Buffalo NY Fishing Report – Observations from 03/24/2025 – 03/30/2025
Here’s our latest Buffalo NY fishing report: Spring has arrived! It was a quiet week, folks, but I still managed to hit the water a couple of times. Not much has changed since last week’s report—Lake Erie retains some ice cover, keeping the river water icy cold, while browns and walleyes (catch and release) remain the main catch. The weather? Typically ‘seasonal.’ We’ve enjoyed a few gloriously warm days that lured everyone out to soak up the sun, but those were just a fleeting tease. The best days of the season are yet to come. Keep reading for more details.
Days on the water: 3
Who we fished with: friends/clients
Where we fished: Lower Niagara, Lake Ontario
What we caught: brown trout, steelhead, walleye (cath and release), lake trout, coho salmon
Tactics: drifting bait; jigging bucktails, swimbaits, and blade baits; trolling spoons
Detailed Reporting/Daily Observations
3/24/2025 – Weather Wins
Had a trip on the docket but huge SW winds forced us to reschedule.
3/25/2025 – Mother Nature said, “Not Today”
Another windy day with big winds out of the SW. Temperatures dropped back down into the low 30s too. Rescheduled the trip.
3/26/2025 – Another “W” for the weather
Temperatures dropped below freezing and stayed that way for most of the day. Winds out of the W were tolerable. I wasn’t booked so I stayed off the water.
3/27/2025 – Good Times but Battled Ice
Fished the Lower Niagara with Courtney, Steve, and Kris. This trio was in town on business and wanted to do something fun between meetings. They were a blast to hang with – non-stop stories and consistent jabs.
The evening prior, the clouds parted, exposing blue skies for the sunset. The wind died off and temperatures plummeted into the low 20s. I decided to delay our start to allow the sun to come up a bit to warm things up.
Unfortunately, those frigid temperatures formed slush ice throughout the system. Sporadic icebergs and a consistent flow of slush made a good presentation nearly impossible in most areas. We picked away throughout the lower with mediocre results and called it early. 
3/28/2025 – Reconnaissance by Fire
Fished the Lower Niagara and Lake Ontario with Ray, Luke, and Nick. The ice that plagued us the day prior departed the area. We also had very light winds coming out of the NE, so we had freedom of action throughout the system.
We started the day on the Lake Ontario Bar. After a few drifts, we boated a decent brown trout. However, we did 3 more drifts and didn’t touch a fish. That lack of action frustrated me, so, I decided to do some recon work.
We made a move out into some deeper water on Lake Ontario. When I stopped and looked at my sonar, I had a good screen (both bait and fish). So, I deployed a couple divers with spoons. Within seconds, one of them got bit. After a short fight, we landed a nice coho. We quickly followed that up with another, and another, and another. It was a sweet little flurry of action. Unfortunately, it didn’t last long. Plus, those NE winds started to increase, kicking up some waves. So, we departed the pattern and head back up river.
Action on the Lower was lackluster to put it nicely. We caught fish, but very few – no pictures were taken.
3/29/2025 – Another Weather Day
I didn’t have a trip on the docket. Plus, rain coupled with a hard east wind came and went throughout the day. Stayed off the water.
3/30/2025 – Han Solo and the Great White
Went on a recon mission with Ben and Ryan. I’ve been fishing with Ben since 2017 – back when he was a teenager and he and his father used to come up from Pittsburg, PA to fish a few times per year. This time, Ben came with his friend Ryan.
I warned the guys that we were in for a challenging day—east wind and consistent rain. I offered to reschedule, but they wanted to go for it. So, I proposed we go a recon mission/adventure. Glory favors the bold, right? They were stoked about giving it a shot.
Well, the ice flows were borderline dangerous. I felt like Han Solo in this scene: https://youtu.be/c8deRYotdng?si=P6UL3Nf7usfR_X0H. It was a riot—and butt clenching to say the least. We covered a ton of water and only picked up a couple steelhead. Until the great white showed up.
We were drifting live bait when Ryan’s rod bent over and drag started screaming. We all thought he was snagged. I took the rod from him at one point to get the snag out—but it moved with the current. No fight, just like a snag came loose and we were carrying something heavy that got uprooted from the bottom. Then the fight began. 15 minutes later, the biggest sturgeon I’ve ever landed came boat side. We unhooked it, snapped some quick shots next to the boat, and let it go. It swam off like the whole experience was a minor inconvenience. Wild day.
Seasonal Assessment/General Observations
Not much has changed since my last report. Weather, as usual, has been the biggest obstacle throughout the week. I must admit, I’m more stir-crazy now than I was in the middle of winter. It’s hard to establish a routine when every day is unpredictable. I’m not stressing about it, though—spring insanity will come. Patience is key.
I don’t have a good explanation for the lackluster river bite lately. If you time it right, you’ll get a mix of walleyes, lake trout, and brown trout. If you’re lucky, a steelhead or two might end up boatside. Freezing cold water temperatures aren’t helping matters, but that can’t be the whole explanation.
Speaking of freezing water temperatures: Lake Erie ice cover persists. It’s slowly trickling out of the gap in the ice boom, but there’s still a significant amount of ice out there. The International Joint Committee usually removes the ice boom by April 1st. However, they will only do so if coverage is 250 square miles or less. It’s not there yet. So, boom removal won’t occur “on time,” – check out this article/press release: Lake Erie’s Ice Boom will remain past Apr. 1st deadline. In other words, we’re in for a couple more weeks of the same pattern in the river.
Currently, Lake Ontario is the best option for a day on the water in the Buffalo Niagara Region. Browns, lakers, and cohos are out there and feeding—we just need manageable winds. I only spent an hour out there on Friday and boated four fish in less than an hour before getting blown off the lake. And I was only fishing with two rods. More fishable weather will arrive—patience, my friends… patience.
Buffalo NY Fishing Report – Forecast for 03/31/2025 – 04/06/2025
Forecast Commentary
This Upcoming Week
The forecast for this upcoming week looks nothing short of chaotic. We’re in for a wild ride with winds blowing from every direction, temperatures swinging between warm spells and below-freezing chills, and scattered rain popping up here and there. It’s classic early spring in the Buffalo Niagara Region—a season that keeps us on our toes. Because of this unpredictability, I’ll be making last-minute calls on trips from Monday through Thursday. The weekend forecast, though, offers a glimmer of hope; as of now, it’s shaping up to be nice. Fingers crossed it holds steady.
I’m booked daily this week, but realistically, I’ll likely only get out on the water for about four trips—if I’m lucky. The weather will dictate what’s possible. My focus will be split between the Lower Niagara, the Lake Ontario bar, and, if the wind cooperates, some deeper water on Lake Ontario. Flexibility is the name of the game right now.
Some Thoughts on the Long Range Pattern
If you haven’t picked up on it lately, this spring isn’t following the pattern of the past few years. Those seasons may have spoiled us with milder starts, but what we’re seeing now feels more like the historical norm for this time of year in our region. For a bit of context, check out this link: Lake Erie March Temperatures Buffalo. With only a few exceptions, Lake Erie typically has ice coverage in late March, keeping water temperatures hovering just above freezing. This year is no outlier—ice still lingers, and the cold grip persists.
This chilly trend has broader implications worth noting. Unless we experience some wild anomaly—like a sudden heatwave that defies all forecasts—the cooler water temperatures will likely stick around into early summer. While that might sound like a downside, it’s setting the stage for something awesome. Cold water means the summer fishing season could be incredible this year, with fish staying active and abundant longer into the warmer months.
On that note, I’ve been getting a lot of calls for summer trips over the past week—thank you to everyone who’s reached out! The interest is a great sign, and I’m thrilled to see the enthusiasm. If you’re still thinking about booking a trip, now’s the time to act. Give me a call soon so we can discuss dates and details. I still have plenty of availability on the calendar, but those slots won’t last long as summer planning ramps up. Let’s lock something in and make this a season to remember!
Stay healthy my friends – mentally and physically,
Ryan