Brown trout come in two flavors in our area - stream browns and lake browns. For dainty fly-sipping stream browns try Newtown, Sing Sing, and Cayuta Creeks, and the Cohocton River. Lake-dwelling browns up to 15 pounds can be found in all the Finger Lakes where the season is open year round; you can also catch them in tributaries like Fall Creek (Ithaca) and Catherine's Creek (Montour) in November, where you can use fly and spin-fishing gear (single-hook only).

There are some smaller streams in New York where you can find native brook trout, but my favorite is to go south into Potter, Clinton, and Sullivan counties in Pennsylvania. Here you'll find miles and miles of state forest land within a few hours drive, with undeveloped brooks and streams with beautifully colored native brookies. A small fly rod is one good way to go after them. Some of the more well known are Lyman Run, Kettle Creek, Cross Fork, Young Woman's Creek, and Elk Creek, or check out the state's official list of Class A Wild Trout Streams and go exploring.

Rainbows can be found in Keuka, Seneca, and Cayuga Lakes, year-round, and their southern tributaries in April. Steelhead can be pursued from October to May 2 hours away on the Salmon River near Pulaski. The Hexagenia hatch occurs in June on Skaneatles Lake, and you can pursue large lake-size rainbows on dry flies and emergers

Both lakers and landlocks are native species found in Keuka, Seneca, and Cayuga Lakes, and most other Finger Lakes and Great Lakes as well. They come close inshore in June to feed on spawning "sawbellies" (alewives). Try live or dead sawbellies on bottom right off the boat dock at Taughannock! The rest of the year, they are typcially pursued using downriggers (the high-tech approach) or hand jigging silver spoons near bottom with copper line (more traditional approach), in 90-120 feet of water. Landlocks run up Fall Creek in Ithaca in November where they can be caught on flies, egg sacks, or spinners (single-hook-point only). Very infrequently, one hears of lakers being caught in the inlet of Salmon Creek in Lansing, in October-November. Further away, Hemlock Lake, and the Niagara River are reputed to offer good laker fishing.

Chemung and Susquehanna Rivers and tributaries Seeley Creek (Elmira), Shepard's Creek (Waverly), and Owego Creek (Owego), Cayuga, Seneca, and Keuka Lakes, some gravel pits.

Finger Lakes, Cayuta Lake, Spencer Lake, and many state parks in Pennsylvania such as Mount Pisgah (Stephen Foster Lake), Hillsgrove, plus many farm ponds and gravel pits in our area.

All three are found in the Chemung and Susquehanna Rivers, with walleyes up to 10 pounds, muskies running 17 pounds or more. Walleyes are also stocked in Cayuta Lake (north of Odessa), and Waneta Lake is a hot-spot for muskies. Northerns are found in all the Finger Lakes, too.

Finger Lakes, Chemung River

Chemung River, with spawning runs in the tributaries (e.g. Shepard's Creek in Waverly)

Basically everywhere, but hot spots are Seneca Lake & Lamoka Lake