Very newbie Niagara bar questions

[Ddolan]

I have been fishing out of olcott 10-12 times each summer for the last couple of years and would like to try out of fort Niagara. When I read posts about fishing out there it seems to cover everything from drifting minnows or quick fish or jigs off three ways to normal lake trolling methods. I would be very grateful if anyone can give me a few potential pointers on startup out there. Should I be mainly fishing the areas in front of the fort that range from 15 -30 ft or heading out much further to find deeper water ?

Troll towards 4 mile ? Is drifting difficult with the river current to find the right "drift" ?

Sorry if these seem like crazy questions but this seems to be the best place to get honest answers to beginner questions.

Thx for your time.

[tuffishooker]

For trolling find the " shelf " a large drop-off ; troll along it Spin- Doctor -fly combo & spoon du- jour .

[King Slammin]

For drifting, you will drift from the deep river channel up the ledge and onto the bar by the green can. Three way rigs with quick fish or live shiners for lake trout. It is hard to find the right drift with the river current and a bow mount trolling motor with at least 80 lbs is a must. Do this when the bait fish (smelt) are holding on the bar.

[Ddolan]

So I went out and tried around the red can yesterday and had one rigger hit that we missed. The current was wild and made speed / direction tough for me in 19ft bow rider. Was it especially tough due to northeast wind or always swirling out there ?

[Paul Czarnecki]

So I went out and tried around the red can yesterday and had one rigger hit that we missed. The current was wild and made speed / direction tough for me in 19ft bow rider. Was it especially tough due to northeast wind or always swirling out there ?

The area around the Red Can has some

Crazy currents for sure. A northeast wind pushing into the river current can make it seem even worse. That's why most of us run down speed units like Fish Hawk or Sub Troll.