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Opportunities for fly fishing in the FInger Lakes region
of New York State do not end with the closing of most
tributaries on December 31 each year. As lake temperatures
cool, you can depend on many salmonoids remaining inshore,
offering the adventurous fly fisher a worthy challange.
Also, keep in mind that select areas offer opportunities
to take decent-sized northern pike on the fly from shore.
Warmwater discharges attract baitfish which in turn
attracts hungry predators. Cayuga AES, formerly known
as Milliken Station, is a coal fired plant on Cayuga
Lake, just north of the town of Lansing, New York.
It offers decent winter fishing for landlocked salmon
and brown trout, as well as excellent fishing for northern
pike. Salmonoid fishing has dropped off somewhat in
recent years as high-powered strobe lights appear to
be doing their job repelling baitfish from intake pipes.
However, the warm water still attracts good numbers
of fish, and the crownds of past seasons are no longer
a factor. You should try your favorite baitfish patterns
that imitate smelt of alewwives around the discharge
and the point just south of it.
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Hungry northern pike move into the warm bay as spawning
time draws near. Fish run from three to 10 pounds--with
good chances for larger ones. This area is shallow, typically
less than eight feet deep, thus floating, intermediate
and type II sinking lines will suffice. Clouser Minnows
tied with inverted rabbit-strip wings as well as Barr's
Pike fly work well. Bright colors like chartreuse are
always a hot color. Be sure to use a heavy monofilament
shock leader or nylon coated wire. Have pliers handy
and be aware that some pike will tend to take flies deep.
Places to try for salmon and brown trout on Cayuga
Lake include the entire southwest shoreline, as steep
drop-offs close to shore provide places for fish to
ambush bait. The boat launch at Taughannock State Park
is bubbled to keep it ice free, thus offering access
to the lake all winter long. Places shore bound anglers
should check out include Dean's Cove and Taughannock
State Park on the west shore, Cayuga AES, Myers point
and Esty point on the east shore.
Lake trout are another fish available to the winter
fly fisher. Seneca Lake is a great area for these.
Many lakers seem to remaiin in relatively shallow water
during the winter. A laker can turn up just about anywhere
in Seneca, but major points and warmwater discharges
are among the best places to begin your search. The
decreasing population of smelt and alewife populations
on Seneca Lake in conjunction with increased natural
reproduction have resulted in hungry, opportunistic
fish. These ravenous trout will consume just about
any species they find including pike, bass, trout and
panfish. Fly tying patterns can be all over the place.
Shore access on Seneca Lake is much better than on
Cayuga. Areas to fish include Geneva at Sampson State
Park, Severne point, and at Watkins glen. Boat launches
are also scattered around the lake. Flies to carry
are baitfish patterns as well as dark-colored Woolly
Buggers. White, Grey, chartreuse and black in sizes
2 and 4 work well. Floating lines will work for fishing
shallow points, but carrying some sinking lines with
you is a very smart choice. Six- to 8-weight rods work
well for this type of fishing. Choice your rod wisely
taking into consideration wind and fly size.
If you are serious about fishing these areas with
a fly rod in late January of February you would be
smart to invest in detailed maps of the lakes which
are available at local sport shops. They are well worth
the money providing much more information. Seneca and
Cayuga lakes almost never freeze over. Both are deep,
massive bodies of water and must be respected. Wind
can whip up these lakes quickly. Dress warmely, fish
hard and approch this fishing with the same intensity
as you would any stream fishing. You may end up counting
down the days until the "off-season" each
year.
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