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Fishing Skaneateles Lake: what the data says
8,746-acre lake near Skaneateles. The lake tops out around 300 ft. The depth chart is built from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the humps, channels and drop-offs you see are measured, not guessed. What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.
Lake Trout fishing at Skaneateles Lake
Start shallow in spring: lake trout sit in 10 to 40 ft that time of year. By summer they slide out to 50 to 120 ft, and by winter most fish are in 20 to 80 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Offshore hump: a offshore hump around 87 ft that scores prime in summer. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning. A white tube jig (deep) or a magnum spoon on downrigger covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 10 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Casting spoon over shoals, Jerkbait (shallow) |
| Summer | 50 to 120 ft | dawn | White tube jig (deep), Magnum spoon on downrigger |
| Fall | 10 to 50 ft | dusk & dawn | Heavy casting spoon, Jigging rap over reefs |
| Winter | 20 to 80 ft | dawn | White tube jig, Airplane jig |
Landlocked Salmon fishing at Skaneateles Lake
Start shallow in spring: landlocked salmon sit in 1 to 15 ft that time of year. By summer they slide out to 25 to 60 ft, and by winter most fish are in 10 to 40 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Creek inflow: a inflow / creek mouth around 11 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. A dodger + streamer down deep or a thin spoon on lead core covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Streamer flies (Grey Ghost) off boards, Thin spoon (Mooselook style) |
| Summer | 25 to 60 ft | dawn & dusk | Dodger + streamer down deep, Thin spoon on lead core |
| Fall | 5 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Casting spoon at the mouths, Streamers |
| Winter | 10 to 40 ft | dawn | Small jigging spoon, Swedish pimple + smelt |
Walleye fishing at Skaneateles Lake
Start shallow in spring: walleye sit in 4 to 15 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 15 to 35 ft, and winter fish settle into 20 to 40 ft. The spot to know is Creek inflow, a inflow / creek mouth in about 11 ft of water that rates prime for walleye in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in the evening and early morning. A crawler harness on bottom bouncer or a deep crankbait (trolled) covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 15 ft | dusk & dawn | 1/8 oz jig + minnow, Hair jig |
| Summer | 15 to 35 ft | dusk & dawn | Crawler harness on bottom bouncer, Deep crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 12 to 40 ft | dusk & night | Jigging rap, Jig + big minnow |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | dusk & dawn | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Rattle bait |
Cisco (Lake Herring) fishing at Skaneateles Lake
Spring cisco (lake herring) on Skaneateles Lake hold shallow, usually 10 to 40 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 40 to 80 ft, and winter fish settle into 20 to 60 ft. The spot to know is Offshore hump, a offshore hump in about 87 ft of water that rates prime for cisco (lake herring) in summer. Best bite is early morning. Summer baits: a vertical flutter spoon (small) or a drop-shot micro plastic gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 10 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Small silver spoon, Tiny swim jig (white) |
| Summer | 40 to 80 ft | dawn | Vertical flutter spoon (small), Drop-shot micro plastic |
| Fall | 5 to 25 ft | dusk & dawn | Small casting spoon, Inline spinner (silver) |
| Winter | 20 to 60 ft | dawn | Small jigging spoon (glow/silver), Tungsten jig + minnow head |
Smallmouth Bass fishing at Skaneateles Lake
Spring smallmouth bass on Skaneateles Lake hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. By summer they slide out to 10 to 30 ft, and by winter most fish are in 20 to 45 ft. The spot to know is Creek inflow, a inflow / creek mouth in about 11 ft of water that rates prime for smallmouth bass in spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 20 to 45 ft | midday | Blade bait, Hair jig |
Chain Pickerel fishing at Skaneateles Lake
In spring, chain pickerel run shallow here, mostly 2 to 10 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 3 to 15 ft, and winter fish settle into 5 to 18 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Back-bay flat: a weed flat around 6 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. A weedless spoon + trailer or a buzzbait covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | midday & dawn | Inline spinner (silver), Small spoon (red/white) |
| Summer | 3 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Weedless spoon + trailer, Buzzbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Jerkbait along weed edges, Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 5 to 18 ft | dawn | Jigging spoon (through ice) |
Skaneateles Lake also holds rock bass (5 to 20 ft in summer), yellow perch (10 to 30 ft in summer), pumpkinseed (2 to 10 ft in summer), bluegill (4 to 15 ft in summer), brown bullhead (3 to 12 ft in summer), common carp (3 to 15 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 297 ft
- Old creek channel: creek channel, around 192 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 185 ft
- Offshore hump: offshore hump, around 149 ft
- Bear Swamp Creek inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 128 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 125 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 118 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 94 ft
- Offshore hump: offshore hump, around 87 ft
- Feeding flat: feeding flat, around 73 ft
- Feeding flat: feeding flat, around 36 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 16 ft
- Creek inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 11 ft
- Marina / dock area: dock line, around 10 ft
Common questions
How deep is Skaneateles Lake?
Skaneateles Lake is about 300 ft at its deepest point. The depth chart here comes from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the contours reflect measured depths.
What fish are in Skaneateles Lake?
Anglers target smallmouth bass, walleye, bluegill, yellow perch, common carp, lake trout, landlocked salmon, chain pickerel, rock bass, cisco (lake herring), pumpkinseed, brown bullhead on Skaneateles Lake.
Where is the best fishing spot on Skaneateles Lake?
Creek inflow is the top-rated area: a inflow / creek mouth in about 11 ft of water that rates prime for landlocked salmon in spring. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Skaneateles Lake?
For lake trout, the summer bite is best in early morning. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Nearby waters
Otisco Lake · Owasco Lake · Cross Lake · Cayuga Lake · Cazenovia Lake · Seneca Lake
See how Skaneateles Lake stacks up: best smallmouth bass lakes in New York · best walleye lakes in New York · best bluegill lakes in New York · best yellow perch lakes in New York
Browse all New York fishing maps or every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: state fisheries survey programs. How we build these maps. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.