We recently got back from an exciting trip to Buffalo and the Niagara Falls area of Ontario, Canada, where we fished the Canadian Tire Open and the University of Buffalo Fishing Team/Memorial Tournament all in one weekend. My friend Alec Poland, a West Virginia University college angler, and I teamed up to tackle the Big Pond and Niagara River for these two derbies.
The weather had its usual fall unpredictability, with heavy, shifting winds and a cold front rolling through. This is pretty normal for the Lake Erie region at this time of year, but it kept us on our toes.
We spent most of our practice time on the main lake but ended up in the river on the final day due to the weather. We discovered some productive areas ranging from deep to shallow and had a game plan that included spots I didn’t think most other anglers would touch — which, overall, worked to our advantage. The fish were scattered because the water temperatures were still higher than normal, so we stayed on the move, hunting big bites with a drop shot, Alabama Rig (J-Rig), and jighead minnow imitation.
Being boat 100 (the last boat out) meant we got to our areas last. Even so, the day started strong with our first fish hitting the 5-pound class, followed by another around 4 pounds in the first 15 minutes, fishing deep. After a lull, we switched areas and got back on the fish with the J-Rig.
Midday, we headed to a popular community hole reef crowded with boats. We picked up a few fish quickly on the Alabama Rig, while I dropped a big one on the drop shot. Heavy pressure isn’t my ideal condition, so after a couple of culls and not seeing much else, we moved to our best suspended fish area. There, I boated another 5-pounder, and we both had a few near-misses in the same range.
We ran several other spots Alec had scouted during practice. One area yielded a solid 5-pound class fish on the minnow bait, which was a nice cull. From there, we caught a lot of 3-4 lb class fish on the Alabama Rig and minnow bait before finishing back near our starting point with no luck. My final stop on the way back produced a few more solid fish, and we returned to Niagara Falls with a few minutes to spare. In the Canadian Tire Open, we finished 12th out of 100 boats, weighing in 22.77 lbs for our first experience — a solid debut. Big congrats to Brad Brodnicki and Billy Gilbert for taking their second consecutive win!
The next day, Alec (and my wife) convinced me to stick around for the UB Benefit Tournament on the U.S. side out of Buffalo. The areas still held a lot of fish, so why not? We started on the community hole reef, which was slow for everyone, then moved to our best, least pressured areas. Our first fish was a 5.78-pound lunker on the Angler Tungsten Eclipse head with minnow bait — a great way to kick off the day. We continued culling and running both old and new spots, finding several more fish in the 4-5 lb range. By noon, we had caught a solid limit and added new areas to our map for future trips. We ended the tournament 2nd place with a 24.43 lb bag, also taking lunker.
After getting back home, it was right back to guiding as the busy bass season kicked off. My first clients were Michael and his son Henry. Some say catching one on your first cast is bad luck — if that’s true, I’ll happily take the “bad luck” of a 7.14 lb Lake Erie smallmouth bass on our first cast. The rest of the day included hunting more quality smallmouth at a few favorite stretches before the winds picked up. Perch fishing was slower, but that should improve with the cooler temperatures and recent rain. Other trips that week with returning clients and new faces were a blast, mixing quality smallmouth, some largemouth, and a handful of walleye, which is always exciting.
The heavy winds and cooler temps, along with the first rain in a while, signal that fall is officially here on Lake Erie. The unseasonably warm days prior made the fish a little finicky, holding them off shallower waters and keeping bait scattered. Steelhead trout are still largely in staging mode without the creeks running, and nutrients from dry creeks haven’t concentrated the bait or predator fish as much. However, that is changing as we speak, with the heavy rains in the past 24 hours. Understanding these patterns is part of the fun puzzle that keeps me coming back.
Fall is one of my favorite times to fish Lake Erie — bass, walleye, perch, or trout are all concentrating on the baitfish, and the action can be incredible for those who stick it out.
If you’re already thinking ahead, now’s the time to plan your 2026 trips. Spring smallmouth is right around the corner (early April), and summer walleye casting and jigging trips are a blast once the weather warms up around that mid-late June time. Prime dates are starting to book, so don’t wait — book early to guarantee the best fishing dates.
It was a fantastic weekend on the far side of Lake Erie with Alec, Jeff, and Andy. Big shoutout to Jeff for the hospitality — it’s always great to spend time with friends I only see a few times a year. I’m looking forward to next year already.
Stay tuned for more reports — and to all my new email subscribers, thanks for signing up! I promise to bring you great fishing reports and informational content all year, covering bass, walleye, perch, trout, and more on Lake Erie.
Tight lines,
Captain Destin DeMarion
724-790-4232 (4BFB)
Big Fat Bass Guide Service
DestinDeMarion.com
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