Buffalo NY Fishing Report – Observations from 11/24/2025 – 11/30/2025
Here’s our latest Buffalo NY fishing report: Hey, folks! Well, we had a long run of fishable, and sometimes nice weather. I went 14 days straight in November – that amount of stability is VERY rare this time of year. Mother Nature brought my streak to a halt in dramatic fashion on Wednesday afternoon. 3 days in a row with waves sometimes over 20’rocked Lake Erie turning the water into chocolate milk and forcing a vacation. It was perfect timing though – it allowed me to spend time with the family over the holiday weekend. I hope you were able to do the same.
Days on the water: 3
Who we fished with: friends/clients
Where we fished: Lower Niagara, Lake Ontario, Lake Erie
What we caught: smallmouth bass, lake trout, brown trout, steelhead
Tactics: drifting live bait and beads; casting deep diving crankbaits; jigging swimbaits and bucktails
Detailed Reporting/Daily Observations
11/24/2025 – Tim and Noah Return – Day 1
Fished Lake Erie for smallmouth bass with Tim and Noah. It’s been 7 years since Tim and I first fished together. He only had 2 kids back then and both were very young – Noah was around 5. Well, now he has 4 kids and although he’s a busy guy, he’s made it a priority to fish with me for a couple days in the spring and fall every year. I look forward to these trips.
Tim, like me, is still blown away by the Buffalo Niagara fishery and all the possibilities. Every time he comes through for a couple days, I try to do something different each day. The forecast was perfect for it – so we spent day 1 on Erie. We had minimal company – and absolutely hammered. A few giants, many biggies, and lots of fun sized fish came to the net. Awesome start to their trip. 
11/25/2025 – Tim and Noah Return – Day 2
Fished the Lower Niagara and Lake Ontario with Tim and Noah. It was another perfect day – minimal crowds, partly cloudy skies, warm for this time of year, with a light breeze from the south. We spent our morning on Lake Ontario then moved into the river. Every zone produced and Tim managed a trout slam. 
11/26/2025 – The Calm Before the Storm
Fished the Lower Niagara with Randy, Scott, and Tim. When I spoke with Randy the night prior, I explained to him how lucky he was – we’d have just enough time to put in some work before a big wind event hits our area and pushes us off the water. Little did I know how crazy the weather was going to get.
We started at dawn out on Lake Ontario. It wasn’t nearly as good as it was the day prior, but it produced fish at an entertaining pace. After a couple hours, we moved into the river and settled in before the storm arrived. The guys were all doing well…until the wind arrived. Sideways rain and big waves started to form in the river. We called it just in time. 
11/27/2025 – Thanksgiving
No fishing – enjoyed time with family. However, fishing from a boat would’ve been dangerous. Starting the night prior and carrying through this day, winds gusting over 50mph from the W and SW kicked up waves over 20’ on Lake Erie. The seiche caused by this wind had some dramatic effects – like this for example.
11/28/2025 – Weather Day
Huge winds and big waves continued through this day, so I rescheduled my trip. Plus, a couple days of consistent 10’+ waves turned the water clarity into chocolate milk.
11/29/2025 – Weather Day
The wind finally died off and the seiche began to rebound to the west. A couple days prior, I rescheduled my trip thinking the water clarity wouldn’t allow for a productive session. It was the right call. Jordan and I took the opportunity to drive the system and check things out. The water clarity had maybe 5” of visibility. In other words, it was completely trashed.
11/30/2025 – Weather Day
Facing trashed water clarity, snow, below freezing temperatures, and winds gusting into the 30s from the south, I rescheduled my trip.
Seasonal Assessment/General Observations
Throughout the wind event of 11/26 – 11/28, I checked the Port Colburn buoy near hourly. When I saw 14’ waves, my first thought was that I was going to be on a forced vacation for at least a week. The problem with a storm that big is that it completely trashes the water clarity – top to bottom. Following an event like that, Lake Erie needs AT LEAST 3 days of little to no wind to get to a fishable level of clarity – and that level of stability is fleeting this time of year.
Although it sucks for those clients who had to reschedule, I was able to keep myself occupied on the days off. I’m going to Guyana soon and need to get into “jungle shape.” So, I spent plenty of time in the gym. I also compiled all the gear I need for the trip and ordered what I didn’t already have. Time with family, binge watching Landman (highly recommended) and the Beast In Me (not recommended unless you like watching Claire Danes’ jaw and lower lip quiver multiple times per episode), and doing inventory kept me “busy.”
When the big wind arrived, it halted a 14-day stretch of fishable weather – super rare for this time of year. I was on the water all those days and I’d be a little disingenuous if I said I was pissed about the forced vacation. As I mentioned above, I had plenty of things to do. It was a banner November – my best yet as far as earnings go. Although the crowds were insane, I’m thankful for all my clients that gave it a shot – especially those of you who endured tough conditions.
Buffalo NY Fishing Report – Forecast for 12/01/2025 – 12/06/2025
The forecast for this upcoming week is super dicey – winter before winter. If the predictions come to pass, BIG winds will dominate the beginning part of the week, dashing any hope of improved water clarity. Snow and freezing rain are supposed to hang around too.
Later in the week, the wind will calm down a bit, but temperatures look like they’ll fall into the upper teens and 20s. FRIGID cold and highly stained water – also not fishable conditions. However, that lack of wind might give the water enough time to clear up for the weekend. I’m hopeful, but not optimistic, I’ll be able to fish Saturday and Sunday.
Although I was booked solid all week, I rescheduled all my trips through Thursday. If you’re on the docket for this weekend, I’ll be in touch soon – please be prepared to reschedule if possible.
Stay healthy my friends – mentally and physically,
Ryan
P.S. Join me on an Adventure
Those of you who’ve been reading my travel blogs over the years know that I get around – my bucket list is long…and never seems to get smaller. However, my mission to fish all 50 states is almost complete (all I have left is DE and HI) so I find myself thinking about what’s next. My last trip to ND gave me an idea about how I’d like to focus some of my future adventures – group travel.
I’ll continue to do family and friends only trips, but I want to extend an invitation to my readers to join me on some new adventures. Decades of planning (and executing) adventures (and operations in combat for that matter) have made me proficient – to the point where “fails” don’t happen anymore. Hopefully my readers can tell by my travel blogs that planning trips is almost as fun as executing them for me. Plus, as I’ve gotten older, just like in guiding/chartering, I’ve found that enjoying these trips with others adds to the experience. So, I want to put these joys together if possible.
2026 will be a BIG travel year for me – Miami (personal/friend trip), Guyana (personal/friend trip), Northern California (family), Virginia (family), WA/OR/ID tristate area (possible group trip), and the St Lawrence (personal) are all on the docket. For that WA/OR/ID tristate trip – 4 anglers are already committed, but I have some room to add four more. Here are the details:
Snake River Sturgeon Trip
6/14/2026 – fly into Spokane, WA – drive to lodge – check in
6/15 – 6/18 – fish
6/19 – check out and fly home
Overall cost – around $4K – that’s all in – flights, rental cars, lodging, meals, guide fees, tips, licenses, etc. That’s 4 days of fishing for the largest freshwater fish in North America in a breathtakingly beautiful place. Nothing to worry about – fly in, hop in a rental car, make a short drive through gorgeous country, stay at a comfortable lodge that serves excellent food and where all you need to do you walk out the back door every day and you’re at the boat launch. Oh yeah, I’ll be there so you know it’ll be a good time. Here’s a link to the outfitter – Home | Hells Canyon Sportfishing. Check it out and if you’re interested in joining me, give me a call at 716-704-5144.