Oneida Lake is north of Syracuse. To get there, take Interstate 81 north from the city to exits 30 (Cicero), 31 (Brewerton) or 32 (Central Square). The first two provide easy access to the south shore, while the third leads to Route 49 on the north shore. Oneida is serviced by a quartet of public fishing accesses, including the Onondaga County-owned Oneida Shores Park on Bartell Road and the state-operated Oneida South Shore, Threemile Bay and Godfrey Point launches.

The DEC Region 7 fishing hotline, (607) 753-1551, usually references Oneida Lake conditions in its weekly update.

OTISCO LAKE
All of the Finger Lakes offer good bass fishing, but Otisco Lake seems to have come into its own in recent seasons. Smallmouths and largemouths averaging about 15 inches in length are par for the course in Otisco, but the annual fishing derby conducted by the Otisco Lake Rod and Gun Club on the opening day of the statewide bass season usually draws several entrants in the 18- to 20-inch range.

Otisco, the easternmost of the 11 Finger Lakes, is the third smallest body of water in the picturesque chain at a bit over 2,200 acres. It has a maximum depth of 76 feet and a mean depth of 34 feet.

Like Lake George, Otisco Lake can be dissected into two separate basins for angling purposes. The six-mile-long lake is girdled about a mile from its south end by an old roadbed known as "the causeway." South of that riprapped, tree-lined structure, the water is less than 6 feet deep in most spots and as muddy as any Southern bayou. It's a good place to cast for largemouths with buzzbaits, surface chuggers or slow-sinking jerkbaits.

North of the causeway, Otisco is much clearer and deeper, with several notable points and sharp dropoffs along both shores. Here, smallmouths dominate.

Located off state Route 174 south of U.S. Route 20 in southern Onondaga County, Otisco Lake has no public boat launch on its shores except for a small parcel on the west end of the causeway where cartop craft may be carried to the water. However, private ramps at the Otisco Lake Marina and Ryfun's restaurant, both on the east shore via Otisco Valley Road, are reasonably priced.

SODUS BAY
Smile and wave a lot as your bass boat skims past the summer camps that line the shore of Sodus Bay, for being on friendly terms with the natives is one of the keys to consistent success in that Wayne County hotspot. Some of the biggest bucketmouths in the bay like to hide out beneath shady docks and tethered swimming rafts. You won't regret being polite, for most Sodus residents are aware of the treasures the bay holds, and get a charge out of watching visitors catch and release local lunkers.

Sodus Bay is a 3,000-acre cut in the south shore of Lake Ontario. To get there, take the Thruway east from Rochester or west from Syracuse to the Geneva exit. Go north on Route 14. At Alton, turn right onto county Route 143, which leads to the Bay Bridge at the south end of the bay, or continue north on Route 14 to the village of Sodus Point. Free launching is available at the town of Sodus and Sodus Point Park ramps, and there are also several private marinas around the rim of the bay.

Although the bay has a maximum depth of 44 feet, it is dominated by shallow, weedy habitat, and one can't go wrong by working the inside edge of weeds early in the season.

One very productive strategy on the bay calls for "dead-sticking" soft plastic jerkbaits into weedy pockets. Let the bait sink, keep a tight line and set the hook hard when you feel a tap.