Otisco Lake is the most easterly of the eleven Finger Lakes and is eighth in size. It lies wholly within Onondaga county near the city of Syracuse. Otisco Lake is unique, as far as Finger Lakes go, as it's divided into two distinct basins by a causeway at the south end. The southern smaller basin is shallow and extremely turbid which contrasts sharply with the relatively clear water of the main lake.
Physical Features:
Elevation: 787 feet
Area: 1,877 acres
Shoreline Length: 15 miles
Length: 5.4 miles
Maximum Width: 0.75 miles
Maximum Depth: 76 feet
Mean Depth: 34 feet (north of causeway) and 6 feet (south of causeway)
County and Town: Onondaga County, Towns of Marcellus and Spafford
Aquatic Plant Life:
The largest concentration of weed growth is in the north end of the lake. To a lesser extent, weeds can be found at the south end just north of the causeway and in Turtle Bay. A thin line of weeds also runs parallel to the shore along much of the east side of the lake and parts of the west side. Very few weeds grow in the turbid water south of the causeway.
Access:
NOTE: Church Hill Road is permanently closed between Stanton Road and West Valley Road. Access West Valley Road from Sawmill Road via Moon Hill Road/Masters Road or Otisco Valley Road.
West Valley Road-1490 West Valley Road, Spafford. Concrete ramp. Parking for 13 cars and trailers.
Causeway - West Valley Rd. Shore access at causeway for fishing or hand launching watercraft.
Fishing access sites are for the launching and retrieving of watercraft, and shore fishing only. All other activities, including swimming, camping, and fire building, are strictly prohibited. See Part 59.1 Regulations for more information.
Private boat launch access is also available at two locations at the southeast end of the lake.
For more information on these launches including Google Maps driving directions, visit the Boat Launch Sites for Onondaga County page.
Fish Species:
Largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, tiger musky, brown trout, bluegill, pumpkinseed, rock bass, black crappie, white crappie, yellow perch, white perch, channel catfish, brown bullhead, yellow bullhead, common carp, white sucker, golden shiner, and alewives.
Fishing:
The north end is noted for good panfishing, bass fishing, and tiger musky fishing. During routine fishery surveys on the lake, largemouth bass over 20 inches are frequently collected.
Walleye fishing is good during the spring, early summer, and fall. Casting from shore, or from the causeway, after dark with stickbaits often works well for walleye in the fall. Brown trout can be caught in the spring by trolling.
Tiger musky provide a unique trophy and Otisco Lake may well be one of the best waters in the state for this fish. Tigers are most often caught in the weedbeds at the north and south ends. The north end freezes over during most winters and offers good ice fishing destination for bluegills and pumpkinseeds.
For current fishing information visit the Central New York Fishing Hotline webpage or call (607) 753-1551.
Regulations:
Finger Lakes and Tributary Fishing Regulations Apply. Just a reminder that there is a new special regulation on Sunfish in Otisco Lake, that starts on April 1 2022. Daily possession limit is 15 fish; 8-inch minimum size limit.
Fisheries Management:
If you catch a tiger musky that has been tagged, the tag should be located near the dorsal fin and be gray in color, please do not remove the tag if releasing the fish. Write down the tag number, length of fish, and location of the catch and either send an email to [email protected] or call 607-753-3095 ext. 213 to report your catch.
DEC stocks Otisco Lake annually with 11,000 tiger musky and biannually with 44,000 walleye. When surplus walleye are available, they are stocked on the off years. Since the biannual policy started in 2014 the lake has received walleye stockings in 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020. Additionally, approximately 2,500 brown trout are stocked each year by the Onondaga County Carpenter's Brook Fish Hatchery.
An ongoing angler diary cooperator program for gamefish provides DEC fisheries staff with useful data on population trends. We are always looking for new cooperators, so if you are interested please contact DEC's Region 7 Fisheries office at (607) 753-3095 ext. 213 or by email at [email protected].
2014 Otisco Lake Fish Community Report
Otisco Lake is a 1,877-acre eutrophic lake lying wholly within Onondaga County, near the city of Syracuse. It is the most easterly of the eleven Finger Lakes and is eighth in size. A Fish Community Survey was conducted on Otisco Lake during the summer and fall of 2014. Multiple sampling gears consisting of fyke nets, standard inland gill-nets, bag seine and boat electrofishing were used during the survey. The purpose of the survey was to develop an overall picture of the fish community, to monitor the stocking program for tiger musky, walleye, and brown trout. The survey was part of the rotational sampling for the Finger Lakes.
Overall, 2,335 fish were caught, representing 23 identified species. Yellow bullhead was the only new species to be collected in 2014. Bluegill was the most numerous species with 667 caught, totaling 29% of catch. The next most numerous species was white perch (total number caught (n)= 335, 14% of catch), followed by smallmouth bass (n=161, 8% of catch) and yellow perch (n=145, 6% of catch). Besides smallmouth bass, the other popular gamefish catch was comprised of largemouth bass (n=92, 4% of catch), walleye, (n=71, 3% of catch), tiger musky, (n=12, 1% of catch) and brown trout (n=1, 0.04% of catch).
Walleye gill net and electrofishing catch per unit effort (CPUE) was 5.9/net night and 4.8/hour. These CPUEs suggest that Otisco Lake has a moderate to abundant walleye population. Walleye showed good growth rates, reaching the legal size of 18-inches between age-3 and age-4. Age-7 walleye were the most frequently collected. This 2007 year class of fish is believed to be from natural production, as no walleye were stocked by DEC in 2007. The 12 tiger musky caught ranged in length from 7.5 to 35.3 inches, with a mean length of 22.1 inches. Tiger musky tend to be difficult to collect with the gears used, so are most likely underrepresented in this survey.
Only one brown trout was caught during the survey, a 16.1 in fish which was caught during the August gill netting. The late-August water chemistry survey indicated there was only a very narrow band of water where temperatures were less than 65 degrees Fahrenheit and dissolved oxygen (DO) levels were at or above 4 parts per million, considered the maximum temperature and minimum DO for brown trout survival; 2014 was most likely another difficult year for brown trout survival on the lake.
Though bluegill was the most abundant species sampled, there is some concern that only 7 of the 667 collected were of the "preferred" length of 8 inches. Angler harvest is the most likely cause for the lack of larger fish as growth rates were average, indicating that "stunting" is not an issue. This pattern was also seen with other panfish species such as pumpkinseed and yellow perch.
To view the full report please email [email protected]
