CATCH // Why Fish Eastern Basin of Lake Erie?

The New York waters of Lake Erie offer anglers a fishing bonanza!   Anglers can choose from trophy Walleye, Lake Trout and Steelhead in the deep waters off Dunkirk, NY, or walleye, bass and hard fighting Muskellunge in the Buffalo, NY area, both in the far eastern end of Lake Erie and the famed Upper Niagara River.  It is not uncommon to see walleye in the 10-11 lb range, lake trout topping 20lbs, and muskies well over 40” in length.

The members of the ELECBA offer great fishing opportunities from the head of the Niagara River at Buffalo, NY west some 60 miles to the Pennsylvania state line.  While angling opportunities exist all year long, the best times to fish are:

LOCATION // Why Fish Western NY?

Chautauqua and Erie Counties are located in the western most portion of New York State and borders the eastern basin of Lake Erie to the north, and Pennsylvania to the west. In addition to the superb fishing, visitors can enjoy a multitude of activities when enjoying our little corner of the world.

Located in Erie County, Buffalo, New York, offers a variety of cultural, social and sporting events in addition to the great fishing. Buffalo is a short drive from one of the seven wonders of the world, Niagara Falls, and is home to the NFL Buffalo Bills, NHL Buffalo Sabres, NLL Buffalo Bandits and the Triple AAA baseball Buffalo Bisons. Visitors can enjoy the Buffalo Zoo, the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, or countless shows in the Theater District. The Buffalo area also offers culinary delights at local bars and restaurants including world famous Buffalo wings and Beef on Weck.

Farther west is Chautauqua County, and the ports of Barcelona, Dunkirk and Silver Creek, New York. This scenic more rural area is the home of the State University of New York at Fredonia, several well known regional wineries, the Dunkirk Lighthouse, as well as Chautauqua Lake and the home of the Chautauqua Institute. Visitors can tour local antique stores, sample local wines or just simple enjoy a beautiful summer day with a picnic at Lake Erie State Park in Brocton or Point Gratiot Park in Dunkirk. Friday Fish Fry dinners are a must!

Erie and Chautauqua Counties are an easy drive from destinations such as Cleveland, OH (2.5 hours), Pittsburgh, PA (2.5 hours), and Rochester, NY (2 hours). Buffalo is one of the United States major border crossing areas to Canada, and is located only two (2) hours from Toronto, Ontario.