Photo by J. Michael Kelly

Razor-toothed northern pike are so common in the Empire State's lakes and rivers that the New York Department of Environmental Conservation's main worry is keeping them where they belong.

Because pike are such voracious feeders, explained Rich Preall, DEC Region 5 aquatic biologist, newly introduced northerns can quickly take over waters that formerly were dominated by other game fish.

Consequently, the state does not raise pike in its hatcheries and has rarely transplanted northerns from one lake to another. Many fishermen aren't so cautious.

"Pike somehow show up in lots of places where we didn't put them," Preall said.

For example, northerns now thrive in Fourth Lake, several years after an unauthorized release by some unknown "bait bucket biologist." Herkimer County pike anglers aren't complaining, but local trout fishers are, because the toothy newcomers have decimated Fourth Lake's rainbows and landlocked salmon.

Educating the angling public, therefore, is an important aspect of the DEC's pike management program. Another keystone of the plan is protection of shallow-water spawning habitats from shoreline development and fluctuating water levels stemming from hydroelectric power generation. Regulatory adjustments are part of the deal, too. In a few waters, biologists have lowered or raised the minimum creel length for pike to nudge local fisheries in the right direction.

This cautious strategy has yielded some remarkable angling opportunities in hundreds of waters, including the following gems:

SILVER LAKE
Without question, Silver Lake is one of the premier pike waters in western New York. The 761-acre fishing hole in Wyoming County has everything a growing northern pike could want, including a rich forage base of alewives and perch and thick weeds to serve as spawning and ambush cover.

Most Silver Lake pike weigh less than 6 pounds, but specimens measuring more than 36 inches and tipping the scales at 12 to 15 pounds are fairly common.

The lake is about five miles northwest of the famous Letchworth Gorge State Park in the town of Castile. To get there from Buffalo, take the Thruway east to the Batavia exit, and then head southeast on Route 63. Just before the Genesee-Wyoming county line, bear right on Route 246, which leads south to Perry. That village is about one-half mile west of the lake's north shore.

For such a cozy spot, Silver Lake has ample access. In addition to several private marinas along the shore, there's a public boat launch in Silver Lake State Park off West Lake Road.

A Silver Lake contour map is available from the DEC's Region 9 office at (716) 372-0645, and the Wyoming County Tourism Promotion office at (716) 493-3190 is happy to help readers locate nearby lodging.

CONESUS LAKE
There is no place in New York where an angler can count on hooking a 30-pound pike, but Conesus Lake is one of a handful of waters where northerns that size are known to swim. DEC biologists have actually handled such fish during local netting forays.

Conesus anglers catch whoppers of 15 to 20 pounds annually, but most of the lake's northerns are 20 to 30 inches long and weigh between 2 and 8 pounds. The minimum creel length for pike in Conesus, as in the other Finger Lakes, is 22 inches, compared to the statewide standard of 18 inches. Anglers may keep five pike per day, the statewide limit.

Part of the Finger Lakes chain, Conesus covers about 3,420 surface acres and has a maximum depth of 69 feet. The extensive weedbeds at both its north and south ends are good places to start trolling or casting for lunkers in July. Other likely spots include the large cove between McPherson and Old Orchard points on the east shore and the weeds off Cottonwood Point on the west side of the lake.

Conesus Lake is about 25 miles south of Rochester via Route 390 (the Genesee Expressway) and Route 20A. The DEC Region 8 office in Avon at (585) 226-2466 will supply anglers with a simple contour map of the lake.