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Independence, MO —
Canada or Minnesota is generally associated with incredible fishing. But Buffalo, N.Y., might be the last place you would believe to be a world-class smallmouth bass fishing area.
I was somewhat apprehensive when guide and successful tournament fisherman Darrin Schwenbeck, of Varysburg, N.Y., suggested we use jerk baits around several Lake Erie seawalls and shipwrecks in sight of Buffalo, a town often associated with its professional football team, the Bills. But I never bet against a man playing his own game, so I listened.
“Now jerk the Rogue, long-time favorite jerk bait, once, then twice and let the line go slack,” Schwenbeck said. “Let the lure sit for a second or two, then pick up the slack and be ready.”
I cast my cotton candy colored Rogue toward the corner of a barely visible shipwreck and tried his technique three times without success. Then on the fourth, I picked up the slack and, “POW,” big hit. I set the hook hard and hung on as the unidentified assailant dove for the rocky bottom. The line slipped off my reel as the well-set drag made high-volume protests and sharply bent my sturdy Carbon “X” rod.
The speed of this fish was surprising as it ran back and forth in a panicked effort to shake free of the meal that bit back. I soon landed the big fish, a fine smallmouth bass, just missing the coveted 5-pound mark by ounces. Our morning continued like this, fish after fish from 2 to 5 pounds and in sight of the city.
The next morning my good friend Brooke Droese, marketing administrator for Frabill Outdoor Gear, and I met Captain Jeff Draper, fishing guide from Grand Island, N.Y., to try a different technique for Lake Erie “smallies.” The fishing trip started when the veteran guide pulled up to a sea wall, dipped in his long-handled net and brought out 200 to 300 emerald shiners.
I had never seen bait caught so easily and immediately realized why the fishery was world class. Everything related to good fishing starts with forage. Draper rigged two hooks on each line with a torpedo-shaped sliding sinker designed to go over big rocks while the shiners were suspended a foot or two above the bottom.
Droese dropped her rigging down and was quickly rewarded by a firm strike. She set the hook on a good smallmouth bass that made several fine runs before sliding into the net for pictures and a quick release. The smallmouth bass patrolled the rocky bottom in search of shiners or crawfish. The suspended baits made a tempting target for the finned opportunists always looking for an easy meal.
Canada or Minnesota is generally associated with incredible fishing. But Buffalo, N.Y., might be the last place you would believe to be a world-class smallmouth bass fishing area.
I was somewhat apprehensive when guide and successful tournament fisherman Darrin Schwenbeck, of Varysburg, N.Y., suggested we use jerk baits around several Lake Erie seawalls and shipwrecks in sight of Buffalo, a town often associated with its professional football team, the Bills. But I never bet against a man playing his own game, so I listened.
“Now jerk the Rogue, long-time favorite jerk bait, once, then twice and let the line go slack,” Schwenbeck said. “Let the lure sit for a second or two, then pick up the slack and be ready.”
I cast my cotton candy colored Rogue toward the corner of a barely visible shipwreck and tried his technique three times without success. Then on the fourth, I picked up the slack and, “POW,” big hit. I set the hook hard and hung on as the unidentified assailant dove for the rocky bottom. The line slipped off my reel as the well-set drag made high-volume protests and sharply bent my sturdy Carbon “X” rod.
The speed of this fish was surprising as it ran back and forth in a panicked effort to shake free of the meal that bit back. I soon landed the big fish, a fine smallmouth bass, just missing the coveted 5-pound mark by ounces. Our morning continued like this, fish after fish from 2 to 5 pounds and in sight of the city.
The next morning my good friend Brooke Droese, marketing administrator for Frabill Outdoor Gear, and I met Captain Jeff Draper, fishing guide from Grand Island, N.Y., to try a different technique for Lake Erie “smallies.” The fishing trip started when the veteran guide pulled up to a sea wall, dipped in his long-handled net and brought out 200 to 300 emerald shiners.
I had never seen bait caught so easily and immediately realized why the fishery was world class. Everything related to good fishing starts with forage. Draper rigged two hooks on each line with a torpedo-shaped sliding sinker designed to go over big rocks while the shiners were suspended a foot or two above the bottom.
Droese dropped her rigging down and was quickly rewarded by a firm strike. She set the hook on a good smallmouth bass that made several fine runs before sliding into the net for pictures and a quick release. The smallmouth bass patrolled the rocky bottom in search of shiners or crawfish. The suspended baits made a tempting target for the finned opportunists always looking for an easy meal.
Later in the morning we dropped our baits beside a long, concrete wave barrier where several hundred Arctic terns were nesting. The birds flew off their elevated perch in protest of our very presence in their sacred nesting place. This delicate bird with an intimidating sharp bill flies 10,000 miles in the fall to spend the northern winter months at the edge of Antarctica. Several hundred flying a few feet over your head can be an intimidating sight.
I was watching the birds fly when a solid “thump” made my sturdy spinning rod double. I quickly lifted the rod to set the hook into the jaw of a good smallmouth bass.
I saw Droese lift her rod about the same instant and we were both fighting good fish, our first double of the day. Both runaway torpedoes burned up a lot of energy with slashing runs and dives that almost pulled the rods from our hands. But even well-fed bass run out of energy. Soon both bass gave in and we paused for a quick picture of the 5-pounders.
The three-day trip ended too soon with over 200 big smallmouth bass, a big yellow perch and a northern pike caught and released – and all in plain view of downtown Buffalo, N.Y. Remarkably, we were a short drive from Lake Ontario, where big lake trout and salmon are caught, and the Niagara River for big lake trout and trophy smallmouth bass.
Want to add this amazing fishing opportunity to your bucket list? You can call for more information from the Buffalo-Niagara CVB at: 1-800-BUFFALO or the Niagara Tourism or Convention Corp. at 1-877-FALLSUS. To fish with Jeff Draper, call 716-479-2634 or Darrin Schwenkbeck at 240-498-3509.
