The Conesus Inlet WMA is a 1,100 acre territory owned by the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) with roughly nine miles of well-maintained trails through several productive freshwater habitats. For more information on all of these trails, you can read more about the [Conesus Inlet WMA here](https://exploregeneseevalley.com/entries/conesus-inlet-wildlife-management-area/51b85e67-6a3f-49b1-bce4-e4903928f332). ### **When to visit:** ![A northern pike enters shallow waters approaching the jump wall | Photo credit: Dwight Folts](https://cdn.elebase.io/b2174436-136b-44ff-8e90-91b9bd22047b/893498b2-2e3a-479f-8646-ab2c4ee42b39-conesus-inlet-wma_northern-pike-walleye_spring-spawning_photo-credit-dwight-folts-2.png) Holding a hot thermos on the bank of Conesus Inlet, the churning water looks cold and lifeless. Then, a dorsal fin. And another. Shadows as long as your forearm hang in the muddy swirls, then burst from the shadows and try to jump the falling water. Slowly but surely, the largest predator fish of Conesus Lake are swimming upstream to breed. These are northern pike and walleye. Normally, they hunt invisibly in the depths of Conesus, the westernmost Finger Lake. But for these transitional weeks of winter to spring, they are gathering in their masses to jump a small dam and lay their eggs in the shallow, marshy waters of Conesus Lake Wildlife Management Area, where the hatchlings will be safe from most predators. Timing is everything. A good rule of thumb is that the spawn typically starts roughly three weeks after all of the ice has melted off of Conesus Lake. Be sure to also follow @exploregeneseevalley on social media and we'll let you know when the pike start their spawning run! ### **Best Viewing Sites:** ![An array of northern pike and walleye make their way up the Conesus Inlet – Photo credit: Dwight Folts](https://cdn.elebase.io/b2174436-136b-44ff-8e90-91b9bd22047b/9d170f00-f063-4c1c-8fdc-be8184e98f14-conesus-inlet-wma_northern-pike-walleye_spring-spawning_photo-credit-dwight-folts-4.png) Fortunately for us, there are several spots to grab a front-row seat to this natural spectacle. Before heading out be sure to check the local forecast as spring temperatures can fluctuate quickly. We recommend dressing in layers and wearing a pair of boots with good traction that can handle muddy conditions. For a full day of fun, hit all three of these spots! **1. [Conesus Fish Walk](https://exploregeneseevalley.com/entries/conesus-fish-walk/11209085-d668-439c-ad68-9d85a6342b77)- *Best for young kids!*** The Conesus Fish Walk is a very short (less than 1/10th of a mile) paved and accessible walkway that leads from a parking area on the south side of Sliker Hill Road to an overlook of the dam that controls the flow of water into Conesus Lake. Watching these huge fish leap over the dam wall is quite a spectacle! If you're looking for a longer walk, you can continue on to the [Conesus Dike Way](https://exploregeneseevalley.com/entries/conesus-dike-way/1e93f5e9-bb7c-4c5a-8833-b3778fc0ed72).

**2. Sliker Hill Road Viewing Platform - *Best for easy, roadside viewing!*** Located at that same Sliker Hill Road parking area are two accessible viewing platforms on either side of the road that look out over some of the Inlet's most narrow waters and offers some of the best spawning action siting.

**3. [Conesus Inlet Trail](https://exploregeneseevalley.com/entries/conesus-inlet-trail/18a4b704-18f2-4cfb-a71b-04a2041e2842) - *Ideal for the adventurer!*** The Conesus Inlet Trail is a 2.72 mile interpretive loop trail that meanders through varying habitats and offers lots of opportunity for birdwatching and other wildlife viewing. At its farthest point, the trail leads to where the Conesus Inlet flows north into Conesus Lake offering a beautiful vantage point of the lake and opportunity to see the fish spawning.

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***Note:*** As a wildlife management area, the Conesus Inlet WMA's primary purpose is wildlife management, wildlife habitat management, and wildlife-dependent recreation. Please stay on the designated and marked trails to preserve this habitat that a rich population of plants and animals call home. There is no fishing allowed during the spawn, but this area is a popular fishing area from May until ice fishing season. ### More Wildlife Viewing at Conesus Inlet WMA: ![Photo credit: Kellie Shepherd Moeller](https://cdn.elebase.io/b2174436-136b-44ff-8e90-91b9bd22047b/3f1e1586-9c71-479c-b6d2-366e13354a80-070220-eagle3.jpg) Northern Pike and Walleye are the longest fish species in Conesus Lake. They are stars of this springtime spawning show and top prizes for ice anglers in the winter. Though pike are not popular meat fish, walleye are treasured in the kitchen. In the ecosystem, these fish are at the top of the fish food chain. Minnows and newborn fish pick tiny bits of plankton, sunfish eat the smaller fish, bass eat the sunfish, and pike and walleye eat everything they can catch, sometimes even ducklings. Their appetite and long, sharp teeth have earned pike the nickname "water wolf." Once they are adult size, pike and walleye are normally only eaten by raptors like ospreys and bald eagles. Ospreys and bald eagles are easy to spot from hiking trails near the spawning site on Conesus. Watch the tops of dead trees for ospreys, eagles, and red-tailed hawks, and check smaller branches for kingfishers. Check the hut-like muskrat houses and beaver lodges for signs of not only beavers and muskrats but turtles, frogs, and many, many species of songbirds.

Where to Watch Conesus Lake's Predator Fish Jump and Spawn