The Niagara Whirlpool - Like Clock Work

Sandwiched in between 2 world class sets of rapids, Surrounded by cliffs high enough to block out the sounds of the busy roadway above it lies a giant fish bowl of sorts that can be easily reached and angled by only the few that prefer to make the trek down to the shores. Welcome to the Niagara Whirlpool a constantly churning bowl that can produce some of the biggest fights in your fishing career. As you enter the small parking lot located on the Niagara Parkway and peer down the edge of the escarpment to the water below you know that you are about to embark on an adventure of epic proportions. The hike down to the bottom can be easily recognized by its famous wooden stair case that will take you down the 800 foot decline to a trail. Take this trail all the way to the water front and take a look around. You are now at the whirlpool but with so much shore line to fish i am going to break it down for you into 3 sections. First section will be near the helicopter pad located at the end of the trail. The section of the whirlpool is also known as the elbow since it is in the shape of a bent human arm (Red Section). in this section there is a low amount of current but a large drop off in the center of the elbow. during salmon and trout season this would be the ideal spot to cast a spoon and retrieve it slowly or drop a 3 way set up on bottom and wait for a fish to run off with it. Second section is the slack pool (Blue Section). This slack water is located on the end of the elbow to the left and goes all the way to the rock piles approximately 500 feet or so away. It can be easily recognized by the pebbly surface that makes up this section of the whirlpool.This pool was most recently used on the Fish n Canada Show with a group of British men angling for carp. Carp are a plenty in this part of the whirlpool and if you can manage to get there appetite a buffalo head will make a surprise visit. During the summer fishing season this section is also great for throwing crank baits for bass, musky and pike. The best bet to catch one of these species during the summer months is in the morning during low tide in which i will explain later. Finally you will have the whole left side of the whirlpool left (Green Section). This section of the whirlpool is loaded with boulders and rock points and is where most of the trout fisherman try there luck for a trophy. This is also where the center pin fisherman have been calling home more and more in the last 3 years. Center Pinning has become one of the most prolific forms of drift fishing since making its way over from England. It has gained its most popularity in the past 3 years as more and more people are enticed by the idea of fighting a 10 pound trout in the current with nothing but a reel, line and rod. Your best bet for catching trout or salmon on the pin in the whirlpool is to use roe, streamers, plastic minnows or marabou jigs. The other option is to go to a local tackle shop and ask around as to what is the bait of choice. Make sure to get there early as the spots will fill quickly even before the sun comes up. The Niagara whirlpool has 2 times to fish in the summer months 11pm to 730am and 830am until 9pm. As you may have noticed i left a gap in the hours for the reason that the water goes down in the evening and comes back up in the mornings. This change can cause the fish to retreat and scramble to find new cover and there for fishing during the off times can become difficult. My ideal time to fish the whirlpool is 6am to 8 am during the summer months and 7am until 10am in the winter. The reason that the water goes up and down so much is due to the fact that hydro requires more water during the day then they do at night. Also the powers that be in the tourist area have 10% more water pushed over the falls from Easter weekend until thanksgiving to make the falls look that much more mightier. In the winter the water does not rise and there for is ideal to fish all day. When you are ready to exit the whirlpool make sure you pace yourself as the up is much more intimidating then the down. I hope you enjoyed this 3 part series on the Lower Niagara River and that one day if you have not tried it yet you will come down and create your own memories like i have over the years. If you have any questions or would like a fishing partner one day down there feel free to message me as i am always up for a day on the challenge know as the Lower Niagara River.