Finger Lakes Angler Diary Cooperator Program
Finger Lakes Angler Diary Cooperative Program
Welcome to the Finger Lakes Angler Diary Program. This volunteer program involves anglers who record their Finger Lakes fishing trip and catch information in diaries we provide. Data from this program provides DEC biologists with invaluable information which help guide our management efforts on the Finger Lakes. The angler diary program originally started in 1963 on Cayuga and Skaneateles Lakes and then expanded to include all 11 of the Finger Lakes. This program has been long running thanks to the dedicated efforts of our volunteer angler cooperators. The Finger Lakes span nine counties and two DEC Regions. The lakes from east to west are: (DEC Region 7) Otisco, Owasco, Skaneateles, Cayuga, (DEC Region 8) Seneca, Keuka, Canandaigua, Honeoye, Canadice, Hemlock, and Conesus. New angler cooperators are always needed to make our annual statistics more reliable. Please consider joining, even if you only fish a couple of times a year, because any information you provide is helpful.
Data Collection
Angler diary cooperators are asked to record trip information in diary booklets we provide. Every trip should be recorded even if no fish are caught. Each trip should include: water fished, a start time and end time, number of anglers, type of fishing, target species, species caught, length, whether each landed fish was kept or released, and any marks or fin clips on coldwater species. If there are no markings or fin clips, anglers should be sure to visibly write "NO MARKS."
Example of angler diary pages.
If any information is missing or incomplete on a page, it cannot be used as reliable data and the information from that trip will be excluded from the analysis. Therefore, anglers are encouraged to fill out all the information clearly and as indicated on the example page in the diary booklet. At the end of the year the diary keepers are provided with a postage-paid envelope to send their diary back to us. After we collect the information from the diaries, we will return them to the anglers with a summary of that year's data, along with a new diary for next season's fishing trips.
Data Use
Data collected from the diaries is compiled into a database. The data is used to determine growth rates, stocked fish recruitment, angler effort, angler success rates, percentage of wild or stocked and harvest rates. The information collected from the angler diaries, along with data from our sampling efforts, helps guide our management decisions on each body of water.
2021 Angler Diary Reports
Region 7
Region 8
Canadice and Hemlock Lakes (PDF)
Sign up to be a diary cooperator
To learn more about the diary program contact either the Region 7 Fisheries office at (607) 753-3095 ext.213 or email us at fwfish7@dec.ny.gov or the Region 8 Fisheries Office at (585) 226-5343 or fwfish8@dec.ny.gov.
If emailing please provide us with your name, address and the lake(s) for which you would like to record your fishing trips. Because we have separate diaries for coldwater lakes and tributaries, and warmwater lakes, please specify which type or types you regularly do so that we can send the appropriate books(s). Thank you for your interest and your help!
