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240,143-acre section. Oswego to the Salmon River at Pulaski: the heart of the king fishery, with staging fish stacking off the river mouths from late summer on. The lake tops out around 630 ft. The depth chart is built from real NOAA hydrographic survey soundings, so the humps, channels and drop-offs you see are measured, not guessed. Here is how the season plays out for each species, straight from the data behind the map.
Spring puts chinook salmon in skinny water — 5 to 40 ft is the zone. As the season builds they drop to 50 to 120 ft, wintering in 30 to 90 ft. Spring chinook salmon concentrate at Oswego River mouth, a prime-rated inflow / creek mouth around 1 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. A flasher + fly (green/white) or a magnum spoon on downrigger covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Oswego River mouth (1 ft) | Trolled spoon (orange/gold), Stickbait off planer boards |
| Summer | 50 to 120 ft | dawn & dusk | Deep break (98 ft) | Flasher + fly (green/white), Magnum spoon on downrigger |
| Fall | 10 to 50 ft | dawn & dusk | Oswego River mouth (1 ft) | J-plug (glow), Flasher + fly |
| Winter | 30 to 90 ft | midday | Deep break (98 ft) | Small spoon on a slow troll, Stickbait deep |
Start shallow in spring: coho salmon sit in 3 to 25 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 30 to 70 ft, and winter fish settle into 20 to 60 ft. The spot to know is Oswego River mouth, an inflow / creek mouth in about 1 ft of water that rates prime for coho salmon in spring. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. Throw a dodger + fly or a medium spoon above the thermocline until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Oswego River mouth (1 ft) | Small orange dodger + peanut fly, Thin spoon (orange/silver) |
| Summer | 30 to 70 ft | dawn & dusk | Offshore hump (62 ft) | Dodger + fly, Medium spoon above the thermocline |
| Fall | 8 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Oswego River mouth (1 ft) | Casting spoon, Spinner (chartreuse) |
| Winter | 20 to 60 ft | midday | Deep hole (1 ft) | Small spoon, slow troll |
Come spring, look for steelhead tight to the bank in 3 to 20 ft. They move out to 5 to 45 ft in summer and finish the year down in 4 to 15 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Deep hole: a deep basin around 1 ft that scores prime in summer. Best bite is early morning and the evening. An orange dodger + fly high in the column or a thin spoon off boards is the honest summer answer here.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Oswego River mouth (1 ft) | Small spoon or spinner at the mouths, Jig + waxworm under float |
| Summer | 5 to 45 ft | dawn & dusk | Deep hole (1 ft) | Orange dodger + fly high in the column, Thin spoon off boards |
| Fall | 5 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Oswego River mouth (1 ft) | Spinner (silver/blue), Casting spoon |
| Winter | 4 to 15 ft | midday | Oswego River mouth (1 ft) | Float jig (black/purple), Bead rig |
When the water first warms, brown trout slide up into 3 to 25 ft. Summer is a 25 to 60 ft game here, winter a 5 to 35 ft one. Start at Oswego River mouth. It's an inflow / creek mouth holding about 1 ft of water and rates prime come spring. The feeding windows run after dark and early morning. Keep a spoon at the thermocline or a deep stickbait (night) rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Oswego River mouth (1 ft) | Stickbait off planer boards (shallow), Small spoon along mud lines |
| Summer | 25 to 60 ft | night & dawn | Offshore hump (62 ft) | Spoon at the thermocline, Deep stickbait (night) |
| Fall | 5 to 30 ft | dusk & dawn | Oswego River mouth (1 ft) | Jerkbait over gravel, Casting spoon |
| Winter | 5 to 35 ft | dawn | Oswego River mouth (1 ft) | Jigging spoon, Small stickbait (slow) |
In spring, lake trout run shallow here, mostly 10 to 40 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 50 to 120 ft, and winter fish settle into 20 to 80 ft. Rock reef is the standout, a rock pile at roughly 10 ft, rated prime for fall lake trout. Time it for early morning. You won't need more than a white tube jig (deep) or a magnum spoon on downrigger most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 10 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Rock reef (10 ft) | Casting spoon over shoals, Jerkbait (shallow) |
| Summer | 50 to 120 ft | dawn | Offshore hump (62 ft) | White tube jig (deep), Magnum spoon on downrigger |
| Fall | 10 to 50 ft | dusk & dawn | Rock reef (10 ft) | Heavy casting spoon, Jigging rap over reefs |
| Winter | 20 to 80 ft | dawn | Offshore hump (62 ft) | White tube jig, Airplane jig |
In spring, landlocked salmon run shallow here, mostly 1 to 15 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 25 to 60 ft before dropping to 10 to 40 ft for winter. Spring landlocked salmon concentrate at Oswego River mouth, a prime-rated inflow / creek mouth around 1 ft. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. You won't need more than a dodger + streamer down deep or a thin spoon on lead core most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Oswego River mouth (1 ft) | Streamer flies (Grey Ghost) off boards, Thin spoon (Mooselook style) |
| Summer | 25 to 60 ft | dawn & dusk | Offshore hump (62 ft) | Dodger + streamer down deep, Thin spoon on lead core |
| Fall | 5 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Oswego River mouth (1 ft) | Casting spoon at the mouths, Streamers |
| Winter | 10 to 40 ft | dawn | Deep hole (1 ft) | Small jigging spoon, Swedish pimple + smelt |
Lake Ontario - Oswego and Mexico Bay also holds white perch (15 to 40 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
36 pieces of structure are mapped here — Deepest basin, around 610 ft, is the deepest of them.
Access data: New York State DEC — Boat Launches (FishNY). Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for New York waters are set by the New York DEC — and special regulations can apply to Lake Ontario - Oswego and Mexico Bay specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official New York fishing regulations →
Lake Ontario - Oswego and Mexico Bay is about 630 ft (192 m) deep at its deepest point. The depth chart here comes from real NOAA hydrographic surveys, so the contours reflect measured depths.
Anglers target chinook salmon, coho salmon, steelhead, brown trout, lake trout, landlocked salmon, white perch on Lake Ontario - Oswego and Mexico Bay.
Oswego River mouth is the top-rated area: an inflow / creek mouth in about 1 ft of water that rates prime for landlocked salmon in spring. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
For chinook salmon, the summer bite is best in early morning and the evening. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Fishing on Lake Ontario - Oswego and Mexico Bay is regulated by the New York DEC. Check the official New York regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Lake Neatahwanta 14 mi · South Sandy Pond 19 mi · Salmon River 22 mi · Otter Lake 25 mi · Duck Lake 25 mi · Cross Lake 26 mi · Sixtown Pond 31 mi · Onondaga Lake 32 mi · Lake Ontario - Henderson Harbor and Golden Crescent 34 mi · Oneida Lake 36 mi · Green Lake 42 mi · Jamesville Reservoir 43 mi
See how Lake Ontario - Oswego and Mexico Bay stacks up: best chinook salmon lakes in New York · best steelhead lakes in New York · best lake trout lakes in New York · best brown trout lakes in New York
Browse all New York fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: NOAA hydrographic surveys. How we build these maps. Fish here with a sonar unit that logs? Send us your depth data and we'll improve this chart, credited to you. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.