Little Sodus Bay, located in Fair Haven, NY, is a 750 acre bay off Lake Ontario. Fair Haven Beach State Park borders a section of the north east shore of the bay.
Physical Features:
Elevation: 200 feet
Area: 750 acres
Shoreline Length: 7.4 miles
Length: 2.3 miles
Maximum Depth: 35 feet
County and Town: Cayuga County, Town of Sterling
Aquatic Plant Life:
Very abundant rooted aquatic vegetation around the perimeter.
Access:
Fair Haven Beach State Park - North of Fair Haven off State Park Road. Hard-surface ramp; 150 cars and trailers. 315-947-5205.
Village of Fair Haven Ramps - One on King Street; one on Cottage Street off Route 104A, southwest of Fair Haven.
For more information on launches including Google Maps driving directions, visit the Boat Launch Sites for Cayuga County page.
Fish Species:
Largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, northern pike, black crappie, rock bass, yellow perch, bluegill, pumpkinseed sunfish, bowfin, longnose gar, common carp, white sucker, brown bullhead and alewives. Chinook salmon, brown trout and steelhead can also be found in the bay at times.
Fishing:
Try for brown trout off the piers and bullhead or yellow perch in the shallows in early spring, or smallmouth and largemouth bass in late spring and summer. Ice fishing can be excellent for northern pike and yellow perch. Sterling Creek, which flows into Lake Ontario via The Pond at Fair Haven Beach State Park, is a good steelhead producer.
Regulations:
Lake Ontario Fishing Regulations Apply.
Fisheries Management:
Chinook salmon (25,000) and steelhead (4,250) are pen raised at the Bayside Marina and then stocked into Lake Ontario. Pen stocking is a cooperative effort between the NYSDEC and area sportsman groups. Pen stocking allows recently stocked fish a chance to acclimate to their new surroundings and offers some protection from predators. Fish and feed are provided from the NYSDEC Salmon River Fish Hatchery while area sportsmen build and maintain the pens, then feed and take care of the fish for approximately 3 weeks. The fish are subsequently released into Lake Ontario. This pen stocking program has been very successful. Additionally, Sterling Creek is stocked with 87,200 Chinook salmon and 3,260 steelhead, and Sterling Valley Creek receives 3,260 steelhead.
