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Canandaigua Lake Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Oct 23, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Canandaigua Lake: the fourth-largest Finger Lake, about 10,560 acres, with stocked lake and brown trout and wild rainbows from Naples Creek.

Seasonal closure: Tributaries, up to the first barrier fish cannot pass. Next closed from January 1, 2027 through March 31, 2027. New York prohibits angling in Finger Lakes tributaries from January 1 to March 31, except in the stream sections DEC lists; the lake itself stays open. Source, read October 12, 2026.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Flow
32 cfs
Air / High
57 / 58 F
Wind
NE 6 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 04235000, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
23
October 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

2/5Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Canandaigua Lake is in transition: bait on the move and predators following. The release below the dam is running 32 cfs, falling. Today brings clear skies, wind NE around 6 mph, rising pressure near 1028 hPa and a high of 58. Water sits around 55 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 9:43 AM-11:43 AM and 10:12 PM-12:12 AM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Rainbow troutExcellent

This band overlaps Vermont's 54-66°F stream preference: fish feed across riffles, runs and pocket water, and in lakes WDFW says spring and fall bring them near the surface.

Brown troutExcellent

Close to Vermont's 53-66°F optimum, browns feed more freely; in fall, pre-spawn fish move toward tributaries and gravel, so fish streamers and keep off the redds.

Lake troutGood

Spring and fall bring lakers into 10 to 30 feet of water (Michigan DNR), within reach of casters and shallow trollers; fall is also spawning time over rocky shoals.

Smallmouth bassGood

Spring pre-spawn and fall: Iowa DNR notes the larger bass come up to shallow structure, where a shallow-running minnow bait or a spinnerbait just under the surface works.

Yellow perchGood

Spring and fall: perch hold shallower and, by Michigan DNR's account, feed through the day, so shoreline weed edges, flats and the shallows near spawning areas are worth searching.

Largemouth bassGood

In spring, pre-spawn bass push shallow as the water climbs through the mid-50s; in fall they feed actively until the water cools into the low 50s, then drop back toward deeper structure.

CrappieFair

Pre-spawn fish move toward shallow coves, and Iowa DNR points to wading as an effective way to reach them in spring; minnows or small jigs under a float.

Tomorrow: Warmer at 63 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Oct 24, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Before you go

New York requires a fishing licence from age 16, from $25.00 for residents. What a New York licence costs and where to buy it →

Chasing lake trout here? Check the size and bag limits with DEC before you keep anything. The season dates for New York, read off the agency, are on the New York seasons page.

Water and weather

Live readings from Canandaigua Outlet at Chapin.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 04235000.

33343532 cfs09/2310/0310/1310/23

Today’s flow against 86 years of October 23

At 32 cfs, the flow at USGS gauge 04235000 (Canandaigua Outlet at Chapin) is at the 25th percentile for the date: normal. In half of the 86 years of approved record the daily mean on October 23 was below 42 cfs; the highest was 584 cfs and the lowest 10 cfs.

p10 20median 42p90 246

Percentiles of the daily mean flow for this date, from the USGS Water Data Statistics API for gauge 04235000; today’s reading is the latest instantaneous value. Classes follow the ones the USGS used on its WaterWatch maps (retired at the end of 2025): below 10th, much below normal; 10th–24th, below; 25th–75th, normal; 76th–90th, above; over 90th, much above.

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp57 F
High / Low58 / 36 F
WindNE 6-7 mph
Pressure1028.1 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain16% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset07:32 / 18:14
MoonWaxing Gibbous, 91%
Water temp (seasonal)~55 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunset

Which day to fish Canandaigua Lake this week

The best day on Canandaigua Lake this week looks like Saturday Oct 24, at 4 out of 5, against 2 today.

Best day this week: Saturday, Oct 24 — good at 4/5, falling pressure, usually the best window of a week.

Today, Oct 23 — Tough

Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Solunar majors
9:43 AM-11:43 AM and 10:12 PM-12:12 AM
Minor period
4:05 AM-5:05 AM
Sun
07:32 to 18:14
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Overcast, 7 mph
Rain chance
0%

Forecast-based scores, less reliable further out: how the score is built.

Species guide

The species that matter on Canandaigua Lake: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Lake trout illustration

Lake trout

Spring and fall in shallow water, deep in summer, and through the ice in winter

Lake trout are slow-growing chars of large, deep, cold lakes, native from Alaska and northern Canada to New England and the Great Lakes, and introduced in many western lakes. Spring and fall bring lakers into 10 to 30 feet of water (Michigan DNR), within reach of casters and shallow trollers; fall is also spawning time over rocky shoals.

Smallmouth bass illustration

Smallmouth bass

Best: spring and fall, when bigger fish come shallow

A bronze-brown black bass of clear, cool streams and rocky lakes, with dark vertical bars instead of a side stripe. Michigan DNR says its southeastern coast, from Port Huron to Lake Erie, is known nationally for both the size and the number of its smallmouth. Spring pre-spawn and fall: Iowa DNR notes the larger bass come up to shallow structure, where a shallow-running minnow bait or a spinnerbait just under the surface works.

Yellow perch illustration

Yellow perch

Caught all year, including under the ice through winter

Yellow perch are schooling panfish of the Great Lakes and northern lakes, and Michigan DNR calls them the game fish most often caught in that state. Spring and fall: perch hold shallower and, by Michigan DNR's account, feed through the day, so shoreline weed edges, flats and the shallows near spawning areas are worth searching.

Largemouth bass illustration

Largemouth bass

Best: the spring pre-spawn and the fall feed

A warm-water sunfish of lakes, reservoirs, ponds and slow river backwaters that holds tight to cover: weeds, logs, rock ledges and docks. In Texas, TPWD surveys rank it "by far" the freshwater fish anglers most want to catch. In spring, pre-spawn bass push shallow as the water climbs through the mid-50s; in fall they feed actively until the water cools into the low 50s, then drop back toward deeper structure.

Crappie illustration

Crappie

Best: the spring spawn; summer around docks, brush and the thermocline

Two slab-sided panfish, the white crappie and the black crappie, that gather around submerged timber, brush piles, docks and bridge pilings in lakes, reservoirs and slow river backwaters. Texas Parks and Wildlife counts crappie as the state's most popular panfish. Pre-spawn fish move toward shallow coves, and Iowa DNR points to wading as an effective way to reach them in spring; minnows or small jigs under a float.

Rainbow trout illustration

Rainbow trout

Spring and fall in most lakes; rivers fish year-round while the water stays cool

A cold-water trout native to Pacific drainages from Alaska to Baja California, now stocked in most states and fished in rivers, tailwaters and lakes. This band overlaps Vermont's 54-66°F stream preference: fish feed across riffles, runs and pocket water, and in lakes WDFW says spring and fall bring them near the surface.

Brown trout illustration

Brown trout

Spring along Great Lakes shorelines; low light and overcast days in rivers; fall spawning runs

A European trout first stocked in the US in 1883 and now fished in rivers and lakes nationwide; it tolerates warmer water than other trout, and mature stream fish feed mostly at night. Close to Vermont's 53-66°F optimum, browns feed more freely; in fall, pre-spawn fish move toward tributaries and gravel, so fish streamers and keep off the redds.

When to come: the Canandaigua Lake calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Lake trout
Smallmouth bass
Yellow perch
Largemouth bass
Crappie
Rainbow trout
Brown trout
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 55 F (estimated, not a reading).

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~55 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Canandaigua Lake today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Oct 22

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 63 F, wind to 11 mph.

Wed, Oct 21

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 62 F, wind to 6 mph.

Tue, Oct 20

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 64 F, wind to 12 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
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Before you go

License

New York requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

New York fishing license. DEC's Finger Lakes and tributary regulations apply to Canandaigua Lake and its tributaries; check the current DEC Freshwater Fishing Regulations Guide for trout and salmon limits.

Access

DEC's 2011 launch brochure lists Canandaigua Lake State Marine Park off Route 20 in Canandaigua (concrete ramp, run by NY State Parks), the Woodville launch on Route 21 three miles north of Naples (DEC, free), and the Town of Canandaigua's Onanda site, used only for winter launching when the marine park is unusable.

About this water

About 10,560 acres (DEC lake map; the DEC launch brochure gives 10,559), Ontario and Yates counties, New York. The page's USGS gauge is on the Canandaigua Outlet at Chapin, downstream of the lake.

Fishing Canandaigua Lake: the full guide

The lake

DEC calls Canandaigua the fourth-largest Finger Lake, about 10,560 acres, 29 miles southeast of Rochester, lying in Ontario and Yates counties between the city of Canandaigua at the north end and the Woodville area at the south.

How the trout fishery was built

For many years lake trout were the only salmonid in the lake, which also held lake whitefish and burbot. DEC planted smelt in 1925, and alewives became established by 1953; that forage improved lake and rainbow trout growth and set the stage for brown trout, introduced in the early 1970s. Today lake trout and brown trout are maintained by annual stocking, while rainbow trout reproduce naturally, mostly in Naples Creek and its tributaries.

Bass and panfish

DEC also points to excellent angling for largemouth and smallmouth bass, chain pickerel and panfish, including yellow perch, bluegill, pumpkinseed, rock bass, black crappie and bullheads.

Common questions

Is Canandaigua Lake stocked?

Lake trout and brown trout are maintained by annual stocking; DEC says the rainbow trout fishery is sustained entirely by natural reproduction, mostly in Naples Creek.

Where can I launch on Canandaigua Lake?

At Canandaigua Lake State Marine Park on Route 20 in the city of Canandaigua, or at DEC's free Woodville launch on Route 21 north of Naples.

What fish does DEC list for the lake?

Lake, rainbow and brown trout, largemouth and smallmouth bass and yellow perch on the lake map, plus chain pickerel and other panfish in DEC's launch brochure.

Is fishing good at Canandaigua Lake right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Nearby waters

Keuka Lake17 miSeneca Lake20 miCayuga Lake31 miGenesee River31 miOwasco Lake40 miLake Ontario48 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

River and reservoir readings
USGS 04235000 — Canandaigua Outlet at Chapin
Read from the USGS Water Data API (api.waterdata.usgs.gov). Latest value timestamped 2026-10-23 at 19:30 UTC.
Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 42.7716, -77.3090 in this water's own timezone. A model, not an observation.
Moon and solunar windows
Calculated on this site
Astronomical calculation from these coordinates and the date, not a third-party feed. How much weight it deserves.
Pages checked
The facts in the written guide were checked against these pages, from the agencies and operators that manage the water, on October 8, 2026. Anything we could not verify was taken out.
The written guide on this page
Pablo Ruiz Quintero
How this page was made. The daily report is computed by our scoring engine from live readings; nobody types it. The written text was drafted with AI assistance from the official pages listed above, and its facts were checked against those pages by automated verification on October 8, 2026; anything that could not be verified was taken out. Pablo Ruiz Quintero sets every guideline, the data-verification system and the minimum standards a page must meet to be published, reviews page structure and approves what goes live; the responsibility is his, and the AI carries out the work. We work this way because it is how one person can keep every page current with named sources. Errors are published in the verification log; the full policy is in the editorial policy.

Readings refresh on a 30-minute window. The full method, with every figure and its source, is on how our reports are made. Something wrong here? Tell us and it goes in the log with the date.