Buffalo NY Fishing Report – Observations from 08/25/2025 – 08/31/2025
Here’s our latest Buffalo NY fishing report: This past week, shifting conditions on Lake Erie and the Lower Niagara marked the start of fall fishing. An 8-degree drop in water temperature and small craft advisories prompted a switch to multispecies trips, targeting bass and walleyes. Adapting to the change, we explored old waypoints and new patterns, checking things out in preparation for a strong fall season. Summer isn’t over though – the walleyes are still thick out there – Lake Erie gold hasn’t seen the last of me.
Days on the water: 6
Who we fished with: friends/clients
Where we fished: Lake Erie, Lower Niagara River, Lake Ontario
What we caught: walleye, smallmouth bass, freshwater drum
Tactics: bottom bouncing worm harnesses, trolling divers and planer boards with harnesses and spoons, drifting live bait
Detailed Reporting/Daily Observations
08/25/2025 – Small Craft Advisory/Warrior Weather Chapter 2
Fished Lake Erie with Paul and Henry – day 2 of their 3-day trip. Once again, Lake Erie was rolling and all of us were STOKED for the roller coaster ride. The bass bite was excellent, and we even pulled a couple walleyes off of structure (they were all keepers but too small for a good photo). After targeting walleyes almost exclusively for months through calm, hot conditions, I almost forgot how fun bassing is in big waves. There will be more of that in my life in the upcoming weeks. 
08/26/2025 – Back to the Lower
Fished the Lower Niagara with Paul and Henry – day 3 of their 3-day trip. After riding big waves on Erie for a couple days, we opted for a more chill session on the Lower Niagara. Plus, there was a big NW wind blowing, which is super sloppy on Lake Erie but makes for huge rollers on the bar. In other words, I knew we could get a dose of adrenaline at some point in the day if we wanted it.
The river fished OK in a couple zones – Henry caught his biggest walleye yet! However, angling action wasn’t on fire by any stretch. So, demand for a roller coaster ride bubbled up to get us pumped. We rode the rollers on the bar for a few drifts, and it produced some quality smallmouth. We capped the day off fishing some of the upriver drifts and managed to land some small bass. Not a banner day, but good times and enough bent rods to call it a victory. 
08/27/2025 – Making Memories in Chaos
Fished Lake Erie out of Buffalo, NY with Jeff, his son, Patrick, and his uncle, Tim. Facing big WNW winds, no plan would be optimal. In my discussion with Jeff the evening prior, I gave him 2 options. Option 1 – fish the Lower Niagara – it offers protection from the elements and in turn, a more relaxed session. Option 2 – fish Lake Erie – it’ll be BIG, we’ll get wet, but we’ll catch fish, and it’ll surely be an adventure. Jeff chose Option 2 – my man!
The ride out to our first spot was…wet. There were NW winds blowing into some big SW rollers created the night prior – the lake was a wave pool. Fortunately, everyone wore head to toe rain gear, keeping the crew dry, happy, and entertained by the chaos.
We fished structure for bass and walleyes. We caught enough walleyes off deep structure for a hefty family fish fry. The bass bite was pretty good too – much shallower though. Patrick was the lead stick of the day – catching the most and biggest. Sorry, I didn’t take many photos due to the wind and spray.
08/28/2025 – Weather Day
Had a last-minute cancellation and that was fine with me. After fishing 14 days straight, I was happy to take the day off. Especially considering that when I woke up, there were 5’ waves rolling across Lake Erie. I went to the gym, did laundry, napped, you know – lazy life stuff.
08/29/2025 – ‘Cause I’m out here Grindin’
Fished the Lower Niagara with long time clients, Heath and Neal. In our discussion the night prior, the guys opted to fish the Lower instead of dealing with wet and wavy conditions on Lake Erie. Although it was a comfort-based decision, I thought we’d be OK fishing the lower. Well, it was a grind.
We covered a lot of water with lackluster results, bending rods on a handful of bass and plus a big walleye that came unbuttoned next to the boat. Was it the big NE winds, the cold front, or the 3-degree drop in water temperature? Maybe all those factors. Maybe none. Tough session – but still nice to reconnect with these guys and spend time outside on a nice, cool day. 
08/30/2025 – Felt Like Fall
Fished a half-day trip on Lake Erie for smallmouth bass with Randy, Walt, and John. The day started off with a quick double – both quality fish. Even though there was very little wind, I was optimistic that action would be consistent for the rest of the morning. It wasn’t – until the wind picked up. We didn’t hammer – but we caught fish at an entertaining clip throughout the morning. Some super nice ones in the mix too. It’s a good sign – fall is close. Look at the apparel – jackets and hoodies. It’s wild how much has changed in a week’s time. 
08/31/2025 – The Grand Tour
Fished the Lower Niagara and Lake Erie with Aubry and Suzanne, in town visiting from VA. It was a spontaneous trip, and they saw a lot in their short time here in WNY. They saw the falls from top to bottom and fished 2 great lakes on the same day. It was a gorgeous out there– we had fun. 
Seasonal Assessment/General Observations
As you likely saw from the play-by-play above, I bounced back and forth between the Lower Niagara and Lake Erie this past week. Many of those trips were half-day, multispecies sessions. Another important note is that I fished walleyes, almost exclusively, for MONTHS. Then, some wild weather showed up and things started changing, fast. Finally, my bookings for this past week, randomly, ended up being mostly half day, multispecies trips.
That’s a hard pivot. So, I leaned on previous years’ experience. We spent a lot of time exploring my old fall waypoints to see what’s going on. We mostly worked structure – some areas were sparsely inhabited – others were loaded.
It’s early. Plus, we experienced an 8 degree drop in water temperatures this past week. Bottom to top it’s around 70 degrees. Walleyes and smallmouth bass are very happy in those temps but it’s a shock to the system, nonetheless. Oh yeah, there were 4 days of small craft advisories this past week on Lake Erie and I believe as many on Lake Ontario. I’m not concerned – things are setting back up quickly – the fall frenzy is coming soon, my friends.
Buffalo NY Fishing Report – Forecast for 09/01/2025 – 09/07/2025
Forecast Commentary
The annual fall weather pattern is upon us – stability and chaos – back and forth. The front have of this upcoming week looks great. The second half – not so much. I’m booked every day – there are going to be some last minute calls, I’m sure.
Stay healthy my friends – mentally and physically,
Ryan