Buffalo NY Fishing Report – Observations from 12/09/2024 – 12/15/2024
Here’s our latest Buffalo NY fishing report: The forecast for the week was way off. It was another week of chaotic weather that included huge wind, big waves, muddy water, ridiculously cold temperatures, rain, and snow. Yep – we got it all. Still, I managed to fish 4 days this past week and every session was productive despite tough conditions. We live in an awesome place, folks! Keep reading for more details.
Days on the water: 4
Who we fished with: friends/clients
Where we fished: Lake Erie, Lower Niagara
What we caught: smallmouth bass, lake trout, steelhead, brown trout
Tactics: drifting bait; jigging bucktails, swimbaits, and blade baits
Detailed Reporting/Daily Observations
12/09/2024 – Had the day off. I would’ve ended up cancelling anyway – it was cold and rained most of the day.
12/10/2024 – Fished the Lower Niagara out of Lewiston, NY with the whisperer and the silent assassin. The guys did what they always do – catch fish and have a good time. We caught fish everywhere we went, but it got slower the further we went upriver. Minnows were the most productive bait, but we picked up a few on beads. 
12/11/2024 – Fished Lake Erie out of Buffalo, NY with my buddy Mike. Like I mentioned in last week’s report, I was missing Erie of late and wanted to get out there to see what was going on. Thankfully, Mike had the day off too. There was a BIG lake effect storm coming in, but we had a small window in the morning where we could put in some work. Thankfully, we found fish quickly and proceeded to hammer. Big swim baits were the ticket.
As I was preparing the boat while waiting for Mike, I heard a few crows making a raucous behind me. When I turned around, they were bullying a snowy owl – right by the boat launch! If you’re into birds like I am, you’ve likely noticed the hatred crows have for raptors, especially owls. I’ve seen them beat up on great horned owls and red tail hawks countless times. This was the first time I’ve seen them going after a snowy owl.
I hissed and yelled at the crows for a couple minutes until they departed, leaving the owl dazed and confused. That’s when I was able to take these shoddy photos. It’s been a few years since I last saw one of these beauties – so sool!
12/12/2024 – Huge wind, 12’+ waves on Lake Erie, muddy water, frigid temps, snow – rescheduled the trip.
12/13/2024 – The calm after the storm – but the carnage from the day prior wrecked the system leaving water clarity less than 1′. Also, the highs were in the low 20s. Rescheduled the trip.
12/14/2024 – Fished the Lower Niagara out of Lewiston, NY with Alex and Mack. I spoke with the guys the night prior and explained to them that water clarity was going to be marginal and that the day was going to start off BITTER cold. However, I also told them I was confident that we’d catch fish. Both really wanted to go out, so we gave it a shot. I’m glad we did. Thank you for taking the chance! There wasn’t a lot of variety, but action was fairly consistent. 
12/15/2024 – Fished the Lower Niagara out of Lewiston, NY with Jack and Alexa, visiting from Maryland. Fun couple! We did a half day trip and got off the water before the rain showed up. Action downriver was good. I wish I could say the same about the upriver sections. 
Seasonal Assessment/General Observations
Like I mentioned in last week’s report, I fished through what I thought would be unproductively stained water and did well. So, I made the same gamble a couple times this week and it yielded the same results. I’m happy that I was able to fish 4 days, but it’s tough to get a sense of what’s going on down there. Here’s my best assessment:
- There are some lake trout left in the river, but very few. Their spawn is done, and most are dropping out of the river into Lake Ontario. If you want to catch a lake trout, your best bet is to fish meat – like minnows or swim baits. You’ll catch them here and there in the river, but the bar is starting to load up.
- The brown trout are still in the system and are gorging themselves on minnows. Most are post spawn, but I boated a few big females that were still dropping eggs. I haven’t bothered to use beads for them in the past 10 days, but I’ve seen a few boats using them and sporadically catching fish.
- Artificial baits are out-fishing live bait for smallmouth bass. Yeah, I know that sounds crazy, but it happens every year when the water temperatures hit the low 40s. I can’t explain it – I just abide. 3-4” swim baits worked very well, but bucktails caught fish too. Poor water clarity likely made those bigger swim baits more productive – bigger target that they can see through the stain.
- Walleyes have been making a daily appearance on the Lower Niagara. All ate minnows like they owned them. It’s weird how they get so minnow oriented this time of year. I can count on one hand how many I’ve caught on live minnows through the summer months. It’s cool to seem them behave like the smallmouth this time of year.
- All those frigid temperatures, plus the wind and snow, dropped the water temperatures another 3 degrees. Lake Erie December Temperatures Buffalo – it’s now colder than the historical norm. It’ll likely hold constant or maybe come up a degree or 2 next week when it “warms up” around here.
Buffalo NY Fishing Report – Forecast for 12/16/2024 – 12/22/2024
Forecast Commentary
This upcoming week will be another stretch of last-minute calls caused by chaotic weather. It looks like we’ll start off warm and a little wet. Then a big dose of wind (of course), followed by more rain, some snow, and then brutally cold temperatures.
If you’re scheduled to fish with me this week, please be patient. Hopefully you’ll have enough flexibility for me to make a last-minute call…or reschedule altogether. I’m booked daily and am optimistic I’ll get at least 3 days on the water. Fingers crossed!
Stay healthy my friends – mentally and physically,
Ryan