A new regulation to limit the growth of the walleye population in Skaneateles Lake will begin on April 1, 2022. No daily possession limit, 12-inch minimum size limit, open year-round.
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 PFR Brochure (PDF)
DECinfo Locator for PFR and parking areas (Decinfo Locator is best viewed on a desktop computer).
Fishing Map User Guide ("How to" instructions for using the fishing map on Decinfo Locator.)
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 a fishing hotline is available at Central New York Fishing Hotline or by calling (607) 753- 1551.
Regulations:
Finger Lakes and Tributary Fishing Regulations Apply.
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. For fishing regulations refer to the Finger Lakes and Tributary regulations in the fishing guide. 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 the Region 7 office at (607) 753-3095 ext. 213 or by email.
Fish Survey Report (2012)
Abstract
During early August 2012, the regional fisheries unit surveyed the coldwater fish community of Skaneateles Lake using standard Finger Lakes gang gill nets 21 standard netting sites around the lake. Comparable surveys were carried out in 1977, 1980, 1983, 1989, and 2008. The main objectives of this survey were to determine the densities of lake trout and cisco (lake herring) and to obtain information on species composition and forage base.
A total of 130 fish were collected including 86 lake trout, 25 white suckers, 12 yellow perch, three smallmouth bass, three rainbow trout and one Atlantic salmon. Lake trout have not been stocked in Skaneateles Lake for many years therefore all the lake trout collected were considered wild. A sample of fifteen lake trout and ten yellow perch collected were sent to the Hale Creek Field Station for routine contaminant analysis. The 4.1 lake trout/net average in 2012 was slightly lower than the long term average of 5.0 per net but within the range observed (3.5, 3.7, 4.4, 6.8 and 6.4, for the respective years above).
Overall, the lake trout catch in the Skaneateles Lake standard gang surveys has been indicative of a stable, light to medium density population maintained entirely by natural reproduction. The 2012 survey was the first standard gang survey where ciscoes were not collected. The average number of ciscoes caught per net in past surveys was 3.7, 4.0, 5.2, 7.2 and 0.4, respectively. The results of the standard gang surveys show that at some time after the 1989 survey, the cisco population experienced a precipitous decline. The reason for this decline is unknown but could be related to the Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia virus (VHSv) outbreak that killed thousands of Skaneateles Lake smallmouth bass and rock bass in 2007.
