Fish the Niagara River
The mighty Niagara River needs little introduction to anglers looking for some of the best Steelhead and Smallmouth Bass fishing to be found anywhere in the world. Its swift currents and massive volume are derived from the fact that it drains four of the five Great Lakes before spilling out into Lake Ontario at its mouth where it attracts fish of many species in huge numbers. King Salmon, Steelhead, Smallmouth Bass, and Lake Trout in particular gather in large schools and feed heavily upon the schools of baitfish attracted to the influx of highly-oxygenated water.
Although it is only just over 50Km in length, the Niagara River is almost constant in volume from beginning to end, and offers very diverse fish habitats along its course. Certain sections of the river are, of course, “off-limits” to boaters for obvious reasons. The world-famous Niagara Falls separates the “Upper” and “Lower” Niagara River, and the aptly-named Whirlpool lies just upstream of the limit of navigation for boats fishing the “Lower” Niagara, where we focus much of our fishing effort. Just below this area lies the “Devil’s Hole” where raging currents flow over and around huge boulders fallen from the steep walls of the deep gorge on either side. This is a particularly treacherous stretch of water which commands the utmost respect at all times, even from our experienced guides. What this means to the angler is that this is definitely big-fish water. The eddies and pools hold great numbers of fish of many species, particularly Steelhead, Smallmouth Bass, King Salmon, and even the occasional Sturgeon!
Moving downstream we pass the mammoth dam walls of the Hydro-electric power plants on either side of the river below them are the outflows from the turbines, and again, these waters are extremely turbulent and rich in oxygen which attracts and holds fish. Here we begin to find other species such as Walleye and Silver Bass mixed in with our catch, and we often see Gar-Pike gulping air on the surface.
As we move downstream below Queenston, the river begins to widen and slow down, and there are many longer, much slower drifts holding many sought-after species. Steelhead, Salmon, Smallmouth Bass, Lake Trout, Brown Trout, Walleye, and Musky all inhabit these reaches at various times of the year, which means that we can fish 365 days a year for quality fish.
