Buffalo NY Fishing Report – Observations from 05/13/2024 – 05/19/2024
Here’s our latest Buffalo NY fishing report: It was yet another full week for me. Other than my 18th wedding anniversary, I fished daily with a couple doubles in the mix. I focused entirely on smallmouth bass and the action was strong all week long. Keep reading for more details.
Days on the water: 6
Who we fished with: friends/clients
Where we fished: Lak Erie, Upper Niagara, Lower Niagara
What we caught: smallmouth bass, walleye, steelhead
Tactics: drop shots, spoons, bucktail jigs, stick baits, crank baits, tubes, live bait
Episode 85 of Two Angles on Angling: No podcast this week. I worked a double today (Sunday) and didn’t have the time to record. We’ll be back at it next weekend. https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/two-angles-on-angling
Detailed Reporting/Daily Observations
05/13/2024 –Fished the Lower Niagara with Lee and Joe up from Mississippi and South Carolina. With a big SW blowing, the plan was to seek as much wind relief as possible and do our best to make a strong day out of it. Action wasn’t wild, but we caught fish at entertaining levels. 
05/14/2024 – On day 2 with Lee and Joe, we fished the Upper Niagara. Again, we had a solid bite going all day with some quality fish to the net. Crankbaits and neds were the ticket. 
05/15/2024 – 18th wedding anniversary – took the day off to spend time with my wife.
05/16/2024 – Worked a double. For my morning trip, I fished the Lower Niagara with Rocky, John, and John up from PA. These gentlemen are all brothers in arms – Desert Storm and Vietnam veterans – and have been fishing with me for years. All have beaten some life-threatening disease or scenario multiple times. Now, all they want to do is bend rods on bass and enjoy life. I’m right there with them. Action was excellent at first, but it waned throughout the day. 
For my afternoon trip, I fished the Upper Niagara with Kevin (local) and Tom (visiting from Colorado). Aside from having to endure one of the first, HEAVY, caddis hatches of the year over the last hour or so, it was a solid session for both numbers and size.
05/17/2024 – Fished Lake Erie with Shelley and Dianne from Rochester. These ladies have been fishing with me for years – I very much look forward to our time together. For one, the conversations are always excellent. Secondly, they always catch bigs. This year was no different. 
05/18/2024 – Did some recon work with my nephew, Mason, and his friend, Adam. We found fish in some new spots.
05/19/2024 – Fished the Upper Niagara with Larry, Jim, and Conner up from PA. Most insane numbers day I’ve had all year! Not a lot of bigs but the bite was incredible. A few triples, countless doubles, and good times had by all. 
Fished a walleye “change of light bite” with the whisperer and Captain America. This is far earlier than I’ve ever targetted walleyes, so there was a little bit of experimentation and managed expectations. We had a good time but unfortunately we dropped more than a handful and only managed to boat one. We learned a lot though and made plans for the next mission. Fingers crossed we’ll make more connections.
Seasonal Assessment/General Observations
On the Conditions
Hopefully the pictures and daily descriptors from above paint a picture of what I’ve been up to lately. Once again, I must apologize for the lack of a thoughtful summary of the week – too little sleep and in turn, little creativity. I can muster this much, it’s been good out there. On some days, it’s been confusing, but far more times than not, it all comes together. That’s the value of time on the water.
Buffalo NY Fishing Report – Forecast for 05/20/2024 – 05/26/2024
Forecast Commentary
It looks like another incredible week is in front of us. Wind will become a factor later in the week, but I welcome it – the ssytem could use a good shake up. I’m booked daily and hope to fish the entire system throughout the week. Stay tuned.
Stay healthy my friends – mentally and physically,
Ryan