Buffalo NY Fishing Report – Observations from 08/19/2024 – 08/25/2024
Here’s our latest Buffalo NY fishing report: Another excellent week here in the Buffalo Niagara Region. It started off with some rough weather – a cold front that brought north winds and rain. After that passed, we were left with some cool temperatures that gradually increased as we progressed into the weekend. All that nice weather allowed me to fish Lake Ontario, the Lower Niagara, and Lake Erie. All produced well. Keep reading for more details.
Days on the water: 5
Who we fished with: friends/clients
Where we fished: Lake Erie, Lower Niagara, Lake Ontario
What we caught: smallmouth bass, walleye, freshwater drum, brown trout, king salmon
Tactics: trolling worm harnesses, trolling spoons, drifting bait, jigging bucktails and blade baits
Detailed Reporting/Daily Observations
08/19/2024 – A nasty cold front brought rain and big north winds. Rescheduled the trip.
08/20/2024 – The north winds continued, but the water in front of Buffalo, NY was calm enough to give it a go. I fished for smallmouth bass with Matt, Joe, and Gerry. We caught ’em – and many drum. 
08/21/2024 – a big NW wind kicked up and never ended up laying down. In the AM, I took the team from the Buffalo Niagara Water Keepers to get samples from Sturgeon Point, 18-mile Creek, Woodlawn Beach, Smokes Creek, and the roundhouse.
I was supposed to do an evening jigging trip on the lower Niagara for walleyes, but that NW wind didn’t let up. So, I rescheduled the trip.
08/22/2024 – Fished a half day on Lake Erie for smallmouth bass with new clients – Ryan and Charlie. Winds were light to start the day, so it started off slow. However, by mid-morning, a stiff W kicked up and got the fish feeding. The drum outcompeted the bass, but we got into more than a handful of smalljaws. 
08/23/2024 – Day 1 of the Paul and Henry adventure. Paul and his son, Henry (age 10), from NJ, fished with me last summer for a day. Our fishery must’ve made an impression because this year they returned to fish 3 days. On day 1, we targetted kings and browns on Lake Ontario. We followed that up with some bassing on the Lower Niagara. 
08/24/2024 – Day 2 of the Paul and Henry adventure. We fished Lake Erie for smallmouth bass. Henry caught so many drum in the process that his arms were getting tired. Paul managed to get into some giant jaws.
08/25/2024 – On day 3 of the Paul and Henry adventure, we returned to Lake Ontario. It was fruitful. After fishing with these guys for 3 days, I have to say that I’m very impressed with how good an angler this 10-year-old is AND how patient he is on the water. He kept his head in the game the entire time and stayed motivated thoughout. Start your kids young, like Paul did, folks. You’ll have angling companions for life. 
Seasonal Assessment/General Observations
On the Conditions
It’s been awhile since I’ve put together a by-species breakdown – here it goes.
Smallmouth Bass
The summer pattern is still in effect. By that I mean all the rock piles are very active. Gobies and crawfish are the main items on the menu. Action has been excellent everywhere I’ve found them. However, drum are still very thick so plan on getting into those rod benders whether you want to or not.
Walleyes
Regretfully, I didn’t spend much time targeting ‘eyes this past week. That’ll change soon though. Even though I didn’t target them much, my colleagues that have are all doing well. The Catt has been fishing well both bottom bouncing around structure as well as out deep to suspended fish. I’ve heard Barcelona is fishing very well too – but don’t know many guys that are making that drive.
Salmon/Trout
Most of the mature kings are starting to stage for the spawn and are in turn, difficult to get in numbers. I haven’t spent much time targeting them – just zig zagging out into deeper water occasionally, to see if I can get one to play.
The brown trout on the other hand continue to be their glutenous selves. They seem to be following their desired water temperature (somewhere in the 50s), but rarely stray deeper than 100’. I’ve been catching them between 55-100’. Sometimes it takes a few minutes to find them, but when you do, stay at that depth and you’ll keep crossing them. There’s a TON of bait around – they aren’t going anywhere.
Steelhead are thick out deep in the cold stuff. From what I hear, they’re offshore in over 400’. I haven’t targeted them, nor am I interested in doing so. I’ll wait ‘til the fall to bend rods on chrome.
Buffalo NY Fishing Report – Forecast for 08/26/2024 – 09/01/2024
Forecast Commentary
It’s looking like a complicated weather week in front of us. Monday and Tuesday look excellent – light winds and highs in the 80s. On Wednesday, things start to get chaotic. If the forecast holds, the morning will be nice. However, the winds look like they’ll shift to the east in the afternoon bringing a little bit of rain with it. Beyond Wednesday, there’s a chance of rain daily accompanied by a drop in temperatures. Still, the wind will be manageable throughout.
The plan for the week is to target trout and bass up front, followed by some walleye and bass fishing later in the week. I’m booked daily with some old friends and some new clients. As always, I’m looking forward to the adventure. See you out there!
This will be my last reminder for the season – fall is almost entirely booked folks. If you want to experience some of the wildest action of the year, get in touch soon.
Stay healthy my friends – mentally and physically,
Ryan