Little York Lake
Little York is a deep lake located in Cortland County near the Hamlet of Preble. Little York offers a diverse fishery with its deep cool water and plentiful shallow warmer water areas.
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Physical Features
Elevation: 1,200 feet
Area: 102 acres
Length: 1.1 miles
Maximum Depth: 75 feet
Plant Life
The lake has significant rooted aquatic vegetation with most of the south end, eastern shoreline and bays having thick weed growth out to about 18 feet of water.
Public Access Sites
Off of Route 281 at Dwyer Memorial Park (a Cortland County Park). Beach launch.
General Fishing Information
Little York Lake has a two-story fishery with both cold and warm water gamefish present. Rainbow and brown trout make up the cold water fishery and can be caught in the spring by trolling or casting with small spoons and spinners. Trout can also be caught in the spring by fishing live bait under bobbers. During the warm summer months trout can be found suspended in the deep cold water in the middle of the lake. Largemouth bass can be found around the shoreline in the available weed cover. There are some quality sized, 20 inch bass, caught each year out of the lake. Good baits are rubber worms, tube baits, topwater baits, lipless crankbaits and live minnows. Chain pickerel can also be caught in the same areas and on the same baits as the bass. Bluegill, pumpkinseeds, black crappie, yellow perch, brown bullhead and rock bass are also found in the lake. Fishing along the weed edges with worms or small jigs will work for all of these. Common carp are also plentiful in the lake and can be caught on corn, dough balls or worms.
Fisheries Management
Little York is stocked in the spring with approximately 800 year-old brown trout and 5,000 year-old rainbow trout.
Special Fishing Regulations
Special fishing regulations exist for trout on all waters in Cortland County. Please review your fishing regulations guide for details.
