Place to Fish

Quaker Lake

Quaker Lake is a 268 acre man-made lake located in Allegany State Park. It was formed in 1968 by impounding Quaker Run. It has a bottom primarily of mud with some cobble and gravel. The shoreline is virtually undeveloped and consists primarily of mowed fields with some wooded areas.

Physical Features:

Elevation: 1,365 feet
Area: 268 acres
Shoreline Length: 3.8 miles
Max Depth: 40 feet
Mean Depth: 15 feet
County and Town: Cattaraugus County, Town of Cold Spring

Access:

Fishing access is nearly unlimited with shoreline fishing allowed around the entire lake, except for the swimming area. There is a launch for small trailered boats, canoes and kayaks located at the north end of the lake near the dam.

For more information on this launch including Google Maps driving directions, visit the Boat Launch Sites for Cattaraugus County page.

Fish Species:

Brown trout, largemouth and smallmouth bass, northern pike, yellow perch, bluegill, pumpkinseed, rock bass, brown bullhead.

Fishing:

Trout: Quaker Lake is stocked every spring with yearling brown trout and two-year-old brown trout. Surplus hatchery breeders are also stocked in the fall of most years. The trout fishery is essentially a put-and-take fishery since there is little holdover of trout. Ice fishing for trout is permitted.

Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass: Quaker Lake provides good fishing for both smallmouth bass and largemouth bass. As the lake's dominant predator, smallmouth bass are plentiful, and the population is well balanced. Largemouth bass are generally present in lower numbers, although there are decent numbers of sizeable largemouth cruising the lake. Bass anglers have success with spinner baits, surface plugs, plastic worms, and crank baits, as well as live bait such as crayfish or worms.

Northern Pike: There is a small but growing population of northern pike in Quaker Lake. Fish up to 40 inches surprise anglers targeting bass or trout in the summer. Anglers target northern pike while ice fishing and have good success.

Panfish: Yellow perch and bluegill are the lake's dominant panfish, with some pumpkinseed, rock bass and brown bullhead as well. Yellow perch were highly abundant in 2013, consisting mostly of young, small fish. Perch are slow growing in Quaker, but are expected to provide improving fishing opportunities in the near future. Bluegill are present in decent numbers; however anglers generally catch few keeper sized fish. Overall, panfish abundance is limited, due to lack of perennial beds of aquatic vegetation and the lower fertility of the lake. Live baits including worms and minnows work well for panfish; rock bass are also fond of small crayfish.