Fishing is a great activity that can be incredibly relaxing as well as incredibly rewarding provided you’re patient as well as prepared. Let’s take a deeper look into what it takes to be a successful fisherman wherever you decide to try fishing in Buffalo Niagara.

by Max Fisher

Just make sure you bring beer

You Can’t Go Wrong With a Good Plonk

Who among us doesn’t enjoy the serene calm of fishing? The winding of the fishing rod as you plunge it into the water. The ever so satisfying plonking noise you hear as the hook hits the water. Choosing your bait which always seems just to be either a slightly darker or a somewhat lighter shade of worm. Ah yes, let’s not forget the utterly infuriating and way too constant occurrence of sitting there for hours without so much as a single bite, which may lead you to angrily throw the fishing rod on the ground at the end of the day. The tranquility of fishing truly can’t be beaten, but it sure can beat the hell out of you. That’s why it’s always best to bring beer, it helps to mitigate any possible disappointments during the day. All jokes aside, fishing is a great activity that can be incredibly relaxing as well as incredibly rewarding provided you’re patient as well as prepared.

So, let’s take a look at what it takes precisely to make sure you’re ready to conquer any fishing you have planned, making you a feared fisherman in whatever hole you decide to try fishing in Buffalo Niagara! (Unless you practice catch and release, of course, then the fish have nothing to worry about).

Your Fishing Cinderella Story

Like I said in the intro, preparation is key. There’s the obvious stuff. You need a fishing rod that can handle adequately sized fish (don’t get a giant monster of a rod just to look like a boss fisherman. Remember, you’re trying to catch regular size fish, not Quint hunting for sharks in Jaws). Also, keep in mind that fishing depends on a swinging motion which is called casting. You have to essentially throw the line in the desired spot you want in the water. (My knowledge of casting begins and ends at knowing what it is, so if you’re looking for techniques on how to do cool smooth casting motions like a regular Gorton’s fisherman and such, sorry, but I’m not your guy). If you’re fishing rod is too big and heavy for you, the action of throwing the rod in the water will be an inaccurate cumbersome mess that’ll leave the fish thinking, “we’re good, this guy has no idea what he’s doing”).

Next, make sure your reel (the part of the rod where the fishing line goes, it’s also the part of the rod that you use to reel in what you catch hence the name) is strong and sturdy. You’d probably know right off the bat if your reel is good or not since it’s a part of your rod, but always make sure to check. Always better safe than sorry, as they say.

Make sure you have all the right gear before heading out to your next fishing spot

Next, you’re going to need a fishing line. (That’s the part you attach to your rod to help you wind your line and draw in your catch). Make sure you’re always using a reliable one that isn’t too banged up. You don’t want to be the person who spent three-plus hours trying to get a fish on the hook. Then finally when they’re hooked and you start to reel it in the line snaps, and the fish happily goes back into the water (those people are usually the first to go for the beers).

Next up, we have the choice of live bait or lures. With live bait we’re talking worms, leeches, crawfish, and multiple varieties of minnows. Other cheap options include grubs, corn, smooshed bread, marshmallows, or bits of hotdog. Keep in mind that you should use different bait for the best results when trying to catch different fish, so research accordingly. As for lures, fishing lures are basically artificial baits that are designed to mimic real fish in order to get the attention of a predator. If you’re strictly a catch and release type of fisherman and don’t want to hurt any animals whatsoever while fishing in Buffalo Niagara, this might be the best way to go.

Bobbers & Floaters

Next up, we have bobbers. Also known as floaters, bobbers help keep your bait closer to the surface and let you know when a fish has taken an interest in your bait. Think of them as a sort of warning sign to get ready. Fishing in Buffalo Niagara (or anywhere for that matter) is a delicate art where paying attention to subtleties will lead you to your next catch. So whatever extra help you can get, I suggest you take it gladly. Then we have sinkers, which you use with every line you cast. You’ll need to attach one so your line will stabilize as your lightweight hook and bait sinks deeper. This is very important so you maintain control no matter how deep the hook and bait sinks. Finally, we have swivels. A swivel can serve as the connecting tool between your line and bait and allows the latter to spin and move freely (as in the case of live bait) without affecting your line. Basically, it’s used to make sure your line and bait don’t get all tangled up together.

Fishing with friends and family is a tried-and-true bonding experience

My Last Name is Fisher

The old words of wisdom, “it pays to be prepared”, truly applies to fishing. I’m no world-class fisherman even though my last name is Fisher (sorry if my last name gave you false hope that I might reveal incredible fishing hacks, I hate to disappoint, but… those are the breaks). There are no pictures of me online holding a 40-pound bass (unless it’s a doctored photo, if one of you readers make that picture a reality, then I really know you guys care). I just hope that if you got anything out of this piece, it’s the fundamentals and patience because when it comes down to it on its face, fishing isn’t that difficult. Civilization has moved past fishing as its main means for survival. So if you don’t catch anything, it’s no big deal, but if you keep at it and stay patient just like anything else in life, it’ll click.

You might only catch something small like a minnow at first, but that’s your first step and shows you’re on the right track. Haven’t you heard the saying, “you have to catch a minnow before you catch a bass?” If you’ve never heard of that, it’s because I pulled it out of my fishermen’s bag. Happy casting.

Buffalo

Zoar Valley – Holcomb Pond

Gowanda

What do you think of our guide to fishing spots in Buffalo Niagara? Know a great one that we missed? Have a favorite? Let us know.

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