2026 is now here. We may get a break or two in the cold over the next two weeks, we shall see. All signs are that we're going to see a solid year for landlocked salmon on Seneca Lake. Fish are looking good and clean here. Some browns, rainbows and lake trout are also showing up in relatively shallow water.
Regarding Cayuga Lake: I expect more of what we've seen over the past 5 to 6 years here. We'll have some relatively shallow lake trout, browns and rainbows and then by later in the winter, we might see some salmon show up.
Days are short now. Water levels remain very low on both lakes. Lake temperatures remain around 39 degrees on the larger lakes and colder. I am available for trips throughout the winter.
I will be back at the Rochester Boat Show with Silver Lake Marine during the late afternoon on Friday January 30th and then throughout most of the day on Saturday the 31st. The best time to buy a boat, if you're serious about fishing is NOW - that is sooner rather than later. The prices just don't come down year to year. You can score a great deal at the Boat Show and during the end of the boating seasons, but no matter what the economy does, overall boat prices keep rising. Keep that in mind!
My schedule is wide open going into 2026, so now's a great time to book.
I will update the species/lakes pages on this site over the next month or two. It's tough to do great updates on all the species given how lake trout-centric my guiding has been in recent years, but I do the best I can with information gleaned personally, through friends and via DEC.
As always, now's the best time to sign up to become volunteer DEC Angler Cooperator. I know quite a few jiggers who keep a book for DEC. If you troll or fish live bait, your contributions would be very valuable, since the results from different methods of angling will help paint a clearer, more accurate picture for the DEC. Region 8 can use cooperators on all their lakes - especially Seneca and Keuka. Region 7 can also use them for all of their lakes, especially Owasco and Otisco Lakes. My advice is to call the Fisheries Offices for whatever region(s) you want to keep a book for. Make sure you talk to someone in fisheries who can send you out a book. Don't just leave a message without following up if you don't hear back from someone within a week.