Best landlocked salmon lakes in New York
32 New York waters hold landlocked salmon, 31 mapped with real state-agency depth surveys. Ranked below by size and depth-data quality — open any water to see exactly where to fish it: depth contours, scored spots with plain-English reasons, seasonal windows and bait picks. Lake-dwelling Atlantic salmon that lives and dies by the smelt run. Ice-out surface fishing at its finest.
- Lake Ontario — Oswego and Mexico Bay — 630 ft max · survey depth data · Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Steelhead, Lake TroutWhy #1: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 7 public access sites, 1 carry-in or shore-oriented
- Lake Champlain — 392 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #2: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 15 public access sites, 3 carry-in or shore-oriented
- Lake Ontario — Niagara Bar and Western Shore — 584 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Yellow Perch, Chinook SalmonWhy #3: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 8 public access sites, 2 carry-in or shore-oriented
- Lake Ontario — Rochester Shore — 723 ft max · survey depth data · Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Steelhead, Lake TroutWhy #4: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 3 public access sites, 1 carry-in or shore-oriented
- Cayuga Lake — 435 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, CrappieWhy #5: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 9 public access sites, 1 carry-in or shore-oriented
- Keuka Lake — 187 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, CrappieWhy #6: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites, 1 carry-in or shore-oriented
- Lake George — 187 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, CrappieWhy #7: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 4 public access sites
- Skaneateles Lake — 300 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Bluegill, Yellow PerchWhy #8: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites
- Indian Lake — 88 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, Yellow Perch, Lake TroutWhy #9: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 3 public access sites, 2 carry-in or shore-oriented
- Tupper Lake — 85 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Yellow PerchWhy #10: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
- Schroon Lake — 150 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, CrappieWhy #11: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 3 public access sites
- Raquette Lake — 95 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Yellow Perch, Lake Trout, Brook TroutWhy #12: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site, 1 carry-in or shore-oriented
- Otsego Lake — 166 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, BluegillWhy #13: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites, 1 carry-in or shore-oriented
- Forked Lake — 74 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Yellow Perch, Lake TroutWhy #14: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites
- Fourth Lake — 80 ft max · survey depth data · Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch, Lake Trout, Landlocked SalmonWhy #15: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 3 public access sites, 2 carry-in or shore-oriented
- Chazy Lake — 78 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Yellow Perch, Lake Trout, Brook TroutWhy #16: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
- Upper Chateaugay Lake — 70 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch, Lake TroutWhy #17: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
- Blue Mountain Lake — 100 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Yellow Perch, Lake Trout, Landlocked SalmonWhy #18: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
- Lake Clear — 60 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Yellow Perch, Landlocked SalmonWhy #19: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
- Lake Eaton — 50 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch, Lake TroutWhy #20: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
- Lake Lila — 60 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Yellow Perch, Lake Trout, Brook TroutWhy #21: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site, 1 carry-in or shore-oriented
- Lake of the Woods — 87 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, CrappieWhy #22: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
- Lake Colby — 46 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Rainbow Trout, Yellow PerchWhy #23: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site, 1 carry-in or shore-oriented
- Lake Adirondack — 16 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch, Lake TroutWhy #24: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site, 1 carry-in or shore-oriented
- West Caroga Lake — 70 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch, Landlocked SalmonWhy #25: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
…plus 7 more New York waters holding landlocked salmon.
Find the closest landlocked salmon waters to you →
How to use this ranking
The order is a map-planning ranking, not a claim about today's fish population. It favors larger mapped waters and gives survey-backed contours a three-times data-quality boost. Agency population surveys, current regulations, access and recent conditions should make the final decision.
Compare maximum depth across 37,233 lake records · See New York waters with public access data
When to fish landlocked salmon in New York
- Spring 1–15 ft — The legendary ice-out bite: salmon follow spawning smelt to tributary mouths and windblown shorelines, right on the surface.
- Summer 25–60 ft — Salmon hold just above the thermocline with the smelt schools — depth control decides the day.
- Fall 5–30 ft — Turnover scatters bait and salmon shallow; spawners stage off tributary mouths, hot-tempered and territorial.
- Winter 10–40 ft — Where winter seasons allow, salmon cruise for smelt under the ice — sewn bait near a drop is the classic set.
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Landlocked Salmon elsewhere: Ontario · Sweden · Québec · Finland · Maine · New Hampshire · New Brunswick · Connecticut · Vermont