New York's 2006 Fishing Calendar

As the new year begins, the question for New York's anglers is how to make the most of their fishing vacation planning. Pre-planning enables time-strapped fishermen to make the most of the available opportunities.

New York anglers have a dizzying array of fishing holes to choose from in every corner of the state. Our dilemma is deciding which water and what species of fish deserve our attention on a given day.

To maximize your 2006 rod-and-reel potential, draw up a calendar and list upon it any excursions you plan (or hope for) in the coming months. Perhaps our dream itinerary, outlined below, will help you in determining your own fishing plans for 2006.

JANUARY

Northern Pike

Perch Lake

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Closed for decades, Perch Lake in Jefferson County was re-opened to the public in 1994 for ice-fishing only. A stampede of anglers hauled in hundreds of nice northern pike that first winter. The traffic has slowed considerably since, but prospects for 3- to 8-pound pike are still excellent.

Perch Lake is usually fishable by early January. It is northwest of Watertown off Perch Lake Road.

Bluegills

Lake George

Though it is justly famous for its lake trout, landlocked salmon and bass, dedicated ice-anglers mine Lake George for its plentiful panfish each winter.

Lake Trout

Lake Champlain

The deep bay at Westport is one of many places on Lake Champlain where lakers averaging 3 to 6 pounds can be caught through the ice.

FEBRUARY

Yellow Perch

Seneca Lake

The deepest of the Finger Lakes at 618 feet, Seneca Lake never freezes over. As a result, ice-fishermen don't get a crack at its perch, but anglers who fish it from shore or, better yet, an outboard-powered boat, can catch limits of genuine jumbos all winter long. Foot-long jacks are common, and egg-laden 16-inch hens that top the 2-pound mark are reeled in every year. Cranefly larvae, sold locally as "oak leaf grubs," are deadly on Seneca perch.

Good winter shore-fishing spots include the marina boat slips at Watkins Glen and Sampson State Park, on the south and east shores, respectively, while boaters do especially well off Dresden on the west side of the lake.

Walleyes

Oneida Lake

If the previous summer is any indication, ice-fishing for walleyes should be better than usual this winter because the open-water action was consistently good throughout the 2005 season. Look for schools of 18- to 21-inch walleyes on deep-water flats off Cleveland on the north shore and out from Chapman Park on the south side.

Lake Trout

Upper Chateaugay Lake

One of the best-kept local secrets in the Adirondacks is the togue fishery in Upper Chateaugay Lake in western Clinton County. The lakers are small but plentiful and limit catches through the ice are common.

MARCH

Northern Pike

Tupper Lake

Possibly the best pike hole in northern New York, Tupper Lake is full of 22- to 30-inch northerns, but much bigger specimens are available, too. State fisheries biologists have measured 40-inchers during their periodic netting surveys.

Among the best (and most convenient) spots to tie into a whopper is the water around the state boat launch on Route 30, which divides the main body of the lake from its east arm, shown on the map as Simon Pond.

Steelhead

Genesee River

Although it doesn't get the press coverage accorded the famous Salmon River, the Genesee in downtown Rochester grows steelhead every bit as big. If you go, be sure to don some type of cleated wading sandals to safely negotiate the swift holes.

Trout

Connetquot River

Spring comes early on Long Island, and dedicated trout anglers in the New York metro area take advantage by booking half-day, for-fee fishing sessions on the namesake stream in Connetquot River State Park.

APRIL

Rainbows

Catharine Creek

Many fishing families in the Finger Lakes region would not think of opening the trout season anywhere but Catharine Creek, which flows into the south end of Seneca Lake at Watkins Glen. On April Fool's Day, the creek will be populated by hundreds or even thousands of 2- to 8-pound rainbow trout, and those fish must run a shoulder-to-shoulder gauntlet of anglers to get to their spawning beds.

If the circus atmosphere is not for you, try getting away from the hordes by poking around tributaries of the main stream, and take your trip a week or two later in the season, when there are fewer anglers but still plenty of trout in the creek's deep pools.

Brown Trout

Schoharie Creek

Overlooked by most of the anglers who make quasi-religious pilgrimages to other Catskill streams, Schoharie Creek in Greene County is heavily stocked and has impressive mayfly hatches, starting with Quill Gordons and Hendricksons in late April.

Bullheads

Statewide

After a few April showers, bullheads make their annual spawning runs into shallow bays and creek mouths throughout the state. All you need to gather a bullhead dinner is a can of worms or leeches and a working rod and reel.

MAY

Striped Bass

Hudson River

Seven hundred fifty thousand? A cool million? Nobody knows for sure how many stripers leave the salt to spawn in the Hudson each spring, but biologists believe recent runs have set records. Forty-pounders are caught annually, both from shore and by boating anglers.

A few of the better spots along the river include Newburgh Bay, the mouth of Esopus Creek in Saugerties and, later in May, the water below the Troy Dam.

Walleyes

Black River Bay

During the most recent pro walleye tour stop in the northeast corner of Lake Ontario, the winning stringer of fish averaged 8 pounds. Such specimens are run-of-the-mill in Black River Bay, where a major spawning-feeding run occurs each spring.

Bluegills

West River

On their way down Route 245 to fish for Naples Creek rainbows, unknowing anglers bypass the bluegill-rich boat channel leading to the West River in the Hi Tor Wildlife Management Area.

JUNE

Smallmouths

Lake Erie

As far as Lake Erie's ear

ly bass season is concerned, I've been there, done that, and am looking forward to a repeat as soon as possible. Where else but on Lake Erie between the first Saturday in May and the opening of the statewide bass season in mid-June can one confidently hope for a 5-pound bronzeback on any given day? New York's state-record smallmouth, an 8-pound, 4-ounce monster, came from Erie, but with the lake's bass now waxing fat on gobies, that record may not stand much longer.

Muskies

Buffalo Harbor

Some years are better than others, of course, but the opening of the muskie season on the third Saturday in June brings a flurry of trophy action in Buffalo Harbor, which sits near the junction of Lake Erie and the upper Niagara River.

Rainbows

Lake Placid

The last week of June marks the start of the famous Hexagenia mayfly hatch on Lake Placid in Essex County. Rainbow trout, as well as smallmouth bass, gorge on the fluttering bugs and artfully presented imitations.

JULY

Chinooks

Lake Ontario

Spring salmon fishing in Lake Ontario is iffy, depending on wind, weather and what port you launch from, but by Independence Day or shortly after, 20-pound kings begin slamming lures from the Niagara Bar to upper Mexico Bay.

Most years, the July hit parade is focused in deep water as much as eight or nine miles offshore in the Oswego area, but the scorching summer of 2005 saw intense action in 100-foot depths, close enough to shore for small-boat owners to share in the fun. Any lure seemed to work, as long as it was green.

Trout

West Branch Delaware

When other rivers in the Catskills are low, clear and seasonably warm, the West Branch Delaware River is gushing with cold-water releases from the base of the Cannonsville Reservoir dam. Despite the chilly water temperatures, West Branch browns rise steadily to hatches of sulfur and olive-bodied mayflies.

Wilson Harbor

EXCELLENT		GOOD		FAIR
January	February	March	April	May	June
PIKE	YELLOW PERCH	PIKE	RAINBOWS	STRIPERS	SMALLMOUTHS
Perch Lake	Seneca Lake	Tupper Lake	Catharine Creek	Hudson River	Lake Erie
Tips: Perch Lake is shallow and is hit hard by winter anglers. Use thin wire lenders and fresh, lively baits.	Tips: Boat control is the key to success on windy winter days. Use a dependable trolling motor to reach the hotspots.	Tips: Pike season ends March 15 when egg-laden hens and aggressive males move to shore. Concentrate on shallow, weedy bays.	Tips: Thousands of anglers line the creek on April 1. Visit the creek later when the crowds have thinned out and post-spawn rainbows are biting.	Tips: If the traditional cut herring and bloodworms don't produce, try stickbaits, spoons or plugs.	Tips: Erie bronzebacks spawn later and in deeper water, so don't expect to find them in the shallows. Look for them near structure in 15 to 20 feet of water.
BLUE GILLS	WALLEYES	STEELHEAD	BROWN TROUT	WALLEYES	MUSKIES
Lake George	Oneida Lake	Genesse River	Schoharie Creek	Black River Bay	Buffalo Harbor
LAKE TROUT	LAKE TROUT	BROOK TROUT	BULLHEADS	BLUEGILLS	RAINBOWS
Lake Champlain	Chateaugay Lake	Connetquot River	Statewide	West River	Mirror Lake
July	August	September	October	November	December
CHINOOKS	TIGER MUSKIES	CHINOOKS	BROWN TROUT	MUSKIES	PIKE
Lake Ontario	Otisco Lake	Salmon River	1000 Islands	Watkins Glen Pier
Tips: Great Lakes salmon may be miles offshore in July. Use a seaworthy boat and take motion-sickness pills just in case!	Tips: Most anglers use sucker minnows and bobbers, but try downriggers near deep points with a steel leader and mono shock tippet.	Tips: Get out early or stay late for the best action. Migrating or spawning chinooks are most active at dawn or dusk.	Tips: Shore-fishing prospects are good using noodle rods for distance. Use dime-sized egg sacs or garden worms.	Tips: Muskies can be taken throughout the day. Fish hard all day and don't give up.	Tips: Expected to handle numerous pike during a long day on the water. Use needle-nosed pliers to unhook fish or risk painful cuts from these toothy fish.
BROWN TROUT	GAR	BROWN TROUT	CHINOOKS	STEELHEAD	WALLEYES
Delaware River	Sodus Bay	Ausable River	Oswego River	Chautauqua Creek	Susquehanna River
CARP	LARGEMOUTHS	SMALLMOUTH	LANDLOCKS	SMALLMOUTHS	RAINBOWS
St. Lawrence River	Conesus Lake	Lake Lila	Cayuga Inlet	Seneca River	Skaneateles Lake

Carp

St. Lawrence River

The two-man team that won the World Carp Fishing Championship last June on the St. Lawrence near Waddington caught nearly 1,600 pounds of carp in four days. They didn't make a dent in the resource!

AUGUST

Tiger Muskies

Otisco Lake

Tiger muskies, also known as norlunge, are a hybrid cross between purebred muskellunge and northern pike. They are easier to catch than true muskies but grow nearly as big, and the likeliest place in New York state to connect with a whopper is Otisco Lake.

In the summer heat, a big tiger is inclined to suspend off sloping points adjacent to deep-water weeds and wait for a passing trout or sucker that's barely small enough to cram into its toothy maw. Consequently, a trolled, jointed stick bait that's 7 to 9 inches long is deadly.

Otisco is on Route 174 in Onondaga County, south of the village of Marcellus.

Gar

Sodus Bay

One of the world's most under-rated game fish, longnose gar are vicious biters and prone to leap when hooked. Sodus Bay in Wayne County holds some 40-inchers.

Largemouths

Conesus Lake

Known for its out-sized pike and walleyes, Conesus Lake also happens to have some of the most consistent largemouth bass fishing in the Finger Lakes region.

SEPTEMBER

Chinooks

Salmon River

Every fisherman should sample the king salmon spawning run in the Salmon River once. First-timers either love or hate the raucous scene. Fishermen who can ignore the mob scene and focus on their drift stand a good chance of hooking the trophy of a lifetime.

Although many rookies let a pro guide show them the ropes, finding your way around the Salmon River couldn't be easier. Route 13 runs parallel to it between Pulaski and Altmar, and most of the pools are posted with identifying signs.

Trout

West Branch Ausable

If God took up fly-fishing, he'd be a regular on Essex County's Ausable. Some rivers are more productive, but none on earth are prettier, especially when the autumn leaves are turning.

Smallmouths

Lake Lila

Located in remote Franklin County, Lake Lila teems with 12- to 15-inch smallmouths. To fish it in a boat, you must portage over a 1,600-foot trail, downhill going in, uphill coming back.

OCTOBER

Brown Trout

Wilson Harbor

Like salmon, brown trout stage off river mouths before running upstream to spawn. At Wilson in Niagara County, a pier at the mouth of Eighteenmile Creek provides easy access to browns that frequently weigh between 10 and 20 pounds. Spoons, egg sacs and garden worms all draw strikes at times.

Chinooks

Oswego River

The Oswego has gotten a bit of a bum rap over the years because of the rampant snagging that occurs during its salmon run. In fact, anglers who walk a few steps away from the crowds on the river's west wall can talk a big king into biting a yarn fly or a golf ball-sized egg sac.

Landlocked Salmon

Cayuga Inlet

Numbered in the hundreds rather than the thousands, the sleek Atlantics that run up Cayuga Lake tributaries in October and November are receptive to classic streamer patterns like the Black Ghost.

To maximize your 2006 rod-and-reel potential, draw up a calendar and list upon it any excursions you plan (or hope for) in the coming months.

NOVEMBER

Muskellunge

1,000 Islands

Despite a shocking die-off of dozens of big muskies last spring, St. Lawrence River guides are expecting a banner autumn in the 1,000 Islands region. The fish kill, blamed on a sudden warm-up after weeks of unseasonably cool weather, may have more impact on future seasons than this one, as many of th

e dead muskies were spawning hens.

November is prime time for St. Lawrence River trophies. Last year, many 50-inch-plus specimens were caught and released after leaf-fall. A good share of those fish fell victim to the Berger King, a rig consisting of a large spoon trailing behind an even bigger jointed plug.

Steelhead

Chautauqua Creek

Fishermen in the Westfield area needn't drive hours to the Salmon River for steelhead, for Chautauqua Creek has the highest steelhead catch rate in New York.

Smallmouths

Seneca River

Weeks before the end of the statewide season, smallmouth bass in the Seneca River school up in deep pools where they are suckers for slowly retrieved tube jigs.

DECEMBER

Northern Pike

Watkins Glen Pier

The pier at the south end of Seneca Lake stretches out to the edge of a steep dropoff. Consequently, it holds a smorgasbord of fish that changes constantly through the year. In December, the most dependable visitors are northern pike, most of them 4- to 8-pounders but some much larger. Toss red-and-white spoons or skinny stick baits if you like, but in the dead of winter you'll get a better response from a sucker minnow suspended beneath a slip-bobber.

Walleyes

Susquehanna River

When the Susquehanna River runs full after late-autumn rains, schools of walleyes spread out below the Rock Bottom dam in Binghamton.

Rainbows

Skaneateles Lake

Most of the hardy souls who cast for silvery rainbows from the pier and village park in the village of Skaneateles rely on an odd but effective bait combo to catch their fish: a worm sandwiched between two white cocktail marshmallows.