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By Capt. Frank Campbell
Director of Outdoor Promotions for Destination Niagara USA
As winter settles in here on the Niagara Frontier we have two choices: Either stay indoors next to a warm fire or try to find things to embrace and enjoy what the area has to offer in the coldest part of the year.
After a pretty mild fall, temperature-wise, we are now in the grip of the first Arctic cold blast of the season. However, there are opportunities both indoors and outdoors to fight the winter doldrums.
I prefer outdoor activities, so grab a hot beverage, dress warmly and take on a new adventure outdoors in 2025.
As many would predict, fishing tops my wintertime activities. I know; I sound like a broken record – but we have the best open-water fishing the country has to offer in winter.
What is meant by “open water” is fisheries that can be accessed by boat or shore, as opposed to hard water, which is ice fishing.
The river offers great opportunities to target trout and walleye throughout the coldest of winter months – and drift fishing out of a boat is just what the doctor orders to shake off the blahs.
Don’t undersell the shore fishing opportunities that exist on the lower Niagara River or Burt Dam. Anglers can take advantage of some easy access that both Youngstown and Lewiston offer right at their boat ramps. As a matter of fact, in Youngstown, you can also take a warm-up break and get a hot coffee at the newest bait and tackle shop, The Wicked Worm, right on Water Street. Casting spoons or spinners in either of these locations are your best options. It is not likely that we will see abundant ice flows on the lower Niagara anytime soon this year, so dress warmly and get out there and take a few casts or drifts.
Another great wintertime activity in the area is birdwatching. The Niagara River corridor is home to thousands of birds that winter over in our region. Additionally, the area offers some of the best opportunities to view these magnificent visitors every winter. You can stay close to your warm vehicle – or even in your vehicle in some cases – as the launch ramp areas or the overlook parking area put you in a front-row seat for the birds to drift or fly by.
If you are willing to brave the elements, a short walk to one of the many state park vistas also offers great viewing options. You may have to move around somewhat to lay eyes on particular species, but birds that are available to check off your birding list could include Bonaparte gull, little gull, glaucous gull, Iceland gull, long-tailed duck, canvasback duck, common goldeneye, bufflehead, tundra swans, bald eagle, Peregrine falcon, and hundreds of other more common gulls, ducks, and birds of prey.
The area is well known among birding enthusiasts as a haven for wintertime birding opportunities, so grab a spotting scope/binoculars, a bird identification guide, dress appropriately, and head on down to the waterfront to take advantage of our wintertime visitors.
If staying indoors is more to your liking, then the Greater Niagara Fishing Expo is a must-do this winter.
Feb. 13-16 are the dates, and the event is taking place at the Niagara Falls Convention Center located on Old Falls Street in Niagara Falls. The show features more than 200 seminars included with the price of admission, as well as in excess of 180 vendor booths.
The show is a must-attend for fisher people of all ages and skill levels.
More information will be provided in next month’s column (or visit www.niagarafishingexpo.com). I hope to see you there.
On another topic; the stairs and fish-cleaning facility repair projects on the Lewiston waterfront are both delayed by supply issues, and are not scheduled to be completed until sometime in April (as opposed to the original dates in late fall).
Hopefully, the supplies will show up sooner, or a solution can be reached to use the fish-cleaning house until the repairs are made.
I would like to point out that both repairs were needed and necessary, but better planning could have worked for all parties involved. It’s been a pretty cold process to ready your fish for table fare with recent and predicted temperatures.