Buffalo NY Fishing Report – Observations from 05/18 – 05/24/2026
Here’s our latest Buffalo NY fishing report: What a stretch. Another 7 straight days with time spent on Lake Erie, the Upper Niagara, and Lake Ontario. The week delivered just about every mood swing spring can offer — grinding smallmouth bites mixed with personal‑best giants, brutal east winds that turned both lakes into washing machines, and a couple of wild salmon sessions that reminded me why we keep pushing through the chaos. Some days were pure work, others were pure joy, but every one of them had its moments — big fish, big laughs, tough conditions, and the kind of company that makes even the grind worthwhile. As May winds down, the transition is underway, and the season keeps moving forward. More good times are ahead.
Days on the water: 7
Who we fished with: friends/clients
Where we fished: Lake Ontario, Upper Niagara, Lake Erie
What we caught: smallmouth bass, king salmon, atlantic salmon
Tactics: trolling spoons, casting finesse baits, drifting live bait
Detailed Reporting/Daily Observations
05/18/2026 – Frushour Bros (Day 2)
Fished Lake Erie for smallmouth bass with Paul and Doug. The bite was kind of a grind. However, Paul managed to land a fish slightly above 7lbs – a true monster and his personal best. More than a handful of biggies had me grabbing the net throughout the day, but it was tough getting them to go. Also, I saw a handful of beds on side scan and there were fish bedding up in the harbor when we returned at the end of the day. Super disappointing to see that – but it’s inevitable and the circle of life. 
05/19/2026 – Frushour Bros (Day 3)
Fished the Upper Niagara with Doug and Paul. There was a huge SW wind ripping, which limited our options. We put in work where we could and got into them – mostly small males with only a couple of good-sized females all day. With the surface chopped up it was hard to see if they were on beds but I’m pretty sure they were considering where we found them. Again, heart breaking that it’s happening already. The month flew by – I feel like I didn’t spend as much time on the upper as I wanted. Time to start making the transition though. 
05/20/2026 – Another Wild Session with Al and Bob
Fished Lake Ontario out of Wilson, NY with Al and Bob. If you read my reports regularly, you recognize these guys. They started fishing with me last fall and have done a bunch of trips with me since. Fortunately (or unfortunately depending on your perspective), Mother Nature always seems to make it hard for us on all our outings, and these guys refuse to be deterred. This day was no different.
Looking at the forecast, I decided to start later in the morning as it looked like the wind/waves were supposed to lay down around 8:00AM. When I pulled up to the launch, they had NOT. She was big and hauling ass out there. My first emotion was disappointment – quickly followed up with the thought, “Whatever, the Warrior can handle it and so can these guys.”
We were doubled up almost immediately after getting all my rods in the water and chaos ensued for another couple hours. We had so much action, I decided to only fish downriggers to avoid too much drama in the waves. There was a long lull late morning, followed by consistent action at the end of the day. As always, good times with these guys – and another adventure.
05/21/2026 – The Dragon and my Old Chum
Fished Lake Erie with the Dragon and my Old Chum — they chose those nicknames, still a work in progress. I’ve been fishing with this duo for six years now, and it’s always a treat. They’ve carved out a special place in my heart. There’s never any pressure with them — just good times, great conversation, and enjoying each other’s company. Oh, and we usually land a few biggie smalls along the way.
They always catch fish, but we’ve had everything from wild days to grindy ones. This one leaned grindy. The spawn is happening throughout the system, which never makes things easy. Plus, there was a big NE blowing — far bigger than forecasted — so Lake Erie was a washing machine. The wind was cold, the bite was lackluster, and staying upbeat took some effort.
We covered ground as best we could and picked off a few here and there. Not our best day, but still a good one — because time with these two is always time well spent. I hugged them goodbye and immediately started looking forward to the next trip.
05/22/2026 – Then it all Changed
Fished Lake Ontario out of Wilson, NY with the Whisperer, Captain America, and Bruce. The Whisperer has enjoyed a few doses of the insanity on Lake O this season with friend and colleague Matt Yablonski (Wet Net Charters). When we talked the night before, he said something along the lines of, “We’ll be boxed out in a couple hours and I’ll be home for my afternoon nap.” Weirdly, I didn’t share his confidence.
If you’ve been reading my reports, you’re aware the salmon bite has been crazy for the last month. However, something felt off to me going into this day. I shrugged that feeling off – assuming fishing for 37 straight days was getting to my head.
The forecast called for “nautical conditions” — a big and cold east wind building from 1–3’ to 2–4’ waves later in the day. The plan was simple: get into fish early and often so we didn’t have to ride out the worst of it. Well… that didn’t happen.
The moment we cleared the safe harbor at Wilson, my confidence took a hit. As far as you could see: deep blue water. If you fish Lake O this time of year, you know that’s the super-cold stuff — usually empty of bait and only sparsely populated by predators. The ideal setup is the edge of that water and the green plume coming out of the river. But there was no plume. None.
The bite was tough — at least compared to what we’ve been spoiled with lately. Still, it was an adventure. Those kings fought insanely hard in that cold water and huge waves. We ended the day after about 4 hours with a very healthy box of fish but missed “boxing out” for my first time this year. If we had decided to grind all day, we would’ve finished the job — but in those waves, sanity won.
05/23/2026 – Going for it
Fished the Upper Niagara as part of a 2-boat trip that my buddy Mike Trifilietti (Riverborn Fishing Company) brought me into. That big east wind continued to howl, temps were in the 40s, and rain fell for most of the morning – brutal conditions.
Emma and Dalton were dressed for the conditions, but no gear/body can stand up to weather like that for long. When the wind blows and the rain comes down hard, you’re going to get wet. If you have good gear, you won’t get wet to the bone, but you’ll get wet enough to drop your core temperature and reduce your dexterity…and morale. They lasted for 4.5 hours and understandably called it quits. “It’s supposed to be vacation folks, not a torture session.”
05/24/2026 – Busting Chops and Catching a Lot (Round 4)
Fished the Upper Niagara with Jim, George, and Mark. I’ve been fishing with these guys for 4 years now and every session is a riot – lots of busting balls and having a good time. This time was no different. However, the wind/rain/mist during the front half of the day dampened morale a bit. Admittedly, even I was a bit cold and struggling to stay motivated – the forecast was way off and I underdressed. Once that cleared, things got REALLY fun.
We fished the entire circumference of Grand Island – one drift per zone as per usual – and absolutely hammered fish. The water was a bit dingy in spots due to all that rain from the day prior. Action was lackluster in those areas, but where it was clear, rods stayed bent. Wild day – with a lot of chunky females who hadn’t dropped eggs yet. Good times! 
Seasonal Assessment/General Observations
It’s been 40 straight days, my friends. I don’t know how else to describe it other than being in the zone. My mind and body still feel good. Late in the day, solving math problems in my head gets a little fuzzy, but that’s the only side effect I’ve noticed. I even hit the gym the other day — all my lifts are holding strong. I run myself through a fitness test every time I go, about once a week lately, and I haven’t lost a step. I actually set a personal best in the farmers carry – likely from netting a lot of fish and pulling up my trolling motor a dozen plus times a day.
It’s late spring now. The water coming out of Lake Erie is 55 degrees — transition time. A lot of bass are on beds. There are still some females holding eggs, but the many have dropped. Walleyes are post‑spawn and feeding hard. Salmon are still around, but 3 days of east wind and cold water getting pushed our way have them scattered. Strap in for some challenges.
Honestly, it’s about time for a little bit of a shift. It’s been an insane spring — the fact that I’ve been able to fish 40 days in a row says it all. Walleyes are about to start showing up in these reports more often, and I’m not the least bit bothered by the disruption in salmon fishing. They’ll be back.
Buffalo NY Fishing Report – Forecast for 05/25/2026 – 05/31/2026
The forecast for this week will provide every opportunity to figure out what all this east wind did to both Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. Every day looks mild – both temperatures and wind. Rain will make an appearance here and there, which might pose an obstacle. However, every day will be fishable and I’m booked daily. Can I pull off 47? That depends on my clients. I’m certainly ready to make it happen.
With the bass on beds, don’t expect to see too many pics of them. I’ll check in here and there but getting a good walleye program dialed and figuring out how Lake O is setting back up is the priority. I’m looking forward to the challenge. Stay tuned!
Stay healthy, my friends. Mentally and physically,
Ryan
P.S. I only have a couple days open in June. July is filling up but concerningly lean considering it’s only a little more than a month away. I’m not too worried (yet), we’ve only had small doses of pleasant weather so I’m not sure how many people are thinking about summer. In other words, I have plenty of openings for summer walleye trips. Call soon and pick your date before there aren’t many left.