Buffalo NY Fishing Report – Observations from 09/01/2025 – 09/07/2025
Here’s our latest Buffalo NY fishing report: This past week was classic WNY weather – amazing…then not so much. I managed to fish Lake Erie, Lake Ontario, and the Lower Niagara and I can say this much at least, it’s starting to seem a lot like fall. Thankfully, I had some adventurous clients on the docket that were ready and willing to go for it on the rough days – it paid off with lots of action. The folks that fished with me on the calm days – they enjoyed a nice vacation. Great week!
Days on the water: 6
Who we fished with: friends/clients
Where we fished: Lake Erie, Lower Niagara River, Lake Ontario
What we caught: king salmon, 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
09/01/2025 – Recon Work
Fished Lake Ontario out of Lewiston, NY with Ryan and Jack. These 2 started fishing with me last winter and have been out with me a few times since – you might remember pics of them holding some beast walleyes earlier this summer. Anyway – they’re well stocked with walleye meat and were interested in targeting something beastly. Lake O is the best place to do that, so we went for it.
It was a gorgeous day with light and variable winds. There was a huge west current – which I’ve never encountered out there. I kept things simple and agile by only running riggers – zigging and zagging along the cliff edge. We picked up one skippy almost immediately. We followed that up minutes later with a beast. Then the bite died. So, we did a little exploring and finished up with some bass fishing.
I don’t fish Lake O very often after spring – I’ll admit that it’s a weak point of mine. It’s tough to be a jack of all trades and a master of all – especially when there are so many options around here. You can say that’s cope for having a lackluster day – but I’m somewhat comforted by the fact that my colleagues who also fished out of Lewiston had similar results. 
09/02/2025 – Poking Around with Trippy
Fished Lake Erie for walleyes out of Sturgeon Point with Mike Trifiletti, owner of Riverborn Fishing Company. It had been a while since I boated a walleye on Lake Erie, I had the day off, and I wanted to find a good school – just to stay in touch. Mike was in the same situation. So, we went for it…and we found MANY. Took one photo for posterity – and to send to a couple buddies who passed on the opportunity to get out with us. 
09/03/2025 – Steady Whispering
Fished Lake Erie for walleyes out of Sturgeon Point with the Whisperer. Since it was just us 2, we imposed a slot limit of 17”-22” just to stretch the day out and have some fun. As per usual, we made it happen. No giants caught – no pictures taken.
09/04/2025 – Weather Day
Although I love a big wave day on Lake Erie. Consistent 5 foot waves with the occasional 7 makes boat control kinda difficult. So, I cancelled the trip and took advantage of the day off with a little gym time and relaxation.
09/05/2025 – The Tempest
Fished the Lower Niagara with Dave and Marissa, a father and daughter duo in town visiting for a couple days. The evening prior, I let them know that we were going to get hit with 40+mph winds – which makes fishing borderline impossible. However, if they really wanted to give it a shot, we might be able to do well before the winds kicked up so long as we started early. Both were keen to go for it – and I’m very happy they did.
The bite was a grind – but we managed a few good fish before getting blown off the water. We called it early with the promise that I’d extend their time on the water the following day. 
09/06/2025 – Much Better
Fished Lake Erie for smallmouth bass with Dave and Marissa – day 2 of their visit. The wind laid down enough for us to get out there. With the wind blowing and whitecaps rolling by, we hammered smallmouth bass for hours…until the wind died. Action more than made up for the grind we experienced the day prior. As it calmed down at the end of our day, so did the frenzied bite. It was awesome while it lasted, but it was perfect timing for us to head in. 
09/07/2025 – Nonstop Laughs and Lots of Biggies
Fished Lake Erie for smallmouth bass out of Buffalo, NY with Mark, his daughter, Noelle, and Noelle’s boyfriend, Josh. Mark has been fishing with me for years. However, this is the first time he brought his daughter and her boyfriend along. Those 2 didn’t have much angling experience – Josh had never caught a fish from a boat prior to this day. I assured them their lack of experience wouldn’t be a problem. They confirmed that shortly after getting out there.
The day started off with huge waves and NW winds. It was messy, but the bass were frenzied. Noelle hooked up minutes into our first drift and went on a tear after that as the guys watched on. The scales balanced before long though, and everyone landed MANY tanks.
The best part of the day though? Noelle’s consistent laughter as we hit huge waves – it was infectious – impossible for us not to enjoy ourselves. Awesome day. 
Seasonal Assessment/General Observations
Another week of wild weather kept me on my toes. I bounced all over the place so I kind of have a sense of what’s happening out there – but it’s a very limited perspective. I’ll discuss in my order of confidence.
Smallmouth Bass
The fall frenzy is getting underway. The water temperature in Lake Erie is 69 degrees. Bass love that temperature – but they love it even more when it’s below 60. As you likely noticed from the pictures and my commentary, size and numbers are on the rise. The fish look very healthy too. Hopefully excessive angling pressure doesn’t change that.
I’m encouraged by the girth so early into the season. All those juvenile perch swimming around are keeping them well fed – along with gobies and crawfish. There’s some potential for GIANTS this fall.
Walleyes
The resident walleye population around Buffalo is getting set up. You can get a limit with ease if you work structure. It’ll likely take you longer than what we’ve been used to of late, but not too long.
The migratory walleyes are set up in deep water – 70’ – 90’. You can find some in shallower water, but if you venture out into those depths, your picture will change dramatically.
Salmon
They’re staging. Some are running. Anglers have been getting them off the piers. Charters have been getting them outside the rivers/creeks. I’ve seen them running up the Niagara – breaking the surface along the way. It has begun but is far from peak.
Buffalo NY Fishing Report – Forecast for 09/08/2025 – 09/14/2025
Forecast Commentary
After months of going hard, randomly, my calendar dried up…temporarily. September is always hard to fill, so I’m not shocked this upcoming week is looking sparse. I’ll be on the water Monday and Friday through Sunday. I’m going to take advantage of the small gap in bookings in the middle of the week to do some maintenance – on me and my boat.
I’ll publish a fishing report next weekend. After that, I’m going to North Dakota for a week to do some fishing and hunting. Stand by for the trip report. I’ve been looking forward to this one for a while. When I get home, I’m booked every day until December. Get ready for another big run.
The weather for this upcoming week looks NICE. Cool, dry, stable – perfect scouting and trolling weather. Walleyes are on the docket – so are salmon – and so are bass. We live in an awesome place, folks.
Stay healthy my friends – mentally and physically,
Ryan