Keuka Lake
P e n n Ya n ,
close to shore in spring and can be taken from the walls in either Hammondsport or the Keuka Lake State Park. Also try trolling just below the surface. By September, it’s back to the shallows at the mouths of larger streams looking for bait fish. Then during winter, you can take them from the Hammondsport wall. Northern Pike are in weed beds near Branchpor t, Penn Yan and Hammondsport. Early spring is time for Bullhead in the Keuka Inlet, Guyanoga Creek, the marshes in Penn Yan and Kendall Power Plant. Smallmouth Bass average 12 to 14 inches in length and weigh from 3 to 5 lbs. They spawn in mid-June and are most available from opening day, the third Saturday in June, to mid-July. Keuka Lake is the third largest of the Finger Lakes. Its ‘Y’ shape provides nearly 60 miles of shoreline, although the lake is just 22 miles in length. Steep sided shoreline makes superior habitat for Smallmouth and Largemouth Bass and Perch. Its depth also provides a dynamic habitat for the Trout and Salmon species. Weekend anglers get their serious fishing in before 11am and after 4pm, leaving the midday clear for recreational boaters. The Keuka Lake Trout population is suppl i e d t o t a l l y th ro u g h n a t u r a l reproduction. Lakers average 3.5 pounds with 14 pound catches possible each year. Start fishing the shallows of tributaries of Keuka Lake on April 1st at Cold Brook, Sugar Creek and the Keuka Lake Outlet. As the season progresses, Lake Trout move to deeper water just off Bluff Point remaining there through the summer. TIP: A summer hotspot for Lake Trout is the triangle area between Bluff and Marlena Points and Harbor Lights Marina. Use downriggers or sawbellies off the bottom to the thermocline at 40 to 70 feet down. Night fishing for Lake Trout is popular off Bluff Point with Sutton spoons, bait and artificial lures working equally well. During spawning in mid to late November, Lake Trout can be found off nearly all major points in 30 to 40 feet of water. Over the
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winter months, the Trout will follow the available baitfish heading toward the southern end. Brown Trout on Keuka Lake average 3 lbs. with record catches up to 23 lbs. Essentially, Browns are known as a spring and fall fishery here. In spring and early summer, troll close to the shoreline with any of a variety of lures. Work the warmer outflow of tributaries, such as the Keuka Inlet and Kendall Point, with jigs, spoons and sawbellies and you’ll pick up a Landlocked Salmon as well. Come fall, shore fish from the wall in Hammondsport. Rainbow Trout average just under 3 pounds with record catches of 21 pounds. Rainbows are found in the same haunts as Browns. In early April, fish the warm outflow of feeder creeks and the mouths of the Keuka Inlet, Guyanoga Creek and the Kendall Power Plant. During September, fish close to shore off points in the south end, especially the Keuka Inlet. During winter, if you can get a boat out, the fishing is described as a bonanza for all Salmonids at the southern end. Landlocked Salmon follow similar patterns to other Salmonids. In early spring they’re caught at the mouths of streams, particularly the Keuka Inlet and Kendall Point, flowing into the lake. Landlocks are
Start by casting in shallow water off rock rubble near Willow Grove, Keuka College, Bluff Point, Eggleston and Marilena Points. In the south arm, try Urbana and Willow Points first. Summer Smallmouth fishing is best after sundown. They go into shallows to eat crayfish and you can catch them near the dropoffs found in the Hammondsport area and Bluff Point. During the winter, start fishing the ledges near dropoffs, rubble slopes off shoreline and points. Close to the bottom around Bluff Point works well throughout the winter. If ice occurs Smallmouth can be caught (along with Perch) through the ice at the north end, especially on the Penn Yan side. Yellow Perch are present during early spring until mid-April in shallow waters where they spawn and Keuka has many good grounds. For shallow flats adjacent to deep water of 45 to 50 degrees start in the Penn Yan branch south of Keuka College, Camp Iroquois, or Willow Grove. In summer, you have your best chance fishing in 40 to 50 feet of water off Bluff Point and between Elms and Willow Points. In winter, fish the same locations as Smallmouth Bass using minnows through the ice or from the boat. Pike and Pickerel are limited to