Tributary trout and fall bass get a new-moon boost

What's next

With a new moon, nights run dark and the fish tend to feed hardest in low light, so the first and last hours of the day are the windows to plan around. Midday can still produce when the sun warms shallow water a degree or two.

Flows are the thing to watch. The smallest stream at 4.34 cfs is very low and clear, which favors light line, small offerings and a quiet approach. The mid-size gauge at 110 cfs is a comfortable wading flow, while 720 cfs is high enough that you should fish current seams and softer edges instead of the main push. A rain event would raise and color the tributaries, and that is often when fall-run trout move up. If it stays dry, expect the fish to hold in deeper pools and tailouts.

Wired 2 Fish's trout lure guide notes that proven confidence baits matter more than novelty, and that holds for Great Lakes tributary brown trout: spinners, small spoons and streamers are sensible starting points. For bass, Tactical Bassin suggests the shallow, old-school approach works well in fall, so start near cover before heading deep. We expect water temperatures to keep sliding as nights lengthen, so the bite should shift toward the warmest part of the afternoon as the month goes on.

Context

Mid-October is typically the heart of the fall transition in western New York. Tributary water has cooled from summer highs into the upper 50s, baitfish are moving, and trout begin to stage near river mouths and lower reaches ahead of spawning. Bass shift from scattered summer haunts to predictable structure as weeds die back. Readings of 58 to 61°F are fairly typical for the date, so this season looks on schedule. Check current New York regulations for seasons, size limits and special tributary rules before keeping any fish.