The five tributary streams of the beautiful Lake Erie coastline of Chautauqua County attract tens of thousands of steelhead each fall and winter, giving the region the moniker, "Steelhead Alley." As the fish migrate upstream, anglers from near and far travel here to enjoy a few days of fish-catching fun. Colorful steelhead from 3 to 6 pounds are common, with larger fish weighing upwards of 10 pounds offering the occasional surprise.
Cattaraugus Creek is the largest of all Chautauqua County Lake Erie tributaries. The first 6 miles of this magnificent steelhead waterway is located in Chautauqua County, where the mouth of the stream provides access for shore and boat fishing. Silver Creek joins Lake Erie in the village of Silver Creek, NY, to offer several miles of smaller water steelhead fishing from the mouth to the Hanover and King Road crossing. When other streams run muddy, this stream is typically less stained. Tiny Walnut Creek flows into Silver Creek near the mouth with productive fishing upstream to the falls located below Route 39 in Forestville. Just south of Dunkirk, NY, Canadaway Creek meets Lake Erie to provide excellent steelhead fishing with colorful brown trout in the mix too. Anglers will find good numbers of both species from the mouth to six miles upstream, where the high Laona Falls typically limits farther migration.
Chautauqua Creek in Westfield, NY, is a new special attraction for steelhead anglers with the recently completed Westfield Water Works Dam. The dam provides access for steelhead to swim much farther upstream in this quaint, easy-to-fish creek, allowing several more fish to occupy the waterway without over-crowding. Anglers will now find several additional miles of public fishing rights above the dam. Note that there is a new 1.3 mile “Catch and Release” section directly below the dam where only artificial lures are permitted.
Gear:
Fly rods ranging from 9 to 10 feet long are common, add a large arbor reel to hold about 100 yards of braided line backing behind 6 to 10 weight-forward tapered fly line. Savvy anglers tie 6 to 12-pound monofilament leaders (about 9 feet long), then add 4 to 12-pound test fluorocarbon tippets on clear water days to fool the plentiful steelhead. Salmon egg fly patterns, streamer flies (wooly buggers, egg-sucking leeches, zonkers) and nymphs (stoneflies, hare’s ear) are popular fly angler patterns.
Spinning rod are popular in 7-12 foot lengths, medium-weight, use 6 to 12-pound test monofilament line with a fluorocarbon leader. The spinning rod anglers often use a tiny bobber and egg with an octopus hook to score, though the same flies are effective floated under a bobber.
Fish Reports:
-
Bill’s Hooks, Dunkirk, NY, 716-366-0268
-
Hogan’s Hut, Stow, NY, 716-789-3831
-
Jerome Miller’s Bait Store, Irving, NY, 716-934-2477
Stream Guides:
-
Alberto Rey, Orvis guide, 716-410-7003, alberto@albertorey.com
-
Julie Szur, Orvis endorsed fly-fishing instructor/tutor, 716-481-6619, julieaszur@gmail.com
-
Marty Kleeman - Canadaway Creek Outfitters, 716-410-3720, Canadawaycreekoutfitters@yahoo.com
Regulations:
Trout, open all year, 12-inch minimum, daily limit 3 per person on most streams. Fishing is permitted one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset (fishing at night is prohibited) in tributary streams. Anglers should check the NYSDEC fish syllabus for changes to regulations.
Catch and release is encouraged as steelhead can respawn for decades.