Fishermen are a notoriously hardy lot - particularly in Northern climates during the winter months. And in WNY, anglers don't always have to resort to ice fishing to drop a line. We're fortunate to live on the Niagara River, which provides great fishing all year long.
Bill Hilts Jr. is Outdoor Promotions Director at Destination Niagara, and has fished the river his whole life. He says, "if you're a boat fisherman, you're not an ice fisherman - the open water is a rather unique opportunity for anglers in Western New York here. The Niagara River is flowing right down, out into Lake Ontario, and it's one of the best trout fisheries in the country for the winter months."
The main objective in winter fishing, other than actually catching fish, is to stay warm. Even on sunny days, Campbell says that hitting the river can be a bone chilling endeavor. "It would be just like the same thing as going to a Bills game or going out hunting. You dress in layers - start with the bottom layers and work your way out. The wind is really what gets you. If it's driving the boat upriver, or if it's a thirty mile an hour wind day, you've really got to have an outside layer that cuts the wind."
Frank Campbell, the owner of Niagara Region Charters says, "Muskies we catch a little bit during the winter, not targeting them but fishing the same areas we're catching Lake Trout, we catch some Muskies. And also there's been some pike showing up, so you have the potential to catch five or six species in the dead of winter."
As any angler knows, sometimes the fish aren't biting. Hilts says in that case,l you can spend your time watching the many bird species that call the Niagara their winter home.
"Today we saw a variety of hawks. We saw Bald Eagles, all kinds of waterfowl, gulls, terns, you know, because of the open water, [it] attracts birds from all over the Northeast if not the world, because of the unique aspects of this, and a lot of the baitfish that are also here provide food sources for a lot of these birds."
All of this excitement makes for a great source of tourism revenue for the Niagara region.
"The normal tourism time frame is from Memorial Day to Labor Day," Explains Hilts. "Some of the best fishing is on the shoulder seasons, and we're seeing an improvement on more people coming in, it's not just a five month destination, it's a seven, eight month destination, but when you bring in fishing and the other outdoor opportunities like the birding, this is a twelve month a year destination for those outdoor activities."
There may be no greater cure for WNY winter doldrums than a trip to this magnificent river.
"As long as there's no wind, dressing for it is the biggest thing, and you know, the sunshine does not hurt," says Campbell. "It's a nice way to get out, even if you enjoy four to six hours out there, it breaks up that, 'hey I'm sitting stuck in the house,' 'cause you're really not."
You can book a Lower Niagara expedition with Niagara Region Charters here.
Here is a link to Destination Niagara.