Shore fishing near Rochester

[Fishin With Phil]

Without a way to transport my kayak, it looks like I will be doing some shore fishing to get my fix.

I live just East of downtown Rochester and will ride my bike or take the bus to any good fishing spots not too far away.

I would like to target warm-water species, bass, pike, walleye...

I bought the Sander's Guide and it says the New York State Barge canal is a good place to fish. Has anyone been there recently? Where is a good place to start?

The Genesee river sounds like a good fishery as well. Where is a good place to fish there?

Does I-Bay have good shore fishing?

I'm not looking to invade your honey-hole. I just wanna wet a line in a productive area.

Thank you in advance for pointing me in the right direction.

Until next time,

Phil

[GAMBLER]

The Erie canal is loaded with smallies. You can catch just about anything in there. Troll crankbaits or cast rapalas along the banks for smallies. You may pick up a walleye here or there trolling cranks. The outlet at I-bay can be great at times. There are bass and pike in the channel and just outside the bay in the lake. In Mid September, the perch will be easy pickings in the channel. The piers at the Genesee River can be good. You can get walleyes, catfish and bass off the piers in the river and on the lake side. Lots of guys fish the rock piles with jigs in the river and do good on occasion.

[Fish Junkie]

Seeing your traveling by bike and on the east side, might give Ellison Park a try just outside the city off Blossom Rd. The Irondequoit Creek flows through this saection of park and offers many deep holes to try. This is the lower section of the creek so it is slow moving with a silty bottom and also some weeds. This time of year you can expect to find some warm water species in there like bass, pike , and walleye. I would just pack some small jigs, spinners , and a few small crankbaits. Don't be surprised to see some trout and salmon show up in there in the next month or so as the begin there spawning runs to the higher sections of the stream.... Good Luck

[SinDale]

The canal and Genny cross at Genesee Vally Park. Last time I was walking the dog back in there I talked to guy with a stringer of 4 nice sized walleye and 1 largemouth! He says there's a small creek that runs back into the golf course, and he casts a worm on a jig head near the mouth into the canal. Its on my list of places to go when boating is out of the question.

Another nice spot on the Genny, is at Jefferson/Scottsville Rd. where Black Creek dumps in. I've caught a few monster pike back in the creek, and they made some really nice fishing access points at the mouth. I'd throw the bike on RTS headed for RIT since its only a half mile from there.

I'm glad to hear about the Canal, as I promised the family a ride, maybe this week I hope. I guess it wouldn't hurt to have a few poles off the back trolling some crankbaits I'm just afraid of what I might snag on in there!

[Fishin With Phil]

Wow thanks for the advice. I think I'll start with the canal by the golf course

I'll go Wednesday and see if I can get lucky on my birthday.

Probably cath and release. I don't think the buss would like a stringer full of fish :shock: I always release bass anyway.

Til next time,

Phil

[Gator]

Phil,

All the cool people were born this week

I know that my graduate student fishes some of the area golf course ponds for bass with decent luck; I actually wet a line for the first time in Rochester near where the canal meets the Genny by UofR twenty years ago. Great spot, but when they pulled a body out not 100 feet from where I was fishing, I never tried it again (guy jumped in after his dog...dog fine, guy drowned).

Hopefully you can get hooked up with some transportation soon. A man and a kayak can go a long ways around here, especially in the fall as fish concentrations build near shore.

Gator