Buffalo NY Fishing Report – Observations from 05/04 – 05/10/2026
Here’s our latest Buffalo NY fishing report: Another 7 days straight – and another week touching all the big water around the Buffalo Niagara Region. Mother Nature was moody —howling winds, stained water, cold snaps, even the occasional dead‑calm grind—the only real pattern was constant adaptation. Letting conditions dictate the plan and relying on the fishery’s diversity to keep the rods bending was the only play. What stood out wasn’t just the variety of species or locations, but the people: families reconnecting, anglers chasing bucket‑list fish, and groups grinding through tough conditions without losing an ounce of enthusiasm. Persistence paid off every day, and the mix of challenge, instruction, and shared moments – that’s spring fishing around here for ya!
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, smallmouth bass, walleye, king salmon, northern pike
Tactics: trolling stick baits and spoons, casting finesse baits
Detailed Reporting/Daily Observations
05/04/2026 – The Experience Day 1
Fished Lake Ontario and the Lower Niagara with Michael and David. These gentlemen were in town from Michigan for 3 days for a Multispecies Experience I’ve been doing with the support of Cabelas for a few years now. There were 4 other anglers, a cameraman, and a host. The other captains that participated were Mike Trifilietti of Riverborn Fishing Company, and Joe Srouji of Anglers Edge Outdoors.
We faced some harsh conditions – HUGE SW winds. Thankfully, these guys were adventurous, so we spent a few hours blasting through waves on the Lake Ontario bar. Action was consistent – the guys had a blast. We followed that up with a session on the river targeting smallmouth bass. Boat control in that wind was brutal, but we made it work.
05/05/2026 – The Experience Day 2
Fished the Upper Niagara with Mike and Dave. An even bigger SW wind bared down on us on day 2. Thankfully, our fishery is large enough to give us some places to tuck out of the wind on the wildest days. With a little bit of instruction, the guys caught fish on drop shots – out of some tough spots too.
A little safety note – as I said above, the river is always an option in some big wind. However, launching/retrieving your boat, especially in a big W or SW can be dangerous. After a couple of wild (borderline irresponsible) retrievals many years ago, I only launch my boat in safe harbors when the wind is howling. Big 6 on Grand Island, NY and Griffon Park in Niagara Falls, NY are the best options for this. Also, be aware that large stretches of the river will have 3’+ standing waves in big W and SW winds. The Warrior plows through those with ease (as Mike and Dave got to experience) – but if you’re running a bass boat, be careful. 
05/06/2026 – The Experience Day 3
Fished Lake Erie and the Upper Niagara with Mike and Dave. Finally, a day without wind. Well, some wind would’ve been nice. However, adversity came in the form of a big drop in temperatures and scattered showers. The water was stained out there due to 2 days of huge wind/waves. There was a slight north blowing, and when it kicked up a little chop, we caught fish.
Wanting to get these guys on a consistent bite/avoid the grind that often accompanies a windless day on Lake Erie, we pushed to the Upper Niagara. The guys employed their newly developed finesse techniques to great success.
Note: for 3 days, these guys encountered wildly adverse conditions – and kept their head in the game the entire time. It’s a testament of their character, as well as the quality of our fishery. 
05/07/2026 – Early Father’s Day – Garcia Style
Fished Lake Ontario out of Lewiston, NY with Kristina, Ed, and Matt. I’ve been fishing with this family for a few years now. Our previous outings have been for walleyes over the summer – a Father’s Day gift from the kids to Ed. This year, Father’s Day came early as the family wanted to try something different.
I started off fishing where I’ve been getting them for weeks but only caught a couple. The water was heavily stained – that dirty water from Lake Erie waves finally made it down there. I told them they might hear me talking to myself – my mantra to never give up and keep looking. We trolled our way out to deep water and water clarity improved as we made the transit. Then – chaos ensued. Always a good time with the Garcias! 
05/08/2026 – Bucket List Achieved
Fished Lake Ontario out of Lewiston, NY with Larry and Jim. If you’re a regular reader, you’ve seen Larry in my reports before. Jim — his son‑in‑law — has been out with me too, but it had been years since our last trip. Larry’s daughter/Jim’s wife bought them a gift certificate to make sure they’d carve out the time to get on the water together.
Neither of these guys had ever caught a king salmon, so we made that the mission. It took a little while to get on them, but once we did, we boxed our limit quickly. Since both of them prefer rod‑in‑hand fishing, we decided to head back to the cleaning station, take care of the kings, and then transition to the Upper Niagara for a couple hours of smallmouth fishing.
05/09/2026 – Reconnecting with John and Family
Fished Lake Ontario out of Lewiston, NY with John, Mike, and Keanu (John’s son). I’ve been fishing with John for 9 years now – he’s more of an old friend than a client. We stay in touch throughout the year. He and his wife, Mercy, live in the Philippines most of the year. However, he makes it a point to visit his family in Ohio a couple times per year and tries to stop by WNY to fish whenever he can.
He, like me, is a busted up old veteran (lol). We’ve been aging and making old man sounds more and more these days. Like me, he’s living life to the fullest while he can. Which is why he brought his son and brother on this trip – quality time bending rods on kings and smallies.
The salmon bite was good. It came in flurries – we put a nice box together but dropped some heartbreakers throughout the day. John let his brother and son do all the fighting – it was a blast watching the excitement every time they hooked up.
We followed up our deep-water session with a few pulls on the bar and a short smalljaw sesh. The wind kicked up in the last hour – a sign it was time to end the day. As always, quality time spent. 
05/10/2026 – Variety is the Spice of Life
Fished Lake Ontario and the Lower Niagara out of Lewiston, NY with Joe, Lincoln, and Joe. Joe and his son, Lincoln, fished with me for the first time last summer – we targeted walleyes and had a blast. For this trip, he wanted to do something new. As we pushed away from the dock in the morning, he asked me what I like to fish for most around here. I replied that variety is the spice of life – it’s all a blast – so long as I don’t do the same thing day after day. Joe’s choice to fish this spring was in the same spirit.
We started off on Lake Ontario – she was rolling – a stiff wind out of the NW made it a little rough out there. It took me a little while to find the salmon. When I did, we connected to a few – but seasickness ended up becoming a problem.
So, we made the move to the Lower Niagara to target bass. They were in a good mood – the guys and the fish. 
Seasonal Assessment/General Observations
Copy and paste from last week’s notes with a small modification – I’ve been going 26 straight days, folks. My record is 27, and I’m definitely going to beat that and then some this week. Please forgive me if I don’t have much to elaborate beyond the daily play by play above. Body and mind are going strong – sleep, clean diet, short gym sessions here and there to keep the blood flowing beyond what the days on the water do. I’m feeling good – just in the zone. It’s insane out there – I’ll leave it at that.
Buffalo NY Fishing Report – Forecast for 05/11/2026 – 05/17/2026
Scattered showers, wind from a few directions, cool temperatures – typical spring conditions are in store for us this week. Every day looks fishable and, barring any last-minute cancellations, I’ll be out there every day. Once again, I’ll spend time on everything from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. With water temperatures on the slow rise, I think the smallmouth bass bite will be awesome. The salmon will likely continue to move around a lot – but we’ll get on them. Looking forward to another awesome week! Stay tuned.
Stay healthy, my friends. Mentally and physically,
Ryan
P.S. Trees are budding, more migratory birds are showing up, lawnmowers are out — spring is in full swing. Actually, we’re mid‑season as of this writing. I bring all this up because until now, it felt weird to encourage folks to think about the summer when it’s been freezing.
Summer walleye fishing is only a couple months away, and my schedule is starting to fill up. I have zero doubts that the walleye action this year will be as good as last year. They might not flood the Buffalo part of the basin again, but they’ll be loaded by the Catt and Barcelona regardless.
Call soon to reserve your spot — I have a couple openings in late June, more than a handful in July, and plenty of opportunities in August. Get on the docket while you can – I’d love to have ya!