Buffalo NY Fishing Report – Observations from 12/17/2024 – 12/22/2024
Here’s our latest Buffalo NY fishing report: I didn’t fish much this past week, folks. So, I’m writing to say that I hope all of you are enjoying some time from work/away from stress and enjoying the company of your loved ones. I had a relaxing week. I fished 2 days. If I wanted to endure some SUPER harsh conditions, I could’ve done at least 4. We have perfect water clarity right now, I’m just not a fan off fishing in the snow and well below freezing temperatures…unless you are. Time off will be precious soon – it looks like we’ve got a nice stretch of weather on the way and I’m booked solid. Keep reading for more details.
Days on the water: 2
Who we fished with: friends/clients
Where we fished: Lake Erie, Lower Niagara
What we caught: smallmouth bass, lake trout, brown trout
Tactics: drifting bait; jigging bucktails, swimbaits, and blade baits
Detailed Reporting/Daily Observations
12/16/2024 – Fished the Lower Niagara out of Lewiston, NY with Larry. Larry started fishing with me a couple of years ago and has made numerous trips up here ever since. We always have a good time. On this trip, he came alone. His regular fishing partners claimed it would be too cold and decided not to come. They ended up being wrong – but either way – I can’t thank Larry enough for going for it anyway.
Unfortunately, we weren’t rewarded with a lot of action. There was a lot of pressure. All the fish we caught were down river…and we tried the upriver areas. So yeah, it was slow. However, Larry caught a couple GIANTS. That brown trout was his PB. It’s only been a couple of years – more PBs will get broken. 
12/17/2024 – Fished Lake Erie out of Buffalo, NY with Jordan. Action was SLOW. We caught a few, but none were photo worthy. We dragged swim baits and ripped blades. The blades got the best results. I caught a few fish just dragging the blade on the bottom and ripping it every 10 seconds or so – very slow presentation. I made one observation that I’ve never seen before.
The water was stained – I could barely see my prop – so maybe 2’ of visibility – more brown than green. Normally, when the water is stained like that, the bass will be the same color – like a washed-out gold. That wasn’t the case on this day – they were all camo’d up and some were a dark, iridescent green – clear water colors.
I know the fish were there. My hypothesis: the bottom of that lake, where we were, was super cold. Likely from frigid snowmelt water dumping into the lake from nearby creeks. That water is just above freezing – probably 35 degrees. The temperature of Lake Erie near Buffalo, NY is likely around 42 degrees. Oh yeah, water gets denser the colder it gets. So, when that 35-degree water knocks into that 42-degree stuff, it sinks to the bottom (where the bass and walleyes live), forming a thermocline. I also noticed large fluctuations in water temperature coming out of the Niagara this past week – likely caused by the same phenomenon.
So, the fish were in a funk because they were sitting in super cold water. Or they moved up into the middle of the water column, where the water was warmer (where we WEREN’T fishing), and hovered around for awhile until the bottom temperatures returned to something a little more comfortable. Interesting – lesson learned – fish the upper column when the bottom gets cold. I’ve gotta say, it feels good to keep learning new stuff.
A snow-mixed-with-rain storm ended our session early.
12/18/2024 – Day off – was fishable.
12/19/2024 – Facing a stiff NW wind and snow, we opted to reschedule.
12/20/2024 – NW winds, snow, and below freezing temperatures – opted to reschedule.
12/21/2024 – Snow and N winds started the day – with temperatures in the teens. The snow stopped and the sun came out, but I don’t think it got above the low 20s. Rescheduled the trip.
12/22/2024 – Day off. Besides, the temperature was 5 degrees when the sun started coming up. Fishing in temperatures that cold would have been treacherous to say the least.
Seasonal Assessment/General Observations
It’s hard to provide an assessment of what’s been going on lately after having only been able to fish a couple days this past week. Still, I have a few notes:
- Upriver sections of the Lower Niagara have been slow. Either the water upstream was too dirty to be productive when I fished it OR there are very few fish around. I’ll continue to poke around these areas in my upcoming trips. However, the downriver sections and the Lake Ontario bar will likely be the most productive areas.
- All the fish we boated on the Lower Niagara ate minnows. I’ve been writing about this for a couple weeks now, but meat is what the predators want now. Feed them, folks.
- That thermocline set up on Lake Erie that I mentioned above has intrigued me. Normally, those areas that Jordan and I fished are VERY productive this time of year. Lake Erie hasn’t seen the last of me in ’24. I’ll get out there at least once prior to New Years and likely a couple times after that before shutting down for the season.
- Check out this link: Lake Erie December Temperatures Buffalo. You’ll notice the swings in water temperature that corroborate the thermocline setup.
Buffalo NY Fishing Report – Forecast for 12/23/2024 – 12/29/2024
Forecast Commentary
I’m very optimistic about the forecast for this upcoming week. Stability will be the trend. East winds with a couple of south wind days look like they’ll be the norm. When we get those kinds of winds, we also get a lot of sun and warmer temperatures. Add that with near perfect water clarity and we should have a highly productive (and fishable) stretch of days.
I’m booked every day from the day after Christmas through New Years Eve. I’ll split those days between Lake Erie and the Lower Niagara. Plus, I have a lot of good anglers on the docket – it should be good times.
Merry Christmas folks! Enjoy your week. Stay tuned for next week’s report.
Stay healthy my friends – mentally and physically,
Ryan