Eighteenmile Creek and Burt Dam fishing report: Niagara County access and rules

Last checked 2026-10-30. This page is a guide, not a catch report. The hotline notes are dated and go stale after November 13, 2026.

This page is about Eighteenmile Creek in Niagara County, which enters Lake Ontario at Olcott Harbor.

The short version

• DEC's hotline (October 30 to November 13, 2026) says Eighteenmile and Oak Orchard Creeks "currently have a plentiful mix of brown trout and king salmon," with some steelhead and coho salmon showing too. It adds: "Angler pressure has been very high as a result" (NYSDEC hotline).
• Fishing from 1/2 hour after sunset to 1/2 hour before sunrise is prohibited in the Lake Ontario tributary rules, which include the Burt Dam section.
• DEC says many thousands of anglers use the Fisherman's Park facility at Burt Dam, Town of Newfane.

What DEC says this week

From the hotline report (NYSDEC):

• "Drifted egg sacs, trout beads and jigs work well for trout and salmon."
• "Despite the lack of rain," "Erie Canal water releases continue to provide favorable fishing conditions." DEC says the releases also benefit Oak Orchard, Johnson and Sandy Creeks.
• "Other smaller tributaries on the west end are at a trickle."

The report does not say what is released or from where. Because DEC credits Erie Canal releases here, we do not describe this creek's flow as natural or rain-driven.

Hotline phone numbers: DEC Western New York Fishing Hotline (716) 855-FISH, and Niagara County Fishing Hotline (877) FALLS US (NYSDEC Western Lake Ontario). DEC Region 9 Bureau of Fisheries: 716-372-7010.

Run timing, per DEC

From DEC's Western Lake Ontario page (NYSDEC):

• Chinook run in Eighteenmile Creek "starting in mid-October."
• "Later in October and November, brown trout begin to enter Eighteenmile Creek on spawning runs." DEC describes it as providing Lake Ontario's best streamside brown trout fishing.
• Brown trout and steelhead are available through winter. DEC says the Burt Dam reservoir discharge keeps conditions open "essentially all winter long." It gives no separate steelhead run dates.

See our salmon run timing guide for the general picture.

Access

• DEC: "Many thousands of anglers use the Fisherman's Park facility at Burt Dam, Town of Newfane."
• Path to the fishing area. A Town of Newfane resolution (#48-2026, from its 2026 board documents) authorizes acquiring a permanent public access easement over the existing pathway from Fishermen's Park and the town-owned parking area to the Burt Dam Fishing Area, on the eastern shore of the creek. It lets members of the public use the path to and from the fishing area (Town of Newfane). The posted copy is an unsigned form with no adoption or recording date, so call the town to confirm the current status.
• DEC's page gives no boat launches, parking or public fishing rights detail for this creek.

Rules, as DEC states them

These are summaries. The DEC page is the rule (NYSDEC regulations).

• Where and when: the section is "From the Rte. 18 bridge upstream to Burt Dam." Seasonal tributary regulations apply September 1 to March 31.
• Night closure: fishing from 1/2 hour after sunset to 1/2 hour before sunrise is prohibited. DEC's table lists this in its Hours column for the Lake Ontario tributary rows.
• Trout and salmon: open all year. 15 inch minimum, except rainbow trout or steelhead at 25 inches in tributaries. 3 in combination, with no more than 1 rainbow trout (or steelhead) and 1 brown trout in the tributaries.
• Lake trout: December 1 to September 30, so closed in October and November.
• Lake sturgeon: closed.
• Hooks: one hook with a single hook point (floating lures and artificial flies are excepted). Hooks must be free-swinging, except on an artificial fly or jigs. The gap cannot exceed 1/2 inch. Weighted hooks are prohibited except artificial flies and jigs weighing no more than 1/8 oz.

River gauge

USGS station 04219768, Eighteenmile Creek at Burt NY, reports discharge, water temperature and gage height. USGS real-time values are provisional.

Flow data courtesy of the U.S. Geological Survey. Values are provisional and subject to revision.

We do not know whether the Burt gauge reflects the Erie Canal releases DEC mentions, and we do not compare it to the hotline wording.

See our Olcott port page.

Sources

• NYSDEC Lake Erie and Western NY fishing hotline
• NYSDEC Western Lake Ontario
• NYSDEC Great Lakes tributaries regulations
• Town of Newfane Resolution 48-2026
• USGS 04219768 Eighteenmile Creek at Burt NY

Last checked 2026-10-30. Hotline content goes stale November 13, 2026. Check DEC before you go.