So far all of the great places to fish here in Upstate New York I’ve written about require a boat to have success. I am sure there were plenty of anglers out there that don’t own said boat but still love to fish and it’s time I did right by ya’ll. I know of a small group of dedicated anglers that fish exclusively from shore and do very well, but most are very secretive.
One of the best shore fishermen in the Rochester area is Doug Smith. Doug catches a wide variety of fish just about nine months of the year, all from the shore. I recently caught up with Doug down at Lake Shore Country Club where he works and asked him if he would give up a shore fishing hot spot for my column. He thought for a minute and said, “Get back to me next week and I will put something together for you.” The following week I did just that and Doug, true to his word, put together a detailed breakdown of his favorite spot, the Charlotte Pier. It looked so good that all I had left to do was reduce it a bit to fit in this column. Here is how it read:
Shore fishermen – try the Charlotte Pier at the end of Lake Avenue in Rochester. It is easily accessible with ample parking and offers over a half mile of access to both the Genesee River and Lake Ontario. You don’t have to be an expert to fish the Charlotte Pier; all skill levels can be employed to find some of the many species of fish that inhabit the water surrounding the pier.
Casting lures, bottom fishing and bobber fishing (when the water is calm) can all produce results depending on what you’re fishing for. If you’re fishing off the bottom, make sure your baited hook is at least 2 feet above your ½ oz.– ¾ oz. weight. Otherwise you may be a prime target for the dreaded Round Goby, an invasive species that should not be returned to the water alive.
Many people, some from foreign countries, walk the pier so be prepared to answer questions about the kind of fish you’re catching and what you do with your catch. Many folks don’t realize how many species inhabit the waters around the pier, I’m sometimes surprised myself with some of my catches. Once I landed an American eel (river side), my first ever, and not a very welcome sight. A lady visiting from the Netherlands happened by and commented on my wonderful catch, a favorite meal where she came from!
At different times of the year, usually early spring and late fall, you can target open water game fish such as brown trout, rainbow (steelhead) trout, coho salmon and chinook (king salmon). The kings can be especially good off the pier in late August through September with many anglers casting glow spoons after dark. Try glow-in-the-dark lures activated with a UV flashlight.
Don’t forget to bring a large net with a long, sturdy handle. You won’t be able to retrieve your catch by just lifting it out with your fishing pole.
In the early spring, I like to target brown trout, which are very active in the shallow water on the beach side of the pier. My favorite lure is the ¼ oz. nickel/gold E.P. Spinner Thomas Spinning Lure. It works great for trout, salmon, bass, walleye and panfish. Another go-to lure is the C.P. Swing (no. 5 silver or brass), which seems to work well from spring through fall. I sometimes use a technique called “poor man’s trolling” by walking my lure up and down the pier walls. I’m often surprised when I get a hit, set the hooks and reel in a variety of fish including northern pike, smallmouth bass, rock bass, white bass, drum (sheepshead), and white perch.
The pier offers great rock structures for smallmouth bass fishing. Soft plastic tubes (3”-4” green pumpkin or motor oil) are the best baits. Needless to say, bottom fishing from the pier on the river side can yield some real surprises. You can catch fish anywhere from the parking lot to the end of the pier. I use 1-oz. sinkers with No. 6 gold hooks spaced about 18 inches apart above my weight. I like to use large Niagara minnows that I net off the walls near the parking lot and nightcrawlers work well too. Be prepared to hook and retrieve some large fish, especially the Lake Sturgeon, which can run 3-5 foot long. This fish is an endangered species; avoid landing it if you can. Otherwise, return it immediately and carefully to the water.
Some other big fish include carp and channel catfish. They can put up a significant fight so make sure you are using a sturdy rod with 10 lb. test or more line. Another strong fighter is the bowfin or dog fish, you’ll notice an eye spot on the tail for easy identification. All the fish in this group seemed to be especially active when river dredging was in progress.
I’ve saved the best for last. Yellow perch fishing can be great from early May through June. When the perch leave the ponds and head back to the lake, large schools can occupy the lake side of the pier from about halfway to the end. Any perch fishing technique will work when they are hitting, but I prefer using soft plastics on a No. 6 jig head tipped with spikes. If the wave action is low, I like to float bobbers keeping my lure about two feet off the bottom. This technique works well around the submerged pilings (exact location is a local secret). Out near the end, I use a ½ to ¾ oz. pencil sinker with my soft plastic rigged about 2 feet up. Long casts with slow retrievals and occasional jigging can yield some large perch in the 12-inch-plus range. September and October are also good perch fishing months. On really good days it’s not unusual to catch your limit of 50 perch.
Because the lake level has been so high this year, wind and wave action can close down access or create dangerous conditions. Across the river the Summerville Pier has been closed to access by the Coast Guard. When lake water levels drop to normal (246 feet or less), fishing the piers should return to normal and offer some great opportunities to catch many of the Lake Ontario fish species.
I thanked Doug for doing my job better than I could. Smith then asked for my publisher’s contact information in case my boss needed more help with future outdoor columns. Unfortunately, my pup Rosalee ate it. Sorry Doug.
