Seneca Shoal
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
Depth12-30 ft
BottomRocky ridge of about 400 acres (NY DOS); rock and sand/gravel (GLAHF)
CurrentNo
River plumeNo
Well-known spotNo
Position42.789, -78.929 (approximate center)
Lighted buoy on the north-west edge (Coast Pilot); NY DOS significant coastal fish and wildlife habitat, believed a major smallmouth spawning area
Run from each launch
| Launch | Run | Open water | Crossing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Harbor State Park boat launch (New York) | 5.4 mi | 3.2 mi | No |
| Erie Basin Marina boat launch (New York) | 6.6 mi | 5.1 mi | No |
| Sturgeon Point Marina (New York) | 9.0 mi | 6.7 mi | No |
| Sunset Bay State Marine Park (New York) | 18.5 mi | 5.2 mi | No |
| Dunkirk Harbor boat launch (New York) | 29.3 mi | 21.8 mi | Yes |
| Barcelona Harbor boat launch (New York) | 45.8 mi | 31.7 mi | Yes |
| Presque Isle State Park, Niagara Boat Launch (Pennsylvania) | 75.7 mi | 71.8 mi | Yes |
| Presque Isle State Park, Lagoon Launch (Pennsylvania) | 73.5 mi | 71.7 mi | Yes |
| Presque Isle State Park, West Pier Launch (Pennsylvania) | 74.7 mi | 72.7 mi | Yes |
| Lampe Marina public launch ramps (Pennsylvania) | 73.3 mi | 69.5 mi | Yes |
| East Avenue Boat Launch (Port Erie) (Pennsylvania) | 73.0 mi | 65.5 mi | Yes |
| Shades Beach Park boat launch (Krupinski Launch Facility), Harborcreek (Pennsylvania) | 66.9 mi | 61.8 mi | Yes |
| North East Marina public launch (Pennsylvania) | 57.4 mi | 54.4 mi | Yes |
| Walnut Creek access (PFBC) (Pennsylvania) | 83.0 mi | 72.4 mi | Yes |
| Sugarloaf Marina public boat ramp, Port Colborne (Ontario) crosses the U.S.-Canada boundary | 17.7 mi | 10.9 mi | Yes |
| Esplanade Park boat ramp, Port Maitland (Ontario) crosses the U.S.-Canada boundary | 33.0 mi | 27.1 mi | Yes |
| Port Dover Harbour Marina boat ramps (Ontario) crosses the U.S.-Canada boundary | 64.9 mi | 53.2 mi | Yes |
| Port Rowan Harbour Marina public ramp (Ontario) crosses the U.S.-Canada boundary | 78.1 mi | 76.1 mi | Yes |
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 2018Neil 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 2018Preview, 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 2008Mike 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 2007Preview, 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
- NY Department of State, Significant Coastal Fish and Wildlife Habitat: Seneca Shoals (rating form, 1987) Rocky underwater ridge of about 400 acres about three miles west of Hamburg; 12-30 ft over the shoals, up to 50 ft around; believed to be a major spawning area for smallmouth bass, walleye, yellow perch and rock bass; one of the most popular fishing areas in New York Lake Erie waterSource
- NOAA U.S. Coast Pilot 6, chapter 6 (Lake Erie), edition of 27 Sep 2026, paragraphs 196-197 Seneca Shoal, about 4.4 mi south-west of Stony Point, least depth 12 ft, marked on its north-west edge by a lighted buoy; the only shoal far offshore on the south shoreSource
- New York Sea Grant: Angling for Smallmouth Bass in Lake Erie (M. Malchoff, 1984, NYEXT-H-84-001; public domain) Eight New York sites near the launches: Seneca Shoal (12 ft, water to 30 ft around it, bedrock common; state sampling found abundant 1-4 lb bass in the deeper water toward Athol Springs), Sturgeon Point east (bedrock) and west (reefs 1.5 and 3 mi south-west of the breakwall, 12-30 ft), Cattaraugus Creek, Dunkirk Harbor (the power plant discharge draws forage and bass; bedrock at Battery Point), reef-type structures about 1 mi north-east of Van Buren Point and peaks and valleys in 20-45 ft west of it, and Barcelona east and west (rock bottom). Bass move to shoals of 10-45 ft in early summer and are most concentrated there from late July through SeptemberSource