Anglers Have Several Options for Quality Spring Fishing in Cayuga County

By George Fiorille

It was a long, cold, snowy winter around the northeast this year. If you were not one of the fishermen who did get out on the ice, you are probably biting at the bit to do some spring fishing. Fortunately for anglers who live or visit Cayuga County, our area has a tremendous amount of spring fishing opportunities. There’s several for those who choose cold water fisheries, and warm water ones as well.

Cold Water Opportunities

Most Finger Lake streams open up to fishing on April 1 for rainbow and other trout. In recent years, the DEC has opened some streams earlier. Anglers would be wise to check the 2025 NY State Fresh Water Fishing Regulations Guide for the waters they are fishing. Our lakes are open year round for trout.

Rainbow trout spawn in the early spring. Biologists tell us that the peak spawning temperature for stream water is around 42-degrees. Anglers who fish spring rainbow trout in Cayuga County streams do well using real and imitation egg sacks, flies, worms, and salted minnows. Cayuga County streams hold resident brown trout that can be caught as well. Try using some of the baits mentioned for rainbows. They will also hit hair jigs casted upstream and worked downstream. Green hairs jigs look like spring crawfish and are a favorite of browns.

If you prefer to lake fish, Cayuga County Lakes such as Ontario, Cayuga, Owasco, and Skaneateles offer good trout fishing for multi species. Try trolling along shorelines with stickbaits for browns. Trolling or vertically jigging in deeper waters work well for lake trout. Smaller spoons stacked higher up also catch rainbow trout and landlock salmon.

If you can find a shoreline area to fish off shore, try casting stick baits, spoons, and white hair jigs for trout. If you’re looking for a place to fish, check out the parks in Cayuga County for public access. Peak times seem to be at sunrise, sunset, and overcast days.

Warm Water Fish

If you prefer to fish for warm water fish, Cayuga County sports a tremendous amount of quality warm water fisheries. Cayuga Lake the past two years has produced two NY state bass records. It produced an 8-pound, 6-ounce smallmouth bass (Now broken at 9-pounds), and last year an angler caught the NY State largemouth bass at 12-pounds, 4-ounces. Lake Ontario, Cayuga Lake, Owasco Lake, Skaneateles Lake, and Cross Lake harbor some world class bass fishing for both species.

Early spring fishing for bass can be excellent with hard baits such as stickbaits, squarebill crankbaits, spinnerbaits, and bladed jigs. Try soft plastic baits such as soft stickbaits, grubs, curly tailed and Ned jigs, along with plastic worms and craws. Fish back bay areas that heat up quicker and make the fish more active.

Lakes such as Ontario (Fair Haven Bay), Cayuga, Owasco, and Cross lake produce northern pike. Try using the bass lures mentioned along with live minnows fished under bobbers.

There’s good walleye fishing on Cayuga County lakes as well. The season for walleye and northern pike both open on May 1. Try fishing for walleye under low light situations such as sunrise, sunset, and at night.

Panfish, Non-Gamefish

Fishing for yellow perch in Cayuga County in spring can be phenomenal. They spawn in 40-degree plus water. Try finding emerging weed beds and using small minnows such as fat heads. Also try small hair jigs and plastic grubs.

Cayuga County has excellent fishing if you’re the type of angler that just likes to just cast out his or her bait, sit down in a comfortable chair, and enjoy your beverage of choice. Most waters harbor good numbers of bullhead, and suckers. While these fish don’t taste good in warm summer waters, the cold spring temps make their flesh firm and tasty. Try using baits like night crawlers, live grubs, leeches, and even crawfish in warming creeks.

If you’re an angler dying to get out and do some quality fishing this spring, Cayuga County waters are the place to try. It doesn’t matter if you’re a coldwater angler looking for trout, a warm water angler looking for bass, pike, or walleye, a live bait fisherman looking to catch bullheads, or suckers, Cayuga County lakes, and streams are where you want to fish.

For more information on places to fish and charters, please click here.

Fish On!

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