Buffalo NY Fishing Report – Observations from 05/11 – 05/17/2026
Here’s our latest Buffalo NY fishing report: Another seven days straight on the water — and another week touching all the big water around the Buffalo Niagara Region. That puts me at 33 consecutive days, a personal record, and I’m fully in the zone. Seasonal shifts are happening slowly but unmistakably: river bass are getting spawny and sliding shallow, Lake Erie fish are staging on sand and ready to go, and the king salmon bite on Lake Ontario remains ridiculous. It’s starting to feel like summer out there — it’s pushing 80 degrees as I type this — but there’s still a little spring insanity left before we make the full transition.
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, musky, freshwater drum
Tactics: trolling spoons, casting finesse baits
Detailed Reporting/Daily Observations
05/11/2026 – John and Crew (Day 1)
Fished Lake Ontario and the Lower Niagara with John, Bill, and Jesse. We spent the morning pulling plugs on the bar. I marked a ton of fish, but the bite came in flurries. It wasn’t a grind, but there was enough space between bites to make it frustrating at times. We followed that up with a Lower Niagara bass session. We caught mostly small fish, but made some connections to a couple nicer ones.
05/12/2026 – John and Crew (Day 2)
Fished the Upper Niagara with John, Justin, and Jesse. As per usual, I executed the 360 circuit around Grand Island, NY. The bite was consistent. However, fish are moving around – the spawn draws near. Fish were shallower that in recent sessions and some bigger females are showing up. I also noticed a terns and cormorants destroying schools of smelt there and there – a few bass threw those up during fights too.
Water temperature is always a good gauge for when bass start spawning – conventional wisdom suggests temps in the mid-50s. Natural cues stand out to me as well. Under water, schools of smelt start showing up, emerald shiners begin migrating back to the lake, big female smallies arrive seemingly out of nowhere, and the fish start setting up shallow. Above water – all trees are fully leafed and the migratory songbirds are at their peak. Although the songs of oriels are beautiful, when I start hearing them, I get a sense of urgency – the spawn is nigh.
05/13/2026 – John and Crew (Day 3)
Fished Lake Erie with John, Justin, and Jesse. There was a big S blowing that turned into an even bigger SW (and eventually a due W). I had been looking forward to getting out on Erie in these conditions since the start of the season. Big waves usually equal big fish in big numbers. However, that’s not how it turned out.
The water was dingy at best – not sure how that happened – but we only had a couple feet of visibility out there. There were plenty of fish around, but bites were few, far between, and all the fish were small. After a few hours of frustration and lackluster action, we went back to the harbor and worked all the reliable zones. A few big fish were caught – but the wind got to be prohibitive – “waves inside the walls inside the walls.” Still, Justin and Jesse landed their personal best smallies – so it wasn’t a bust out there/worth the grind.
05/14/2026 – “We Never Cancel”
Fished the Upper Niagara with the Whisperer and the Silent Assassin. A stiff NW greeted us the moment we got out there. That direction is the worst. I said something like, “Well, we fish a lot together and wind can only come from four directions — there’s a 25% chance we’ll get a NW.”
The response was something along the lines of, “We get NWs way more than 25% of the time.” I don’t know if that’s actually true, but NW days tend to be brutal. I think we feel like it happens more often because the misery sticks in the memory longer. Either way, it’s an ongoing joke among us.
Oh, and on top of that wind, a steady drizzle hung around and temps hovered in the 40s. At one point, the Whisperer’s glasses were completly “misted up.” He was blind casting, and catching fish. It didn’t take long for shivering to kick in.
Lately, when it gets cold and wet like this and my dexterity starts to dwindle, my left thumb is the first finger to seize up. I end up staring at it and yelling at it to move when I’m trying to tie knots. I’m sure those of you who have fished with cold hands can relate to this – you can tie knots with your eyes closed, but your fingers won’t do what you want them to do. It’s frustrating – and comical. So yeah, it hurt.
Still, we had a good time like we always do — nonstop conversation and catching fish despite the adversity. It’s days like this that build character and make those summer walleye trips feel that much sweeter.
05/15/2026 – Back out with Shari
Fished Lake Ontario out of Lewiston, NY with long time client/friend, Shari. We’ve been fishing together for over 5 years now, yet somehow, I’ve never taken her out to Lake Ontario for salmon. Well, she got the perfect introduction.
It’d been about 6 months since our last trip so, we spent the first 30 minutes catching up and combing some water looking for kings. Right away, I marked many but wasn’t getting bit. Then, BANG. Once the action started, it didn’t stop. Numerous doubles, and one triple (somehow we landed all 3 too), plus a couple matures in the mix. Absolutely insane session.
We followed that up with a few pulls on the bar and a short smallie session in the river. The bar was a dud – only one fish in 4 pulls, but the river fished well for bass. No biggies – lots of small males – but good times. 
05/16/2026 – NOT Golfing
Fished Lake Ontario out of Lewiston, NY with Nick and Jay. There’s usually a third guy in this crew. However, he was forced to commit to a day of golf. It took us a bit get a steady bite going, but when we got into them, we caught our limit quickly. Nick hauled in a tanker too. Good times!
We finished up the day with a couple pulls on the bar and some bass fishing up river. The wind was howling and thunderheads loomed. We caught a few fish – mostly small – and bailed before getting rained on. 
05/17/2026 – Frushour Bros (Day 1)
Fished Lake Ontario and the Lower Niagara out of Lewiston, NY with Paul and Doug. They fished with me for the first time last year for a few days, and it was great to have them back. Both are excellent sticks and very much “rod‑in‑hand” anglers, but I talked them into spending a little time trolling for kings on Lake O.
When we set up, a thin layer of fog hung over the lake, and it was dead calm. Not long after I got all the rods in, a yellow‑rumped warbler fell out of the sky and splashed down next to the boat. He fluttered on the surface for a few seconds, then mustered enough energy to lift off and land on my stern. I picked him up and sat him on my bow seat — soaked, exhausted, and clearly disoriented by the fog. He sat there with his eyes closed for about 20 minutes.
Quick note: when it’s calm on Lake O and the water temps are above 50, the midge hatch is insane — they cover everything. So, when our little passenger started to perk up and open his eyes, I started feeding him midges. He took them right out of my hand. A little while later, with his wings dry, he began working his way around the boat, devouring midges on his own. It was a blast to watch. And yes — he had a front‑row seat for a salmon hammering session before flying off with a full belly.
We boxed a quick limit, spent a little time looking for a few big ones, then slid into the river. It was a grind, but a little magic still found its way into the day.
Seasonal Assessment/General Observations
Another copy and paste from last week’s notes with a small modification – I’ve been going 33 straight days, folks. My record was 27, and I’m going to keep this streak going for a long as possible. 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.
One note on what’s changing – the smallies are close to being in spawn mode. Already, the river action is getting picky. A couple of factors are in play:
- A lot of angling pressure is a huge factor. Shitty etiquette to include low holing and spot locking is in full effect. It’s that disgusting greed the infects the mind of anglers sometimes. It makes sense if you’re harvesting fish – but this is catch and release fishing folks – WTF?!? I’m also seeing more and more one-eyed fish and messed up mouths. Come on!!! Please replace your treble hooks with inline circle hooks. It takes 1 minute to do it, and you help protect the fish (and yourself). 1/0 is the best size for all baits.
- The other factor is water temperature/timing. The water temp is over 50 degrees now. Mid-50s is spawning time. With the impending heat wave, I bet we’ll see our first beds this week.
PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUCEMENT REF SMALLMOUTH BASS: I put this out every year. Pressure on the bass is high, folks. Please cover water – find new areas to fish – challenge yourself to NOT beat up on the same groups all the time. Consider this – if you fish the same zone every time you go out, you might as well start naming fish, because you’re catching the same ones repeatedly. Also, when you see beds, avoid them and let them protect their eggs/fry. Besides, it’s an act of supreme laziness targeting a fish that won’t move from a nest and is compelled to attack anything near it. Go walleye or salmon fishing until the spawn is done.
Buffalo NY Fishing Report – Forecast for 05/18/2026 – 05/24/2026
The forecast for this week is interesting. Except for Wednesday, the wind looks very manageable throughout the week. Rain will make an appearance here and there. So will a couple days with highs in the 40s. However, for more days than not, it’ll be borderline hot out. The bibs and jacket might be replaced by shorts tomorrow. I’m booked daily and will keep the stretch going so long as everyone is ready and willing!
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!