Buffalo NY Fishing Report – Observations from 06/10/2024 – 06/16/2024
Here’s our latest Buffalo NY fishing report: Happy Father’s Day! The trend of laid-back days and a light workload continued though this past week. I spent all my time on Lake Erie fishing for walleyes and did a little poking around for smallmouth. I don’t have great news for the local walleye anglers, nor do I have a lot to say regarding smallmouth bass. However, that’ll come to an end very soon. Keep reading for more details.
Days on the water: 5
Who we fished with: friends/clients
Where we fished: Lake Erie
What we caught: smallmouth bass, walleye, freshwater drum
Tactics: trolling worm harnesses, jigging bucktails, drifting bait
Episode 87 of Two Angles on Angling: Short podcast this week. It’s Father’s Day so we kept it brief, but didn’t want to skip another week. Jordan Kicks things off with this time on the Upper Niagara the past couple of days. We then get into what the summer pattern should be on the Niagara (post algae), and why we don’t already know. I talk about my experience on Lake Erie over the past 10 days. We also discuss the forecast for this upcoming week and what might happen to the water temperatures, and bait, after what is supposed to be a string of upper 80 – lower 90 degree days. https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/two-angles-on-angling
Detailed Reporting/Daily Observations
06/10/2024 – Fished Lake Erie for walleyes with the whisperer for a few hours before taking out the team from the Buffalo Niagara Waterkeepers. It was a very productive session pulling harnesses along some of the shoals close to the city. Nothing picture worthy though.
06/11/2024 – Fished Lake Erie for walleyes with the whisperer and the silent assassin. Another excellent session pulling worm harnesses around the shoals. 
06/12/2024 – Nice day. I wasn’t booked and my wife didn’t have to work. That’s a rare occurence around the Shea houshold this time of year. We took advantage of it.
06/13/2024 – Fished Lake Erie for smallmouth bass with Chris and Brady in town from OK. The wind was howling and the waves were rolling. It was drummy out there, but more than a handful of bass came to play. 
06/14/2024 – Wasn’t booked/had the day off.
06/15/2024 – Fished Lake Erie for walleyes with Jarmon and Mark. It was a grind out there. Lots of marks, but only a few eats. Nothing photo worthy. When it got slow, we went and played with the drum and boated a few over 10lbs.
06/16/2024 – Fished Lake Erie with my new friend, Rich, from Niagara Falls. It was hot, glassy, and crowded. We made lemonade and had a blast. 
Seasonal Assessment/General Observations
On the Conditions
Here’s another breakdown by system. Although I spent 5 days on the water this past week, it doesn’t seem like much has changed since last week. The weather has been fairly stable lately, so opportunities abound. However, there are obstacles.
The Niagara River
I didn’t spend any time on the river this past week. Since I live close by, I checked it regularly to see if the algae abated. It’s still thick out there, but if you’ve got the skills and can fish a ned or something similar, algae will only be a small problem. Drifting bait (or anything for that matter) will only give you about 20 seconds or so before the algae covers your line.
Lake Erie
Lake Erie has been crowded with boats lately. That shouldn’t come as a surprise. The weather has been wonderful and just about everyone with a boat and a few fishing rods has been out there taking advantage.
Walleyes are getting caught out of Buffalo, but the numbers still aren’t there. If you put in work all day, you’ll likely end up with a half dozen or less. Don’t get me wrong, luck plays a factor and I’m sure there’s the occasional anomaly where are few anglers are getting a one man limit or 2, but that’s been rare. On the bright side, there are some big fish around. Although I haven’t boated any giants lately, I’ve seen more than a handful at the cleaning station.
The post spawn smallmouth bass bite is starting to shape up. I’m finding more and more near their summer lies, but I’ve also found plenty of fish close to where they spawned – usually deeper. Numbers haven’t been great lately. Drum have been filling up the time between bass bites.
Buffalo NY Fishing Report – Forecast for 06/17/2024 – 06/23/2024
Forecast Commentary
The forecast for this upcoming week looks HOT. Highs in the upper 80s will dominate the week and wind will be minimal. Every day will be fishable.
I will be on the water Monday and Tuesday, targeting walleyes on Lake Erie. From Thursday – Saturday, I’ll be in New Jersey with my bro Brian trying to chalk up a new state. As always, stand by for the trip report upon my return. I’ll be back on Lake Erie on Sunday. Going to be a busy week! I’m looking forward to it.
Stay healthy my friends – mentally and physically,
Ryan