Buffalo NY Fishing Report – 07/19/2026

Buffalo NY Fishing Report – Observations from 07/13 – 07/19/2026

Here’s our latest Buffalo NY fishing report:  This past week had a little bit of everything Lake Erie could throw at us: flat-calm mornings, five-foot rollers, thick wildfire smoke, thunderstorms, a surprise maintenance day, and even a reminder that summer walleye fishing isn’t always easy. Through it all, we caught plenty of fish, shared some unforgettable adventures, and welcomed anglers ranging from seven-year-olds catching their first walleyes to longtime friends chasing another freezer full of gold. The week also reinforced a lesson I’ve learned over the years—it’s rarely the easy days that stick with you. It’s the challenging conditions, the emotional roller coaster of walleye fishing, and the people you experience it with that I’ll remember most.

Days on the water: 6

Who we fished with: friends/clients

Where we fished: Lake Erie

What we caught:  walleye, smallmouth bass, freshwater drum

Tactics:  trolling worm harnesses, casting finesse baits

Detailed Reporting/Daily Observations

07/13/2026 – Whispering and Assassinating  

Fished Lake Erie out of Buffalo, NY with the Whisperer, the Silent Assassin, and my father. Captain America couldn’t complete Clan Jarosz this time around. His response to the invite was something along the lines of, “I’d love to, but some people actually have to go to work.” So, I called my father join us on the gold mining mission.

It was a picture-perfect summer morning with a light northeast breeze and plenty of sunshine. The walleyes cooperated from the start, and the action stayed steady all morning. We had our limit in just a couple of hours—getting the Whisperer home in plenty of time for his afternoon nap.

07/14/2026 – Getting Nautical

Fished Lake Erie out of Buffalo, NY with Mark, Chris, and Darren. In the days leading up to the trip, Mark and I talked about the forecast, which called for southwest winds gusting into the 20s and the potential for some serious waves. He assured me nobody in the group gets seasick, so they were all in. Honestly, I was looking forward to some Warrior weather.

Thankfully, the guys were willing to start early while the lake was still manageable enough to make the run offshore without taking a serious beating. A quick aside: whenever I’m dealing with big southwest winds—or big waves in general—I always troll with the wind and waves. Boat control is much easier, the ride is smoother for clients, and the fishing is simply more efficient. The downside is that once you commit to a line, turning around and resetting is a major undertaking. You need to run far enough offshore to make one long pull—maybe two—and make them count.

We blasted through 1- to 3-footers for about a half hour before I turned the boat back toward the city. The Warrior handled the ride beautifully, and the guys were impressed with how smooth it was. The bite had a couple of lulls, but there were enough periods of chaos to keep us catching more than six fish an hour.

By late morning, we were fishing in consistent 5-foot waves—and still catching walleyes. I also found the upper limit of planer boards. They’re incredibly effective in rough water…right up until the waves consistently top 5 feet.

Days like these are memorable—but rarely because of the conversation. I absolutely love fishing in big water, but it demands my full attention, so I’m not nearly as chatty as I am on calmer days. If clients can handle the waves, they usually walk away feeling like they took on something wild and came out the other side. In the few minutes before we said our goodbyes, I realized we’d talked more at the dock than we had during the entire trip. What an adventure. Awesome day.

07/15/2026 – Surfing with the Boys

Fished Lake Erie out of Buffalo, NY with Jason, Callan (age 7), and Weldon (age 10). With the forecast calling for big waves, Jason and I talked daily leading up to the trip to make sure everyone was comfortable with the conditions. At one point he joked that he was surprised nobody had ever called CPS over some of the waves he’d taken Callan out in. In short, these boys were ready for an adventure.

The lake was supposed to settle down overnight, but that didn’t happen. We ran offshore through consistent 2- to 4-footers, with plenty of 5-foot waves mixed in. After a little more than 30 minutes, we turned around and started trolling back toward the city.

The action was pretty slow for the first hour and a half. Then, in classic Lake Erie fashion, we crossed paths with a massive school of walleyes and chaos ensued. Baits barely had time to settle before they were getting crushed. What started as a stressful morning turned into one those boys won’t soon forget. And Jason was right—they loved every minute of it. They didn’t want to get off the water. Fun day.

07/16/2026 – Fishing Through the Smoke

Fished Lake Erie out of Buffalo, NY with Lisa, Scott, Henry (age 12), and Diesel (age 12). Thick smoke from the northern wildfires hung over the lake, giving the morning an almost eerie feel. There were plenty of boats out, but visibility was limited to about a half mile, so I decided to make a long run offshore, get away from the crowds, and troll our way back toward the city.

The action started immediately, but so did the heartbreak. We dropped a pile of fish early on. A quick aside: every now and then, there are days when walleyes just don’t seem to stay buttoned. I still haven’t figured out why. Sometimes it’s only an issue at the beginning of the trip before everything settles down. Other times, it happens all day.  When “Ls” become prominent, I start using very small pieces of worm – only the dark portion – and that seems to resolve it…maybe.  Anyway, this was one of those mornings where we lost far more fish than usual before things finally turned around.

One of the things I’ve come to appreciate about walleye fishing is the range of emotions it brings out. Excitement, boredom, frustration, confidence, doubt, and pure elation can all show up in the span of a few hours. It’s a roller coaster, and that’s part of what makes it so rewarding.

This crew experienced just about every one of those emotions—both individually and as a team. Our final fish came in a flurry of chaos – followed by cheers all around.  Another awesome day on Lake Erie.

07/17/2026 – Maintenance Day

The client I had scheduled for this day cancelled a week out, so I decided to block the date and take a much-needed day off. This has officially become the “year of the trailer” for me. Part of it failed back in May, and more recently the calipers and rotors gave up—the unfortunate result of years of winter trailering through ice and salt.

I was able to drop the trailer off at Dr. Trailer on Monday while keeping the boat in the water at Collins Marine for the week. The trailer was repaired by Wednesday afternoon, and I picked it up Thursday.

A huge thank you goes out to both Dr. Trailer and Collins Marine for helping keep me in the fight.

I used the day off to clean the boat, knock out some errands, and get a workout in. Not every day off is a bad thing.

07/19/2026 – Awesome…Until it Wasn’t

Fished Lake Erie out of Buffalo, NY with Brian and his son Eli. The forecast deteriorated quickly in the hours leading up to the trip. The night before, NOAA issued a Small Craft Advisory beginning in the morning, and thunderstorms were expected to roll through around daybreak. We agreed to meet at 6:00 a.m. and make the call at the ramp.

One thunderstorm cell slid just past us shortly after we met, and the radar looked clear for the rest of the morning. It was breezy, but nothing we couldn’t handle, so we decided to give it a shot.

It took a little while to find the walleyes, but once we did, the action became steady. Seven-year-old Eli landed a beautiful fish, posed for a few photos, then walked up to the bow next to his dad, leaned over the side…and got his first real taste of Lake Erie seasickness. We decided that was a good time to call it a day.

So, the young man checked off two milestones in one trip: his first Lake Erie walleye and his first bout of seasickness. Fortunately, once we got back to the dock, he bounced right back as if nothing had happened. He even jumped in to help during the fish-cleaning process. I’d say he’ll remember this trip for a long time.

07/19/2026 – Then they Disappeared

Fished out of Buffalo, NY with Steve and Broadie. It was a short session since Steve had to get to work. They wanted to target walleyes, but they were flexible if things didn’t pan out—spending a few hours on the water together was the real priority.

I started the morning searching the areas that had been producing lately, but the walleyes simply weren’t there. We covered a lot of water, picked up one walleye, and caught plenty of freshwater drum along the way. With time working against us, we decided not to make the long run offshore and instead converted to smallmouth bass. We found a few of those…and, of course, plenty more drum.

I’ll admit, I was a little apprehensive about fishing out of Buffalo. After the big west winds earlier in the week, I suspected the walleyes may have slid farther offshore. Normally I would have made the run to check, but with the Sunset Shootout taking place, Buffalo was the right call for this trip. Getting humbled is never fun—I’m still stewing over it as I write this—but we still bent plenty of rods, had a good time, and every fish Broadie caught was the biggest of his life. That’s a win in my book.

Seasonal Assessment/General Observations

Buffalo NY Fishing Report – Forecast for 07/20/2026 – 07/26/2026

It looks like it’ll be another week with sporadic challenges.  Rain might make an appearance a couple of times.  Big wind only looks like it’ll be slightly problematic on Tuesday.  The rest of the week looks wonderful.  Walleyes will continue to be the primary target – with one, maybe two rod benders in the mix. I’m booked daily – stay tuned! 

Stay healthy, my friends.  Mentally and physically,

Ryan