Syracuse.com - CNY shoreline hot spots: Taughannock Falls State Park on Cayuga Lake (fifth in a series)

[HuntingNY-News]

There are several good reasons why anglers fish year-round from shore at Taughannock Falls State Park on the southwestern side of Cayuga Lake. First, it’s the spot where the state Department of Environmental Conservation stocks lake trout each year in Cayuga Lake. It’s also the location where the DEC nets the lakers when they spawn each fall. Workers collect...

Stephen Cannerelli/The Post-StandardJoan and Leonard Zonetti of Pottstown Pennsylvania enjoy fishing along the western shores of Cayuga Lake at Taughannock Falls State Park

There are several good reasons why anglers fish year-round from shore at Taughannock Falls State Park on the southwestern side of Cayuga Lake.

First, it’s the spot where the state Department of Environmental Conservation stocks lake trout each year in Cayuga Lake. It’s also the location where the DEC nets the lakers when they spawn each fall. Workers collect eggs from the females and sperm from the males.

The fertilized eggs are then taken to the nearby Bath hatchery, where laker fingerlings are raised for later stocking in Cayuga and several other state waterways.

“Lake trout do congregate at Taughannock in the summer and fall – particularly in the fall,” said David Lemon, the DEC’s regional fisheries manager for Region 7. “We’re not sure if they’re imprinting to the location, but it’s just evolved into a natural (gathering point).”

Lemon said Taughannock is also a good spot to catch landlocked salmon from shore, particularly during the fall, winter and spring – and sometimes during the summer. Anglers also reel in brown trout, bass, panfish at the location.

The big reason the shoreline at the park draws fish, he said, is that there’s a sharp drop-off from shore .

“You can go cast from shore and easily get into 60 feet of water,” Lemon said.

The park is located in Ulysses, about 8 miles north of Ithaca along Route 89. Anglers can fish at the park year-round, but there’s a $7 vehicle fee from April 21 to Oct. 21.

Fishing is also permitted in the lower half of the creek, which flows through the park into the lake. For more information, call (607) 387-6739.

View the full article on The Syracuse Outdoors Blog