Best cisco (lake herring) lakes in New York
5 New York waters hold cisco (lake herring), 5 mapped with real state-agency depth surveys. Ranked below by size and depth-data quality — open any water to see exactly where to fish it: depth contours, scored spots with plain-English reasons, seasonal windows and bait picks. Pelagic coldwater herring — suspends over deep basins chasing plankton, spawns on late-fall shoals, and shines as a winter ice target.
- Skaneateles Lake — 300 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Bluegill, Yellow Perch
- Tupper Lake — 85 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Yellow Perch
- Otsego Lake — 166 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Bluegill
- Paradox Lake — 55 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, Yellow Perch
- Hoel Pond — 60 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Yellow Perch, Lake Trout
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When to fish cisco (lake herring) in New York
- Spring 10–40 ft — Post-ice-out schools roam the upper column over deep water — follow the bait clouds on the graph, not the bank.
- Summer 40–80 ft — Locked below the thermocline, suspended over the deepest basins. Vertical presentations at the school's exact depth or nothing.
- Fall 5–25 ft — The late-fall spawn puts silver schools on shallow gravel shoals and windswept rock — the one time they're everyone's fish.
- Winter 20–60 ft — A premier ice species — suspended schools cruise the basin mid-column. Watch the flasher and chase the marks.
Also in New York: best largemouth bass lakes · best smallmouth bass lakes · best walleye lakes · best northern pike lakes · best crappie lakes · best bluegill lakes · best channel catfish lakes · best rainbow trout lakes · best yellow perch lakes · best common carp lakes · best chinook salmon lakes · best steelhead lakes · best lake trout lakes · best brown trout lakes · best brook trout lakes · best landlocked salmon lakes · best chain pickerel lakes · best rock bass lakes · best white perch lakes · best pumpkinseed lakes · best brown bullhead lakes
Cisco (Lake Herring) elsewhere: Ontario · Minnesota · Québec · Michigan · Manitoba