Fishing Reports for February 18, 2016

by Contributor | February 19, 2016 2:34 pm

This report courtesy of the Oswego County Department of Community Development, Tourism and Planning.

Oswego River report:
With the heavy rain on Tuesday, the water level has increased to 12,400cfs as of this morning. This makes most areas along the river difficult to fish. As conditions settle down, look for steelhead and brown trout activity throughout the river.

The bridge to Leto Island is closed, and there are Mandatory Personal Flotation Device (PFD) zones on the Oswego River below the Varick Dam. For more information, view the Oswego County Tourism web site at www.visitoswegocounty.com and look for the fishing report along the top bar on the home page. The Oswego Fire Department offers loaner life jackets at no charge through its “Loaner For Life” program. For more information contact the fire station, 35 E. Cayuga St., at 315-343-2161.

Salmon River report:
According to the Douglaston Salmon Run:
Another handful of anglers fished the run yesterday and reported slow fishing throughout the day. Water flows were on the increase throughout the day (1,250cfs) due to the amount of rain/runoff we received on Tuesday. Temperatures dipped into the single digits last night with the high near 20 degrees today with no snow. We currently have around 4-5 inches of snow on the ground. Shelf ice was reported to be an issue in the Meadow and further downstream.

Oneida Lake report:
After the heavy rain we had on Tuesday, slush was an issue on the ice. Cold temperatures last night, today and again tonight will hopefully freeze this up. Some areas along the shoreline did deteriorate with the warmer temperatures earlier this week. The wind is expected to be out of the southeast at up to 30 mph tomorrow. With these varying weather conditions, use caution as you venture out.

Sandy Pond report:
According to Woody’s Tackle:
There is ice on the pond. Yesterday anglers found slush on the ice due to the rain we had on Tuesday but last night’s temperatures along with today’s highs only near 20 degrees should firm that up nicely. The bite has been decent with a number of small perch but there are some good ones mixed in and anglers are finding a few walleye. Live minnows and small jigs tipped with a maggot are working well.

According to Greene Point Marina:
It has been a mixed bag of weather this week. We had very cold temperatures last weekend and some good ice conditions. By Tuesday it had warmed up, the snow changed to rain and up to two inches fell in the area. Yesterday there was slush on the ice and the water level had risen. The cold temperatures last night and today should help freeze the slush. As conditions may vary across the pond, please use caution.

Winter Trails Report
Snowmobiling:
According to the Redfield Snowmobile Association:
We received a few inches of snow on top of wet and slushy conditions. All of our corridor trails were groomed Wednesday. Conditions vary greatly from good on the seasonal road trails to wet and slushy with standing and running water on the woods trails. If you ride, use extreme caution and be alert for slush holes, water cuts, and icy conditions. Weekend weather is supposed to be well above freezing so conditions are likely to deteriorate quickly.

According to the Pulaski/Boylston Snowmobile Club:
All trails are open but watch for wet areas. Today grooming was done from the Boylston barn to the Pulaski barn. Brian and Jim groomed on the hill – trails holding up very well with all the rain and warm weather. Be safe and happy snowmobiling!

According to the Square Valley Trailblazers:
The rain this week really hurt. It is very wet with lots of water. We were unable to take the Groomers out on Section 1, 2 &3 due to water and soft terrain. Happy Valley has been groomed.
C5 from CSq to Happy Valley is very wet with lots of water holes and C4 in and around Central Square (CSq) is also very wet. If you are trying to go north we would suggest using C4 to Panther Lake, then to Stone Hill Rd. Vanderbilt advises that C4 is thin but ridable at least a lot more ridable than C5. They (Vanderbilt) advised they were going to try and groom last night if temperatures allowed.

Cross Country Skiing:
According to the Winona Forest Recreation Association:
The Winona Forest Tourathon set for this Saturday is cancelled. The two inches of rain that fell on Tuesday was too much for the forest to handle. There is significant ponding in many areas and in a few places creeks overflowed their banks and ran over the trails.

According to Hugh Quinn of the Osceola Tug Hill Ski Club:
Friday we have a 40-50% chance of snow. Overnight into Saturday 40% chance plus or minus of snow or mixed precipitation. Currently set track and skate lanes on an 8-10 inch base with packed powder / powder snow conditions. We have very skiable conditions with 121 inches of snow for the season.

Source URL: https://oswegocountytoday.com/oswego-tourism/fishing-reports-for-february-18-2016/

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