Erie Canal

[master baiter]

Has anyone ever had any success fishing bass on the Erie Canal?  I have a little pontoon boat that I want to try some small water bass/panfishing but don't want to waste my time if it sucks.

[mattb]

Very good bass walleye and pike. Good fishing before they even fill it if you find the right spots. Recommend scoping it out before they do fill it to find structure.

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[Jeremy Goodison]

We hammer fish in the canal. I troll with two downriggers and couple flat lines. Easily will land thirty fish in a trip. Mostly cookie cutter bass and small Pike. But I've got 9lb walleye jigging, 6 lb large mouth on top water, and 3.5 smallies regularly trolling. The canal is so consistent you just have to find the irregularity in the bottom and it will hold lots of fish.

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[BIGFISH96]

The canal is loaded with bass we usually launch from wide waters park. Troll the shoreline parallel with Route 31 casting plastic worms at docks all the way to port gibson spinner baits work good to when the weeds arnt to thick.

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[bondouley]

Very good bass walleye and pike. Good fishing before they even fill it if you find the right spots. Recommend scoping it out before they do fill it to find structure.

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yes. Sometimes this early is the best fishing in the canal

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[panfisher]

Pretty good fishing for warm water fish. Smallies, largemouths, northerns, 'eyes. sunnies, sheepies, crappies, cats and carp....with a perch or two thrown in. The fishing is better than most would think. For largemouths mostly, try anywhere tree limbs and water weeds or lillies or cattail like grasses are close to the edges. Also any flat vertical concrete wall sides like near bridges or along old port side areas where tugs and whatnot moor up to. Smallies, along with 'eyes and largemouths near the inflows of any creeks. There are several public (and private) launch areas. Scour LOU archives for past postings....

[master baiter]

^{Thanks guys for your responses!  I'm doing it.  It's so close by and we have loads of spots to launch I do't know why I haven't tired it sooner.}

[Jared015]

Where do you go to do this? I will be near Albion and would like to try to hit up the canal!

Boat: Luca il Pesce

[Sk8man]

Jared - when I lived In Holley I used to operate the Main Street and Park Ave. lift bridges in Brockport and I sometimes would operate others like Hulberton, and Albion and I always kept a rod in the car and after work I'd walk up and down the banks at those places casting spinners and sticks etc. all along the banks. I caught all sorts of bass, pike, big rockies, and other unintended species as well. You don't really need a boat  for much of it really and in many places you can cast nearly across the canal so you can fish it from one bank. Just wait until they fill the canal and go to it.

Edited April 7, 2015 by Sk8man

[Jared015]

Great thanks for the advice!!

Boat: Luca il Pesce