Pictured here is Pat Osterwald with his biggest pike of the 2012 season. This monster pike was caught on a friends custom made spinner. This Pike was over 20 pounds and was caught in the Chenango River around Norwich NY. As always this fish caught and released unharmed. All indications are pointing to an even better season in 2013.

  Northern pike are a native fish to the waters of New York. They can be found state wide in lakes, rivers, and reservoirs. In fact the northern pike is one of the most widely distributed freshwater fish in the world. Northern pike and muskellunge can be caught on large in-line spinners, stickbaits, spinnerbaits.

  The Chenango River is a tributary of the Susquehanna River, and is roughly 90 miles long, The Tioughnioga River is a major tributary which combines with the Chenango River at Chenango Forks. Although the Chenango River starts as a small stream in southern Madison County, as it nears the Chenango County line near Sherburne it becomes a river and is primarily a warmwater fishery. Smallmouth bass, walleye, and northern pike replace trout as the main species.

  From Chenango Bridge downstream muskellunge can be found along with the following species Yellow perch, sunfish, brown bullhead, common carp and channel catfish can also be found in the lower river. Smallmouth bass are abundant through out the entire river.

  The Chenango River joins the Susquehanna from the north in downtown Binghamton. In the 19th century the river furnished a critical link in the canal system of the northeastern United States. The Chenango Canal connected the Erie Canal in the north to the Susquehanna River.

   The following links break down the best fishing options according to the month of the year. Certain times of the year present excellent fishing opportunities for differnt species and can help make the best of your limited free time.