Fishing Lake Chemung

Lake Chemung delivers exceptional panfishing with a rare trophy redear sunfish opportunity - 11% of redear exceed 10 inches thanks to excellent growth (growth index +0.8) at the northern edge of their range. Bluegill fishing is outstanding with 70% reaching harvestable size and scoring 'good' on quality indices. The lake stratifies by mid-summer with good oxygen to 41 feet, making deeper structure fishable through most of the season. Largemouth bass are in excellent shape with fish up to 11 years old and a 19-inch trophy caught in the survey. Black crappie average 9 inches with all fish harvestable size. The bottom consists of sand, organic muck, and marl with extensive aquatic vegetation providing prime habitat. Dissolved oxygen drops sharply at 15 feet but remains adequate for warmwater species. Northern pike are present but show slow growth and high mortality near legal size. Yellow perch are stunted with only 2% reaching 7 inches due to marginal coolwater habitat. Despite decades of walleye stocking, the population remains sparse - winter ice fishing may offer the best chance. The lake reaches 70 feet deep with only 10% littoral area, creating distinct shallow and deep fishing zones. Eurasian watermilfoil, chara, and wild celery dominate the plant community.