Skaneateles Lake is the fifth largest of the Finger Lakes. It is located in Onondaga, Cortland and Cayuga counties. Skaneateles means "long lake" in the Iroquois language. Skaneateles Lake is one of the cleaner Finger Lakes. Local communities draw their drinking water straight from the lake.
Physical Features:
Elevation: 863 feet
Area: 8,960 acres
Shoreline Length: 34 miles
Length: 16 miles
Maximum Width: 1.5 miles
Maximum Depth: 300 feet
Mean Depth: 145 feet
Thermocline: about 35 feet
County and Town: Onondaga, Cortland and Cayuga Counties, Towns of Niles, Scott, Sempronius, Skaneateles and Spafford
Aquatic Plant Life:
Skaneateles has limited weed growth. The south end has some weed growth and to a lesser extent so does the north end.
Access:
Onondaga County
DEC Launch Site - Two miles south of village of Skaneateles on west shore off route 41 A. Concrete ramp, and parking for 30 cars and trailers.
Skaneateles Park- Village of Skaneateles (Shore)
For more information on this launch including Google Maps driving directions, visit the Boat Launch Sites for Onondaga County page.
Cortland County
Andrew R. Fuller Park - Town of Scott
For more information on this launch including Google Maps driving directions, visit the Boat Launch Sites for Cortland County page.
Grout Brook Public Fishing Rights Brochure (PDF) Grout Brook is a tributary of Skaneateles Lake at the south end. Lake run rainbow trout are the main gamefish, which enter the stream in the early spring to spawn. Parking sites along Grout Brook are shown in the brochure or can be viewed on the DECinfo Locator Map after selecting the “Trout Stream Fishing Access” layer (Please note: Decinfo Locator is best viewed on a desktop computer).
Accessible Features
From the Route 41A Parking Area, wheelchair accessible features include the:
- Trailered boat launch with dock; and
- Portable toilet (seasonal)
Visitors with disabilities may be dropped off at the dock as there is not an accessible route from the parking area.
Visit the DEC Accessible Recreation Destinations web page for additional accessible recreation opportunities.
Fish Species:
Lake trout, rainbow trout, Atlantic salmon (also called landlocked salmon), smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, walleye, chain pickerel, cisco, bluegill, pumpkinseed, yellow perch, rock bass, black crappie, white sucker, and brown bullhead.
Fishing:
Smallmouth bass fishing is good throughout the lake. The south end is noted for good bullhead, panfish and pickerel fishing. Lake trout fishing is excellent, though fish are smaller than in other Finger Lakes. Many rainbow trout and Atlantic salmon are caught by trolling on the surface during spring and fall. There is also excellent fall and winter rainbow trout shore fishing. Marshmallow and worm rigs are popular with local anglers. Ice fishing is good for lake trout and yellow perch.
For current fishing information, check out the Central New York Fishing Hotline.
Regulations:
Finger Lakes and Tributary Fishing Regulations Apply.
To limit the growth of the walleye population in Skaneateles Lake the following regulations are in effect as of April 2022: No daily possession limit, 12-inch minimum size limit, open year-round.
Fisheries Management:
Skaneateles Lake is stocked yearly with 20,000 rainbow trout and 9,000 Atlantic salmon. Natural reproduction accounts for all of the lake trout in the lake.
Fisheries Survey Reports
Finger Lakes Angler Diary Program Summary Report for Skaneateles Lake (2024) (PDF)
Skaneateles Lake Spring Walleye Survey (2023) (PDF)
Skaneateles Lake Finger Lakes Fish Community Standard Netting Survey (2022) (PDF)
