Buffalo NY Fishing Report – Observations from 10/28/2024 – 11/03/2024
Here’s our latest Buffalo NY fishing report:
It was yet another chaotic week with wind from every direction (some HUGE), a little rain, daytime highs in the 70s on some days, and on others – barely 50. I only managed 4 days this past week. Some of the days off were planned, others caused by Mother Nature. I spent most of my time on the Lower Niagara but managed a session on Lake Erie too. The rest was nice, but three days off got me itching for a big week for this upcoming week. Keep reading for more details.
Days on the water: 4
Who we fished with: friends/clients
Where we fished: Lake Erie, Lower Niagara, Lake Ontario
What we caught: smallmouth bass, lake trout
Tactics: drifting bait, jigging bucktails, swimbaits, and blade baits, casting crank baits, drifting beads.
Detailed Reporting/Daily Observations
10/28/2024 – Fished Lake Erie out of Buffalo, NY for smallmouth bass with Lee and Jason. It was a little glassy out there/wasn’t much breeze, so I had to use the trolling motor to pull us around. When we got a breeze, we drifted. We got lucky and found a group almost as soon as I stopped the boat. We didn’t stop catching them until a little lull around 1:30PM. Excellent range of sizes and consistent action until we ended the day. Minnows worked best. 
10/29/2024 – Day off. There were big NW winds anyway. Did some gear inventory, went to the gym, planned 2025 vacations, etc.
10/30/2024 – Fished the Lower Niagara for smallmouth bass with the whisperer and the assassin. Why bass with these guys? Well, their freezers are packed with walleye meat from all the trips we did over the summer. Plus, the assassin and I love a good bass trip. The whisperer goes with the flow on these sessions – just enjoying the time outside. However, he likely hears his father’s spirit yelling at him to stop messing with those bass and start fishing.
BIG SSW winds howled through the canyon, making communication between us difficult (and hilarious). I love a huge S or W wind on the Lower Niagara this time of year. Wind from those directions pushes you through areas that don’t have a lot of current/would be difficult to drift otherwise. Plus, it feels like you’re on an adventure despite it being completely safe. We did well. 
10/31/2024 – Fished the Lower Niagara with Larry, JZ, and Dave, up from the Pittsburg area. We faced the same conditions as the day prior – huge SW winds. Therefore, I followed the same program. The bass bite started off excellent, but got to be a grind as the day went on. Plus, we were growing wearing of shouting over the wind. So, we went upriver into the canyon section where we’d be protected in the hopes of a little trout action to wrap up the day.
11/01/2024 – Day off. Insane winds from the W and NW had 9’+ waves rolling on Lake Erie and the current raging in the river. Rescheduled the trip.
11/02/2024 – All that wind from the previous 36 hours muddied up the system. I watched it get worse throughout the day on 11/01/2024 and got nervous that fishing in that color wouldn’t produce much. Plus, I had new clients on the docket. So, I didn’t want to take a chance of a marginal outing considering I had no idea what their skill level would be (there was a 13-year-old boy in the group). I rescheduled their trip and went out by myself on Lake Erie.
I did very well despite yet another fleet of Canadian boats fishing a tournament in U.S. water. The water was stained at the start of the day but cleared quickly to a nice green by the time I came in. From talking to a couple of my colleagues who fished the Lower Niagara, they did well too and saw the same thing happen with the water clarity.
I guess I regret rescheduling the trip, but these guys are local and flexible, so it wasn’t a net loss. I usually favor bold decisions, but sometimes I can get risk averse with little justification – just a bad feeling – in this case, it wasn’t warranted.
11/03/2024 – Fished the Lower Niagara with Tim and Noah. We had little to no wind and when we did, it was a light east. I’m not sure why, but the bass bite was super slow. We caught them, but all were small, so no photos taken. On the other hand, the trout bite was great. It was a blast watching young Noah (10 years old) fight those big beasts. 
Seasonal Assessment/General Observations
On the Conditions
Not much changed in the system over the past week. Here are some of my notes:
- The trout continue to enter the system, but are by no means at peak. Beads and plugs were the only bait needed.
- Smallmouth bass are continuing to concentrate in greater and greater numbers. I have no idea why they do this in the fall…but they do. They are a social animal – maybe they like to be with large groups when it comes time to go dormant for the season. Find the groups, and your catch rates will be consistent.
- We finally got a little stain to the water after MONTHS of gin clear conditions. However, because the water temperature is still hovering around 60, it cleared up in less than 48 hours.
Buffalo NY Fishing Report – Forecast for 11/04/2024 – 11/10/2024
Forecast Commentary
It looks like the trend of chaotic weather will continue this upcoming week. Highs in the 70s on some days and in the 40s on others. Wind will be a problem for almost half the week – the front half in particular. The back half of the week looks very manageable.
Since most of the BIG winds will be from the south with a little bit of west, I doubt the system will get muddy as a result. Plus, the water is still in the upper 50s (58 as of this evening). I’m optimistic that every day will be fishable/productive.
I’m booked daily and have some hardcore clients coming in that want to fish regardless of challenging conditions. So, I doubt the weather will keep us off the water. Fingers crossed – next week’s report will cover all 7 days.
Stay healthy my friends – mentally and physically,
Ryan