Jefferson County · facts last verified · conditions updated
Henderson Harbor fishing report
Sourced guide to Henderson Harbor, NY on Lake America (Lake Ontario): launches, current NY DEC regulations, stocking and seasonal pattern, each linked to its source.
Live conditions
Cape Vincent
West Lake America
East Lake America
Oswego Nearshore
Readings come from the NOAA stations and buoys shown, which are not necessarily near Henderson Harbor. Use them as lake-wide context.
Marine forecast — Mexico Bay to the St. Lawrence
South winds 15 to 25 knots. A chance of showers after midnight. Showers late. Waves 1 to 3 feet building to 2 to 4 feet, then subsiding to 1 to 3 feet.
South winds 15 to 20 knots becoming southwest. Showers in the morning. Waves 1 to 3 feet building to 2 to 4 feet.
Southwest winds 10 to 15 knots becoming south. Mostly cloudy. Waves 2 to 4 feet subsiding to 1 to 3 feet.
South winds 5 to 10 knots becoming light and variable. A chance of showers in the afternoon. Waves 2 feet or less.
North winds 10 knots or less increasing to 10 to 15 knots. A chance of showers in the evening, then showers likely overnight. Waves 1 foot or less.
North winds 10 to 15 knots becoming northwest 15 to 20 knots. Rain showers. Waves 1 to 3 feet building to 2 to 4 feet.
Northwest winds 15 to 25 knots becoming west. A chance of rain showers. Waves 3 to 5 feet building to 5 to 8 feet. Waves occasionally around 10 feet.
Northwest winds 15 to 25 knots becoming west. A chance of rain showers during the day. Waves 4 to 7 feet subsiding to 3 to 6 feet. Waves occasionally around 9 feet.
Black River
Overview
- The NWS nearshore marine forecast zone is LOZ045, "Mexico Bay NY to the St. Lawrence River". [api.weather.gov]
- NDBC buoy 45135 is located at 43°46.8' N, 76°52.2' W. [ndbc.noaa.gov]
- USGS gauge 04260500 is the Black River at Watertown NY. [waterdata.usgs.gov]
Launches and access
- Town of Henderson launch, Lake Ontario (Henderson Harbor): hard surface, municipal, parking listed by DEC as "80 cars and trailers" (43.847642 N, 76.206832 W). [dec.ny.gov]
- Stony Creek, Henderson (OPRHP): hard surface, "84 cars and trailers" (43.826571 N, 76.229981 W). Westcott Beach State Park (OPRHP): hard surface, "35 cars and trailers" (43.901017 N, 76.125889 W). [dec.ny.gov]
Current regulations (quoted from NY DEC)
- DEC seasons and limits for Lake Ontario, the St. Lawrence River and tributaries: Brown Trout, Rainbow Trout (including Steelhead), Coho Salmon and Chinook Salmon are open "All year", minimum length 15", "except for Rainbow Trout or Steelhead: 21" in the lake and 25" in tributaries". Daily limit: "3 in combination, not to include more than 2 Rainbow Trout (or Steelhead) in the lake, and not to include more than 1 Rainbow Trout (or Steelhead) and 1 Brown Trout in the tributaries". [dec.ny.gov]
- DEC: Lake Trout open season "December 1 - September 30", daily limit 2, no minimum length "(except no more than 1 shall be between 25" and 30")". [dec.ny.gov]
- DEC tributary seasonal regulations: "Seasonal fishing regulations apply September 1 - March 31". "Fishing from 1/2 hour after sunset to 1/2 hour before sunrise is prohibited" (the Black River in Jefferson County from Lake Ontario upstream to the Rte. 180 bridge in Dexter is excepted). "Only one hook with a single hook point is permitted". [dec.ny.gov]
- DEC: "Statewide Species Regulations apply, except that fishing for black bass (including Catch and Release) is prohibited December 1-June 14 in Lake Ontario and tributaries in Jefferson County and the St. Lawrence River and tributaries". [dec.ny.gov]
- DEC: Yellow Perch daily limit 50, "except Yellow Perch may be taken in any number in Jefferson County, except Sandy Pond". [dec.ny.gov]
Seasonal pattern
- DEC (lake-wide, Chinook): "As spring changes into summer, the salmon fishing shifts towards the eastern end of the lake. By late summer the kings begin to stage off tributary mouths across the lake as they prepare for their fall spawning run." [dec.ny.gov]
- DEC's list of Lake Ontario tributaries with public steelhead fishing access includes Stony Creek and the Black River. [dec.ny.gov]
Local charters and businesses
No businesses are listed for Henderson Harbor yet. See the charter directory →
Sources
Every statement on this page comes from one of these primary sources. Last verified . Regulations change: confirm on the linked DEC page before you fish.
- https://api.weather.gov/zones/forecast/LOZ045 (verified 2026-10-05)
- https://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/data/latest_obs/45135.txt (verified 2026-10-05)
- https://waterdata.usgs.gov/monitoring-location/04260500/ (verified 2026-10-05)
- https://dec.ny.gov/things-to-do/boating/launch-sites/jefferson-county (verified 2026-10-05)
- https://dec.ny.gov/things-to-do/freshwater-fishing/regulations/great-lakes-tributaries (verified 2026-10-05)
- https://dec.ny.gov/things-to-do/freshwater-fishing/places-to-fish/great-lakes-niagara-river-st-lawrence-river/trolling-lake-ontario-trout-salmon (verified 2026-10-05)
- https://dec.ny.gov/things-to-do/freshwater-fishing/places-to-fish/great-lakes-niagara-river-st-lawrence-river/steelhead-fishing-lake-ontario-tributaries (verified 2026-10-05)
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Other ports on Lake America
- All ports
- Wilson
- Olcott
- Point Breeze
- Rochester
- Sodus Bay
- Fair Haven
- Oswego
- Mexico Bay
- Cape Vincent
- Chaumont
- Niagara Bar