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Cayuga Lake Fishing Report

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

Cayuga Lake: a 38-mile Finger Lake with a weedy warmwater north end and a deep trout and salmon basin.

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 and Fall Creek below Ithaca Falls; the lake itself stays open. Source, read October 12, 2026.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Lake level
382.64 ft
Air / High
54 / 59 F
Wind
W 5 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 04233500, 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.

Cayuga Lake is in transition: bait on the move and predators following. The gauge reads 382.64 ft, holding steady. Today brings clear skies, wind W around 5 mph, rising pressure near 1029 hPa and a high of 59. Water sits around 55 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 9:40 AM-11:40 AM and 10:10 PM-12:10 AM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

WalleyeGood

Spring: post-spawn fish scatter and can be slow for a couple of weeks. Fall: one of the best windows, with minnows on jigs and three-way rigs as the water cools toward ice-up.

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.

Northern pikeGood

The best band for pike: right after ice-out they move into flooded vegetated shallows to spawn, and they feed actively again as the water cools in fall.

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.

Tomorrow: Similar at 62 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Oct 24, 6:30 AMHow this report is made β†’

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 β†’

Chasing walleye 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 Cayuga Inlet (Cayuga Lake) at Ithaca.

Water level, last 30 days

USGS gauge 04233500.

382.38382.56382.75382.64 ft09/2310/0310/1310/23

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp54 F
High / Low59 / 35 F
WindW 5-9 mph
Pressure1029.1 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset07:29 / 18:11
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 Cayuga Lake this week

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

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

Today, Oct 23 β€” Tough

Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Solunar majors
9:40 AM-11:40 AM and 10:10 PM-12:10 AM
Minor period
4:02 AM-5:02 AM
Sun
07:29 to 18:11
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Overcast, 8 mph
Rain chance
0%

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

Species guide

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

Walleye illustration

Walleye

Best: spring and late fall, around dawn, dusk and night

A cool-water perch of large lakes, reservoirs and rivers whose reflective eyes are built for low light, so it feeds most at night and in murky water. The Missouri Department of Conservation ranks it among the continent's most important freshwater game fish. Spring: post-spawn fish scatter and can be slow for a couple of weeks. Fall: one of the best windows, with minnows on jigs and three-way rigs as the water cools toward ice-up.

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.

Northern pike illustration

Northern pike

Best: cool water, from ice-out through spring, in fall and under the ice

A long, duck-billed predator of weedy lakes, slow rivers and backwaters that ambushes fish from vegetation. Wisconsin DNR points out that, unlike most of the state's common game fish, pike do their best feeding in cool water. The best band for pike: right after ice-out they move into flooded vegetated shallows to spawn, and they feed actively again as the water cools in fall.

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.

When to come: the Cayuga 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
Walleye
Smallmouth bass
Northern pike
Yellow perch
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 Cayuga 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. Walleye led the card at good. High of 63 F, wind to 13 mph.

Wed, Oct 21

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Walleye led the card at good. High of 58 F, wind to 6 mph.

Tue, Oct 20

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Walleye led the card at good. High of 66 F, wind to 13 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used if we need to ask you about your report. No mailing list, no spam.

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 rules for Cayuga Lake: brown trout, rainbow trout, lake trout and Atlantic salmon are open all year with a 15-inch minimum (18 inches for Atlantic salmon) and a limit of 5 a day in combination, including no more than 3 brown trout, 3 rainbow trout or 3 Atlantic salmon. In the tributaries the same species are open April 1 to December 31, 3 a day in combination. Northern pike (22 inches, 5 a day) and walleye (18 inches, 3 a day) are open May 1 to March 15 on all Finger Lakes.

Access

DEC lists launches at Allan H. Treman State Marina (141 car-trailer spaces), Taughannock Falls State Park, Myers Point (Town of Lansing), Long Point State Park, Mud Lock, Frontenac Park (Union Springs), Cayuga Lake State Park and Dean's Cove State Marine Park; Stewart Park in Ithaca is shore access. NYS Parks confirms the launches at Taughannock Falls, Long Point (four lanes), Cayuga Lake State Park and Dean's Cove.

About this water

42,956 acres (DEC), 38 miles long, maximum depth 435 feet; Tompkins, Cayuga and Seneca counties, New York.

Fishing Cayuga Lake: the full guide

Two lakes in one

DEC and the Cayuga Lake Watershed Intermunicipal Organization's protection plan both rank Cayuga second in size among the Finger Lakes, after Seneca, and the plan calls it the longest of the eleven at 38.2 miles. DEC's lake page lists 42,956 acres, a length of 38 miles, a maximum width of 3.5 miles, a maximum depth of 435 feet and a mean depth of 181 feet. A shallow, weedy area of about 5,800 acres runs some six miles south from the north end, while the rest of the lake is deep and supports a coldwater trout and salmon fishery.

Stocking and brood stock

DEC's stocking records for 2025 list 70,000 lake trout, 29,655 brown trout, 23,730 yearling landlocked (Atlantic) salmon and 3,000 lake sturgeon in the lake. The tributaries received 10,000 young landlocked salmon each in Cayuga Inlet, Salmon Creek and Yawgers Creek, and rainbow trout in Cayuga Inlet (12,500), Enfield Creek in Ithaca (12,500) and Salmon Creek (30,000). Cayuga is also a brood stock lake: DEC hatchery crews net lake trout near Taughannock Falls State Park in early October for eggs, rainbow trout eggs are taken in spring, and both are hatched at the Bath Fish Hatchery. Sea lamprey are held back by a barrier at the Cayuga Inlet Fishway, and DEC treated Cayuga Inlet with lampricide in 2014 and 2020.

Seasons DEC points out

DEC's notes: trolling in the south end in April and May for Atlantic salmon, rainbow and brown trout and northern pike; rainbow trout in Cayuga Inlet, Fall Creek and Salmon Creek in April; lake trout by trolling and vertical jigging in deep summer water; largemouth bass at the north end in spring and summer; Atlantic salmon in Fall Creek and Salmon Creek in fall; and ice fishing for panfish and pickerel at the north end when ice allows. Hydrilla was found in Cayuga Inlet in August 2011; the watershed protection plan puts that first infestation at 166 acres and records a second one near Aurora in September 2016.

Common questions

Where can I fish from shore?

DEC names Stewart Park in Ithaca for shore fishing and Taughannock Falls State Park and Myers Point for boat and shore use. NYS Parks lists fishing access at Long Point State Park, Cayuga Lake State Park and the Dean's Cove launch.

What is the lake trout limit on Cayuga?

Lake trout fall under Cayuga's combined trout and salmon rule: open all year, 15-inch minimum, 5 a day in combination. The sub-limits of 3 apply to brown trout, rainbow trout and Atlantic salmon, not to lake trout.

Are there landlocked salmon in Cayuga?

Yes. DEC's 2025 stocking records show 23,730 yearling landlocked salmon in the lake and 30,000 smaller ones in Cayuga Inlet, Salmon Creek and Yawgers Creek. DEC points to April-May trolling in the south end and fall fishing in Fall Creek and Salmon Creek; the minimum length is 18 inches.

What is stocked each year?

In 2025, per DEC's stocking records: 70,000 lake trout (the same number every November since 2021), 29,655 brown trout, 23,730 landlocked salmon and 3,000 lake sturgeon in the lake, plus landlocked salmon and rainbow trout in the tributaries.

Is fishing good at Cayuga 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

Seneca Lake12 miOwasco Lake14 miKeuka Lake24 miOtisco Lake25 miCanandaigua Lake31 miOneida Lake54 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

River and reservoir readings
USGS 04233500 β€” Cayuga Inlet (Cayuga Lake) at Ithaca
Read from the USGS Water Data API (api.waterdata.usgs.gov). Latest value timestamped 2026-10-23 at 17:00 UTC.
Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 42.6881, -76.7023 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 19, 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 19, 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.