Buffalo NY Fishing Report – Observations from 04/07/2025 – 04/13/2025
Here’s our latest Buffalo NY fishing report: Ice flows, rain, and wind from every direction—classic spring chaos ruled this past week. I hit the water three days, though looking back, five were doable (more on that later). Ice remains a major player, and Lake Erie’s outflow is still barely above freezing. Not much has changed since my last report. Keep reading for more details.
Days on the water: 3
Who we fished with: friends/clients
Where we fished: Lake Erie, Lower Niagara, Lake Ontario
What we caught: brown trout, steelhead, lake trout
Tactics: drifting bait; jigging bucktails, swimbaits, and blade baits; trolling spoons
Detailed Reporting/Daily Observations
04/07/2025 – Rescheduled the Trip
I had a group lined up for two days, April 7-8, 2025, led by a longtime client from western PA who’s been fishing with me for years. With a hefty commute, he needs at least two days on the water to justify the trip. I totally get it—when I travel to fish, I book multiple days too.
April 7 was fishable, but the next day? Brutal. Freezing temps, snow, and howling winds made it a no-go. We decided to reschedule.
Canceling stung—losing a day’s work always does—but I see it as a short-term hit for a long-term win. Keeping a loyal client’s trust and ensuring they get the experience they deserve outweighs a single day’s paycheck. Call it being conservative or risk-averse, but this way of doing business is why I have numerous clients that come back year after year, multiple times per year.
I’ve written about this before, but it’s worth repeating: I don’t judge other captains who fish through dicey conditions. Every captain and client has their ‘go/no-go’ threshold. I lean toward negotiation with full transparency—a quality play. Others might push through, chasing the paycheck. Both approaches work, but I’d argue frequent communication, transparency, and a joint (captain/client) decision making process builds stronger loyalty in the long run.
04/08/2025 – Rescheduled the trip
See above. It was the right call to reschedule as big NW winds and temperatures in the 20s and low 30s would’ve been painful to try to fish through.
04/09/2025 – Another Rescheduling
Repeat everything I said about 04/07/2025, but replace where the anglers live. In this case, I had an awesome duo coming in from Ohio – guys I’ve fished with a few times in recent years. They booked 04/09/2025 and 04/10/2025. This day, 04/09/2025, was fishable. However, the following day wasn’t with the forecast calling for big east winds, frigid temperatures, snow and rain.
I’m glad we pulled the plug. For one, the ice bridge below the falls broke mid-morning on April 9, sending a ton of ice downstream and limiting angling to just a few spots. Then, on April 10, Mother Nature threw a tantrum—huge east winds, snow, freezing temps, and rain made it unfishable. Dodging that mess was the right call.
04/10/2025 – Cancelled (See above), plus a Little Recon
The forecast was spot-on—fishing would’ve been a cold, miserable slog. One upside? Most of the ice that poured downstream after the ice bridge collapsed cleared out, opening up the river for better days ahead.
Although conditions were marginal at best, I decided to do a last-minute recon trip with my buddy Mike. The Buffalo Harbor was clear of ice, so we wanted to fish a few of the zones to see what would happen. Nothing did – but it was worth checking out and getting in some reps with Mike.
04/11/2025 – Excellent Session on the Lower
Fished the Lower Niagara with Tim and Noah. Tim’s been fishing with me for a long time. He’s Canadian, but I don’t hold that against him lol. In fact, we’re like diplomats for our respective countries and we always have some interesting conversations. His boys are a blast too – both are engaged, catch fish on their own/with little help from me, and are endlessly curious.
Tim and Noah were booked for April 11-12, 2025. By Wednesday afternoon, we saw both days shaping up rough: cold temps, some rain, and stiff north winds. As I’ve stated before, wind blowing from the north into the teens kicks up huge waves on Lake Ontario and denies the ability to fish some areas of the lower Niagara. One day of battling that’s fine; two days straight? Yeah…no—especially since they have another day on the books for later this month
So, we opted to go for it on 04/11/2025 and cancel 04/12/2025. When I rolled up to the boat launch at 8:30 AM on April 11, I was shocked—no other boats in sight. Less pressure probably helped, but whatever the reason, we had an excellent day. Best of the season so far and top-notch by any year’s measure. I’m very encouraged by the numbers and size of the steelhead we caught – most were fresh too. 
04/12/2025 – Cancelled the trip (See above)
Took the day off. Drove the system and went to the gym.
04/13/2025 – Finally, a Day on Lake O
Fished Lake Ontario out of Olcott, NY with Brandon, his father, and his friend, Dean. To start – there were a lot of boats. We tried for brown trout in shallow, but after an hour and no bites, we decided to go deep in pursuit of lake trout. It took a while, but we found them. The bite was slower than expected, but we made some connections.
Although it was a grindy day, we had a great time. Plus, it was my first fully committed day on Lake Ontario this year. I’m encouraged by what I saw out there. The water is still very cold, but there were plenty of fish around. It’ll fire up very soon.
Seasonal Assessment/General Observations
Current Challenges for Anglers
Pent-up angling frustration is running high these days. Fishing windows are scarce: frigid water makes bites hit-or-miss, daily ice flows wreck plans fast, and wind and rain seem to show up every other forecast. ‘This time last year, we were hammering [fish species],’ is the phrase I keep hearing—and yeah, I’ve grumbled it too. But let’s be honest with ourselves: our memories are short.
Historical Water Temperature Analysis
Wanting to center myself a bit, I dove into some historical data and here’s what I found (I did this on 04/10/2025). From 1927 to 2025, data indicates that on April 10 water temperatures flowing out of Lake Erie were at or below 35°F in 71 of 99 years, equating to 72% of the time. This suggests persistent ice cover and cold conditions are the norm for this date. Conversely, by April 26, water temperatures reach 38°F or higher in 91 of those 99 years (92% consistency). This threshold marks the decline of ice flows and a notable increase in fish feeding activity across species, a pattern I’ve observed over years of guiding.
If I pulled these stats out in 2019, nobody would have been surprised. After the last 4 winters (2020 – 2024) where we able to fish 20 days or more in April, those stats seem a little soul crushing. But wait! The lanet is warming, right? If you want to make that assumption, let’s look at the data from 1980-2025.
On April 10, the temperature was 35°F or less in 25 years (out of 46, 1980–2025). That’s about 55% of the time. The temperature is reliably 38°F or higher (90% of years) on April 21 (41 out of 45 years, 1980–2024). In other words, there seems to be a slight warming trend over the last 45 years, but what we experienced in the last 4 is an anomaly. This year, however, will align somewhere between the 100 year average and the last 40 year average.
Practical Considerations for Anglers
The choice of dataset—whether spanning 100 years or 45—remains a matter of perspective, as both represent brief periods in geological terms. For those planning trips, scheduling before mid-April carries a risk of cancellation due to cold and ice. Yet, in warmer-than-average years (like the last 4), early bookings can yield exceptional fishing with minimal competition. Anglers must weigh the likelihood of rescheduling against the potential for a rewarding, uncrowded experience.
It Seems Like Things are Starting to Change
Yes, there is still some ice left on Lake Erie and yes, the water is still cold. However, the last couple days boosted my morale and has me feeling optimistic. By all reports, the bite in the Lower Niagara picked up pace over the weekend. Lake Ontario is just starting to heat up too. Before long, the ice will be completely gone (likely in the next 2 weeks – we just need a couple days of big SW winds) and the Upper Niagara will start getting good. Patience will pay off soon.
Buffalo NY Fishing Report – Forecast for 04/07/2025 – 04/13/2025
Forecast Commentary
This Upcoming Week
Next week’s looking like classic April—some fishable days, some…not so much. Weather’s set to swing with temps in the 40s to low 50s, mixed winds, and rain popping up midweek. Monday looks excellent. I’ve already rescheduled Tuesday and Wednesday (huge winds and likely ice flow). Thursday and Friday look doable, but N winds might create some problems getting out to Lake Ontario AND there might be some heavy ice flow left over caused by winds from Tuesday and Wednesday. Saturday and Sunday? Much warmer but wind and rain might cause problems. In other words, there will be some last-minute calls.
My plan is to spend as much time as possible on Lake Ontario with a small dose of the Lower Niagara here and there. The launch at the Lewiston ramp will be closed on Monday, 04/14/2025 – so launching on Lake O (either Wilson or Olcott) is the only option that day. Later in the week, I’ll likely launch on the Lower and spend some of my time there as well as making the push out to the lake when conditions allow.
Longer Range Outlook
The ice boom keeps coming up in conversations—as if its removal is going to solve a lot of our problems. Normally, I’d agree with this sentiment. However, this year is different. The boom hasn’t been intact since January when a windstorm uprooted a huge section and sent it downstream. Wind events over the past couple of weeks uprooted a couple more sections of the boom. If you’ve spent much time around the river lately, you’ve likely seen some of the buoys floating downstream. In other words, ice has been continuously leaking from Lake Erie in huge amounts over the past few weeks. Removing the remainder of the boom won’t do much. Plus, there’s still plenty out there.
Why? Because it’s been cold and frequent N winds are keeping a lot of ice locked up on Erie. We need consistent warm days and some huge winds out of the W and S to clear it out. We’ll get a dose of those conditions this upcoming week. It remains to be seen how much of an impact it’ll have.
Book Your Summer Trip Now
Recent challenges with ice flows, wind, and cold water have prompted numerous reschedulings, shifting many spring fishing trips to the summer months. As a result, availability for June, July, and August is becoming limited. To secure your preferred dates, I encourage booking now. Summer in the Buffalo Niagara region offers exceptional angling opportunities, with stable weather and optimal conditions across Lake Erie, Lake Ontario, and the Niagara River.
Stay healthy my friends – mentally and physically,
Ryan