New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
Division of Fish, Wildlife & Marine Resources
Lake Ontario Unit, Cape Vincent Fisheries Station
541 E. Broadway, PO Box 292
Cape Vincent, NY 13618-0292
Phone: 315-654-2147 Fax: 315-654-4118
Website: http://www.dec.state.ny.us
Problem Statement regarding the smallmouth bass fishery along
the southern shore of Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario smallmouth bass anglers along the southern shore of Lake Ontario (particularly Irondequoit
Bay to Oswego) have experienced four consecutive years of the worst quality of bass angling, as measured
by catch per angler hour, since the Lake Ontario fishing boat survey began in 1985. Fishing quality was
relatively stable from 1985 through the early 1990s (1985-1994 average catch per angler hour [CPE] =
1.025), then increased to its highest level in 2002 (CPE = 2.024, and nearly 2 times higher than the 1985-
1994 average). Since then, CPE declined to the lowest recorded and the 2009 CPE (CPE=0.363) is an
82.1% decrease compared to the 2002 peak. This decline coincides with an exponential increase of round
goby in angler catches. Through the 2008 season, some anglers changed their fishing strategy to avoid
gobies and maintained acceptable bass catch rates. Beginning in 2009, however, these same anglers were
continuing to avoid catching gobies but were unable to catch or even find smallmouth bass. Currently, the
perception among the majority of bass anglers is that the bass population along the southern shore has
declined. Anglers attribute the decline to VHSv die offs and recruitment failure (a consequence of perceived
excessive goby predation on eggs). The current status of the southern shore bass populations is unknown.
Many factors that affect Lake Ontario’s southern shore fish populations are also present and are affecting
Lake Ontario’s Eastern Outlet Basin and Lake Erie, including, invasive species (round goby, VHSv,
Dreissenid mussels, etc.), nutrient changes, and water clarity changes. Unlike the southern shore, however,
both regions continue to provide quality bass angling. Reports to NYSDEC from anglers that target bass
in these regions indicate that Lake Ontario’s Eastern Outlet Basin and Lake Erie continue to provide good
quality bass fisheries and high quality bass. In recent years many anglers are reporting catches of the largest
bass ever caught in those regions, which agrees with growth and condition information collected during
gillnetting assessment.