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Altmar to the Lake Ontario estuary. The East's great salmon and steelhead river. The river tops out around 8 ft. The depth picture is modeled, anchored to the true shoreline and the water's published max depth — a scouting aid, never a chart to run a boat by. Here's the year, species by species, as the scoring engine sees it.
Traced from the shoreline, Salmon River runs 205 acres with 26.3 miles of edge. A development index of 13.1 means a maze of bays and points: far more casting targets than a round bowl of the same size. All of it is shallow-zone water — under ~15 ft across the entire basin, so the food chain has the run of the place. Call it 10.2 mi long by 1.2 mi wide at the broadest reach. The water lies in Oswego County. The nearest mapped water is South Sandy Pond, 7 mi to the northwest.
The spring pattern is a shallow one: chinook salmon in 1 to 8 ft. The depth story barely changes: 2 to 8 ft through summer, 2 to 8 ft in winter. Top water on the chart: Lowhead weir tailrace, a dam tailrace in the 7 ft range, prime in spring. Time it for early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a flasher + fly (green/white) or a magnum spoon on downrigger gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 8 ft | dawn & dusk | Lowhead weir tailrace (7 ft) | Trolled spoon (orange/gold), Stickbait off planer boards |
| Summer | 2 to 8 ft | dawn & dusk | Lowhead weir tailrace (7 ft) | Flasher + fly (green/white), Magnum spoon on downrigger |
| Fall | 2 to 8 ft | dawn & dusk | Lowhead weir tailrace (7 ft) | J-plug (glow), Flasher + fly |
| Winter | 2 to 8 ft | midday | Lowhead weir tailrace (7 ft) | Small spoon on a slow troll, Stickbait deep |
In spring, coho salmon run shallow here, mostly 1 to 8 ft. Summer keeps them at 2 to 8 ft, and they winter in 2 to 8 ft. Lowhead weir tailrace is the standout, a dam tailrace at roughly 7 ft, rated prime for spring coho salmon. Time it for early morning and the evening. You won't need more than a dodger + fly or a medium spoon above the thermocline most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 8 ft | dawn & dusk | Lowhead weir tailrace (7 ft) | Small orange dodger + peanut fly, Thin spoon (orange/silver) |
| Summer | 2 to 8 ft | dawn & dusk | Lowhead weir tailrace (7 ft) | Dodger + fly, Medium spoon above the thermocline |
| Fall | 2 to 8 ft | dawn & dusk | Lowhead weir tailrace (7 ft) | Casting spoon, Spinner (chartreuse) |
| Winter | 2 to 8 ft | midday | Lowhead weir tailrace (7 ft) | Small spoon, slow troll |
Spring steelhead on Salmon River hold shallow, usually 1 to 8 ft. Depth-wise the year is flat: 1 to 8 ft in summer, 2 to 8 ft once it turns cold. Put Lowhead weir tailrace first on the milk run — a dam tailrace near 7 ft that grades prime for spring. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with an orange dodger + fly high in the column or a thin spoon off boards.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 8 ft | dawn & dusk | Lowhead weir tailrace (7 ft) | Small spoon or spinner at the mouths, Jig + waxworm under float |
| Summer | 1 to 8 ft | dawn & dusk | Lowhead weir tailrace (7 ft) | Orange dodger + fly high in the column, Thin spoon off boards |
| Fall | 1 to 8 ft | dawn & dusk | Lowhead weir tailrace (7 ft) | Spinner (silver/blue), Casting spoon |
| Winter | 2 to 8 ft | midday | Lowhead weir tailrace (7 ft) | Float jig (black/purple), Bead rig |
Early season brown trout use the shallows, holding in 1 to 8 ft. Even in summer they hold at 2 to 8 ft; winter keeps them in 1 to 8 ft. The chart's best answer is Lowhead weir tailrace — dam tailrace, 7 ft, prime for spring. Best bite is after dark and early morning. Tie on a spoon at the thermocline or a deep stickbait (night) and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 8 ft | dawn & dusk | Lowhead weir tailrace (7 ft) | Stickbait off planer boards (shallow), Small spoon along mud lines |
| Summer | 2 to 8 ft | night & dawn | Lowhead weir tailrace (7 ft) | Spoon at the thermocline, Deep stickbait (night) |
| Fall | 1 to 8 ft | dusk & dawn | Lowhead weir tailrace (7 ft) | Jerkbait over gravel, Casting spoon |
| Winter | 1 to 8 ft | dawn | Lowhead weir tailrace (7 ft) | Jigging spoon, Small stickbait (slow) |
Count 7 structure marks on this chart. The deepest, Town Pool (Pulaski), sits near 7 ft.
Access data: New York State DEC — Boat Launches (FishNY). Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.
| Date | Species | Count | Size |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026* | Brown Trout | 470 | ~12" |
| 2026* | Brown Trout | 3,840 | ~9" |
| 2026* | Brown Trout | 560 | ~12" |
| 2026* | Brown Trout | 4,620 | ~9" |
| 2026* | Rainbow Trout | 650 | ~12" |
| 2026* | Rainbow Trout | 5,800 | ~9" |
| 2026* | Rainbow Trout | 420 | ~12" |
| 2026* | Rainbow Trout | 3,760 | ~9" |
* Approximate date (agency reports month or season only). Source: NYSDEC fish-stocking lists, retrieved 2026-08-18.
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 Salmon River specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official New York fishing regulations →
Salmon River is about 8 ft (2 m) deep at its deepest point. The contours here are modeled from the water's real shape and maximum depth, so treat them as a rough guide.
Anglers target chinook salmon, coho salmon, steelhead, brown trout on Salmon River.
Lowhead weir tailrace is the top-rated area: a dam tailrace in about 7 ft of water that rates prime for chinook salmon in spring. The interactive chart above rates every 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.
Yes — per NYSDEC fish-stocking lists records, Salmon River was most recently stocked 2026 with 470 brown trout. The full stocking history is listed above.
Fishing on Salmon River 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.
South Sandy Pond 7 mi · Sixtown Pond 20 mi · Lake Ontario - Oswego and Mexico Bay 22 mi · Lake Neatahwanta 24 mi · Oneida Lake 25 mi · Lake Ontario - Henderson Harbor and Golden Crescent 29 mi · Onondaga Lake 32 mi · Green Lake 34 mi · Cross Lake 35 mi · Otter Lake 35 mi · Delta Lake 38 mi · Jamesville Reservoir 39 mi
See how Salmon River stacks up: best chinook salmon lakes in New York · best steelhead lakes in New York · best brown trout lakes in New York
Browse all New York fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. 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.