Niagara County · facts last verified October 5, 2026 · conditions updated Nov 4, 4:14pm ET

Niagara Bar fishing report

Sourced guide to Niagara Bar, NY on Lake America (Lake Ontario): launches, current NY DEC regulations, stocking and seasonal pattern, each linked to its source.

Water temp 55.4–57°F

Waves 0.3 ft

Wind S 6.7

Live conditions

West Lake America

NDBC 45139 · Grimsby — western basin

56.7°F surface

Waves0.3 ft

Period3 s

WindS 6.7 mph

Air66.6°F

East Lake America

NDBC 45012 · 20 NM NNE of Rochester

55.4°F surface

Waves0.7 ft

WindESE 11.2 mph

Air61.2°F

Oswego Nearshore

NDBC 45215 · Off Oswego, 42 m

57°F surface

Waves0.3 ft

Air65.3°F

Readings come from the NOAA stations and buoys shown, which are not necessarily near Niagara Bar. Use them as lake-wide context.

Marine forecast — Niagara River to Hamlin Beach

Tonight

Southeast winds 5 to 15 knots becoming south 15 to 20 knots. A chance of showers this evening, then showers after midnight. Waves 2 feet or less.

Thursday

Southwest winds 10 to 15 knots increasing to 15 to 20 knots. A chance of showers in the morning. Waves 2 feet or less building to 3 to 5 feet. Waves occasionally around 6 feet.

Thursday Night

Southwest winds 15 to 20 knots diminishing to 10 to 15 knots. A chance of showers. Waves 2 to 4 feet subsiding to 1 to 3 feet.

Friday

Southwest winds 5 to 10 knots becoming west. A chance of showers in the morning, then showers likely in the afternoon. Waves 1 foot or less.

Friday Night

West winds 5 to 15 knots. Showers. Waves 2 feet or less.

Saturday

West winds 10 to 15 knots becoming northwest 15 to 20 knots. Showers. Waves 1 to 3 feet building to 2 to 4 feet.

Sunday

West winds 15 to 25 knots. A chance of showers Sunday night. Waves 3 to 6 feet. Waves occasionally around 7 feet.

Monday

West winds 15 to 20 knots becoming southwest. A chance of showers during the day. Waves 3 to 6 feet. Waves occasionally around 7 feet.

Overview

DEC: "The Niagara Bar, the outflow area at the mouth of the river, is one of the top areas on the Great Lakes for spring fishing opportunities." [dec.ny.gov]
NWS zones: LOZ042 "Niagara River to Hamlin Beach NY" for the lake and LOZ030 "Lower Niagara River". [api.weather.gov]

Launches and access

Fort Niagara State Park (OPRHP), Porter: hard-surface launch on the lower Niagara River/Lake Ontario, parking listed by DEC as "44 cars and trailers", fish cleaning station on site (43.261105 N, 79.059164 W). [dec.ny.gov]
NY State Parks: "Boat Launch: April - October, weather permitting"; "Boat Launch $8*Collected via automated pay kiosk". [parks.ny.gov]
DEC also lists a municipal launch in Porter (43.248752 N, 79.050856 W), 30 cars and trailers, "Parking for cars with trailers on Hinman Street", and the Lewiston Landing Park launch on the lower river, 30 cars and trailers, municipal. [dec.ny.gov]

Current regulations (quoted from NY DEC)

DEC, Lower Niagara River and tributaries: Brown, Rainbow (steelhead), Coho and Chinook are open all year, 15" minimum except 21" for Rainbow Trout; limit "3 (Trout & Salmon) in any combination, not to include more than 1 Atlantic Salmon, 2 rainbow trout (steelhead), or 2 Lake Trout". [dec.ny.gov]
DEC, Lower Niagara River: Walleye "January 1 - March 15", 18", limit 1; and "May 1 - December 31", 18", limit 3. Northern Pike May 1 - March 15, 22", limit 5. Lake Trout December 1 - September 30. [dec.ny.gov]
DEC Region 9 asks lower Niagara and Lake Ontario walleye anglers to deposit heads for otolith sampling at the Lewiston or Fort Niagara State Park fish cleaning stations. [dec.ny.gov]

Seasonal pattern

DEC: "A good concentration of spawning-bound chinooks occurs each year at the Niagara Bar, offshore of the mouth of the Niagara River, during late August and early September. These chinooks enter the Lower Niagara River and are caught by boat and shore-based anglers later in September and October." [dec.ny.gov]
DEC Region 9 hotline, October 2 to October 9, 2026: "King salmon are now moving up the lower river in earnest and are showing well in the Devils Hole drift. Charter boats are seeing good numbers of hook-ups per outing. Controlled drifting with three-way rigs with cured skein is a preferred and proven tactic." [dec.ny.gov]
DEC Region 9 hotline, October 2 to October 9, 2026: "Anglers are still reporting solid walleye and smallmouth bass fishing throughout the lower river." [dec.ny.gov]

Stocking

2022-2026 stocking strategy annual targets for the Niagara River: Chinook 75,000, brown trout 35,000, steelhead 65,375. [extapps.dec.ny.gov]
DEC 2023 annual report: walleye stocked in the Niagara River, 23,200 on 2023-06-07. [dec.ny.gov]

Local charters and businesses

No businesses are listed for Niagara Bar yet. See the charter directory →

Sources

Every statement on this page comes from one of these primary sources. Last verified October 5, 2026. Regulations change: confirm on the linked DEC page before you fish.

https://dec.ny.gov/things-to-do/freshwater-fishing/places-to-fish/great-lakes-niagara-river-st-lawrence-river/western-lake-ontario (verified 2026-10-05)
https://api.weather.gov/zones/forecast/LOZ042 (verified 2026-10-05)
https://dec.ny.gov/things-to-do/boating/launch-sites/niagara-county (verified 2026-10-05)
https://parks.ny.gov/parks/fortniagara/details.aspx (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/erie-western-new-york-hotline (verified 2026-10-05)
https://extapps.dec.ny.gov/docs/fish_marine_pdf/lostockingstrategy.pdf (verified 2026-10-05)
https://dec.ny.gov/sites/default/files/2025-02/lakeontarioannualreport.pdf (verified 2026-10-05)

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