#1 daughter will be attending Cornell this fall and parents always find a way to visit their kid's college. With the Finger Lakes Area at Ithaca's door step, I know there has to be some decent trouting to be had. Before I wade that virtual vade mecum referred to as the net, anyone familiar with the area?
I would have hoped Missoula, but she had her eye's set on something back East. I guess she will come full circle since NY is the state in which she was born.
Cane
Ithaca, NY fishing prospects.
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hoofangler
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Re: Ithaca, NY fishing prospects.
#2A million years ago, when my wife went to Cornell, I fished the area using the "pull over and try it" method. I was seldom disappointed. The inlet to Cayuga lake has some beautiful rainbow runs and the smaller streams hold plenty. As a handy reference check out 'public fishing rights maps central ny'. You'll be in Tompkins county. I'm sure others can be more specific but, there's a start! Good Fishing and check out the Indian restaurant in the 'college town' section of Ithaca, if it's still there.
Mike
Mike
Re: Ithaca, NY fishing prospects.
#3head south on route 13 to Cayuta Creek, lots of public access.
look here for maps - region 8 for Schuyler county, region 7 for Thompkins.
http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/9924.html
Also, there were some ponds in the Finger Lakes national forest that had Brookies
look here for maps - region 8 for Schuyler county, region 7 for Thompkins.
http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/9924.html
Also, there were some ponds in the Finger Lakes national forest that had Brookies
"It is better to tie one good fly in an hour than a dozen that would only be taken by a trout with a sense of humor"
Uncle Bill
Uncle Bill
Re: Ithaca, NY fishing prospects.
#4I'm a Cornell 75 grad (fished with Mike Valla back in the day) and my youngest graduated 2 years ago so I have been up there a lot.
The big attraction for fishing are the Finger Lakes and the closest are Cayuga, Seneca, and a stretch is Skaneateles. This is mostly laker fishing, but Nov through May when the fish are shallow there is fly fishing for landlocked salmon and pike, and in Skaneateles a mixed bag of rainbows, LLS, lakers, perch, and smallies. Skinny is an oligotrophic lake with no major baitfish, so all the fish are shallow and fly friendly when the temps are good. Lake fishing is best from a boat and I can recommend John Gaulke as a fly/light tackle friendly guide. I know it is not fly fishing, but laker jigging is a blast - and I have had great days with antique tackle and a Seth Green rig with Sutton spoons if you want to go with cane. Check out John's website for lots of info about what the Finger Lakes offer. Not much for the shore angler, but when North or South winds generate currents and a chop you may tangle with a salmonid off Taughannock Pt. or by the AES Power Station. The more miserable the weather the better the fishing and the lakes never freeze so this is an all winter option. Look for seams and foam lines and chuck an alewife pattern.
The Finger Lakes tribs runs can be good, but they are smaller tribs that generally need a push of water for the best fishing so can be hit or miss. Three years ago I caught an 8 lbs landlocked in Fall Creek (right in the heart of Ithaca)on a beautiful October day; this spring the warm weather sent the rainbows back to the lakes before Opening Day. When the fish are in life is good, but skunking is an option. In October the LLS come in with Fall Creek and Cayuga Inlet the main tribs. Salmon Ck can be good too. In Nov more browns start to come in and early jack rainbows come in and out too. In the spring it is the rainbows around April 1, but the spawning suckers will draw some trout in after rainbow spawning too. Smelt runs used to pull in a lot of fish years ago, but smelt runs are down. Of course this is all dependent on good water conditions. The Fingers, like Lake Ontario, have spawning runs of smallies. Big lake smallies are fun in a little creek in late May/early June. I would add the lower end of usual rainbow tribs along with the big pool in Taughannock Ck.
Some trout fishing, but that's not the big draw. Upper Fall Creek is underutilized by fly guys and Fall Ck through campus is chuck full of small smallies (with a few 14" to 15" fish and some browns to mix it up). Enfield Ck through the gorge in Treman Park has decent brown trout fishing in a spectactular setting. Fish from the upper end and don't miss the pool in the trib behind the mill. Other than that look for streams in Tompkins (where Ithaca is) and Tioga, and Cortland counties. E and W branch of the Owego are OK. Further afield the Cohecton, Otselic, E Branch Tioughnioga, Nine Mile, Geganslet and other Central NYS streams offer decent brown trout fishing off most people's radars.
Good luck to you and your daughter..
The big attraction for fishing are the Finger Lakes and the closest are Cayuga, Seneca, and a stretch is Skaneateles. This is mostly laker fishing, but Nov through May when the fish are shallow there is fly fishing for landlocked salmon and pike, and in Skaneateles a mixed bag of rainbows, LLS, lakers, perch, and smallies. Skinny is an oligotrophic lake with no major baitfish, so all the fish are shallow and fly friendly when the temps are good. Lake fishing is best from a boat and I can recommend John Gaulke as a fly/light tackle friendly guide. I know it is not fly fishing, but laker jigging is a blast - and I have had great days with antique tackle and a Seth Green rig with Sutton spoons if you want to go with cane. Check out John's website for lots of info about what the Finger Lakes offer. Not much for the shore angler, but when North or South winds generate currents and a chop you may tangle with a salmonid off Taughannock Pt. or by the AES Power Station. The more miserable the weather the better the fishing and the lakes never freeze so this is an all winter option. Look for seams and foam lines and chuck an alewife pattern.
The Finger Lakes tribs runs can be good, but they are smaller tribs that generally need a push of water for the best fishing so can be hit or miss. Three years ago I caught an 8 lbs landlocked in Fall Creek (right in the heart of Ithaca)on a beautiful October day; this spring the warm weather sent the rainbows back to the lakes before Opening Day. When the fish are in life is good, but skunking is an option. In October the LLS come in with Fall Creek and Cayuga Inlet the main tribs. Salmon Ck can be good too. In Nov more browns start to come in and early jack rainbows come in and out too. In the spring it is the rainbows around April 1, but the spawning suckers will draw some trout in after rainbow spawning too. Smelt runs used to pull in a lot of fish years ago, but smelt runs are down. Of course this is all dependent on good water conditions. The Fingers, like Lake Ontario, have spawning runs of smallies. Big lake smallies are fun in a little creek in late May/early June. I would add the lower end of usual rainbow tribs along with the big pool in Taughannock Ck.
Some trout fishing, but that's not the big draw. Upper Fall Creek is underutilized by fly guys and Fall Ck through campus is chuck full of small smallies (with a few 14" to 15" fish and some browns to mix it up). Enfield Ck through the gorge in Treman Park has decent brown trout fishing in a spectactular setting. Fish from the upper end and don't miss the pool in the trib behind the mill. Other than that look for streams in Tompkins (where Ithaca is) and Tioga, and Cortland counties. E and W branch of the Owego are OK. Further afield the Cohecton, Otselic, E Branch Tioughnioga, Nine Mile, Geganslet and other Central NYS streams offer decent brown trout fishing off most people's radars.
Good luck to you and your daughter..
Re: Ithaca, NY fishing prospects.
#5Thanks guys - something to file away for this fall. Did a lot of Land Lock fishing in Plattsburgh, NY when I lived there - when the fish are big it can be quite the tail walking brawl.
She's flying back from there today after an early in the year new student mixer. She got quite the suprise - left here Monday with Montana 80 degree weather and hit the last vestage of lake effect winter in NY.
Cane
She's flying back from there today after an early in the year new student mixer. She got quite the suprise - left here Monday with Montana 80 degree weather and hit the last vestage of lake effect winter in NY.
Cane
Re: Ithaca, NY fishing prospects.
#6yeah Monday made me glad I have been slow about getting the Blizzteks of my wife's car
"It is better to tie one good fly in an hour than a dozen that would only be taken by a trout with a sense of humor"
Uncle Bill
Uncle Bill
Re: Ithaca, NY fishing prospects.
#7Montana to Ithaca. Tell her to get ready for sunshine withdrawal. I remember my first year at Cornell when an official 16 days of sunshine was recorded. Fortunately we had a below average snow fall - only about 110". I also remember catching 20" lake run rainbows (little steelies) two blocks from my house just below Ithaca falls in the middle of the city. Is the Royal Palms still there?
david
david
Re: Ithaca, NY fishing prospects.
#8I dimly remember fishing Fall Creek somewhere just outside of Ithaca when I went to Cornell a millenia ago. I could get to it on my bicycle (didn't have a car) so it can't be far from town. I lived at the BOTTOM of E. Seneca street; I must had some legs on me back then. wish i still had 'em.
Gary
Gary
Re: Ithaca, NY fishing prospects.
#9Jeffk's post is pretty thorough. The tribs are the most popular fishing during runs of landlocked salmon and browns in the late Fall, and rainbows in the early Spring. These are not large and there can be lots of people, so the fishing is not pristine. Outside of these runs, if you are looking for small rivers with some trout I would try upper Fall creek, the West Branch of the Tioughnioga (which runs through Cortland) and Cayuta Creek (southwest of Ithaca). If you find that you have a whole day to fish it would be worth driving 1 1/2 hours to Deposit and the West Branch of the Delaware.
Here is a website for stream access maps:
http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/9924.html
best,
Lawrence
Here is a website for stream access maps:
http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/9924.html
best,
Lawrence
Re: Ithaca, NY fishing prospects.
#10I did have an expanded look on Google Earth and saw the nearness of Deposit, Roscoe, and Livingston Manor. All places I'd like to visit with cane in hand. Now just to talk the wife into expanded travel plans.
Cane
Cane
Re: Ithaca, NY fishing prospects.
#11There is also the salmon river NE of Ithaca (goolge directions for Pulaski from Ithaca and you will find it). The salmon river is very crowded during the (landlocked pacific) salmon runs (early Fall), but much less crowded during the steelhead season (late Fall through winter).
This is a handy site for checking river levels and conditions:
http://www.orvis.com/New-York-Fly-Fishing-Reports
Just a note of warning - the local rivers in and around Ithaca are not in the best shape environmentally - lots of silting, some pollution, no protection of their headwaters so major fluctuations from low and baked out in the summer to high and muddy etc. There would be very few fish without major stocking every year. But this is not to say you cannot have an enjoyable day out.
This is a handy site for checking river levels and conditions:
http://www.orvis.com/New-York-Fly-Fishing-Reports
Just a note of warning - the local rivers in and around Ithaca are not in the best shape environmentally - lots of silting, some pollution, no protection of their headwaters so major fluctuations from low and baked out in the summer to high and muddy etc. There would be very few fish without major stocking every year. But this is not to say you cannot have an enjoyable day out.
Re: Ithaca, NY fishing prospects.
#12Used to live in Plattsburgh back in the 90's and made the run to the Salmon and the Sandies for salmon and steelhead. Had my first steelhead on cane while fishing the Sandies. Not into the Pulaski fishing circus. Having a look see around the Catskil waters is more my style.
Cane
Cane
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Grandhogair
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Re: Ithaca, NY fishing prospects.
#13I grew up 45 minutes north of Ithaca on fair Cayuga's waters. The suggested locations in the above posts are all good. But if you have a day to fish, take a drive to the world class fishery that is the West Branch. You won't regret it. And it is twenty minutes or so closer to Ithaca than the Beaverkill or Willowemoc. I'll be leaving NJ this morning to head "home" on some family business, but I'll be fishing the evening rise on the West Branch tonight.
Alan
Alan
Re: Ithaca, NY fishing prospects.
#14I know what you mean about the circus on the Salmon river - it is a test of anyone's patience.
If you do explore the Catskills I would suggest stopping in at Mary Dette's fly shop (it is the front room of her house on Cottage street - which may have now been renamed Dette Way) and also at Frank Kuttner's fly shop (83 Beaverkill Rd, Livingston Manor NY 12758).
If you do explore the Catskills I would suggest stopping in at Mary Dette's fly shop (it is the front room of her house on Cottage street - which may have now been renamed Dette Way) and also at Frank Kuttner's fly shop (83 Beaverkill Rd, Livingston Manor NY 12758).
Re: Ithaca, NY fishing prospects.
#15Very little of Collegetown retains its funky feel of the 1970's - but the Palms is still there and hasn't changed a bit. Johnny's and the University Deli are now unfortunately replaced by upscale tall buildings.