Fall, 1998
Volume 3, No. 2
Stephen M. Sheets, Jr. may have broken the 10-year-old world record for coho salmon this past August while fishing Lake Ontario out of Oswego Harbor. His 33-pound, 7-ounce coho exceeds the previous world record by 3 ounces. Sheets caught the salmon by running a flasher and cut bait 43 feet down over 73 feet of water. Although the fish has been confirmed as a New York State Record by the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, it will take three to six months till it is confirmed by the International Game Fish Association as a new world record.
Source: County of Oswego Public Information Office.
The results are in: Thrillseeker Sportfishing of Kent, NY has won the professional division of the 1998 Lake Ontario Challenge Cup Series with a total of 526.15 points in the Oswego and Niagara County Pro-Am tournaments. Prime Time Fishing Team of Erwinna, PA won the amateur division of the tournament by racking up 166.83 points overall.
The tournament pits four and five person teams against one another using a special scoring system: 10 points per fish and a point per pound. The Challenge Cup Series consists of the Niagara County and Oswego Coiunty Tournaments. A total of 44 teams competed in Niagara Countyıs tournament, with 37 teams in Oswego Countyıs.
Source: Oswego County Public Information Office; Bill Hilts, Jr., Niagara County
Local Oswego business owners and the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation have initiated a pen rearing project at the mouth of the Oswego River. Of the 20,000 steelhead stocked in the Oswego River, half were raised through their smolting stage in pens. This ensures better survival during the smolting stage by keeping the fish away from predators, and helps the fish imprint on the Oswego Riverıs water to promote their return as spawning adults.
The project was very successful with the average weight of fish increasing from 25 fish per pound to nearly 15 fish per pound.
Source: Dan Bishop, NYS Department of Environmental Conservation.
John McKenna of Willseyville, NY was the lucky angler winning the $20,000 Grand Prize in the fall Lake Ontario Counties Derby when he weighed in a 38-pound, 4-ounce salmon caught out of Oswego County. The Grand Prize salmon in the youth division was a 33-pound, 5-ounce fish caught by Joe Pritchard, Jr. of Lake Ariel, PA. More than 5,000 anglers competed in the derby.
Source: Bill Hilts, Jr., Niagara County Tourism.
A federal grant program established under the Clean Vessel Act has funded the production of a new publication for boaters -- the New York Marina Guide. This marina guide, which includes over 800 marinas, is designed for boaters seeking information on where marinas are and what basic services they provide. Information in the guide was collected through a comprehensive inventory of New York State marinas on the Great Lakes and their tributaries, Hudson River, Long Island Sound, Atlantic Ocean, Lake Champlain, and Lake George. The project was a partnership effort between the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, New York Sea Grant, and the Empire State Marine Trades Association.
To receive a copy of the guide, contact the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, Division of Fish and Wildlife, 50 Wolf Rd., Albany, NY 12233. The information is also available on the web at www.dec.state.ny.us/website/dfwmr/fish/marinas.html.
Source: David White, NY Sea Grant.
The Oak Orchard Business Association successfully raised both steelhead and king salmon in pens located in Orleans Countyıs Oak Orchard River this year. The NYS Department of Environmental Conservation provided the association with 5,000 steelhead and 50,000 king salmon, and the food needed to feed them. The fish were held in the pens through their smolting stage to promote their imprinting on the Oak Orchardıs water. The steelhead grew from an average length of 4 inches to over 6 inches, while the kings grew from a length of about 2 inches to 4 inches. Mortality was very low for both species (0.6% for steelhead and 0.5% for kings).
Because of the programıs success, the association is planning on increasing the number of fish held in the pens to 10,000 steelhead and 75,000 kings in 1999.
Source: Robert Songin, Oak Orchard Business Association.
Spring LOC Derby: April 30 - May 9
Fall LOC Derby: August 20 - September 6
Cayuga County Tourism
Greater Rochester Visitors Assoc.
Niagara County Sportfishing
Orleans County Tourism
Oswego Co. Promotion & Tourism
Seaway Trail, Inc.
1000 Islands International Tourism Council
Wayne Co. Office of Tourism LOC Derby Office For tourism information, contact:
131 Genesee St.
Auburn, NY 13021
315-255-1658
Fishing hotline: 315-947-6348
126 Andrews St.
Rochester, NY 14604
1-800-677-7282
Fishing hotline: 716-987-8800
139 Niagara St.
Lockport, NY 14094
1-800-338-7890
Fishing hotline: 716-433-5606
Web site: http://www.niagara-usa.com
14016 Rte. 31W
Albion, NY 14411
1-800-724-0314
Web site: www.orleansny.com/tourism
Fishing hotline: 716-589-3220
46 E. Bridge St.
Oswego, NY 13126
315-349-8322
Web site: www.co.oswego.ny.us
Fishing hotline: 1-800-248-4386
109 Barracks Dr.
Sackets Harbor, NY 13685
1-800-732-9298
(Jefferson County)
PO Box 400
Alexandria Bay, NY 13607
1-800-847-5263
PO Box 131
Lyons, NY 14489
1-800-527-6510
Fishing hotline: 315-946-5466
Web site: http://www.tourism.co.wayne.ny.us
88 Stark St.
Waterloo, NY 13165
1-888-REEL2IN
Web site: http://www.loc.org
