Keuka Annual Keuka Lake August 2025 Fishing Report

[adesalvo]

You may have not asked for it but here is the annual 2025 Keuka Lake Fishing Report. 

 

This is my 40th year visiting Keuka Lake for our family vacation staying on the east side 1 mile from the bluff. This is also my 3rd year bringing my New to Me fishing boat and 6th consecutive year trolling the lake in august.  I do fish the lake 2 more times a year for the FLTA tournaments. 

 

This is my first year with an autopilot which has been a game changer for us this year.  

 

This year my son Jeremy and I fished 3 mornings, one evening with my mom and dad and one solo day. We had 2 guests this year join us, @Bo Hunterwho has been fishing this lake possibly longer than me and our dear friends 12 year old daughter Echo Vega .  

 

If you read last year’s post it  can be summarize as no bait and emaciated lakers.  

 

This year we marked lots of small patches of bait both suspended and where the thermocline hit the floor. We also marked a few pretty large balls on the east bluff side down about a mile.  The lakers, while still small didn’t seem so sickly or skinny this year but were still small.  

 

I really should have checked out some stomachs but didn’t.   I am going to regret that decision.

 

The hammondsport  basin seemed to have the most bait marked with @Bo Hunter but we also marked a good amount of bait between eggelston point and the old power plant on the east side.  We saw seagulls there all week as well feeding on bait in about 100 to 80 fow

 

52 degree water was down 50 feet and the thermocline was tight as it was 65 degrees down 15 feet right to 45 feet.  Surface temp was 78 all week.   

 

Saturday morning we fished eggelston point to the bluff in a circle hitting the bluff side and the power plant side and found that the lakers were stacked up from eggelston to the old power plant. We marked a lot of small bait pods and trolled through the seagulls.  We fished 530am to 8:30 am and boated about 12 lakers. 2 riggers set at 50, divers at 135 and 250, 220 copper all took fish.  

 

Sunday I slept in because we went to a wedding the night before and had guests coming up for the day

 

Monday we left the dock at 5am to pick up @bohunter at the hammondsport docks.  For the first hour we struggled to get 3 rods in the water as fish hit before we put on the boards.  Smaller spoons with purple seemed to do well, but stinger sized spoons did great on the riggers.  We boated about 24 lakers in 3 hours and that was about 1 fish every 9 minutes.  250, 220 weighted steel did good, 9 color was the MVP (thanks Scott),  7 color rods also did well,  divers at 135 and riggers at 50 all took fish.   The fish were concentrated on the west side from the public docs past snugg harbor, no rainbows were caught.  We marked lots of bait but screens went quiet the farther north we went on the east side.  Highlight of the morning was a bald eagle swooping down 10 feet from the boat and picking up a laker for breakfast we let go.  What an amazing experience..  

 

Tuesday we slept in because it was vacation and we stayed up late watching the meteor shower and had more friends coming down to enjoy the nice weather. 

 

Wednesday we left the dock at 5:30 and fished north up to the bluff with our friend’s daughter echo and then back to eggelston point and found the fish in the same places boating 16 lakers.  Riggers at 50,  divers at 135, 220 and 250 weighted steel all caught fish.    

 

Thursday I switched up things a bit and tried to target perch, bass, pike or pickerel.  

 

My program was 2 flat lines with stick baits, 2 color and 1 color with spoons and a 3 color on a down rigger.   I had all 4 shallow lines on the inside boards and followed the 50 fow contour line.  I had the boards way out with the sticks in about 15 fow and the 3 color on the rigger down 30 feet fishing about 45 feet down.

 

The boards were quiet all trip but the 3 color SWR on the rigger popped every time we went through bait that was on the floor at 50 feet down.  I am super glad I switched things up as I marked a ton of bait on the floor where I wasn’t expecting it in that 50 fow of water. This discovery will that help me catch fish later that evening with my mom, dad and son Lucas 

 

Thursday evening my mom, dad and son Lucas went on a quick loop from the cottage to the power plant, to eggelston point back to the east bluff side and back to the cottage . I only ran 2 riggers at 50, 2 divers at 135 and a 250 copper down the chute.  Eggelston point was loaded as we  doubled up on the 250 and the rigger.  As we cut across to the east bluff side just south of the sheriff camp we marked the biggest bait ball to date in 72 fow and cleared the riggers and 250 copper to end the night 

 

 

 

I am a little disappointed that no rainbows were caught but the fishing was fast and furious.  It was good to see lots of bait this year, it will be interesting to see if I mark any in a month when I am back for the FLTA

 

 

 

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DNdxfvPOnoQ/?igsh=MWxrcWNmNWRkOWMxMQ==
 

 

 

Edited August 17, 2025 by adesalvo

[Bo Hunter]

Great report my friend. I had a great time Monday. Your son Jeremy is a fine young man. You should be proud. My only regrets Monday, we weren't fast enough to get our phones out for the giant bald eagle.

[cinnamon fish]

Great report!  Thanks for sharing, sounds like a fantastic annual hang there for you and your family.

[ANGLERSS]

Great report! Was up couple weeks ago with about the same results. Did check couple fish stomachs & found some small perch. Fished west arm only, but did see some bait balls also. Heading back up for Labor Day  weekend with the wife. 

[jk1]

Thank you for your report.  It does match our trip there, except you saw way more bait than we do.  We only have a small boat and stay within a mile and a half of the point.  We have caught some of those thin ones but not too many like last year.  All the fish have been throwing up small one to  1 1/2 inch perch.   Have not seen a rainbow there in many years, or any other species of fish.   What is going to happen when they knock down the population of perch in a few months????    Depth does not seem to matter much so far to us and the fish have been off the bottom 3/4 way down......jk

[Pequod1]

Unfortunately, they have already knocked down the perch population and the ones that I have caught were loaded with 1” bluegills.  I would not be surprised if they also are effecting the bass population too. 

[Bait Bucket]

Thank you for such a detailed report. Have you ever tried any type of christmas trees, whether small blades or large?

[Bo Hunter]

Yes they will work. Generally I  try to match the bait size and color. A grease trap, cow bells or umbrella rig will also work. In keuka, the fish are starving and will hit anything they see. No need in getting that extravagant.

[Bait Bucket]

That's what I thought. Thanks.