Central New York hotline, Oct. 23–30: Oneida walleye move shallow, Cayuga perch heat up, Salmon River's Lower Fly stays closed

Fall's inland lake bite is taking over in Central New York. The state Department of Environmental Conservation's Region 7 Fishing Hotline for Oct. 23–30 leads its lake reports with perch and walleye.

On Oneida Lake, DEC says the fall perch and walleye bite is picking up, and walleye are moving shallow enough to catch from shore. It suggests starting in 10 to 15 feet with stickbaits, crankbaits, blade baits or worm harnesses, and looking for perch and other panfish in 15 to 30 feet. On Cayuga Lake, the perch bite is "heating up" in 15 to 20 feet on small jigs, blade baits and minnows, and lake trout are taking paddle-tail jigs and spoons at 100 to 130 feet. Skaneateles has panfish, rainbows, walleye and lakers biting, and Otisco has tiger musky in the shallow north end.

On the tributaries, the Salmon River's Lower Fly Section is still closed because of low water, though the Upper Fly Area is open. As of Oct. 20 the river was at 264 cfs with a 185 cfs dam release, and anglers were catching king and coho salmon, browns and a few steelhead on eggs and beads. The Oswego River was at 1,200 cfs, with browns below the dam, behind the hotel and along the wall. DEC reminds anglers that Leto Island cannot be used to reach the dam; use the west (Brookfield) side, and note the river's mandatory life-jacket zones.

Boaters should also know that Lake Moraine (Madison Reservoir) is being drawn down for a dam rehabilitation project expected to last through 2027. A temporary extension at the launch allows launching in about 6 feet of water, but DEC urges caution with trailered boats.

This is a The Gillnet news desk summary, not a reprint.

Source: New York State DEC — Central New York Fishing Hotline, Oct. 23 to Oct. 30, 2026 (Oct. 23, 2026).