Where to Find Salmon in Lake Ontario Tributaries

Fall in western New York mean one thing to fishermen, it's salmon time. The tributaries to Lake Ontario start to swell with these monsters as they make their up streams and rivers to spawn. This makes the fish readily available to anglers and with the numerous Lake Ontario tributaries one only needs to figure out where to go. Here's a list of the best places to chase salmon around Lake Ontario.

The best place to start would have to be the Salmon River in Pulaski, NY. With the perfect name, the Salmon River also boasts a fish hatchery that raises the salmon and we know salmon try to return where they were born so the Salmon River gets the heaviest runs of salmon every year. The river also is a classic looking trout or salmon stream, it has abundant runs, pools, and riffles. The river also has ample parking access, however there is a section on the lower river that is a pay to fish section. For most anglers the Salmon River is the only place to go.

Just to the west of the Salmon River is the Oswego River. Now the Oswego River is a bigger river, but only offers a short section of fishing for salmon. The salmon can only run about one mile upstream before they encounter an impassible dam. However, the one mile the Oswego River does provide gets a good run of fish.

The next big river heading west would be the Genesee River. The Genesee is another big tributary of lake Ontario. The Genesee runs right through the heart of the city of Rochester. Once again though the salmon can only go so far upstream before they run into an impassible barrier. Lake Ontario salmon can only go as far upstream as lower falls, but this still gives you more area to fish then the Oswego River.

Heading further west you will encounter Oak Orchard. Oak Orchard is a larger stream will a very low gradient, so there aren't many riffles or runs. The Oak does get a good run of salmon but has limited public access. Basically there are only two places to park along the river and the fish can only run about 2 miles upstream before they encounter a dam.

That is a short list of the tributaries to lake Ontario. In the fall almost any tributary you cross should have some salmon in it as long as there are no impassible boundries downstream to the lake. Fall fishing for salmon on Lake Ontario is something that all fishermen should try to encounter at least once in there lifetime, and for most it's a fall ritual. The tributaries I mentioned normally get the heaviest runs of fish, but there are many more you could try and explore.