Oswego County · updated
Mexico Bay fishing report
Port Ontario and the Salmon River mouth — the epicentre of the fall king run on Lake America.
Oswego
via Oswego Nearshore
West Lake America
East Lake America
Oswego Nearshore
Fishing Mexico Bay through the year
Browns in the bay, and steelhead dropping back out of the Salmon River.
Fish move offshore and out of the bay as it warms; the run to cold water lengthens.
The single biggest concentration of staging kings on the lake. The bay fills, then the river run begins.
Salmon River steelhead — a genuine winter destination that draws anglers from several states.
Getting on the water
Port Ontario at the Salmon River mouth, plus Selkirk Shores and the launches around the south-east corner of the bay. In late September this is one of the most concentrated fisheries in the eastern United States, with the crowds to match.
The water itself
Mexico Bay is a broad, relatively shallow embayment in the south-east corner of the lake, and the Salmon River empties into it. Because the Salmon is dam-controlled, its flow steps between scheduled release levels rather than tracking rainfall, and that step change is what pulls fresh fish out of the bay and into the river.
Tributaries that matter here
Salmon River
All tributary flows and what they mean →
Marine forecast — Mexico Bay to the St. Lawrence
Issued Nov 4, 4:03pm ET by NWS Buffalo.
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.
Mexico Bay questions
When is the Salmon River run?
Kings generally begin staging in Mexico Bay from mid-to-late August and push into the river as flow and temperature allow, with the heaviest river fishing typically through September and October. Steelhead follow and fish right through the winter into spring.
Why does the Salmon River flow matter so much?
It is dam-controlled, so it does not rise and fall with rain like the other tributaries — it steps between scheduled release levels. A step up in flow is the signal that pulls a fresh push of fish out of the lake.
How crowded does it get?
Very. The Salmon River in peak season is among the busiest freshwater fisheries in the country. Weekday mornings and the shoulders of the run are meaningfully more pleasant than an October Saturday.
Water temperature above is measured at the nearest NOAA station (Oswego), so treat it as a reference for the general area rather than a reading from the exact spot you plan to fish. Charter captains fishing out of Mexico Bay →
The weekly report, by email
One email a week through the season: water temps, where the fish set up, tributary flows, and what the captains are running. Free, no spam, unsubscribe anytime.
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