Fresh Tifft Nature Preserve Fishing Reports

Great week of fishing with my nephew. Weather was spotty as was the bite . But our best day was 38 fish , many 6 lb fish, as well as steady 3.5 to 4lb fish,which was phenomenal day. Fish are active and it will get better!

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.” 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. **hidden content**, 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, feas

Dawnell thought her son Cash would love to go fishing, something he definitely did a lot more of as a very young man. Up from WV on vacation, they decided to drag boyfriend Zach along. 2nd group from WV in a row to jump onboard. The three of them laid a beat down on the fish catching the biggest of two species of fish for the year so far. An 11 lb drum (aka sheephead or gaspergou) and a 5 lb slob of a smallmouth! The friendly banter and obvious closeness of this group made the day very fun! Ended the day with somewhere north of 30 fish total! Had a boat first triple header and a duble header to boot! Ok Two smallmouth over the 20” trophy season regulation! Great day on the water!

Abby surprised her fiancé, now husband, Bryce, with a smallmouth trip for Christmas. Turns out both of them are accomplished anglers. Even on a slow bite they managed a 20 fish day! Caught em deep, caught em shallow, caught em in between. Super nice young people with strong family values. I antipate them staying together a long time! Great day on the big lake!

The last week of May 2025 was a wild ride on the waters of the Buffalo Niagara Region. It was a week filled with challenging conditions, memorable moments, and a mix of fishing fortunes. From a grind on Memorial Day to a thrilling ride through crashing waves on the Upper Niagara where an 8-year-old outfished everyone, each trip brought its own story. Slow days tested patience with young anglers, while veterans and college-aged crews brought lively conversations and decent catches. Some massive winds over the weekend kept me off the water/provided opportunities to rest. Here’s a glimpse into the highs, lows, and everything in between from a week of chasing fish and making memories. Seasonal Assessment/General Observations Smallmouth in Spawn Mode: Keep it Moving The smallmouth bass are almost entirely in spawn mode – hence all the smaller fish you likely noticed in the photos. The water is still chilly (Lake Erie June Temperatures Buffalo), but right in the sweet spot for them to get their “spawn on.” As I mentioned in last week’s report, if you target bass right now, you’re going to catch some spawners whether you’re trying to or not. Please, do something like what I do – cover a lot of ground/don’t soak areas. Let them breed with as little interruption as possible. Here’s an example of what not to do: for 2 days in a row, I watched 2 bass boats from West Virginia spot lock in a small nook on the lower Niagara for hours each day. By a small nook, I mean an area no bigger than 40 sq ft…and they stayed there for hours…both days. I drifted past them a couple times. Then I fished downriver for a while. Then I came back upriver to take the boat out of the water – they were still there. Please, don’t do this. It’s super greedy/gluttonous. The main counter to my position is that people really want to catch fish. Those WV boys trailered their boat all the way up here – they’re likely thinking that they’re gonna do what it takes to bend a rod. My response? Sorry, it sucks that you planned your trip here when you did. Play the hand you’re dealt – cover water and stop beating up on the same fish over and over and over. Transition Time With the bass on beds, my program for the next few weeks will incorporate a mix of activities. Walleyes are starting to show up more often – so I’ll spend part of the beginning of nearly every session targeting them. They aren’t schooled up in our basin by any means. However, there are enough around on structure that you can catch a “family fish fry” worth in a morning before transitioning to bass fishing for a bit. Following my big humbling on Lake Ontario this past Monday, I need some revenge. By all counts, the coho bite out there has been excellent with more and more kings showing up. I’ll get that dialed this week – and it’ll become part of the weekly plan until the big schools of walleyes make their way into NY waters. Fingers crossed – we’ll start seeing that happen in a couple weeks.

Dillion is going back home to South Carolina, bringing with him the memory of his personal best smallmouth bass catch, a notable 6lbs 1oz.