Oneida Lake (Madison, Onondaga, Oswego, And Oneida)

Oneida Lake, located ten miles north of Syracuse in Oneida and Oswego Counties, is the largest lake lying wholly within New York State. Oneida Lake is a relatively shallow natural lake with an average depth of 22 feet. It is named for the Oneida Nation, one of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Nations. The Oneida people call the lake "Tsioqui" or "white water", a reference to the wave action on the lake on windy days.

Physical Features:

Elevation: 370 feet 

Area: 50,894 acres 
Shoreline Length: 77.2 miles 
Length: 21 miles 

Maximum Width: 5.5 miles 
Maximum Depth: 55 feet 
Mean Depth: 22.3 feet 
County and Town: Madison, Oswego, Oneida and Onondaga Counties, Towns of Cicero, Constantia, Lenox, Sullivan, West Monroe and Vienna

Aquatic Plant Life:

Since zebra mussels entered the lake in the early 1990's water clarity has improved considerably. This has resulted in increased aquatic vegetation growth. Oneida Lake has very good weed growth, especially along the shoreline and in the larger bays. Vegetation is most abundant in 5 to 15 feet of water; however with the greater water clarity some vegetation may be found as deep as 20 feet.

Accessible Features

From the Cleveland Dock Parking Area, off Route 49 in the Village of Cleveland, wheelchair accessible features include the:

• Fishing/viewing platform; and
• Picnic area

From the Cove Road Parking Area outside of Sylvan Beach, wheelchair accessible features include the:

• Trailered boat launch with dock;
• Hand boat launch with dock and kayak slide;
• Fishing/viewing platform; and
• Portable toilet (seasonal)

From the Drive 8 Parking Area, off Route 49, wheelchair accessible features include the:

• Trailered boat launch with dock; and
• Portable toilet (seasonal)

From the Interstate 81 Parking Area at the Swamp Road Crossing, wheelchair accessible features include the:

• Fishing/viewing platforms

There are two fishing areas about 600 feet from the parking area.

From the Bush Road Parking Area, wheelchair accessible features include the:

• Trailered boat launch with dock; and
• Portable toilet (seasonal)

From the Toad Harbor Parking area, off Shaw Road, wheelchair accessible features include the:

• Fishing/viewing platform

Visit the DEC Accessible Recreation Destinations web page for additional accessible recreation opportunities.

Fish Species:

Walleye, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, chain pickerel, northern pike, bluegill, pumpkinseed sunfish, rock bass, black crappie, yellow perch, freshwater drum, common carp, bowfin, burbot, longnose gar, lake sturgeon, gizzard shad, and round goby.

Fishing:

Oneida Lake is best known for its walleye and yellow perch fishery. In the spring walleye can be found in shallow water adjacent to spawning areas and tributaries. During the summer months' walleye are usually found in deeper water. As the water cools in the fall, walleye move back into the shallows. Fishing from shore after dark this time of year with stickbaits and blade baits can be fantastic. Walleye can also be caught through the ice around shoals, drop offs and deep water flats. Ice fishing for yellow perch is very popular on Oneida Lake and normally takes place around deepwater flats in 30-40 feet of water.

Oneida Lake is a fantastic bass fishing location, and numerous bass fishing tournaments are held each year on the lake. Oneida Lake has become a popular tournament stop for professional bass fishing organizations such as BASSMASTER and FLW. Smallmouth bass can be caught around the many shoals while largemouth bass are found in the larger bays and anywhere there is good vegetation growth. Panfish can be found throughout the lake. Big Bay is a popular ice fishing location for panfish and one of the first areas on the lake to ice up.

Young of the year yellow perch and gizzard shad, along with round goby are the main forage fish found in the lake.

Attention: Lake sturgeon can be found in the lake and its tributaries; however, lake sturgeon are on New York's threatened species list and cannot be fished for or possessed.

For current fishing information visit the Central New York Fishing Hotline or call 607-753-1551.

Regulations:

Statewide Fishing Regulations Apply.

Some tributaries to Oneida Lake have seasonal closures from March 16 through April 30. They can be found on the Special Fishing Regulations pages under Region 6 and Region 7.

Fisheries Management:

Oneida Lake is the main location for walleye egg collection in New York State. The DEC Oneida Fish Hatchery in Constantia collects over 300 million walleye eggs every year from Oneida Lake. The resulting walleye fry and fingerlings are stocked throughout New York State. Oneida Lake is stocked annually with around 150 million walleye fry. Lake sturgeon have been periodically stocked into Oneida Lake since 1995. Along with the DEC, both Cornell University and SUNY Environmental Science and Forestry School (ESF) do numerous research projects on the lake each year and have been monitoring the lake since the early 1900's.

State of Oneida Lake Fisheries

Researchers at the Cornell Biological Field Station at Oneida Lake conduct an annual assessment of the fish community and fishery in Oneida Lake. Funded by a Federal Aid in Sportfish Restoration grant, this monitoring project is the longest running warmwater fishery assessment in New York State. This information is used by DEC to aid in making management decisions to protect and enhance the Oneida Lake fishery.

The following PDF provides findings of the most recent sampling efforts:

Oneida Lake Fisheries and Limnology Survey Report 2023 (PDF)

Walleye Telemetry Study, 2023-2027

In 2023, the Cornell Biological Field Station in conjunction with DEC initiated a 4-year telemetry study focusing on the movements and habitat use of adult walleyes in Oneida Lake.

Objectives of the study are to:

1. identify walleye spawning sites that we are currently unaware of, 
2. describe seasonal movement patterns,
3. describe habitat use throughout the year; and
4. determine post-spawning distributions of walleyes processed at the Oneida Hatchery for the annual egg take. 

This study uses an array of 64 acoustic receivers spaced throughout the lake and select tributaries to track 200 adult walleyes surgically implanted with acoustic transmitters. One hundred walleyes were captured and implanted with transmitters in the fall of 2023 and an additional 100 were caught and implanted with transmitters during hatchery egg take operations in the spring of 2024. 

Transmitters implanted in each fish’s abdomen send out a unique signal every four minutes and receivers in the vicinity record the occurrence. The transmitters have a 3-year battery life so these walleyes will be tracked year-round over that period unless they leave the system, die naturally, or are harvested. Data from receivers will be downloaded annually, with the first download happening this July. This study is part of the GLATOS (Great Lakes Acoustic Telemetry Observation System) network, which gives us access to state-of-the-art analysis tools and expertise as well as inform us on fish tagged in Oneida Lake that may leave the system and enter the Great Lakes. 

This new information on movements and habitat use of the Oneida Lake walleye population will help DEC better manage this important and valuable resource.