Lodging dates are available for 2012. Call soon to reserve, there is lots of good fishing for salmon, steelhead and brown trout ahead! Stay at the Licorice Lounge in the heart of the fishing action! Reservations now accepted for fall 2012.

The Oak Orchard Pen Rearing Association reared approx 105,000 King salmon and 16,000 steelhead in net pens that were released in May 2011 in the Oak Orchard River. Those numbers represent just some of the total number of trout and salmon stocked here in Orleans County annually. Many thanks to Bob Songin and other local stakeholders for their efforts of securing, feeding and monitoring the fish.

The Sportsmen Archer's Club Fly Fishing Only Catch and Release Contest will be held Oct 17 - 19, 2012. Everyone is sure to enjoy the great hospitality and comradorie of the Archer's Club and experience some real good fishing. Their cooperation with out of the area fishermen is greatly appreciated by all. Please contact us for registration.

Tributary Fly Tying Class starts Feb 02, 2012. On Thursday evenings for 6 weeks we'll tie 3 patterns a night. A selection of tributary trout and salmon patterns are covered including egg flies, nymphs and streamers. All tools amd materials are provided. Please call or email for registration while spots are available. Beginners to intermediates for review are welcome.

Tributary Fly Fishing Class was held Saturday, March 19, 2011. Many thanks for participation from the students and for the great help from our instructors NYSLOG Paul Jacob from Reel Action Fly Fishing and Capt. Jason Franz from Trout 'n' About. Student Clint W. said, "thank you and wanted to let you know I really enjoyed the fly fishing class. I thought it was very informative and really well done. I enjoyed it and am so glad I attended." Tentative date Sat March 17, 2012. Call or email for more info and pre-registration to reserve a spot!

Feb 04...
Thanks to snowmelt and rain showers mid week the trib flows are up and stained. Oak Orchard flows are high with max turbine flow and diminished overflow water with something like a foot of viz. The other area smaller tribs have crested and are slowly retreating now and thru the weekend. All the area snowpack has melted. The forecast is for no precip with highs in the 30's thru the weekend and dropping back below freezing at night.

Flows in the area smaller tribs are med - slightly high and stained with 1 - 2 feet of viz. Trib flows to the west of Oak Orchard are probably dirtier then trib flows to the east. The waterways are mostly open but any snow and cold nights can cause some icing. Flows in the smaller tribs will likely be on a continued slow retreat thru this weekend. Flows in the Oak Orchard should stay up for a while since there is good headwater and swamp supplies. The high flows offer good chances for steelhead migrations.

Right now anglers are managing one or two hook-ups in the Oak Orchard thru the high water, with lite fishing pressure and few overall reports coming back in. There's been a slightly tougher bite now on colder water temps as winter time conditions have settled in on the area tribs at least partially. But the prospects of uneducated fresh fish are good right now and on the backside of any lowering and clearing flows. Open fishable water comes and goes on the area smaller waterways with the changes in the weather. Just prior to the most recent rise in flows anglers where still into a mixed bag of steelhead and one or two browns with a few nice size steelhead reported in the Oak Orchard. On the backside of any high flows now thru spring anglers can find some fresh steelhead.

There has been on and off icing in the area smaller waterways, but at this pont no persistent icing conditions. There will be some bank ice and slushing in the smaller waterways after any cold night or with snow, and the amount of fishable water can be reduced.

Erie Canal winter drainage water has run it's course. Flows would be dropping down with the loss of that volume of water coupled with any prolonged cold weather and after any runoff makes its way thru the system. But, so far for this winter period there have been more instances of good, up and stained flows - then down, low and clear flows.

The higher flows of this past Dec and Jan coupled with late Erie Canal drainage water brought unprecedented fishable opportunities for the early winter. Can you say bonus steelhead action! Drainage and timely precip at that later point in the season was unique in that we were able to keep a great river flow thru Dec and Jan. Keeping any mild weather and good trib flows will mean great fishing opportunities now in the winter/spring season. By getting a drift down and slow anglers can get some hook-ups.

The dominate flow is back in the Oak Orchard turbine channel under normal run of the river conditions. Fish are still populating both channels, but should be influenced greater now by the turbine channel. With any falling flows in the overflow channel we can hope that some of those trout backed out to the main rivercourse, although it is likely many fish will seek shelter in the deeper pools nearest the overflow. Anglers may consider re-releasing any fish caught in the overflow channel back into the turbine channel in order to give those fish the chance to move up and down the main rivercourse unencumbered.

Anglers are still into a brown trout or two and now more steelhead. Most all anglers have remarked there were strong numbers of browns in the Oak Orchard through this past fall. Access around the backside of the Waterport hydro is open. It looks like any major work at the Waterport hydro or transformer facility is complete and that the Oak Orchard River should be typical run of the river flows as hydro mangers may dictate. Hydro managers have installed additional safety railings around the water's edge at the dam and I'm told that some landings down to the water are planned to be installed too. *See below for further information.

The fishing has transitioned to good trout action from the earlier season King salmon action. The mostly mild weather and the way the water flows have been - have meant good trib fishing opportunities. For brown trout and all around action most anglers have admitted to some of the best area fall fishing in years. There definitely were a few big browns reported, but the good fishing was largely for strong numbers of mostly average size fish. There have been some exceptionally sized steelhead encountered already for this winter period, some like you would expect to see in Feb/Mar. As optimistic anglers we can hope for comparitivily good winter and spring steelhead fishing like the past good fall brown trout fishing!

Remember you have to get out and fish. Internet bragging seems a lot less prevelant then it was a few years ago, and our reports tend to be even keeled - not reporting fish numbers great enough that they would be jumping in your waders - even if they were! Higher flows will be the biggest factor in bringing trout in the Oak Orchard River and in the area smaller tribs and pushing them upstream. Weather is the biggest factor in bringing angler numbers out. There were some exceptional fish caught this fall season, just check out the pics below. Come on out and get in on some big steelhead action this winter and spring and add to the photo collection!

*With any future reduced flow in the overflow channel an attempt at fish capture and transfer into the turbine channel may take place if it is determined that fish stranding is excessive. Fish stranding may not be a concern for some anglers NOW, but consider all the trout and salmon that had migrated up that overflow channel and are now somewhat removed from the fishable population of fish. They may be frozen in later this winter/spring. If you have any concerns on the flow situation or fish stranding in the Oak Orchard River you can contact the NYSDEC and/or Orleans County with the contact info that follows. Your inquires can help make a case for NYSDEC and/or Orleans County to work with hydro managers to undertake some kind of fish rescue or transfer effort from the overflow channel into the turbine channel. That way trout and salmon can move up and down the river course unencumbered and allow for long term fishing opportunities for all anglers. Contact NYSDEC Region 8 Fisheries at 585 226 2466 or fwfish8@gw.dec.state.ny.us and/or Orleans County Tourism thru their website www.orleansny.com.

What does the Oak Orchard River, Lake Ontario and WNY offer? The chance to fish from your own two feet for trout and salmon you measure in pounds, not inches, for 7 - 9 months depending upon weather and water conditions. Recent economic conditions may make it more difficult for a fishing trip, but a trip here to the Oak Orchard River and WNY to fish for World Class trout and salmon is still easily the best bargain in trophy fishing. The working man's big trout and salmon trip is still here, and it's not even a contest compared to the other exotic, far off angling destinations. We believe our web reports are the straightest poop by far about Oak Orchard and most WNY conditions. We are living and experiencing all the fishing action directly or thru trusted reports of other die hard anglers as it happens. So how do you know if trophy trout and salmon will be catchable upon your travels to the Oak Orchard and WNY area? All the best web info, bulletin boards, angler skill and top notch equipment cannot replace getting out there and actually fishing! The nuances of fish migrations is an inexact science and we cannot predict the future. Fish as soon as reasonable conditions allow instead of waiting for supposed better conditions that may or may not materialize. Be one of the lucky few that experiences good fishing as it takes place instead of hearing that famous quote, "you should have been here yesterday!"

Tight lines and smooth drags!
Licorice Man