Buffalo NY Fishing Report – Observations from 04/28/2025 – 05/04/2025
Here’s our latest Buffalo NY fishing report: It was another full week on the water for me, packed with multi-species missions, bucket-list victories, and lessons learned the hard way. From the emotional roller coaster that is king salmon fishing, to dodging lightning, and finally nailing the spring smallmouth bite for clients that’ve missed it in the past, each day brought its own challenges and rewards. Unpredictable weather—blustery winds, surprise storms, and relentless rain—kept us on our toes, while the fish, especially the kings, reminded us to stay sharp and follow the golden rule. Here’s how it all went down.
Keep reading for more details.
Days on the water: 7
Who we fished with: friends/clients
Where we fished: Lake Ontario, Lower Niagara, Upper Niagara, Lake Erie
What we caught: lake trout, brown trout. king salmon, atlantic salmon, smallmouth bass, steelhead
Tactics: trolling spoons; 3-way rigs with minnows; casting swim baits, dropshots, tubes, and bucktails
Detailed Reporting/Daily Observations
04/28/2025 – Lake O with Lee
Fished Lake Ontario out of Lewiston, NY with Lee, visiting from Mississippi. Lee is a former Marine. He and I met a few years ago when he was in town for business and booked a couple of days of fishing. Since then, he’s been back a few times, and I went to his neck of the woods on a chalking mission a few years ago. In fact, he put me on my first Mississippi largemouth bass.
On this visit, Lee wanted to chalk as many species as possible – starting with king salmon. We accomplished that mission, but it was a grind. We caught plenty of lake trout, but it seems like the population of kings that were hanging out by the Niagara last week moved east (the boats fishing out of Olcott did well). I guess the NW and NE winds the 2 days prior did something to the water column that caused them to move.
04/29/2025 – Day 2 with Lee
The afternoon prior, Lee and I saw that the forecast for this day would be kind of brutal. HUGE south and west winds were going to limit us to the Lower Niagara – and a potentially grindy session. So, we opted to do an evening session on the Upper Niagara for smallmouth bass and cut this day short to avoid the grind in the wind. That Upper Niagara session went fairly well (no pics taken). Our time on the Lower Niagara was…adventurous.
We started this day on the Lake Ontario bar. The wind and current were ripping, but we had a steady bite. In keeping with Lee’s desire to chalk multiple species, he ended up catching a nice Atlantic salmon out there. We picked up some lake trout out there too. When the wind got really big, we moved into the river and caught smallmouth bass (no pics taken), brown trout, and white bass. Good times!
04/30/2025 – Back to Bassing
Fished the Upper Niagara for smallmouth with Tim and Elias. Tim and both of his boys (you might remember Noah from an earlier report this month) have been fishing with me a few times now. However, they’ve never hit the spring smallmouth bass bite just right. This time they did. Action was consistent throughout the day. 
05/01/2025 – The Boys are Back in Town
Had long time clients Rick and Von back for their annual spring trip. On day one, we fished the Upper Niagara. We had perfect weather, and these guys love to cast so we went to work. The bite was pretty good – not our best day and not our worst.
Although action has been consistently good in the river, I’m not confident it’s set up all the way yet. There are areas that always hold fish in the spring with few, if any, in them just yet. I think it’s still early/the best is yet to come.
The day wasn’t without its thrills beyond the fishing. A massive thunderstorm cell narrowly missed us, unleashing a sound like a giant laser ripping through the sky. The crack was so intense we all hit the deck, hearts racing. After a quick glance at each other, we couldn’t help but laugh at the adrenaline rush—a clear sign to call it a day and head in.
05/02/2025 – Von Accomplishes a Bucket List Goal
Both these guys read my fishing reports. After seeing my last one, Von messaged me saying that a king salmon is a bucket list fish for him. Keep in mind, these guys almost always bass fish with me and we’ve only fished for kings one time prior. We caught plenty of lakers that day, but Rick was the only one who caught a king. Looking at the forecast for this day, I wasn’t confident we could even make a Lake O session happen due to some big W winds. Thankfully, the forecast was wrong.
We launched from Lewiston with the hope of fishing the bar in close – assuming the waves were big out there. When we got to the bar, I was stoked to see the lake didn’t look bad at all. So, we went for it and had an incredible session. After catching our limit, we poked around the Lower Niagara for bass on our way back to the launch.
05/03/2025 – Day off/Recon Session
I had a group of clients who had to reschedule so I ended up with the day off. I poked around the Lake Ontario bar for a few hours in the afternoon – after the rain was supposed to let up. I fished the same zone that I did the day prior – not a touch.
Plus, the rain didn’t stop. So, with all dexterity gone and my core temperature dropping rapidly, I returned to the dock. Turns out, the kings had shifted east, with hot action reported between 4-Mile and Wilson. My mistake? Breaking the golden rule of spring king fishing: always follow the river water.
05/04/2025 – Another Recon Session
I had my long-time client/friend and his teenage daughter on the docket, but the forecast looked grim—cold rain, chilly temps, and a strong northeast wind. He asked if I’d take my daughter out in those conditions, and I chuckled, saying she’d likely balk, and I’d have to drag her out. For dads and teenage daughters, bonding time shines brightest in laid-back weather with a solid shot at great fishing. We agreed to push the trip to a day promising better weather and bites.
I took the opportunity to do some recon work on Lake Erie (by myself). It was picky and I only caught a few. The lake was surprisingly big, but that shouldn’t have mattered. Water clarity was excellenttoo. However, I couldn’t find a group of fish willing to play – just one here and there.
Seasonal Assessment/General Observations
I’m going to balk at writing a detailed summary for the week – I hope that the play-by-play above provides enough detail to get you oriented. My general thought is that this is just the beginning of spring insanity. Many memories of amazing spring sessions swim around my mind this time of year. Some new gems have been added to that collection lately – but the current reality is that the fish haven’t settled into a rhythm or “set up” yet. More awesomeness awaits.
Buffalo NY Fishing Report – Forecast for 05/05/2025 – 05/11/2025
Forecast Commentary
Rain and pesky east winds should clear out by Tuesday, giving way to excellent conditions through the weekend. Expect temperatures to fluctuate between chilly and pleasant, driven by shifting winds from southwest to north, but every day looks fishable.
I’m locked in on a smallmouth bass and walleye program for the first half of the week, likely sticking with it longer if the bite stays hot. Lake Erie’s calling for the full week, though I’ll swing by the Niagara River a couple of days to check the action there too. Who am I kidding? I’ll get a king session in at some point too – I can’t leave them alone all week.
Summer approaches, folks – book your summer fishing trip soon. Weekend availability is slim, but I have plenty of week days available during prime time for walleyes and summer bassing. I hope to hear from you soon.
Stay healthy my friends – mentally and physically,
Ryan