Finger Lakes Angler Diary Cooperative Program
Welcome to the Finger Lakes Angler Diary Program. This volunteer program involves anglers who record their Finger Lakes fishing trip and catch information in diaries provided by DEC. Data from this program provides DEC biologists with invaluable information that helps guide fisheries management efforts on the Finger Lakes.
The Finger Lakes span nine New York State counties and two DEC management regions. The lakes from east to west are: Otisco, Owasco, Skaneateles, Cayuga (DEC Region 7), Seneca, Keuka, Canandaigua, Honeoye, Canadice, Hemlock, and Conesus (DEC Region 8).
The angler diary program originally started in 1963 on Cayuga and Skaneateles Lakes and later expanded to include all 11 of the Finger Lakes. This program has been long running thanks to the dedicated efforts of volunteer angler cooperators.
Data Collection
Angler diary cooperators are asked to record trip information in diary booklets provided by DEC. Each fishing trip should include data on the: water fished, a start time and end time, number of anglers, type of fishing, target species, species caught, length, whether each landed fish was kept or released, and any marks or fin clips identified on Coldwater species (If there are no marks or fin clips, anglers should record "NO MARKS."). Every trip should be recorded even if no fish are caught.
Anglers are encouraged to clearly fill out all information as indicated on the example page in the diary booklet. If any information is missing or incomplete, it cannot be used as reliable data and the trip information will be excluded from analysis.
At the end of the year, cooperators are provided with a postage-paid envelope to send their diary to DEC. After information from the diary is collected, they will be returned to the cooperating angler along with a summary of the annual data and a new diary for the next season.
Data Use
Data collected from the diaries is compiled into a secure database. The information collected helps guide fisheries management decisions on each body of water in the Finger Lakes. The data is used to determine growth rates, stocked fish recruitment, angler effort, angler success rates, percentage of wild or stocked fish, and harvest rates.
2023 Angler Diary Reports
Region 7
Cayuga Lake (PDF)
Otisco Lake (PDF)
Owasco Lake (PDF)
Skaneateles Lake (PDF)
Region 8
Canadice and Hemlock Lakes (PDF)
Canandaigua Lake (PDF)
Conesus Lake (PDF)
Keuka Lake (PDF)
Seneca Lake (PDF)
Sign up to be a Finger Lakes Angler Cooperator!
To sign up or to learn more about the diary program contact either the Region 7 Fisheries office at (607) 753-3095 ext.213, [email protected] or the Region 8 Fisheries Office at (585) 226-5343, [email protected]. Please provide your name, address, and the lake(s) for which you will be recording your fishing trips.
Thank you for your interest and your help!
Additional Angler Diary Cooperator Opportunities
Consider participating in other Angler Diary Cooperator Programs within different waters across the state:
