Buffalo NY Fishing Report – Observations from 06/09/2025 – 06/15/2025
Here’s our latest Buffalo NY fishing report: This week was a wild ride on Lake Erie, fishing out of Barcelona Harbor, NY, for walleyes. Early in the week, despite a couple days of small craft advisories, we crushed it, hauling in limits of walleyes on every session, mostly trolling for suspended fish feasting on smelt. A special trip with a client honoring his late father stood out, making for unforgettable memories. Boat maintenance and a last-minute cancellation gave me a couple of days to hit the gym and recharge. Then…Lake Erie flipped – dashing any hopes of an awesome Father’s Day. Dive into the full report for the highs, lows, and my ongoing battle with “gold fever.”
Days on the water: 4
Who we fished with: friends/clients
Where we fished: Lake Erie
What we caught: walleye, freshwater drum
Tactics: bottom bouncing worm harnesses, trolling divers with harnesses and spoons
Detailed Reporting/Daily Observations
06/09/2025 – Maintenance Day
The Warrior needed some TLC – oil changes, livewell repairs, some electrical work – nothing crazy. These issues popped up through all the hard usage over the past few months. When “ankle biter” problems emerge with the boat, it’s almost like I sustain a small injury too. When she’s not running 100%, I can feel it – but that’s likely my obsessive-compulsive disorder kicking in. Many thanks to the crew at Collins Marine for getting it all done in one day.
06/10/2025 – Oh, it Felt Good to be Back
Fished Lake Erie out of Barcelona Harbor NY with Mike, Michael, and Frank – Buffalo Niagara locals and first-time clients. First – it was kinda big out there. SW winds gusting into the mid-20s had it rolling. The day started off with 1-3’ waves and quickly escalated to small craft advisory conditions. The guys didn’t care (my kind of people) – we caught the hell out of some walleyes and called it a little early.
As much as I love fishing out of Barcelona, the only problem with the place is that there’s no cleaning station on site. So, I usually take the boat out and drive to the Hanover launch on Cattaraugus Creek to clean my fish. However, the lake was so big that nobody was at the Hanover launch/the cleaning station was locked. Thankfully, Mike had a place close by where we could make it happen. 
06/11/2025 – Day Off
Another day of strong southwest winds, with gusts hitting the mid-30 mph range, kept me off the water. A small craft advisory was in effect from morning through midnight. I made the most of it, hitting the gym and taking some time to relax.
06/12/2025 – Whispering and Assassinating
Fished Lake Erie for walleyes out of Barcelona Harbor NY with the Whisperer and the Silent Assassin. She was rolling when we first got out there from all the wind raging through the area. However, as the morning went on, it laid down nicely and ended up being a gorgeous day.
We started off bottom bouncing structure, but action was sporadic at best. Getting impatient, I decided to move out to deeper water to hunt suspended fish. That ended up being the right call as the bite was very consistent. We got our limit in a couple hours and rode the walleye train back home. No pictures taken.
06/13/2025 – Making Memories with Tom
Fished Lake Erie for walleyes out of Barcelona Harbor, NY, with a new client, Tom. This trip was special—Tom recently lost his father and wanted to honor him with a walleye fishing day, inspired by a cherished memory of a great session they shared on Chautauqua Lake years ago. Despite the emotional weight, we had a fantastic day on the water, getting our limit with ease. We battled big NE winds and some huge waves, but that just seemed to activate the fish. No photos this time, just the memories. A fitting tribute.
06/14/2025 – Last Minute Cancellation
Had a last minute cancellation that I couldn’t fill. So, I stayed off the water, went to the gym, and otherwise relaxed.
06/15/2025 – And then it Flipped
Fished Lake Erie for walleyes out of Barcelona Harbor, NY, with Terry, Chris, and Riley. Two days in a row of BIG NE winds caused the lake to flip. For reference, earlier this week when I fished out of here, the surface temperature was 63-64 degrees. Today, it was 49-50 degrees – I even went a couple miles offshore looking for warm water and it was only 54 degrees. A 10 degree drop like this messes everything up – fish scatter, trying to follow the warm water. In other words, it was a dud of a session…soul crushing. You can read more about this phenomenon at this link.
Seasonal Assessment/General Observations
Spent four days on the water this week, fishing for walleyes out of Barcelona Harbor, NY. Apologies for the lack of photos—gold fever hit me hard. For those unfamiliar, gold fever is my annual obsession when walleye season kicks off. With fish aplenty, I get consumed with dialing in the perfect trolling spread, prioritizing quick, efficient catches over a laid-back day. It’s a blast, though I’ll admit my clients might start noticing my OCD quirks if I don’t rein it in soon. I’ll make a point to snap some pics in upcoming sessions.
The walleye fishing out west is excellent right now – minus the lake flipping – but that should right itself in the next couple of days. Most fish were suspended, feasting on massive schools of smelt in deep water, making trolling with divers and leadcore the go-to tactics. I couldn’t pull many fish off structure, which is a bummer—I love the thrill of bottom bouncing, clients sweeping and groaning as they set the hook into Lake Erie gold. Still, we landed some structure fish, but the suspended walleyes stole the show this week.
I’ll continue to follow the school as it moves further east. However, I’m not optimistic that it’ll end up in front of Buffalo, NY this year. The water temperature is already 63 degrees coming out of the Niagara – only one degree lower than it was this time last year. Remember – super warm water was likely the culprit of why we didn’t see many walleyes out of Buffalo last year. Fingers crossed they come over – for no other reason than to help spread anglers out during the gold rush.
Buffalo NY Fishing Report – Forecast for 06/16/2025 – 06/22/2025
Forecast Commentary
The forecast for this upcoming week looks pretty good, but there’ll be some drama here and there caused by wind and rain/thunderstorms. The front half of the week looks excellent with light winds from the S and W, dry conditions, and nice temperatures. Wednesday afternoon is when it looks like things will get a bit chaotic. Rain and BIG SW winds might end up causing me to reschedule that trip. Friday looks dicey but doable. Saturday looks awesome. Sunday…not so much. Bottom line, there might be a couple last minute calls but most of the week looks fishable.
For the front half of the week, I’ll focus on bass fishing for a couple of days. I’m optimistic that the warm water will rebound by Wednesday. If it does, I’ll head back to Barcelona. If it doesn’t, Buffalo will be my area of operations until the nastiness passes on Thursday. Stay tuned – it’s going to be another wild week.
Stay healthy my friends – mentally and physically,
Ryan