CastScience

Buffalo Harbor outer breakwalls (lake side, Buffalo Harbor Light to the South Entrance)

Ranked plans for Lake Erie (eastern basin) are not available yet: its tournament record has 2 events with a known winning area, too few to test the ranking. The areas are listed without a rank.

WaterNew York
Depth10-30 ft
BottomRubble-mound breakwalls; rock (GLAHF)
CurrentNo
River plumeNo
Well-known spotNo
Position42.862, -78.896 (approximate center)

Lake side of the detached Outer Harbor breakwaters; small craft passing along the breakwaters are cautioned (Coast Pilot)

Run from each launch

LaunchRunOpen waterCrossing
Buffalo Harbor State Park boat launch (New York)1.8 mi0.0 miNo
Erie Basin Marina boat launch (New York)1.3 mi0.0 miNo
Sturgeon Point Marina (New York)14.0 mi12.2 miYes
Sunset Bay State Marine Park (New York)23.7 mi11.6 miYes
Dunkirk Harbor boat launch (New York)34.1 mi31.5 miYes
Barcelona Harbor boat launch (New York) crosses the U.S.-Canada boundary50.5 mi46.6 miYes
Presque Isle State Park, Niagara Boat Launch (Pennsylvania) crosses the U.S.-Canada boundary80.0 mi75.9 miYes
Presque Isle State Park, Lagoon Launch (Pennsylvania) crosses the U.S.-Canada boundary77.9 mi76.0 miYes
Presque Isle State Park, West Pier Launch (Pennsylvania) crosses the U.S.-Canada boundary79.0 mi77.0 miYes
Lampe Marina public launch ramps (Pennsylvania) crosses the U.S.-Canada boundary77.7 mi75.7 miYes
East Avenue Boat Launch (Port Erie) (Pennsylvania) crosses the U.S.-Canada boundary77.5 mi71.5 miYes
Shades Beach Park boat launch (Krupinski Launch Facility), Harborcreek (Pennsylvania) crosses the U.S.-Canada boundary71.4 mi65.9 miYes
North East Marina public launch (Pennsylvania) crosses the U.S.-Canada boundary61.9 mi58.8 miYes
Walnut Creek access (PFBC) (Pennsylvania) crosses the U.S.-Canada boundary87.4 mi76.2 miYes
Sugarloaf Marina public boat ramp, Port Colborne (Ontario) crosses the U.S.-Canada boundary18.4 mi3.3 miYes
Esplanade Park boat ramp, Port Maitland (Ontario) crosses the U.S.-Canada boundary34.4 mi7.0 miYes
Port Dover Harbour Marina boat ramps (Ontario) crosses the U.S.-Canada boundary66.7 mi37.6 miYes
Port Rowan Harbour Marina public ramp (Ontario) crosses the U.S.-Canada boundary80.6 mi76.5 miYes

Run: the distance along the water route. A crossing (the open lake, the border or a long stretch of open water) needs over-water wind under your crossing wind limit (default 15 mph), waves on the route within your wave limit and no small craft advisory.

Evidence
  • Costa FLW Series Northern Division 2018 Thu, Jul 26 2018
    Neil Farlow: Six areas from Point Abino (Ontario) to Myers Reef (N.Y.) and back toward Buffalo; four produced the big fish, 20-40 ft; Drop shot (Reaction Innovations Flirt Worm).
    Source
  • Lake Erie set for Costa FLW Series Northern Division event (Johnston preview) Wed, Jul 18 2018
    Preview, not a catch report. Chris Johnston expected about half the field on each side of the border, with the most boats from Buffalo out to the Myers Reef area and across; bigger fish at 20-45 ft; tubes dragged on drifts, then drop shots.
    Source
  • Closing in on a win (Iaconelli, day-2 leader, 2008 Empire Chase) Wed, Aug 13 2008
    Mike Iaconelli (4th after day 3 with 62-1; day-2 leader with 44-5) drop-shotted all his fish at places within 5 mi of the Buffalo weigh-in site, while the leaders ran 45-70 mi. Areas listed are those within about 5 mi of the Small Boat Harbor; no spot named.
    Source
  • Lake Erie/Niagara River (Bassmaster preview of the 2007 Empire Chase) Tue, Apr 17 2007
    Preview, not a catch report. Names Eighteen Mile Creek, Seneca Shoal and the rocks along Buffalo Harbor as known smallmouth spots, and Waverly Shoal farther out as a series of current-washed rocky humps. Tubes the most used bait, then jigs, spinnerbaits and jerkbaits. Eighteen Mile Creek mapped to EE-NY04 (Hamburg shore) and Waverly Shoal to EE-ON01 (Ontario water) as assumptions.
    Source
  • NOAA U.S. Coast Pilot 6, chapter 6 (Lake Erie), edition of 27 Sep 2026, paragraph 150
    Numerous unmarked detached shoal spots under 30 ft in the east end of Lake Erie, in the approaches to Buffalo Harbor and the Niagara River; Waverly Shoal, least depth 10 ft, 1.9 mi west-southwest of Buffalo Harbor Light
    Source

All areas of Lake Erie (eastern basin)