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Seneca Lake is home to the following species of fish lake trout, brown trout, rainbow trout, landlocked salmon, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, yellow perch, northern pike, chain pickerel, rock bass, crappie, sunfish, bullheads, bowfin, white suckers, channel catfish, lake sturgeon, carp, alewives and smelt. The state does an annual stocking of lake trout, brown trout and landlocked salmon. The lake's rainbow trout population is sustained entirely by natural reproduction in Catherine Creek and its tributaries. So catch and release of rainbow trout in Seneca Lake is greatly encouraged.
Fishing Derbies on Seneca Lake include the National Lake Trout Derby which is held every Memorial Day weekend on Seneca Lake. Growing in popularity is the Red Cross Fishing Derby which was a big hit with fisherman. Many fishing clubs have their own contest for bass, trout and perch here as well.
The lake trout is a member of the char family of fish. Lake trout are a native species of trout in NY waters. They can be found in the Great Lakes, Finger Lakes, and Adirondacks Lakes. These fish prefer deep colder water and can live upwards to 30 or 40 years in age. These fish can attain weights of up to 50 pounds. The NY state record lake trout was broken by Jesse Wykstra in August 2003 when he landed a 41 pound 8 oz lake trout from Lake Erie. He was fishing the Dunkirk area using an NK 28 spoon off a downrigger.The old NY state record lake trout weighed 39 lb. 8oz. There is a real chance that a bigger lake trout is swimming in the depths of Lake Ontario but for now Lake Erie will hold the new record.
Lake trout do not spawn in streams like the other members of the trout family. They do not build nest either. They deposit the eggs on clean gravel beds in the lake bottoms at depths from 20 to 200 feet deep. The introduction of the zebra mussel and the round gobies have had a hard impact on the lake trouts ability to reproduce naturally.
Fishing for lake trout is a challenge. Most fisherman will target lake trout using down riggers fishing spoons in 70 to 150 feet of water. In the Adirondacks lakes that freeze over fisherman are able to ice fish the deeper water where these fish live and catch them using live bait and jigs. Another method that isn't so common anymore is known as pulling copper. This is a method where a fisherman in a small boat will use copper wire to drag a spoon or lure over the deepest water in the lake. It sounds odd but many a large laker has met his demise this way.
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