Getting to Buffalo for a Smallmouth Fishing Trip is Incredibly Easy

Prior to our August visit to Lake Erie and the Niagara River, I knew that Buffalo, New York had great smallmouth fishing and possibly even better wings, but I was ignorant of just how close it was to home. I somehow assumed that their brutal winters were the result of being just south of the Arctic Circle.

I’d flown there on my previous fishing trips, so I was shocked that the drive took us under 8 hours from our Northern Virginia home.

That included a long stop for lunch, so people with lesser appetites and/or stronger bladders might have made it in even less time.

In fact, it’s remarkably close to a lot of major population hubs:

• Cities within 300 miles include: Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Toronto, Detroit and Columbus

• Cities within 400 miles include: Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, DC, Ottawa

• My friend Alan Clemons drives up regularly from the Huntsville Alabama area.

And if you want to fly, the airport in Buffalo (BUF) punches above its weight class.

• There are direct flights from over 30 cities, and airlines including Jetblue, Delta, Southwest, United and American all go there. That means that from just about anywhere in the US it’s one-stop or less to get there.

And here's the part that makes those maps matter to me.

You're probably not driving or flying to Buffalo to see Buffalo.

You're coming here to fish.

Lake Erie has become one of the country's great smallmouth and multis-specie fishing destinations. The Niagara River offers another completely different smallmouth experience. And Lake Ontario gives you another world-class multispecies fishery.

For an angler coming from Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Ontario, Maryland or multiple other populations, this isn't some bucket-list trip that requires airfare and a week off.

It's a long weekend.

And if you live outside of the traditional “smallmouth belt” of the Midwest and Northeast, in places like Los Angeles, Atlanta, Orlando, Charlotte, Nashville, Denver or Dallas, it’s a direct flight and you’re there.

We’ll be hosting some groups there next year – with guided fishing, lodging and meals included. Once you’re there, the travel will become even less complicated. We’ll be staying at a hotel where you can walk to a boat ramp as well as to possibly the best wings we’ve ever eaten.

So whether Buffalo is a few hours up the road or a direct flight away, we'd love to take you fishing there. Email us for more information.