Conesus Lake is eight miles (13 km) long, with a maximum depth of 66 feet (20 m).

The first steamboat on Conesus Lake was named the "Jessie" launched July 1, 1874, after the Civil War.

In August 2006, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation confirmed that the lake was the first outside the contiguous Great Lakes waterways to be stricken with a new strain of viral hemorrhagic septicemia (VHS), an infectious fish disease responsible for mass die-offs of many species, but not linked to any human health concerns.

The festivities typically start at dusk, with approximately 10,000 flares lit at 10:00 PM.

When frozen over in the winter, Conesus Lake is used for snowmobiling and ice fishing.