Lake Ontario Fishing Regulations & Limits by Species

Lake Ontario's fall fishing runs under several sets of rules at once: lake limits, tributary limits, seasonal creek rules that start September 1, and extra Salmon River restrictions that change on November 1. This checklist summarizes what NYS DEC's pages say, as of October 29, 2026 (the species table below was checked against DEC's pages that day; DEC's Great Lakes page shows no year, and its statewide page says "effective April 1, 2026"). Regulations change, and DEC's regulations and Salmon River pages carry no update date (its hotline reports and press releases are dated), so treat this as a prompt to check, not the rulebook.

DEC's Freshwater Fishing Regulations page says exceptions may apply in certain waters through special regulations. DEC's HuntFishNY "Tackle Box" feature is its tool for finding regulations on most waters.

1. Trout and salmon limits: lake vs tributary

For brown trout, rainbow trout (including steelhead), coho salmon and Chinook salmon, DEC lists the season as all year, with a 15 inch minimum, except rainbow trout and steelhead, which are 21 inches in the lake and 25 inches in tributaries.

Exception: browns are 9 inches with a 3-fish daily limit in Irondequoit Creek upstream of the Route 286 bridges, Lindsey Creek, and the Black River from Dexter Dam to Mill Street Dam.

Atlantic salmon: all year, 25 inch minimum, 1 per day.

2. Lake trout: DEC lists a December 1 to September 30 season

On Lake Ontario and its tributaries, DEC lists the lake trout season as December 1 through September 30. Per DEC's listed season, that means harvest is closed October 1 through November 30. Other waters differ: DEC lists Upper Niagara River lake trout as open all year, so read the section for the water you are on. When the Lake Ontario season opens, the limit is 2 per day, with no minimum length except that no more than 1 may be between 25 and 30 inches. See our lake trout page.

3. Seasonal tributary rules (September 1 to March 31)

DEC says seasonal fishing regulations apply September 1 through March 31 on listed tributaries and on others from the bridge closest to the mouth up to the first barrier impassable by fish. Waters named include the Black River, Eighteenmile Creek (Niagara County), Oak Orchard Creek, the Genesee River and the Oswego River. Check DEC's page for the exact upstream limit on your water. The rules:

• No night fishing: it is prohibited from half an hour after sunset to half an hour before sunrise (the Black River from Lake Ontario to the Route 180 bridge in Dexter is excepted).
• One single-point hook, free-swinging except for flies and jigs, with a gap of no more than 1/2 inch.
• Added weight on the hook is not allowed, except flies and jigs of 1/8 ounce or less, and the hook-to-weight distance is a maximum of 4 feet.
• Floating lures: multiple treble hooks attached by ring or swivel, with a body-to-hook maximum of 1 1/2 inches.

DEC lists these as exempt from the seasonal rules: Buck Pond, Cranberry Pond, Irondequoit Bay, Long Pond, Round Pond and Sodus Bay, and the Niagara River (which has its own regulations, below). Little Sandy Creek is closed March 16 through April 30.

4. Salmon River, downstream of the Route 52 bridge in Altmar

• August 15 through April 14: night fishing is prohibited; one single-point hook with a gap of 1/2 inch or less; unweighted except flies up to 1/8 ounce; hook-to-weight 4 feet maximum.
• August 15 through October 31: additional floating-lure rules apply. DEC says a bead chain may be attached to the floating lure with a ring, the distance from the lure body to the hook point may not exceed 3-1/2 inches, and the lure may have 1 hook with a single hook point and a gap of no more than 5/8 inch.
• November 1 through April 14: multiple single, double or treble hooks are allowed on floating lures.

The October 31 and November 1 dates are DEC's scheduled rule shift, and DEC's regulations page still lists them as of October 29. Check DEC's page again right before you go.

Fly-fishing sections

DEC lists both fly sections under its fly-fishing catch-and-release rules. The two sections are in different places, so do not treat them as one stretch.

• Lower Fly: from the County Route 52 bridge in Altmar upstream 0.25 mile to a marked boundary at Beaverdam Brook. September 15 to May 15, from half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset. All fish must be released, and tackle is restricted to a traditional fly rod, reel, line and artificial fly.
• Upper Fly: from a marked boundary upstream of the state fish hatchery property to a marked boundary 0.6 mile upstream, at the Lighthouse Hill Reservoir tailrace. April 1 to November 30.
• Both sections: DEC prohibits added baits or attractors on the line above the fly. DEC also limits the combined weight of the fly and any added weight to 1/8 ounce from September 1 to April 30, and a leader of 15 feet maximum.
• Beaverdam Brook: fishing is prohibited from the mouths of Beaverdam Brook and its tributaries upstream to the boundary of the Salmon River Hatchery property.

As of October 29, DEC says the Lower Fly is closed. DEC's Region 7 hotline report, dated October 23 to October 30, 2026, says it is closed for low water, and DEC's Salmon River page says the same (that page is undated). DEC's September 14 press release said the Lower Fly would not open September 15 and would stay closed until DEC collects enough salmon eggs at the hatchery. A reopening date: UNKNOWN. The hotline says the Upper Fly area remains open. That report also says water levels are low, so watch flows. Its Salmon River numbers are dated October 20, not current: river 264 cfs, dam release 185 cfs. DEC's Salmon River page lists a flow line at 1-800-452-1742, code 365123. Read DEC's Salmon River regulations for the full fly-section wording.

5. Niagara River sections

The Lower Niagara River has its own limits: for trout and salmon, 3 in combination, including no more than 1 Atlantic salmon, 2 steelhead or 2 lake trout. Walleye rules are different from the lake's, so do not apply one set to the other: Lake Ontario walleye is May 1 through March 15, 18 inches, 3 per day, while the Lower Niagara is 18 inches, with January 1 through March 15 at 1 per day and May 1 through December 31 at 3 per day. The Upper Niagara River has separate rules again (walleye 15 inches, 6 per day, May 1 through March 15). Check DEC's Niagara River section for where Upper becomes Lower.

6. Three rods when trolling (per DEC's trolling page)

DEC's trolling page says "the current regulation allows three rods per angler" on Lake Ontario. We could not confirm it applies in tributaries, so do not assume it does.

7. License basics

DEC says you need a fishing license if you are 16 or older and fishing for freshwater fish. As listed by DEC (as of October 29; prices can change, so confirm before you buy), annual licenses are $25 for residents 16 to 69 and $50 for nonresidents; one-day licenses are $5 and $10, and seven-day licenses are $12 and $28. Buy online, from license issuing agents, or by phone at 1-866-933-2257. A New York license does not cover the non-New York portion of Lake Ontario, Lake Erie, the St. Lawrence River or the Niagara River.

Limits by species: Lake Ontario and tributaries

Here are DEC's listed limits for Lake Ontario and its tributaries in one table. It follows DEC's Great Lakes and tributaries regulations page, read October 29, 2026. That page shows no year, so confirm it on DEC's site before you keep fish. Where DEC's statewide table (effective April 1, 2026) differs, the Lake Ontario row applies on Lake Ontario waters.

Not in this table: smelt, whitefish, panfish other than perch, bullhead and other species. Check DEC's page for those. Exceptions also apply on some waters, including the Salmon River sections in section 4 above and Region 5 rules for St. Lawrence tributaries in Clinton and Franklin counties.

What DEC's hotlines said (reports dated October 16 to 30, 2026)

DEC's western tributaries report, dated October 16 to October 30, 2026, says "King salmon fishing is in full swing on the western Lake Ontario tributaries". It describes kings and brown trout at Eighteenmile Creek, good numbers of kings at Oak Orchard Creek, salmon numbers building at Johnson Creek, and a fair mix of kings and browns at Sandy Creek. It says other small tributaries have low to no water. For Salmon River figures, see the dated numbers in section 4. These are DEC's reports, not our own, and they will be out of date soon. See our tributaries page.

Check before you go

1. Open DEC's Great Lakes tributaries regulations page and read the section for your water.
2. Check the DEC fishing hotline for closures and special notices: Region 7, Salmon and Oswego or Region 9, western tributaries.
3. Look at the latest weekly report, our tributaries page, and our Oswego port page.

Sources: see the list above. All DEC pages were read October 29, 2026.