Buffalo NY Fishing Report – Observations from 05/20/2024 – 05/26/2024
Here’s our latest Buffalo NY fishing report: Although I fished 6 days this past week, it felt laid back. Maybe because it’s feeling more like summer these days, maybe because all my clients were a blast to fish with, or maybe it’s because we’re getting a decent post spawn bite already. It’s likely a combination of all three factors (plus, more sleep). Either way, it was an excellent week and I’m at the doorstep of a little time off. 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, freshwater drum
Tactics: bucktail jigs, swim baits, worm harnesses, live bait
Episode 85 of Two Angles on Angling: After a week off, Jordan and I have a lot of catching up to do. Both he and I fished extensively over the past couple weeks, so our observations dominate the conversation. We get deep about the transition into summer. What gear are we putting away and what are we bringing out? How are we getting conditioned to fish through warm to hot temperatures? What natural events are occurring out your window that can tell you what’s happening throughout the region – in the air, on the ground, and underwater?
https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/two-angles-on-angling
Detailed Reporting/Daily Observations
05/20/2024 – Hunted biggies on Lake Erie with Ron and Paul. Mission accomplished. 
05/21/2024 – Did a night trip for walleyes with the whisperer, Captain America, and the silent assassin. Rock bass, smallmouth bass, drum, and gobies are all we caught. We’re getting it figured out. Amazing sessions await.
05/22/2024 – Boat and truck maintenance day.
05/23/2024 – Did the 360 program around Grand Island with Stan, Steve, and Chris. The bite was good – mostly small males and some postspawn females. The free floating algae was a problem in some places but not prohibitive. 
05/24/2024 – Did the 36o program around Grand Island with Heath, Casey, and Neil. Good bite – like the day prior – lots of small males with the occasional bigger fish in the mix. Again, algae was a problem here and there but far from prohibitive. 
05/25/2024 – Fished the Lake Erie with Jon, Andy, and John from Buffalo. It was my first time fishing with these guys and they were a blast. It was glassy on Erie so we had to do a lot of pulling. The biggies seemed to like that. 
05/26/2024 – Fished the Upper Niagara with Chris, Nick, and Jay. We started EARLY to avoid the crowds, but had to negotiate some thick fog. The same thing happened a week ago…and we had a similar result. Numbers were ridiculous prior to the fog clearing and the crowds coming out. Awesome session.
Seasonal Assessment/General Observations
I mainly fished for smallmouth bass this week. However, I dabbled with some walleye fishing too (that didn’t work out so well). So, the following summary will focus on bass. More walleye info coming soon as that’s quickly going to become my focus in the upcoming days.
Smallmouth Bass
As I’ve mentioned countless times by this point, it’s been a very weird year. Some smallmouth bass started spawning in April. Some earlier this month. Others are in the thick of the spawn right now. I’ll say this much though, most of the fish I’ve boated lately have been post spawn. That’s going to make things very interesting in the upcoming weeks.
In a “normal” year, my post spawn program for smallmouth bass starts in the middle of June. It’s an excellent time for numbers (although the fish are a little deflated), because they are ravenous after burning all those calories getting their breed on. The biggest problem with that bite is negotiating all the weeds that are in full bloom that time of year. Well, this year isn’t a normal year.
Now that many of the fish are post spawn, finesse fishing will become the most productive technique. It’ll be nice fishing that gear without worrying about weeds. Sure, there’s a fair amount of algae floating in the water column, but not in prohibitive amounts. Some places, the algae is thick, others, not so much. It seems to come in waves. Either way, it’s been shedding since April so I’m hopeful it goes away earlier than it “normally” does. Anyway, if you’re a good stick, you can stay bent at very entertaining levels all day.
If you want to avoid all the algae, stay in the Lake – you won’t find much out there. As you hopefully noticed from the play-by-play above, Lake Erie is fishing well. It’s a little crowded out there, but there’s a lot of room to get away from the crowds.
Walleye
Although my handful of evening walleye sessions haven’t been productive, I’m not discouraged in the least. I normally don’t target walleyes this early in the year. However, just like everything else, they are ahead of schedule too.
The typical “early” walleye haunts like the harbor and “off the windmills” zones are holding fish. I haven’t spent much time working these areas, but some of my colleagues have with a fair amount of success. Few folks are getting limits, but many are coming in with more than enough for a family fish fry and then some.
This will be my focus in the upcoming weeks. I’ll continue to monitor the bass activity throughout, but the demand for Lake Erie gold is high right now. I’ve gotta give the folks what they’re craving.
One final thought on walleyes. The water is WARM right now. As of this morning, the Niagara was flowing at 63 degrees. That’s a record – but only by 1 degree. It’s been 62 more than a handful of times by this time of year. For reference, it was 50 degrees this time last year. Conventional wisdom is that the walleyes leave our zone when it gets too warm/all the bait moves on. We’re about to find out how quickly that can happen.
Buffalo NY Fishing Report – Forecast for 05/27/2024 – 06/02/2024
Forecast Commentary
I can’t believe it’s about to be June! Well, this upcoming week looks more spring-like than summer. However, other than the first couple of days, the forecast for this upcoming week looks very promising. Monday and Tuesday look like they’ll be very windy and wet. Beyond that, mild temperatures and minimal wind and precipitation. Still chilly enough in the mornings to safely call it spring. I’ll take it.
Bookings are light for this upcoming week. That’s typical for this time of year and I’m happy to get some much-needed R&R. However, I’ll fish at least 4 days. Most, if not all those days will be spent hunting walleyes.
The summer pattern is getting close. If you haven’t booked a summer trip yet, please don’t delay. Openings are limited but if you waited to the last minute to book, I’m sure I can find a spot for you.
Stay healthy my friends – mentally and physically,
Ryan