Cattaraugus Creek winds westward for more than 35 miles below the Springville dam, tracing the border between Erie and Cattaraugus counties in the process, before it joins Lake Erie at Sunset Bay in Irving. Most of the creek is 50 to 80 feet across, and the back-cast room is one reason it's so loved by fly-fishers. Another plus, from the long-rodder's vantage point, is the predominantly gravel and ledge-rock bottom, which facilitates long fly drifts and minimizes snags and time spent re-tying leaders. The relatively easy wading deserves a thumbs-up, too. And did I mention the fish?

If the Cat has any shortcomings, they would have to be the stream's tendency to stay roiled for days or even weeks after a major rain storm and the fact that a long segment of it flows through the Seneca Nation reservation at Gowanda. Neither problem is more than an annoyance. When the creek is muddy, simply use larger or all-black flies or leave the fly rod home and opt for a scented salmon-egg spawn sac tied up in mesh of a fluorescent orange or red hue. As for the reservation issue, it's not really an issue at all. Non-Indians need a written permit to fish within the Seneca Nation, but the required document is readily available for a modest fee at any Seneca-owned gas station or convenience store. Alternately, there's plenty of good steelheading water off the reservation, either on the south bank of the river between its mouth and U.S. Route 5, or near bridge crossings between the east end of the reservation and Springville.

In particular, try your luck in the scenic Zoar Valley Multiple Use Area, just east of Gowanda. Access there is via the Valentine Flats and Forty Road parking lots. You can find them on a DEC Region 9 map of Zoar Valley. When you request your copy, ask also for the brochure on fishing Cattaraugus Creek.

NIAGARA RIVER
Talk about clichés, the "Mighty Niagara" has been a tired phrase for more than a century, but how else does one pay proper tribute to such an awesome piece of water? The Niagara merits awe on two levels: first, as a force of nature that is not to be trifled with, and second, as one of the great trophy trout and salmon fisheries in the world.

In truth, the Niagara is at its best for steelhead in January and February, but early birds who get out before New Year's Day can have their share of fun, too, by dunking eggs or trolling with plugs in a seaworthy vessel or casting from the American side of the river. Regardless of tactics, use extreme caution to avoid slipping into the maelstrom that's only a rod's length away. I spell "Niagara" "R-E-S-P-E-C-T," for it funnels 1.3 million gallons of water a minute into Lake Ontario, and that water is traveling along at 25 miles per hour much of the time after it tumbles over the falls.

The Niagara differs from other New York steelhead waters in several other ways. Obviously, it is a huge stream, and it can't be fished as one would probe Chautauqua Creek or the Salmon River. Plan to use an ounce of weight, sometimes more, to get an egg sac or a boat-trailing plug to where the fish are hiding. Big baits are in order, too. Niagara guides disdain the pinky nail-size egg clusters favored on smaller streams. Instead, they like golf ball-size chunks of eggs, skein attached. Rather than tie those globs of eggs in neat mesh sacks, the Niagara baits are hooked, re-hooked and served up as is, with the possible addition of a small piece of fluorescent yarn.