Buffalo NY Fishing Report – Observations from 06/22 – 06/28/2026
Here’s our latest Buffalo NY fishing report: Another busy week on Lake Erie with a mix of returning clients, new faces, and one young angler who reminded us all that every fish is a “GIANT!” Walleye fishing was outstanding, with all outings getting quick limits followed by a little dumming just to wear the arms out a bit…with a side of bass of course. Between screaming drags, steady action, and enough laughs to leave us in tears more than once, this was one of those weeks that reminded me fishing isn’t always about chasing trophies—sometimes it’s just about having an absolute blast on the water. Summer’s just getting started and it’s already wild.
Days on the water: 6
Who we fished with: friends/clients
Where we fished: Lake Erie, Upper Niagara
What we caught: walleye, smallmouth bass, freshwater drum
Tactics: trolling worm harnesses, casting finesse baits
Detailed Reporting/Daily Observations
06/22/2026 – “This Thing’s a Giant!”
Fished Lake Erie out of Buffalo, NY with Jake and Jimmy (age 6). This duo was in town from Minnesota and wanted to spend some time on the water while the rest of the family attended a girls hockey tournament.
They didn’t want to keep fish since they were travelling. So, I decided to put them on walleyes for an hour or so then convert to dragging crabs around for bass and drum. Despite his age, Jimmy stayed motivated and very engaged throughout the wind and rain. Of course, he preferred the non-stop drum bite over the ‘eyes. “It’s another GIANT!,” he’d say every 5 minutes or so. Fun session! 
06/23/2026 – Day 1 with Chris and John
Fished Lake Erie for walleyes out of Buffalo, NY with Chris and John, who made the trip up from Pittsburgh, PA. I’ve been fishing with Chris for years, but a couple of health scares kept him from coming up here the last few. Thankfully, all is well now, and he’s as hilarious as ever.
We boxed our limit of Lake Erie gold with ease — a steady bite, well away from the crowds near the city. After that, we switched gears and drowned crawfish for bass and drum for a bit. That was a riot.
06/24/2026 – Day 2 with Chris and John
Fished Lake Erie and the Upper Niagara with Chris and John. The river bite for bass was lackluster — we picked off a few in a few zones, but others were crowded with boats. One useful observation, though: algae was minimal and the caddis hatch is over.
Knowing we could rack up plenty of drum with a side of bass back in the lake, we made the move. As usual, the action was ridiculous. I haven’t laughed that hard while fishing in a long time — tears, folks… actual tears.
“Give me a D… give me an R… give me a U… give me an M — what’s that spell?” We sang that Christmas carol, “The Little Drummer Boy,” but replaced the lyrics with one-another’s names. We also decided that they were talking amongst themselves, communicating that a big blue thing on the surface was just dropping crawfish over the side. “All we have to do is follow that thing around and we’ll get fed.” “Come to the light,” was another phrase we’d shout during the fights. Non-stop laughs.
Say what you want about the freshwater drum, the sheepshead, the gaspergou — they’re always on the feed around here this time of year, and they pull hard. They might not be the handsomest fish in the system, but if you want to fill a couple hours with consistent action, they’re a riot, especially in waves.
P.S. I’ll take pictures of fish all day long for clients. However, I only post drum over 10 lbs. Chris landed an 11. He also believes he landed over 100 lbs of drum in about an hour. I don’t doubt his calculous. 
06/25/2026 – Weather Day
I saw consistent rain in the forecast and had Friday open. Thankfully, Alex, who was scheduled for this day, was flexible enough to move. So, I took the day off and relaxed.
06/26/2026 – Fly Fishing Session
Fished Lake Erie and the Upper Niagara with Alex. Alex has been fishing with me for a couple years now – but’s it’s always been with conventional tackle. He also spends a lot of time on his own fly fishing. So, he asked me if I could give him a shot to catch some smallies and drum on the fly. That we did.
06/27/2026 – Lake Erie Gold with New Clients
Fished Lake Erie for walleyes out of Hanover, NY with Nick, Karma, and Tyler. Nick works for Buffalo Niagara Waterkeepers. He and I (plus Rob and sometimes others) have gone on many water sampling missions throughout the region. Finally, he was able to carve out some time to do some fishing.
The bite started off slowish – but then got wild. We ended up getting our limit fast. So, we went drumming. They landed some drag screamers – laughs all around. Awesome session. 
06/28/2026 – Another Gold Mining Sesh with New Clients
Fished Lake Erie for walleyes out of Hanover, NY with Jim, Dave, and Anthony, who were in town from PA. On our way out, the guys asked me how long I thought it would take to get our limit.
My response was, “How long do you want it to take?”
They didn’t quite get what I meant…at first.
I had Jim send his first line down. Before we even got all the line out on the second rod, the first one got bit. Shortly after, the second one went off. And so went the day. Chaos.
Admittedly, a little blood lust kicked in, and I didn’t snap many photos. Lots of doubles and a triple. Insane action. The guys got a pretty good introduction to Lake Erie walleye fishing.
Seasonal Assessment/General Observations
I’m going to keep this short and sweet – been a lot of early mornings lately and I’m in the zone. The walleye bite is excellent right now – and it’s just the beginning. From Buffalo, NY to Ohio, go a little deeper than 55′ and you’ll be on them. If you’re on the docket for a walleye trip this summer, you’re in for a treat. Looking forward to mining for gold with ya!
One note though: prepare to get up early. We’ve got a lot of HOT days ahead of us. Getting on the water early is the only way to prevent from getting torched.
Buffalo NY Fishing Report – Forecast for 06/29/2026 – 07/05/2026
Other than a few days of what looks like “bigish” wind, this forecast for this upcoming week looks great. Most of those days will be spent targeting walleyes. However, there will be a day or two in the mix going after smallies and drum.
Enjoy the 4th of July folks! Stay tuned for next week’s report.
Stay healthy, my friends. Mentally and physically,
Ryan