Rochester-area tributaries cool into a fall steelhead and trout window

What's next

If nights keep cooling, expect the 61°F reading at 04218700 to drift toward the mid 50s over the coming days, which is the range where Great Lakes tributary fish typically become more willing to push upstream and feed. The larger flow at 04231600 at 872 cfs gives fish room to travel, while the small 3.92 cfs reading at 04232050 means that stream is skinny and best treated as a low, clear-water presentation with light leaders.

Plan around the low-light windows at dawn and dusk, when fall trout and steelhead in tributaries are typically most comfortable. A waxing crescent moon means darker evenings, so first and last light will matter more than night hours. Rain would be the main trigger to watch: a bump in flow after a front typically stirs fresh fish into the lower stretches, and falling, clearing water afterward is when anglers tend to find the best bite.

Wired 2 Fish also covers fall crappie and trout lure selection this week, a useful reminder that proven baits, such as small spoons, spinners and jigs, tend to outperform novelty in cooling water.

Context

Mid October is typically the transition into the fall tributary season along Lake Erie and the Ontario shoreline of western New York. Water temperatures in the upper 50s are on schedule for this point in the calendar. Brown trout and early steelhead typically begin staging near river mouths and moving upstream as flows and temperatures allow, while smallmouth bass begin leaving shallow flats for deeper structure. Check state regulations for seasons and creel limits before harvesting.