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Fishing continues to be hit-or-miss for local anglers

OBSERVER Photo by Gene Pauszek Bass anglers checking out the shallows by the Dunkirk boat launch.

Fishing has been pretty good lately for a lot of anglers, but not all. Nighttime walleye fishing was on fire recently. Jason Robinson, the warm water species biologist at the DEC fisheries station in Dunkirk, commented that over the last week or so, 14 jaw tags for walleye and five transmitters were returned to their department.

That figure is one of the highest amounts ever in the springtime. Contributing factors could be the mild winter, good fishing conditions and a growing walleye population in Lake Erie. The word has gotten out how good the fishery is and the fishermen are becoming more proficient. This columnist had the opportunity to try his luck with friends on Tuesday evening. There had to be over 40 boats on the Shorewood/Van Buren reef area.

It looked like Christmas with all the green/red bow lights and white stern lights moving across the water. I didn’t land any fish, but had several hook-ups and talked with several anglers who had a few fish. We were fishing in 6 to 8 feet of water, and could not see bottom.

On Wednesday I heard from two veteran anglers who had limited out fishing during the day in 30 to 50 feet of water long line trolling deep diving stick baits. Similar reports occasionally come in from Cattaraugus Creek. Rick Miller in Irving reports that the yellow perch fishing out of the “Cat” has been slow. A couple dozen fish is a good day. No report from Dunkirk. Bass fishing has reportedly slowed down, but is still good.

Skip Bianco from Hogan’s Hut/Stow reports that bass anglers have been hooking up with bass, utilizing mostly plastic baits like worms and grubs. Musky season opens on Saturday. Walleye fishing from shore is still ongoing, and anglers have been getting walleye and yellow perch under the bridge. Perch are still in the shallows in 3 to 10 feet of water. Anglers looking for walleye along the weed beds have also been hooking up with a lot of white perch. The hot spot for bluegills is the weedline at Mayville. Anglers have also been reporting doing well fishing for walleye off the Barcelona area using waders, after dark. One angler even reported using an 8-foot step ladder when the waves get bothersome.

Calendar:

The 13th annual “Teach Me to Fish” day at the Bison City Rod & Gun Club is on Sunday, May 28 from 2 p.m. until 5 p.m. The event is for kids 15 years of age and under, who would like to learn about fishing. There will be numerous hands-on learning stations, free prize hand outs and Shale hotdogs. The event is free. Bison City R&G is located at 511 Ohio St. Buffalo, N.Y.

There will be a pistol permit course held at the Northern Chautauqua Conservation Club on May 28 from 2:30 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. There is a mandatory fee of $75 for the course. For details call Gary Dude at 366-3397.

The Northern Chautauqua Conservation Club Take-A-Kid-Fishing Day is Saturday, June 3. Applications for attending this event are now available at the Con Club. New kids get a free fishing rod & reel, and all youths 15 years of age and under receive a T-shirt, grab bag of fishing gear, a morning of fishing and hands on activities at the Con Club from 10 a.m. until noon. Picnic cuisine is also served for all who attend and help. There is a $10 fee to offset the cost, but the smiles and memories are priceless! All kids must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. If you know someone who would like to attend, you can contact me also at 366-1772 and leave a name and phone number and a time you can be reached. Sign up soon, the event is nine days away.

Boating safety courses offered by the US Coast Guard Auxiliary, Flotilla 34 will be held on June 17 Paddle Sports America at CNRC Center from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. and June 24 at the Ashville Flasher, 5338 Stow Road, Ashville from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. For information, or to register, call Judy at 785-2198.

If your club or organization is holding a hunter safety training/trapping course or a turkey shoot or any other outdoors event, and would like to see it posted in the calendar, send information to the OBSERVER, 10 East Second Street, Dunkirk, N.Y. 14048, or call the Sports Dept. at 366-3000 ext. 5 after 6 p.m.

Note: If you have a big-game fishing or trapping success story you would like to share, call 366-1772, or 467-2079 and leave a name, phone number and a time you can be reached. You can also call 366-3000, ext. 5, after 6 p.m.

Gene Pauszek is an OBSERVER outdoors columnist. Send comments to sports@observertoday.com.

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