Cayuga County waters sport loads of yellow perch that can be quite easily through the ice
❄️ Wintertime is Ice Fishing Season in Cayuga County
By Gerorge Fiorille
This past early and mid-fall were one of the warmest, driest, and nicest periods of weather around the Northeast. Late fall has seen some of the earliest, coldest, and snowiest periods of winter.
The early cold weather is setting the stage for a long prime interval of ice fishing. Due to mild winters the past decade due to global warming, ice fishermen and women have gotten very little ice fishing time. This winter looks like a big change for opportunities to ice fish. When ice fishing, many anglers prefer to bring food and drink to enjoy the day. Be sure to dress properly in layers to keep warm to enjoy your outing. Walking out on the ice is not the place to wear just tennis shoes. Wear insulated waterproof boots to keep your feet warm and dry. Cayuga County boosts several prime waters to ice fish.
Lakes such as bays off Lake Ontario, Cayuga Lake, Owasco Lake, Skaneateles Lake, Cross Lake, Otter Lake, and Lake Como harbor good numbers of both gamefish and panfish to catch through the ice.
Before heading out…
Before you go out ice fishing on any Cayuga County waters, first and foremost make sure the ice is safe before venturing out. To go out safely on the ice, you need a minimum of 4-inches of solid ice. You need 5-7 inches of solid ice to go out on the ice with a snowmobile or a small ATV. A minimum of 8-12 inches is needed to drive a car or small truck on.
If you have an idea of driving a medium full-sized truck out on the ice, make sure it’s in the 13-15 inches depth. It’s also a great idea to bring along a set of ice picks known as “Picks of Life.” These are short dowels with pointed nails sticking out connected together with a rope. They are made to wear around your neck and if you do fall through the ice, you use the picks to help pull yourself back onto the ice.
Tips for Ice Fishing…
🎣When you are ice fishing, there are two methods that are the most popular for catching fish. One is to fish with live bait on tip-ups or with live bait fished with a rod held in your hands.
🎣Try using larger minnows in the 3”-6” range for fish such as walleyes, northern pike, and trout. Use small minnows like fat heads for perch and other panfish.
🎣If you hook your minnow through the lips, your bait will tend to swim down. Hooking your minnow on top just behind the dorsal fin will cause the minnow to swim up.
🎣If you are fishing for northern pike who have sharp teeth, active fish can cause a bite off if you don’t use a steel leader.
🎣You will get more strikes though by not using a steel leader and going with one made with fluorocarbon line.
This trophy 27-pound northern pike was caught through the ice on Cayuga Lake
🎣 If angling with artificial lures is your preferred way to fish, gamefish, and panfish can be caught with the vertical style of fishing. For panfish such as perch, crappie, and sun fish, use very small jigging spoons, dots, and small soft plastics. When pursuing larger game fish, use those lures mentioned in larger, heavier sizes.
❄️Early signs this winter period show that it could be an old fashioned hard, cold, spell with lots of snow and ice. Try ice fishing on Cayuga County waters. Bring some food and drink with you, dress properly, and try the techniques mentioned above. Ice fishing will be a sure bet to cure your cabin fever.
Fish On!
Explore other fishing blogs written By Gerorge Fiorille
Try Fishing in Cayuga County Parks this Winter
Northern Pike Fishing in Cayuga County Excels in Winter
For more ideas on winter activities in Cayuga County NY, click here.