Skaneateles Lake

This lake is unique among Finger Lakes. It has the highest water quality of any of the Finger Lakes. The sheer beauty of this lake and its shoreline – lined with forests and cliffs up to 100’ high makes fishing here an unforgettable experience.

There is no alewife or smelt forage base here, thus fish are typically hungrier and often move shallower than in other Finger Lakes.

The fishing in this lake is remarkably consistent from year to year and this lake offers the best opportunity to consistently catch landlocked salmon, rainbow trout and lake trout on the fly-rod as well as by conventional techniques. The rainbow trout fishing here is undisputedly the best in the Finger Lakes. All species of fish present in this lake have wild populations.

The yellow perch and smallmouth bass fishing is excellent here. This lake has a tremendous population of smallmouth bass, including some large fish.   The lake fishes really well from ice-out through early June and then again in the fall from late October through December.  Smallmouth bass fishing holds up all summer long.   Other species found here include largemouth bass, brown trout (rare) and chain pickerel.   This lake has some very nice sized pickerel and largemouths.

My success rate during these time periods on the lake is virtually 100%! It’s an awesome fishery and incredibly underrated lake and my #1 pick for a beginning lake fly-fisherman or for someone who just wants to consistently catch some nice trout or bass.