Buffalo NY Fishing Report – Observations from 04/01/2024 – 04/07/2024
Here’s our latest Buffalo NY fishing report: After a nasty spell of wind and inches of flood inducing rain, the system recovered nicely by the weekend. I was able to fish for the past 3 days. The spring bite is starting to pick up momentum – albeit slowly. I have to keep reminding myself that it’s only the first week of April. All those warm weather days a couple weeks ago were a shock to the system. It’s been good times lately, but the best is 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, Upper Niagara
What we caught: lake trout, steelhead, smallmouth bass.
Tactics: 3-way rig with live bait, beads, or plugs; drop shots; spoons
Episode 79 of Two Angles on Angling: Although Mother Nature threw a tantrum around the Buffalo Niagara Region earlier this past week, she calmed down enough to allow for a wonderful weekend. Both Jordan and I were able to take advantage with some time on the water. Topics discussed include what we saw on the water, what to expect from the horrendous forecast, what life would be like if we didn’t have cell phones, is it possible to withdraw from “progress” or “advancing” technologically, and more… https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/two-angles-on-angling
Detailed Reporting/Daily Observations
04/01/2024 – Gorgeous day – but I wasn’t booked – so I stayed off the water. Spent the day getting the new boat ready for service.
04/02/2024 – Rain and a hard E wind. Stayed off the water
04/03/2024 – More rain, a little bit of snow, and big N winds.
04/04/2024 – Rain and wind calmed down late in the day but it was still a bit snotty out. As I predicted in last week’s report, the water clarity held up very well. The only problem was the flood conditions created by all the rain the few days prior. All the tributaries dumped a lot of mud into the Buffalo River and the Erie Canal so a small portion of the fishery had chocolate milk flowing.
04/05/2024 – Fished the Lower Niagara with new clients – Joe, Mike, and Keith. We had a blast! A stiff N wind kept us upstream. The bite was OK. The company made it super fun.
04/06/2024 – The N wind continued, but it was fairly mild on the Upper Niagara so Matt, Natalie, Kevin, and I opted to go bass fishing. The crew crushed it! Not a lot of biggies but the numbers were excellent. It’s early – the tanks are coming. 
04/07/2024 – Fished Lake Ontario and the Lower Niagara with new clients – Vince, Levi, and Don. It was a little crowded out there. Plus, all the mud that’s been washing downstream from the rain earlier in the week was swirling around our side of the lake out to over 100’ deep. We tried trolling for a little while but came up with nothing. We moved to the bar and picked up some small browns and lake trout in the crowd. We ended up spending the last couple hours in the river picking up bass and a small steelhead. Tough session but a great group of guys to spend a day on the water with.
Seasonal Assessment/General Observations
On the Conditions
I ended up fishing the entire system this past week so here’s the by-species breakdown.
Trout/Salmon
Unless Mother Nature forces me into a situation where I must – I’m done fishing the Lower Niagara for trout until the fall. The trout bite in the river has been ridiculously picky. Sure, if you soak all the major drifts, fish will get caught…but not many. If you’re hunting for trout, head to Lake Ontario.
The Lake Ontario bar continues to produce lake trout, browns, and the occasional king salmon. However, because the river hasn’t been fishing well, the bar has been loaded with boats. In other words, prepare to fish in a crowd if the bar is on the docket.
I went on one Lake Ontario trolling mission this week (today). Unfortunately, all the mud generated by the rains earlier in the week is currently swirling around our side of the lake (from the bar out to about 200’ of water). Trolling dirty water out deep rarely produces anything – and that’s what happened when we tried. We marked fish here and there but couldn’t get a bite going after an hour of cutting grids.
Smallmouth bass
The bass bite is good right now. We’ve been picking up MANY males and the occasional big female in pre-spawn staging areas. Drop shots and bucktails have been the ticket. White is the only color I use.
I’m going to be a little cagey with my bass reports until later in the year. I’m already seeing a ton of pressure on Lake Erie and the Niagara River so it’s time to get into survival of the fittest mode. I’ll let the pictures do most of the talking. Bottom line – when it comes to bass fishing around here, understanding their annual pattern of life is essential. With that knowledge, finding them throughout the year isn’t a chore by any means.
Right now, the smallmouth bass are in pre-spawn staging areas. Find one, catch some fish there, then look for similar areas on your nav chart and fish those too. I’m willing to bet you’ll catch fish in most if not all those areas. Have fun!
Buffalo NY Fishing Report – Forecast for 04/08/2024 – 04/14/2024
Forecast Commentary
This upcoming week looks – chaotic. Tomorrow, the solar eclipse, looks like it’ll be a nice day. Tuesday and Wednesday look good too. Beyond that, potentially system wrecking wind and rain until Sunday. Fingers crossed that’s not what happens.
I’ll be on the water tomorrow. I’m picking up the new boat on Tuesday, getting some accessories installed on Wednesday, and getting the wrap installed on Thursday. If the forecast allows for it, I’ll be back at it on Friday. Stay tuned for pictures!
Stay healthy my friends – mentally and physically,
Ryan