what are some good tip that works out for you guys if u have ever fished in the canal? i live right behind the canal so its easy access to me.

I'm close to the canal in Buffalo and almost always catch at least 1 small mouth on a chartuse tube jug. During heavy boat traffic I use live bait on a texas rig. The waves of the boat do most of the work, but I do recommend keeping a finger on the line to help distinguish a wave from a fish. The large mouth around here are generally only accesible by boat. Hope this helps!

I live just a couple of minutes from Locks 32 and 33 and used to fish them extensively, right at the spillway overflow. During the 90s the fishing was great for bass, walleye and pike and I used to go multiple times per day. Almost all my fishing was done with crankbaits with the rest using grubs on jigheads.

Those locks were very good to me for eight straight years. Then the fishing dropped off considerably in 2000 and never got back to anything decent. I just don't go anymore for the last few years. Why the fishing tailed off for no apparent reason is one of the great mysteries in my 40+ years of fishing.

The canal sucks simply put unless your in Tondawanda by the mouth I used to do the derby as a kid and had great luck now like Marty said its really dropped off. I fish the canal once or twice a year usually for cats with chicken liver with mediocre success. I have caught bass but never anything of size and there to hard to come by for me even when in a boat. I fish the canal though between Lockport down to the Brockport area there's some quarry/spillways near Holly that are loaded with some nice bass though if you can get there when kids arnt jumping in or partying down there.

The canal sucks simply put unless your in Tondawanda by the mouth I used to do the derby as a kid and had great luck now like Marty said its really dropped off. I fish the canal once or twice a year usually for cats with chicken liver with mediocre success. I have caught bass but never anything of size and there to hard to come by for me even when in a boat. I fish the canal though between Lockport down to the Brockport area there's some quarry/spillways near Holly that are loaded with some nice bass though if you can get there when kids arnt jumping in or partying down there.

I am by the mouth in Tonawanda, actually. I have caught smallies further down though. Only from a boat in the river.

i fish the canal, though not in your area. i fish it in Jamesville, just out of Syracuse. The bass fishing there is top notch. I'm not kidding. great, great fishing. You can pretty much cruise the banks and sight fish for them, usually with a texas rigged worm or a spinnerbait. they average about two pounds, but i come upon 5 and 6 pounders consistently. of course, they're much more difficult to catch

Pickerel are in there too, just an overall great fishery for me, not owning a boat!