Fishing at Ithaca Reservoir, Tompkins County, New York

• Overview

  Set in Tompkins County, Ithaca Reservoir is a New York water. It lies 715 feet above sea level. Surface area is around 44 acres, which gives you real water without needing a boat. The edge runs 1.1 miles or so, easy to work in an afternoon. East Ithaca sits 2 miles from the bank. Then South Hill, 2.1 miles, and Ithaca, 2.6 miles. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Ithaca Reservoir

  Depth is not on record here, which means reading the ground instead. Held water runs deepest at the wall and shallows back to the inflow. Rip-rap along the wall holds fish that the open bank never does. Reported across Tompkins County: white sucker, tessellated darter, pumpkinseed, fantail darter and brown trout. County records show what lives in the area; the local agency holds the water-by-water list. The near bank of Ithaca Reservoir is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 68°F, with January the cold end at about 22°F. Winter puts a hard lid on this one. Winter locks it down, and early April brings it back. The open-water window runs from around early April to about mid December in an average year. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. At Ithaca Reservoir the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. There is recorded parking some half a mile off. East Ithaca Nature Preserve covers this ground, which means extra rules to check. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Rules for this water may differ from the county norm. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. If the gate is shut, Beebe Lake at 2.7 miles is the nearest alternative. Treat access at Ithaca Reservoir as something to verify.