The Finger Lakes are a series of eleven lakes in central New York State. All of these lakes offer an abundance of fishing, hunting, camping and hundreds of other activities.
Although all of the Finger Lakes are abundant in wildlife and fun things to do, this page will mainly center on the Keuka Lake area.
Keuka Lake is located in the center of the finger lakes region, between Canandaigua and Seneca Lakes. It is about halfway between the Pennsylvania border and Rochester,NY.
If you are planning a fishing trip to this area there are literally hundreds of public fishing areas for almost all species of freshwater fish.
Penn Yan is the village at north end of Keuka Lake. The lake outlet travels through the center of town and travels east to Seneca Lake five miles away. The outlet is accessible for fishing and hiking from beginning to end. Bass, trout, panfish and perch just to name a few species found in this outlet.
Keuka Lake itself is excellent fishing from a boat as are the rest of the Finger Lakes. Several species of trout, salmon, bass, pike and pickerel are the favorites here.
Naples is about fifteen miles from Penn Yan on the south end of Canandaigua Lake. Naples Creek is world famous for Rainbow Trout in the spring.
I have just mentioned a few of hundreds of excellent fishing spots in the Finger Lakes. If you want to fish you can reach any fishing spot without driving for more than two hours
If it's hunting you are looking for fall, winter and spring are the seasons for most game in the area. Deer hunting is superb in all areas of the Finger Lakes. Bear hunting is legal in the southern areas only. Small game is abundant in all areas.
New York State has several state lands that it has designated especially for hunting, hiking and other outdoor activities, Hi -Tor is one area between Keuka Lake and Naples it has over 6000 acres of total wilderness. Bring a compass.
There is another state forest between Hi-Tor and Keuka Lake on top of Italy Hill. This state forest is 1900 acres in size and covers an entire hillside.
The best way to gain access to the hundreds of wood lots in the Finger Lakes area is to drive around and ask the farmers for permission to hunt their property. The area is highly rural and mostly farm land, so most game animals are considered as a nuisance and farmers are glad to have someone go in and hunt a few.
Another way is to contact the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation for information on other state forests not mentioned on this page.
Hiking is a favorite activity for alot of people in this area. Take relaxed walk down a paved trail by the water, or for a real work out try one of the many forest or overland trails.
The Outlet Trail is a 50% paved trail that is five miles long and travels from Penn Yan to Dresden, on Seneca Lake. The trail follows the bank of the Keuka Lake Outlet and there are several historical sites on this path. Most are mills from the late 1700's to the late 1800's. The trail is built on the old railroad bed from Penn Yan to Dresden. This trail is suitable for hiking or bicycling. A definite must see!!!
The Finger Lakes Trail is a trail originally cut by the Iroquois before the Mayflower landed. This trail is about 550 miles long and goes from one side of the Finger Lakes to the other. Sections are fairly easily walkable although alot of the terrain is very rugged. Not recommended on a bicycle.
Letchworth Park is a beautiful spot for hiking, camping, picnics and swimming. Letchworth Park has been called the Grand Canyon of the east. It has a beautiful vertical side gorge that cuts straight through the center of the park. Another must see!!
Meet your Match! CLICK HERE to go to Dave's Meeting Place.
A Proud Member of the One & Only Associate Network
|
|
|
|||||
THIS SITE IS POWERED BY THE ICQ COMMUNICATION PANEL |