Yep, your crazy neighborhood New York State fisherman is up to his shenanigans again! LOL! Took a day here on my recent 5-day "vacation" to revisit an old favorite spot off the Niagara River, which is the Black Rock Canal. "Black Rock" refers to the neighborhood in here in Buffalo that the canal is located. It is separated from the Niagara River via a very large breakwall, which starts at the northern tip of Squaw Island, works its way down through Broderick Park and under the Peace Bridge (US/Canadian border), and comes to an end on Bird Island Pier where the Niagara and Lake Erie meet. Fishing this stretch is about as urban as you can get! There has always been good fishing here for the shore angler, but it has also always been difficult due to the large rocks and very swift current. It's a long, long walk with many great spots along the way on both the River side and the Canal side. It is very wise to bring a couple of different setups and a good amount of tackle with you to fish this stretch, as you will most certainly snag up and lose a lot of tackle. As aatter of fact, I lost a couple pf productive crankbaits on this endevour. Smallmouth Bass are most abundant, and you will almost certainly accidentally catch one even of they are not your target species. Other common species here are Rock Bass, Northern Pike, Walleye, Yellow Perch, Sheepshead (Freshwater Drum), Muskellunge, and various panfish. Largemouth Bass are also found here, but mostly on the Canal side.
So, I have fished this stretch for a long, long time. So for me, it is like visiting an old friend. Granted, the surrounding area has gotten a bit more dangerous due to the little punks, but I never worry. I'm very street-smart as it is
. But it's still that little escape to two different worlds simply by standing on the breakwall and choosing which side to fish on. The Canal is on the left, calmer and serene, but with the reminder that you are in the city when you look across the way and see the graffiti, the buildings, and the Thruway. Choose the right side and you have the Niagara River, with a very fast and difficult current, large jagged rocks, and Canada across the way. I love it. So, without further adieu, I invite you to take a little more of a glimpse into my urban fishing world:The Niagara River, with the Peace Bridge in the distance and Canada across the way:
The Black Rock Canal, right on the other side of the wall:
The Peace Bridge, view from the Canal:
This is taken from the Canal side, looking over the wall towards the river:
The lift bridge, taken from Broderick Park on Squaw Island, which separates the waterways:
The River from Broderick Park:
Zoomed-in picture of a marina in Canada. No passport required LOL:
Look at this handsome guy that stopped by the Canal side for a visit!! A Great Grey Heron! Pretty cool! :
And of course, a couple of resident species that were hitting on my swimbaits:
Yellow Perch:
..and two decent little Smallmouth:
And finally, I leave you with a little video of the Upper Niagara River where you can see the heavy current. (I accidentally named the vid "Lower"...just ignore it)
http://youtu.be/TJni0IcYW-s
Well, that'll do it for now. There will be more as you all know I do fish a lot. And I also take great pride in showing you guys what a great and overlooked fishing state I live in and am proud to have such access. I did actually just go to Rushford Lake the other day to fish for Walleye with my brother, but I got completely skunked. Not even a Rock Bass. Oh well. LOL
