Canandaigua Lake Fishing Report

Current Fishing Report: Good

Lake trout are stocked annually in Canandaigua Lake, plus there is some successful spawning activity. They feed on small fish, so lures imitating baitfish, sunfish or small trout are good choices. Other choices include nightcrawlers or Berkeley Power Crawlers, fished on drop-shot rigs. Flashy spoons can be fished at any depth, either jigging, trolling or cast and retrieve. For big lakers, use larger baits.

SUMMER. By the end of Spring, each day of Summer drives lake trout deeper, until they reach the deepest areas of the lake. They are hanging out about 50 feet deep, just off depth variations like ditches, channels, humps and ledges, and are often caught in the deeper water around this structure.

FALL. Soon, lake trout will be returning to shallow water when Fall weather begins cooling the shallow water. They spawn in the Fall, 8 to 20 feet deep on points, flats and humps, with a rocky bottom. Trolling or casting jigging spoons, as well as crankbaits, spinners and jerkbaits all catch lakers this time of year.

WINTER. In Winter, lake trout find areas to their liking and tend to stay there throughout the cold months, favoring water temperatures in the 40's. Learning these areas before the lake ices over can get you in the right area for ice fishing. Patient anglers willing to work slowly are catching some nice lake trout through the ice.

SPRING. As Winter comes to an end, shallow water is the first to warm up by Spring weather. This attracts lake trout, along with baitfish, into shallower water. Lakers are being caught in areas of the lake with deep water next to the shallow feeding spots. Jigs, crankbaits, jerkbaits and spinners are catching the majority of these big feeders.

Current Fishing Report: Good To Very Good

Smallmouth bass fishing is currently experiencing good results using the latest high-tech fish finders and forward-facing sonar. Especially anglers who fish from a boat, are improving their catch rate. Even when fishing is slow, it's easier to catch them when you know exactly where they are holding. The advent of new lures and equipment has also improved success for anglers fishing from the bank as well. Savvy anglers, who study smallmouth movements and patterns, continue to catch nice fish, even without the new technology.

SUMMER. Now is the best time of year to catch smallmouth bass here. In Summer they are feeding shallow early and late in the day, where they are being caught on topwater, crankbaits and swimbaits. Smallmouth bass here feed on crawfish, gizzard shad, threadfin shad and small sunfish. They prefer rocky or gravel bottom areas, as this is where crayfish live. During the hotter parts of the day, they are being caught on points, humps, and ledges 10 to 45 feet deep. Anglers fishing around Canandaigua Lake State Marine Park, Canandaigua City Pier and Kershaw Park are reporting good catches.

FALL. When Fall arrives, smallmouth here follow schools of baitfish into coves and bays, where spoons, drop-shots, and slow-rolled spinnerbaits, are very successful. The average fish being caught averages about 1 1/4 pound, but plenty of 3 to 4 pound smallies are being caught here. Fishing for smallmouth is often good on cold, windy, cloudy and rainy days.

WINTER. Winter will isolate them around deeper structure, points and creek channels, often suspending in open water above these features. They can generally be found from 20 to 50 feet deep. Here they hold, feeding less frequently, awaiting warmer water to return in Spring.

SPRING. With water temperatures rising into the in the 50's in Spring, smallmouth move from deep wintering spots to shallower water just outside spawning areas. They feed heavily at this time, and are typically caught on jerkbaits, crankbaits and crayfish imitating plastics, as they are preparing for the spawn. Once water warms into the high 50's, they will move into shallow water, and create nests in gravel or sand areas, then lay their eggs. Females then move to deeper water and males remain to guard the eggs, and then the fry. After a couple weeks, the males also move to slightly deeper water and feed aggressively. Crankbaits, tube baits, Ned rigs, plastic worms and swimbaits are good lures for smallies during this period.

Current Fishing Report: Good To Very Good

SUMMER. During the preliminary weeks of Summer, early morning anglers had good results, catching chain pickerel averaging 2 to 4 pounds. Spinners, jerkbaits, crankbaits, and noisy topwater are all good choices here, along with live and cut bait. Mid Summer is now driving chain pickerel into shallow cover where they can ambush small fish and frogs. Lily pads are ideal cover due to the shade the pads create. Look for the bigger fish to hold around drop-offs just outside these weedy, shallow flats.

FALL. Once Fall brings cooling water, it moves these predators slightly deeper. However, they continue to feed in the shallows for short periods of time, mostly in late afternoon when the shallows are the warmest. They spend other times of the day on deeper flats nearby drops into even deeper water.

WINTER. The colder months of Winter can be one of the best times to catch pickerel, and last winter was no exception. They are holding in slightly deeper water, but still feeding aggressively, often moving up shallow to feed. Ice fishing is good with spoons, ice jigs, live minnows and cut bait.

SPRING. Once the ice has melted in early Spring, and water temperatures reach the mid 40's, chain pickerel will be moving up to around 10 feet of water. Here they will feed heavily and spawn. Shallow coves and bays with weeds, grass and vegetation are their preferred locations, which is why Canandaigua Lake is an ideal habitat for these predators. Jerkbaits, crankbaits and Johnson spoons are ideal lures during Spring, as these pickerel are feeding on small fishes.