[FrankFerry]

I am taking my girlfriend to the western finger lakes this weekend (near Canandaigua and Penn Yan) and would love to get her into freshwater fishing. We mostly fish saltwater, but I have memories as a child of amazing freshwater bass, pike, and trout action in the lakes of northern Italy. From what I have heard, the larger finger lakes tend to have a lot of boat traffic and are dotted by homes, making shore fishing difficult and not particularly scenic. If anyone has any tips on a pretty hike to a lake/pond away from all the hustle and bustle, or maybe even just a section of Keuka Lake that's more secluded, it would make this boy and his gal happy campers!!

 

[Mad Dog]

Frank: just got back from Keuka. Nicest Finger Lake to me. If you can spring for it, Capt Dick Roller of The Keuka Bigfoot out of Hammondsport is a bargain for Lake Trout..real gent. Smallies and Trout can be caught off the boat launch at State Park. Talk to Cubsy at Bait shop behind Finger Lakes Premier Properties I'm Penn Yan. Don't forget to hut Seneca Farms for homemade Ice cream. Good luck. Mad Dog

 

[Mad Dog]

Also, for a rugged (pretty cheap) rowboat w 5hp. Go see Jed at Keuka Rentals. (Not water sports) He's on East side of road just south of Hammondsport. If u wanna email me, I'll dig up his #. Mad dog. Email is:
[email protected]

 

[droche]

non-fishing related tip:

if you fancy some good beer, check out Keuka Brewing at the Southern end of the lake. those guys rock.

 

[FrankFerry]

Thanks for the feedback, guys. It looks like Capt Dick Roller is booked up this weekend, plus I was also hoping to do a type of fishing that's more active than trolling. Probably a great idea to check out the local bait shop in Penn Yan to get some more ideas. Also, thank you for the tip on the ice cream - my girlfriend will LOVE that! Will definitely follow up regarding the rowboat as that may be a fun way to fish some different areas around docks and the like.

Will keep everyone posted on how it goes!

Any thoughts on how to target gar and pike? I would think the weedy areas around Penn Yan should hold them, but curious if you guys have any experience with these species on Keuka. Thanks again.

 

[OnceBitten]

To be honest, both Keuka and Canandauguia lakes would be extremely hard to fish from shore. Both are wall to wall with houses along the shore.

If you want scenic, drive the 30 or 40 minutes west to Canadice or Hemlock Lakes. Both are pristine lakes without a single house on them. You can walk the shoreline for miles and miles if you like. Just you two, miles of water, the eagles and the fish.

 

[FrankFerry]

Based on Mad Dog's feedback, if we do Keuka, I think we would plan to rent a small boat to at least be able to hit the docks, points, and drop-offs from the water side. However, that being said, I would definitely enjoy the experience of a more secluded pristine lake like Canadice. Is shore fishing on Canadice a viable option, or should we rent a kayak or canoe to be more effective? Also, between Keuka and Canadice, would you expect us to catch more on Canadice given it probably gets a lot less fishing pressure? Thanks for the advice.

 

[OnceBitten]

If you have your heart set on Keuka, by all means rent a boat. It's a big body of water obviously so the bigger the boat the better...

Neither Canadice nor Hemlock get any pressure to speak of since there are restictions on the lakes. Only boats under 16' and motors under 10 horse are allowed. A kayak or canoe would be a perfect way to fish those lakes. I highly suggest it.

 

[Cutbait]

Anyone cosidering fishing Canadice or Hemlock from the shore will need to be careful if they venture anywhere near the woods there. The poison ivy is quite bad.

 

[Cutbait]

Forgot to mention, there is a kayak/canoe rental near the south end of Canadice lake. There are signs on Canadice Lake road directing you to the location. John Kenny runs the rental from his house just past the launch on the South end of Canadice. He's a nice guy and rates are reasonable and he drops the kayaks right at the site for you.

 

[FrankFerry]

Thanks for all the feedback. We ended up renting a 2-person canoe from John at Canadice Lake Outfitters. We started off the morning fishing topwater baits, texas rigged worms/creature baits, and spinnerbaits near the shallow (3-8 feet) areas on the SouthEast side of the lake, from the canoe launch point South. We felt a couple nibbles on the worms, but otherwise nothing. After 2-3 hours we decided to work a grub tipped jig, a deep diving crankbait, and heavy spoons parallel to the shoreline, but 20-30 yards farther out. Not a single bite with these tactics. There were a few other people fishing off of kayaks and it seemed that no one was having much luck, but could also just be that we don't know the lake well enough.

That being said, it was beautiful day spent on a pristine lake - so we really can't complain! I would definitely go back but perhaps when the water is a little cooler, as I fear a lot of the fish were holding deeper given the heat. Would love some input from someone who is more familiar with the area on where we went wrong.

 

[OnceBitten]

You won't get much help regarding Canadice. Because it's horse power restricted, very few people venture down to fish it. Considering we have all the other Finger Lakes to fish along with several rivers and Lake Ontario, Canadice and Hemlock see very little action except the guys who like to troll for lakers. I've never fished Canadice and haven't fished Hemlock Lake in 16 - 18 years and they're both 45 minutes from me. The growth rates for bass are outstanding in both lakes according to the DEC, but where to find the fish, good question.

 

[Cutbait]

Great that you got a chance to try Canadice. Fishing has been tough there lately. Your best chances at this time of year are at daybreak and just before dark. I think it was probably dead calm, which doesn't help most times since the water there is very clear. You also were hitting it after quite a bit of commotion and pressure. At this point of the year the bass there have been pressured near shore and quite a few have been taken out as many catch and keep there.
What you felt was probably bluegills nipping at your lure. When the bass are not hitting, I sometimes break out the ultralight and fish for the bluegill. That's a lot of fun and is a good fight on the ultralight.
Canadice and Hemlock are beautiful little lakes. I live five minutes from Irondequoit Bay but would rather drive 45 minutes to these lakes any day of the week.