2015

Water Levels

US Army Corps of Engineers, Buffalo District, in conjunction with Environment Canada, publish records on water levels along the St. Lawrence. The levels for April for Kingston, ON are measured above a particular reference point. Those levels are certainly lower than last year but are well above the minimum. The mean for April this year is 244.72 ft., while the minimum 243.67 ft. was set in 1965. The highest April reading was set in 1973 at 248.16 ft. Thus this year’s April level is just over a foot above the minimum and 3.5 feet below the maximum, but it is only one foot below the long term mean. The forecast is that the level in May will be a foot higher.

Wednesday, May 6, 2015

Oneida Lake

Walleye Opener: Good weather marked the opening of the walleye and pike season on Oneida Lake last weekend. Eager anglers were out in force and some nice fish were taken. Fishing in the creeks and canals was slower than expected causing some discussion and varying opinions among anglers. But fishing in the shallow areas of the lake was very good and those anglers who moved and found the active fish were rewarded with some nice fish on their stringers.

Friday, May 1, 2015

northern pike, pickerel and tiger muskellunge

Special trophy black bass season opens Saturday on Lake Erie along with other freshwater sportfishing in the state, the state Department of Environmental Conservation announced.
Anglers can catch and keep one 20-inch or longer black bass every day from Saturday through June 20.Black bass “catch and release season” is also underway in many areas around the state, according to the DEC.Meanwhile, fishing season for walleye, northern pike, pickerel and tiger muskellunge also opens Saturday statewide.The agency reminded muskellunge anglers that opening day for muskellunge was moved up to May 30 and the minimum size limit was increased to 40 inches on all waters except the Niagara River, Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River, where the minimize size limit increased to 54 inches.