I will be staying near Presque Isle the weekend of April 20 for my son to play soccer.  I am trying to convince my other 15 year old son to come with us so he can fish.  Anyone have any recommendations for shore fishing at that time? I'm thinking it is early for smallmouth.  We will be pretty close to Niagara pier but he will probably have his bike with him so he should be mobile.

A good thing to do is go back a year or two on this site and see where and when people did good fishing. If it were me I would try the creeks first depending on conditions.

The peninsula itself would seem to meet your needs.  Fish in the lagoons, Misery Bay or the North pier, stocked trout in the East and West Basin ponds and bicycle paths everywhere.

Thanks rippinlip.  There are so many options up there that I wasn't even sure where to have him start.  And I have never fished it so I am zero help.

Thanks Irish. I'm hoping the weather cooperates.  He is a fair weather fisherman at this point. But good to know that there are lots of bike paths.  I knew there was one that went pretty much the whole length of the peninsula but didn't know anything other than that.

rippinlip
A good thing to do is go back a year or two on this site and see where and when people did good fishing. If it were me I would try the creeks first depending on conditions.

I’m not sure when the pike bite is in the bay, but one of the Erie guys was talking about it before. Sounded pretty awesome. Might be more of a March thing.

I did a few soccer trips to that area myself. Tried fishing, but time was more spent going to games and team dinners, etc. Got out one time in May when the smallmouth bite was going on. Very limited on shore access for them. I’m sure the locals know a few spots.

I do think steelhead are still in the creeks around then too. Depending on weather to that point. If “spring” sticks around, they could leave well before then. A bunch of robins in my neighborhood today. I feel bad for them if winter comes back with a vengeance.

The west branch of Cascade creek is stocked and is really close to where we are staying.  Well within walking distance. It might be the best option.  Luckily my playing son only has one game saturday and sunday, both at 330.  So I might get a little fishing in.

burghwolfe
The west branch of Cascade creek is stocked and is really close to where we are staying.  Well within walking distance. It might be the best option.  Luckily my playing son only has one game saturday and sunday, both at 330.  So I might get a little fishing in.

Have you ever fished Cascade Crick before?  It's tiny and has a very small stocking area.  I've only fished it in the fall a few times with my boys to save ourselves a skunking on steelhead when other cricks are blown out.  I would imagine the stocked trout in the spring get hit pretty hard there, and if there's not a stocking within a day or two of when you'll be there, there probably won't be much left.  But not positive on that.  
 
If you want to fish for trout, it'd probably be more worthwhile to head to Elk.  Probably won't be a lot of steelhead left, but you'd have a chance to get into a few.  Smallmouth should also be pretty abundant in lower Elk from the mouth up to Rt. 5 by then as well, although probably not quite at their peak numbers.  If you drift some minnows you'd have a good chance to get into all three in the same holes.  
 
I like fishing on Presque Isle, but my sons don't care for it so I never did it much when we've been up there.  There's a lot of water to fish around the Perry Monument - both on the Misery Bay side and the main bay side.  At that time of year, on the Misery Bay side of the monument, you should be able to find smallmouth, perch, and pike.  Some largemouth too.  I've never fished the city side, but if you have a Facebook account look up Presque Isle Bay Anglers and you'll get an idea of what's going on there and all over the bay in general.  
 
There are lots of places between the monument and Marina Lake to pull off and fish.  The flat there is one of the primary smallmouth spawning areas in Erie.  If they're in, that flat will be full of boats but you'll have room to cast from shore.   

Thanks Snagr. I have never fished at all up there but Cascade did look pretty small from the Google street view that I was able to see.  My son wouldn't care what he caught but I would like to get him into a few fish. And thanks for the Facebook group idea. I hadn't even considered that there might be a group for up there.

Sent you a PM burgh