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Best landlocked salmon lakes in New York

45 New York waters list landlocked salmon (official records or labelled estimates), 44 mapped with survey or official-chart depth data. Ranked below by size and depth-data quality, leading with the waters in our reviewed search catalog — 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.

1. Lake Ontario — Oswego and Mexico Bay — 630 ft max · real survey depth contours · 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
2. Lake Champlain — 392 ft max · real survey depth contours · 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
3. Lake Ontario — Niagara Bar and Western Shore — 584 ft max · real survey depth contours · 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
4. Lake Ontario — Rochester Shore — 723 ft max · real survey depth contours · 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
5. Cayuga Lake — 435 ft max · real survey depth contours · 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
6. Seneca Lake — 618 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #6: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 8 public access sites
7. Keuka Lake — 187 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, CrappieWhy #7: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites, 1 carry-in or shore-oriented
8. Lake George — 187 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, CrappieWhy #8: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 4 public access sites
9. Skaneateles Lake — 300 ft max · real survey depth contours · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Bluegill, Rainbow TroutWhy #9: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites
10. Indian Lake — 88 ft max · real survey depth contours · Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, Yellow Perch, Lake TroutWhy #10: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 3 public access sites, 2 carry-in or shore-oriented
11. Tupper Lake — 85 ft max · real survey depth contours · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, MuskellungeWhy #11: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
12. Schroon Lake — 150 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, CrappieWhy #12: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 3 public access sites
13. Raquette Lake — 95 ft max · real survey depth contours · Smallmouth Bass, Yellow Perch, Lake Trout, Brook TroutWhy #13: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site, 1 carry-in or shore-oriented
14. Otsego Lake — 166 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, BluegillWhy #14: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites, 1 carry-in or shore-oriented
15. Forked Lake — 74 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Yellow Perch, Lake TroutWhy #15: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites
16. Fourth Lake — 80 ft max · real survey depth contours · Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch, Lake Trout, Landlocked SalmonWhy #16: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 3 public access sites, 2 carry-in or shore-oriented
17. Neversink Reservoir — 166 ft max · real survey depth contours · Smallmouth Bass, Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Landlocked SalmonWhy #17: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
18. Chazy Lake — 78 ft max · real survey depth contours · Smallmouth Bass, Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch, Lake TroutWhy #18: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
19. Upper Chateaugay Lake — 70 ft max · real survey depth contours · Smallmouth Bass, Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch, Lake TroutWhy #19: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
20. West Branch Reservoir — 52 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Bluegill, Rainbow TroutWhy #20: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
21. Paradox Lake — 55 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, Rainbow TroutWhy #21: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
22. Taylor Pond — 90 ft max · real survey depth contours · Rainbow Trout, Lake Trout, Landlocked SalmonWhy #22: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
23. Blue Mountain Lake — 100 ft max · real survey depth contours · Smallmouth Bass, Yellow Perch, Lake Trout, Brook TroutWhy #23: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
24. Lake Ozonia — 50 ft max · real survey depth contours · Smallmouth Bass, Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch, Brown TroutWhy #24: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site, 1 carry-in or shore-oriented
25. Lake Clear — 60 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Yellow Perch, Brown TroutWhy #25: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached

…plus 20 more New York waters holding landlocked salmon.

Find the closest landlocked salmon waters to you →

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