Pooring Rain Drum Roll

My family and I were on a vacation to Niagara Falls, which gave me the opportunity to fish the river on a dreary and rainy Sunday Morning. After stopping off at Creek Road Bait and Tackle for some crayfish and hooks, we went to the New York Power Authority fishing pier: a favorite spot among locals. When we arrived, at the coffee-necessitated hour of 6:30, I was discouraged to see two rain drenched anglers quickly walking back to their car. I didn't bother to ask "how was the fishing", because I knew the answer might have been too hard to swallow.

I had bought crawfish from the bait-store to use on a Carolina Rig with about 15 inches of 8lb. fluorocarbon leader. I had never never used crawfish as bait before, but I had frequently caught them from a local stream near my house. These crawfish, however, were vastly different from the ones I usually caught, for they were about the size of my fingernail and had very soft exoskeletons. I was instructed by the very helpful bait store owner to hook the crawfish in the head in front of the brain. I was using a very small size 12 red thin-wire hook to be as stealthy as possible.

The bait store owner had told me that there were smallmouth bass and freshwater drum or sheepshead in this spot and that crawfish would be the best method to catch both of those species. I was using a 3/8 oz. weight to hold the strong current from outflow of the damn.

My setup:
7' ML spinning rod
Penn Battle 2000
15lb. Power Pro Green Braided Line.

The water was surprisingly deep very close to the fishing platform indicating that there was structure and fish holding close by. So, instead of throwing a cast far out into the current, I targeted the nearby ledge where the fish could leisurely swim against the current and eat any passing food. After missing a few quick and light bites to what I though were small fish, I opened the bail to the next bite. After 5 seconds of line running off the spool, I closed the bail and set the hook hard into the fish's mouth. Instantly I felt the familiar tug and head shake of a fish. I quickly reeled it in to see a small-mouth bass, no bigger than 10 inches on the end of my line - the hook in the corner of its mouth. After a couple more bites, and each time waiting a couple seconds for the fish to eat my bait, I had caught a few more adolescent small-mouth bass that all put up a great fight for their size, but nothing really substantial. When I set my hook into the next fish, I felt some weight, and my drag, loose from the smaller fish earlier, clicked from the fish's short burst of energy. I adapted my drag and horsed the fish in, curious to see this new contender. It was a drum -  a rainy day drum!

After the drum, I caught some larger small-mouth bass. The rain had subsided, and I was excited to see what else I could catch; however, just as I was going to try a longer cast into the current, the nearest turbine whirred to life, and the current was far too strong to fish. Suddenly tens of big carp swam into water inches deep to escape the perilous current. Unfortunately they would not bite the single piece of corn I found on the ground. My attempts at catching these washed up fish were not in vain though, because I sight fished my biggest small-mouth bass of the day in the shallow water. Among the monster two foot plus carp and the small-mouth bass, I saw numerous gar and what I thought to be some drum escape the current on the shallow edge.

The experience fishing in Niagara was both beautiful and exciting. I had caught my first ever drum and discovered a new fishing spot which I will definitely visit again if I ever return!

Please visit Creek Road Bait and Tackle if you ever go to Niagara - it's a great shop with helpful staff:
4419 Creek Rd, Lewiston, NY 14092, USA

Best,
Paul Wang