Buffalo NY Fishing Report – Observations from 03/30 – 04/05/2026
Here’s our latest Buffalo NY fishing report: A gorgeous start to the week on the Lower Niagara and Lake Ontario quickly gave way to chaos as a massive multi‑state storm rolled through, dumping up to two inches of rain across Western and Central NY and flooding nearly 50,000 square miles. The system blew out every tributary, pushed mud and debris into Lake Erie, and sent full trees and ice sheets down the Niagara River. Conditions stayed unfishable for days as the river flushed, the ice bridge broke, and big winds shoved ice into the Upper. As of this writing, there are signs of recovery—good color coming out of Lake Erie, rapid clearing in some stretches, minimal remaining ice, and the boom scheduled for removal tomorrow (04/06/26). It was a tough stretch, but once the system settles, the fish should respond fast.
Days on the water: 1
Who we fished with: friends/clients
Where we fished: Lower Niagara, Lake Ontario
What we caught: lake trout, walleye
Tactics: drifting live bait, trolling stick baits and spoons
Detailed Reporting/Daily Observations
03/30/2026 – Nice Day – Tough Fishing
Fished the Lower Niagara and Lake Ontario with Rick, Kevin and DJ. It was a gorgeous day – unexpectedly I might add. It was supposed to be windy to start, but when we arrived on Lake Ontario it was like glass. We trolled some of the waypoints I fished this time last year and picked up 2 lake trout quickly, then dropped a couple, then nothing. I didn’t mark much between 50 and 100’ – even the fish we caught didn’t show up on the screen. Everything was perfect too – from water clarity, to current, to lack of waves.
After about 40 minutes with no action, we moved to the Lake Ontario bar – did a few passes to no avail. No fished marked either.
From there, we moved upstream and got into a good walleye bite (all released, of course). No more trout landed. Conditions were good too – water clarity was good and the wind wasn’t an issue. Plus, we saw the sun a few times – which was a nice change.
3/31/2026 – The Flood
A powerful, multi‑state storm rolled through, soaking Northern PA, and all of Western and Central NY. Rainfall totals varied from about a half‑inch around Buffalo–Niagara to nearly two inches in the southern tier, with the heaviest band running through Cattaraugus and Allegany counties. It ended flooding nearly 50,000 square miles. Oh yeah, the wind gusted over 50mph, and in some places, 1/5” hail fell. The thunderstorms were LOUD – and seemed like they wouldn’t end. Chaos. Devastating.
4/01/2026 – April Fools – but not Really
I took a mid‑morning walk with my wife along East River to see what the flood left behind. Maybe my memory’s off, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like it around here. I lived in South Florida for a few years and went through multiple hurricanes, so I’m not saying it was that level of destruction — but for Western New York, it was bad.
Think about how much rain fell over such a massive area. A lot of it drained into the tributaries, those tributaries fed into Lake Erie, and Lake Erie dumped it all into the Niagara River. By the time it reached the East River, the whole system was flushing out the aftermath. Trees — not branches, full trees — were drifting downstream from bank to bank. Debris was everywhere. And of course, the water looked like chocolate milk. It was a depressing scene. I started calling my clients booked for the upcoming days to cancel trips.
04/02/2026 – Flushing Continues
One thing about the river that most people don’t think about – it’s always moving. Upon surveying the scene, I was surprised to see how much debris had already washed out of the river. Water clarity was still trashed, plus there was some ice coming downstream – pushed over the boom by the wind. Totally unfishable – but there was some hope that things would improve faster than expected.
4/03/2026 – More Flushing + Big Wind
I trailered my boat to Buffalo Harbor State park to op-check one of my trolling motors that just got repaired. I also wanted to drive the skyway to get a look at Lake Erie ice cover. On that drive, I noticed that the water color coming out of Lake Erie was excellent. However, the Buffalo River was still dumping mud and messing up about a third of the river. Ice cover looked minimal – YES! So minimal that the IJC finally put a date on the calendar for the removal of the boom: Removal of Lake Erie-Niagara River Ice Boom planned to begin April 6.
If you read this article, it mentions that there is still a large amount of ice on the Lower Niagara. There isn’t anymore – the ice bridge broke and started flowing downstream on this day.
4/04/2026 – Yet Another Recovery Day
What a gorgeous day! Unfortunately, the system was still trashed. Water clarity on the upper River got a little better between Lake Erie and the Erie Canal, but the canal is still hemorrhaging mud. Reference my report from a couple weeks ago to see how the system clears. If you take a drive from Buffalo to Niagara Falls along the river, you can see what I described/depicted on the map in real-time.
The huge south winds from the day prior also pushed a lot of ice from Lake Erie into the Upper. I considered fishing it – not with clients – just to poke around. However, I didn’t want to play Han Solo in Empire Strikes Back: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAHW7TF4Tyo
I think of this scene every year around this time. Dating myself I’m sure.
4/05/2026 – Continued Monitoring
Overnight, the region got hit with another .5” of rain – NOT helpful. As of this writing, the temperatures are declining into the low 40s, it’s overcast, and the wind is blowing from the west with gusts into the 30s.
I took a walk along the Lower Niagara. BTW – there’s a very nice path that follows the river at or near water level (not the path along the ridge) from the Nexus Bridge/Whirlpool Bridge to the Aquarium. To access it, you can park at or near the Aquarium or the Nexus bridge. Walk along the ridgeline path and you’ll see flights of stairs taking you down – similar set up to Devils Hole and the Whirlpool State Park access. When I was a kid, there was a path here, but for years it was blocked. I don’t know when the state built the stairs, but they’re awesome – I’m stoked about this little discovery. It’s a nice change from hiking Devils to the Whirlpool.
Anyway – I was surprised to see perfect water clarity down there. No ice, no debris. I cancelled the trip I had scheduled, no regrets there because the wind was howling, but conditions were certainly fishable.
Seasonal Assessment/General Observations
Having only fished one day, followed by being grounded by a flood, I don’t have much to say about the fishing. I’ve been booked daily and had to cancel all my trips – which hurts. If there’s a silver lining to all the chaos, it’s that the ice is nearly gone and nobody’s been beating up on the fish. When things clear up, it should be awesome.
On a brighter note, it was warm more often than not this past week, and the natural world is waking up. Trees are budding, annuals are pushing through, mammals are moving, and the early migratory songbirds are trickling in. Over the past few days I’ve seen grackles, brown‑headed cowbirds, song sparrows, and small flocks of cormorants in addition to our many annual residents. It’s still early, but life is ramping up quickly.
Buffalo NY Fishing Report – Forecast for 04/06/2026 – 04/12/2026
Next week’s forecast looks like another dicey one. Although I’m booked every day, I’ll be lucky to fish 2. A reversion to cold temperatures will be a hindrance, so will all the N winds and the rain. The ice boom removal, although very much welcomed, will cause problems too as the river will have a bank to bank ice flow for a few days. Thankfully, big SW winds will be around throughout the week – that should help flush the ice out relatively quickly.
For the days that are fishable, I’m going to have to get creative. A distant port Lake Erie trip will likely happen. I’d love to fish Lake Ontario too – but the mud getting flushed out of the Niagara is already making its way out there – making water clarity a potential problem. It all depends on wind and current. Fingers crossed I can make something happen out there.
Stay healthy, my friends. Mentally and physically,
Ryan