Steve Piatt

It’s probably no surprise that Bear Lake is often overlooked as a quality angling destination in Chautauqua County.
After all, at the other end of the county is the massive (13,156-acre), hourglass-shaped Chautauqua Lake, known for its bass, walleye, muskellunge and panfish opportunities.

It’s rare to talk about Waneta Lake without also mentioning Lamoka Lake, since the two are strikingly similar and connected by a canal of less than a mile that flows through the state-owned Waneta-Lamoka Wildlife Management Area.
But make no mistake: either of the Schuyler County lakes can stand alone as a fine fishery, as evidenced by DEC surveys that show 50,000 angler days annually.

To some, the Whitney Point Reservoir is perhaps best known for an annual event that hasn’t really been annual at all in recent years.
In fact, it’s called the “Almost Annual” Crappie Derby, an ice-fishing event that draws scores of hard-water hopefuls in years when Mother Nature cooperates. It’s scheduled for Feb. 15 this year, weather permitting.