Chautauqua Lake

Chautauqua Lake: NY's Western Gateway is Sportsmen's Paradise
by Bill Hilts Jr

 The jerk bait was cast alongside a huge weed bed in the shadow of Chautauqua Institution. As the lure worked its way back, the path was interrupted with a huge explosion in the water. Musky! It was enough excitement to send anyone's heart pumping and create a memory of a lifetime. The fish fought for dear life; stretching out at 44 inches by the time we completed our successful duel. The fish was released again to fight another day - another Chautauqua Lake muskellunge hooking a fisherman for life.
 These types of real scenarios are not uncommon when it comes to scenic Chautauqua Lake, located in New York's extreme southwest corner of the state, in Chautauqua County. As we move into the beautiful colors of autumn, Chautauqua Lake and its surrounding Southern Tier hills become both a fishermen's haven and a hunter's paradise.
 The lake itself is a dynamic fishery that offers anglers a wide variety of species. Muskellunge, walleye, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, crappie, and a bunch of other panfish all help to give this unique destination an impressive resume. With 13,000 acres of surface area and nearly 18 miles in length, there's plenty of liquid real estate for sportsmen to enjoy. While tourists flock to Chautauqua for summertime fun, hunters and fishermen can enjoy the fruits of its waters throughout the year. Not only is it a great fall fishery and a super waterfowl congregation point, it's also an excellent hard water fishery each winter as well.
 My favorite spot on the lake is We Wan Chu cottages in Chautauqua. Peter and Kathy Weimer run a tight ship, offering 31 clean cottages spread out over 8-1/2 acres of land. They also have almost 500 feet of lake frontage with a great set of docks, boat rentals and more from mid-April through October. For more information on We Wan Chu, check out their website at www.WeWanChu.com or call (716) 789-3383. In addition to being a great accommodation, its location is right in the middle of all the fishing action on the lake!
 "Fishing has evolved from a dominant walleye fishery in the mid-1980s to a strong bass fishery," says local guide Craig Robbins with the WNY Guide Service (716-969-9059). "We're also experiencing the rebirth of the muskellunge fishery, and the walleye populations are starting to rebound as a result of new creel regulations that now limit anglers to 18-inch fish and three fish per day."
 The state is now stocking walleyes in the lake at a clip of about 200,000 a year from Prendergast and Oneida hatcheries; and 13,000 muskellunge from the Prendergast hatchery, which happens to be sitting on this lake.
 Fall is an excellent time for musky fishing. In the fall 2004 Professional Musky Tournament Trail (PMTT) Championships, a total of 42 legal musky were caught in one day - a record for the PMTT in both weight and overall numbers of fish.
 Fall is a good time for bass and walleye fishing too. Bass is king on this lake, with a breakdown of about 60 percent largemouth and 40 percent smallmouth according to Robbins. Smallmouth seem to dominate the catch in the months of Autumn with crayfish, three-inch tube jigs and grubs on a 1/8th, or 1/4th ounce jig head working best to take these feisty fish.
 Let's not forget about the crappie fishing, either. Its not unusual to see a major crappie tournament on this lake, especially in the spring. With the introduction of a new 25 fish/nine-inch minimum size limit and a depressed walleye fishery, these numbers have rebounded nicely. There are also high numbers of yellow perch in the lake for those who prefer that fish for table fare.
 If hunting is your outdoor bag, waterfowl hunting is excellent around the lake - both ducks and geese. Chautauqua County is also an outstanding location for whitetail deer and turkey hunting, consistently in the top five in the state for both. It all translates into plenty of things to see and do if you're an avid outdoorsman.
 For more information on Chautauqua, both the lake and the county, visit their Web site at www.tourchautauqua.com or call (800) 242-ILNY (4569); this is also their fishing hotline number.

 Bill Hilts Jr., Niagara County's Sportfishing Promotion person for 20 years, and Outdoor Sports Specialist for Niagara Tourism and Convention Corp., has been an outdoor writer since 1980 when he took over a column started by his father, Bill Sr., in the Niagara Gazette. That has blossomed into seven newspapers and several magazines. He's currently president of the Lake Ontario Sportfishing Council and is a past president of the New York State Outdoor Writers Association (NYSOWA). He's also an active member of the Outdoors Writers Association of America, the Association of Great Lakes Outdoor Writers, the Professional Outdoor Media Association, NYSOWA and a life member of the NRA, as well as other various organizations related to the outdoors. E-mail: Bhiltsjr69@cs.com