Wayne County Fishing Update
Updated September 12, 2023
*Next update will be in 2 weeks, we apologize for the inconvenience*
Lake Ontario
Fishing for salmon is not the easiest when they stage. They are not interested in food.
Monday they were hitting between 120 and 150 fow. Meat rigs, spoons and stickbaits were catching some non-staging kings.
Some steelhead were caught off the Sodus Pier casting out Kastmasters and Cleos. There were some kings also porpoising the channel.
Late September and October have historically been when the brown trout start entering Wayne County tributaries.
“Our streams are small, but our fish are big.”
Streams
Lake Ontario tributary regulations:
Three fish in combination and not to include more than one Rainbow Trout (or Steelhead) and One Brown Trout.
Bays
The largemouth bass are hitting in Sodus Bay. They have been everywhere…especially near weedbeds. Use the Senko worm rigs, top water bait or spinner baits for the bass.
Don’t forget to fish at the north end breach for perch. Use paddle tail jigs with spikes.
Pike are being caught near LeRoy Island, trolling with large spoons. Or use pike minnows under a bobber.
Port Bay has pike at the southern end and trolling has been the best method. The DEC ramp at the south end is new and there are plenty of places to park your trailer. The ramp is off West Port Bay Road.
Bait for fishing is available on the south end of Sodus at Davenports and Bay Bridge Sport Shop.
On Port Bay Jarvis Bait shop is open on Brown Road. The signs are on East Port Bay Road at the junction of Brown Road.
Toadz Bait is near the end of West Port Bay Road.
Erie Canal
Widewaters is again the place to launch and catch 6-pound largemouth bass. The cats have been caught near Clyde which has another great ramp.
You can also fish from the shore close to Route 31.
Bait for fishing is available on the south end of Sodus at Davenports and Bay Bridge Sport Shop.
On Port Bay Jarvis Bait Farm is open on Brown Road. The signs are on East Port Bay Road at the junction of Brown Road.
Toadz Bait is near the end of West Port Bay Road.
2023 LOC Derby
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
Fishing in Wayne County
Blind Sodus Bay – NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation
East Bay – NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation
Port Bay – NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation
Sodus Bay – NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation
Boat Launch Sites in Wayne County
Boat Launch Sites for Wayne County – NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation
Scam Alert for Fishing Licenses Online
It has come to our attention that fraudulent websites claiming to sell NYS Freshwater Fishing Licenses are scamming users into providing personal information. While we work to resolve this issue, please be advised that the ONLY legitimate method to purchase your NYS fishing license online is through the official DECALS website .
You can purchase them locally in Wayne County at our town offices, Bay Bridge Sport Shop, Davenport & Son Marina, & Walmart.
Notable Freshwater Fishing Regulation Changes
The following list offers a brief summary of the most notable fishing regulation changes resulting from the adopted rulemakings described above.
- New statewide regulation for rainbow trout, brown trout, and splake in lakes and ponds. The season will now be open year-round, with a five-fish daily limit, any size, with a “no more than two longer than 12 inches” harvest rule.
- Statewide Atlantic salmon regulations will now allow for a year-round open season.
- Ice fishing is permitted on all waters in New York unless specifically prohibited with the exception of Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Hamilton, Herkimer, Lewis, St. Lawrence, Warren, and Washington counties where previous rules remain.
- New specific dates replaced floating dates for statewide season openers to include:
- May 1 – Walleye, Northern Pike, Pickerel, and Tiger Muskellunge. June 1 – Muskellunge. (Note that in 2022, DEC will allow for the fishing of muskellunge beginning the last Saturday in May to accommodate previously planned fishing trips); and
- June 15 – Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass.
- A five-fish daily walleye limit in Oneida Lake.
- A new regulation to limit the growth of the walleye population in Skaneateles Lake. No daily possession limit; 12-inch minimum size limit, open year-round.
- The statewide sunfish daily harvest limit has been reduced from 50 to 25 fish.
- The statewide minimum size limit for crappie has been increased from nine inches to ten inches.