Where to Fish the Niagara River, From Buffalo to Lake Ontario

You can fish the Niagara River from public ground along most of its length, but the published access lists are far more detailed for the New York bank. Above the falls, Erie County lists shore sites from Bird Island Pier in Buffalo through the Tonawanda parks to Grand Island. Below the falls, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation maps shore access from Whirlpool State Park down to Fort Niagara on Lake Ontario, while Niagara Parks runs public boat launches on the Ontario shore.

This entry walks the river from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario, names the public sites those lists publish, gives the species each list attaches to them, and repeats the cautions printed on the maps. It does not rate spots or report recent catches. Water levels, access and rules change, and the official pages linked here are where you confirm them before a trip.

How do anglers divide the Niagara River?

The falls split the river into two fisheries. The upper river runs from Lake Erie past Buffalo, divides around Grand Island and rejoins above the rapids that lead to the brink. The lower river begins in the gorge below the falls, passes the Whirlpool, leaves the cliffs at Lewiston and Queenston, then runs between lower banks past Youngstown and Niagara-on-the-Lake into Lake Ontario.

The same line matters for the paperwork. On the Ontario bank, water above the falls sits in Fisheries Management Zone 19 and water below the falls sits in Zone 20, each with its own seasons and limits, set out in the guide to Ontario Zone 19 and Zone 20 rules. The river is also an international boundary, so the bank you stand on decides which licence you carry. A New York license does not cover the Ontario portion of the river, and an Ontario licence does not cover New York water either.

Where can you fish the upper river from the New York shore?

Erie County keeps a public list of shore fishing sites for Erie and Niagara counties, with the species expected at each one. On the upper Niagara the list starts on the Buffalo waterfront. Bird Island Pier, the long walkway that begins near Broderick Park, carries eleven species: largemouth and smallmouth bass, white bass, muskellunge, yellow perch, northern pike, sheepshead, smelt, suckers, steelhead and walleye. Broderick Park itself, listed under Ferry Street, names smallmouth bass, white bass, yellow perch, sheepshead, smelt, lake trout, steelhead and walleye. Local reporting has described past closures of the pier after ice and wind damage, so confirm the walkway is open before you plan a session on it.

Downstream, the list moves through the Ontario Street boat launch on the Riverwalk and Towpath Park, both with largemouth, rock and smallmouth bass, muskellunge, yellow perch and steelhead. Aqua Lane Park, Isle View Park on the Riverwalk and Niawanda Park in Tonawanda share a line of largemouth, rock and smallmouth bass, muskellunge and sheepshead. Gratwick Riverside Park in North Tonawanda and the river site listed as Fisherman's Park both name largemouth, rock and smallmouth bass with sheepshead, and Fisherman's Park adds bluegill and pumpkinseed. Further down the list, LaSalle Waterfront Park and Griffon Park lean toward bass, panfish and carp.

Grand Island adds three entries. East River Marina, on the river, lists largemouth and rock bass, bluegill and pumpkinseed, carp, yellow perch and northern pike. The other two are still water inside state parks: the pond at Beaver Island State Park and Woods Creek in Buckhorn Island State Park, both listed for largemouth bass, panfish, bullhead, carp and northern pike.

Which launches serve the Ontario bank above the falls?

On the Canadian shore, the Niagara Parkway follows the river from Fort Erie to Niagara-on-the-Lake and is maintained by the Niagara Parks Commission. A Niagara Parks notice from May 2020 named four public boat launches on the upper river, at Ussher's Creek, Netherby Road, Anger Avenue and Nichol's Marine, plus a launch at the Niagara Parks Marina at Miller's Creek. That water belongs to Ontario's Zone 19, where the zone page publishes a separate muskellunge exception for the stretch from the Peace Bridge to Niagara Falls. Read that exception before you target muskellunge from an Ontario boat or bank.

Can you fish the Whirlpool and the gorge below the falls?

Yes, but this is the hardest water on the river to reach. The state's fishing access map for the lower river begins at Whirlpool State Park on the New York side, then follows a footpath along the gorge past Devil's Hole State Park and the New York Power Authority platform to Artpark. Erie County gives Whirlpool and Devil's Hole the same species line: smallmouth bass, chinook and coho salmon, brown trout, lake trout and steelhead.

The map prints its warning in a box of its own. Anglers are told to be extremely cautious at Whirlpool, Devil's Hole and Artpark State Parks, because slippery rocks, changing water levels and strong currents make these areas hazardous. At Whirlpool and Devil's Hole, reaching the water means a long descent into the gorge and the same climb back out, with everything you carried down.

On the Ontario side, Niagara Parks described the Whirlpool Trail in July 2020 as a popular fishing spot overlooking the Niagara Whirlpool, in a notice announcing its temporary closure for flooding and high water. It is the one trail in the Niagara Glen rated Difficult, and the trail grades are explained in the notes on Niagara Glen trail grades and family safety. The same notice warned that the swift current is dangerous and that getting too close to the water may result in drowning, a warning that applies to anglers as much as to hikers.

What does the NYPA fishing platform offer?

The New York Power Authority runs a public fishing pier at the base of the Robert Moses Niagara Power Plant in Lewiston, shown on the state map as an accessible fishing platform with parking and a fish cleaning station. NYPA describes its seasonal fishing facilities as admission free and open daily, weather permitting. It closes them in sub-freezing temperatures or icy conditions, and the accessible elevator at the dam site runs only while temperatures stay above freezing. The authority announces its opening date each spring, and its status line is (716) 286-6662.

Erie County gives the platform twelve species: rock, smallmouth and white bass, carp, channel catfish, muskellunge, white perch, chinook and coho salmon, brown trout, lake trout and steelhead. NYPA also opens fishing piers at the Lewiston Reservoir and at its water intakes on the upper river, which are separate sites from the gorge platform.

Where are the shore sites and drifts from Lewiston to Lake Ontario?

Downstream of the Lewiston-Queenston Bridge the gorge opens out. Artpark, formally Earl W. Brydges Artpark State Park, has parking near the water, and Erie County lists rock and smallmouth bass, chinook and coho salmon, smelt, brown trout, lake trout and steelhead there. The state map places a boaters' notice just upstream of Artpark: rough water conditions and navigational hazards lie upriver of that point.

In the village, Lewiston Landing Waterfront Park has a boat launch, parking and a fish cleaning station, and its county line runs from rock and smallmouth bass, panfish and yellow perch to chinook and coho salmon, smelt, lake trout, steelhead and walleye. North of the village, Joseph Davis State Park has an accessible fishing site with parking and a cleaning station. In Youngstown, the map marks Water Street Village Park, with a boat launch, and Constitution Park as municipal parks with fishing access. Fort Niagara State Park, at the mouth, has parking, a launch and a cleaning station.

Boat anglers on this stretch work named drifts. The state map marks the Artpark Drift, the Perch Beds, the Upper and Lower Stella Drifts, Peggy's Eddy, the Johnson Drift and the Coast Guard Drift near the river mouth. Across the river, Niagara Parks runs a public launch at the Queenston Docks, where it installed a new docking system in April 2024, designed to move with the level of the river. The sources gathered for this entry publish no list of Ontario shore fishing sites between Queenston and Niagara-on-the-Lake, so check Niagara Parks property rules and Ontario's Fish ON-Line map for the bank you plan to use. That whole reach lies in Zone 20.

Which sites suit which fish?

The table brings together the New York sites above with the access notes from the state map and the species named on the county list. A species on the list tells you what anglers can expect at that site over a year, not what is in season on a given day.

What should you check before you pick a spot?

Four checks cover most surprises. First, the bank: on the New York shore you fish under New York rules, which start with the New York license checklist, and on the Ontario shore you need an Ontario licence and the zone table for your side of the falls. Second, the site itself: the NYPA platform closes for the cold months, and a pier or trail can close for repairs, as the Whirlpool Trail did in 2020. Third, the water: the gorge map lists changing water levels among its hazards, so a rock that was dry when you arrived may not stay dry. Fourth, the season: match each fish to its open season and limits before you keep it.

Questions anglers ask about Niagara River access

Can you fish the Ontario side of the Niagara River with a New York license?

No. A New York fishing license does not entitle its holder to fish the Ontario portion of the river. On the Ontario bank you need an Ontario licence and the Zone 19 or Zone 20 rules for your side of the falls.

Where is the first shore access below the falls on the New York side?

Whirlpool State Park is the most upstream site on the state's lower river access map. Reaching the water means a steep descent into the gorge, and the map warns of slippery rocks, changing water levels and strong currents.

Is the NYPA fishing platform open in winter?

No. The New York Power Authority runs its fishing facilities as seasonal sites that open in spring and close in sub-freezing temperatures or icy conditions. Its status line, (716) 286-6662, gives the current situation.

Where these site lists come from

Erie County, New York, publishes its shore fishing sites list for Erie and Niagara counties, with the species expected at each site. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation publishes the Lower Niagara River fishing access maps, three sheets from Niagara Falls to Lake Ontario showing shore sites, launches, cleaning stations and popular drifts. The New York Power Authority announces the season of its fishing piers, and the Niagara Parks Commission publishes notices on its launches and trails on the Ontario shore.