Small craft advisory today, calmer Saturday on Lake America

A small craft advisory is in effect through this evening for Lake America (Lake Ontario) nearshore waters from Hamlin Beach east to the St. Lawrence River, per the NWS forecast issued 4:04 AM EDT Friday, October 9. Conditions ease overnight, and Saturday is forecast sunny with waves of 2 feet or less. Check the NWS marine forecast before launching.

Conditions this week

Data below was gathered Friday morning, October 9.

The lake-wide average surface temperature was 62.0 F on October 8, down 2.2 F in seven days. Buoy 45215 off Oswego read 62.1 F, buoy 45135 at the east end read 59.5 F, and buoy 45012 north of Rochester read 58.6 F. The NOAA water temperature stations at Oswego and Rochester had no data.

Buoys 45012 and 45135 both reported 17 knots with 3.9-foot waves, gusting 19 and 21 knots from 290 and 310 degrees. Buoy 45139, at the far west end of the lake about 41 miles west of Olcott, reported 0.7-foot waves and a 10-knot wind, but it says nothing about Olcott.

The NWS has west winds of 15 to 20 knots today from Hamlin Beach to Sodus Bay, and 15 to 25 knots from Sodus Bay east, with a chance of waterspouts. Saturday: winds of 10 knots or less, sunny, waves 2 feet or less. Showers arrive Sunday, with an 84% chance at Olcott.

Rivers and creeks

Flows are USGS provisional values from Friday morning.

• Salmon River at Pineville: 220 cfs, roughly steady.
• Oswego River at Lock 7: 1,130 cfs, roughly steady.
• Genesee River at Rochester: 513 cfs, falling.
• Oak Orchard Creek near Shelby: 78.7 cfs, falling.
• Eighteenmile Creek at Burt: 121 cfs, falling.
• The Niagara River at Youngstown gauge had no current data.

What DEC is reporting

DEC Region 7 (report dated October 2 to October 9) says the Salmon River's Lower Fly Section is closed for low water and the Upper Fly Area remains open. As of September 21, DEC listed the river at 228 cfs and 58 F, with salmon caught throughout and floating eggs or beads suggested. For the Oswego River, DEC reported brown trout below the dam, behind the hotel and along the wall, and salmon at the dam, as of September 21. DEC says the dam is reached from the Brookfield side, not Leto Island.

DEC Region 9 (report dated October 2 to October 9) reports anglers at the Olcott, Oak Orchard and Genesee River piers found a good mix of king salmon and brown trout, with the odd lake trout. It also reports good early run numbers of kings and browns at the dams on Eighteenmile and Oak Orchard Creeks.

Rules to know right now

• Lake trout harvest is closed on Lake Ontario October 1 through November 30; lake trout caught now must be released.
• Brown trout, rainbow trout (steelhead), coho and Chinook: 15 inch minimum (21 inches for rainbow/steelhead in the lake, 25 in tributaries), 3 per day in combination.
• On the listed tributaries, September 1 through March 31, no fishing from half an hour after sunset to half an hour before sunrise, and single-point hook only; the night rule does not apply on the Black River below Dexter.
• Salmon River downstream of Altmar: night fishing prohibited, and extra floating-lure rules apply through October 31.

Sources

• USGS Salmon River at Pineville - https://waterdata.usgs.gov/monitoring-location/04250200/ (checked 2026-10-09)
• USGS Oswego River at Lock 7 - https://waterdata.usgs.gov/monitoring-location/04249000/ (checked 2026-10-09)
• USGS Genesee River at Rochester - https://waterdata.usgs.gov/monitoring-location/04231600/ (checked 2026-10-09)
• USGS Oak Orchard Creek near Shelby - https://waterdata.usgs.gov/monitoring-location/04220045/ (checked 2026-10-09)
• USGS Eighteenmile Creek at Burt - https://waterdata.usgs.gov/monitoring-location/04219768/ (checked 2026-10-09)
• USGS Niagara River at Youngstown - https://waterservices.usgs.gov/nwis/iv/?format=json&sites=04219630&parameterCd=00060,00010,00065&period=P7D&siteStatus=all (checked 2026-10-09)
• NDBC buoy 45215 - https://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/data/realtime2/45215.txt (checked 2026-10-09)
• NDBC buoy 45012 - https://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/data/realtime2/45012.txt (checked 2026-10-09)
• NDBC buoy 45135 - https://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/data/realtime2/45135.txt (checked 2026-10-09)
• NDBC buoy 45139 - https://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/data/realtime2/45139.txt (checked 2026-10-09)
• NOAA CO-OPS Oswego - https://api.tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/api/prod/datagetter?date=latest&station=9052030&product=water_temperature&units=english&time_zone=lst_ldt&format=json (checked 2026-10-09)
• NOAA CO-OPS Rochester - https://api.tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/api/prod/datagetter?date=latest&station=9052058&product=water_temperature&units=english&time_zone=lst_ldt&format=json (checked 2026-10-09)
• GLERL CoastWatch GLSEA - https://coastwatch.glerl.noaa.gov/statistic/statistic.html (checked 2026-10-09)
• NWS nearshore forecast LOZ042 - https://tgftp.nws.noaa.gov/data/forecasts/marine/near_shore/lo/loz042.txt (checked 2026-10-09)
• NWS nearshore forecast LOZ043 - https://tgftp.nws.noaa.gov/data/forecasts/marine/near_shore/lo/loz043.txt (checked 2026-10-09)
• NWS nearshore forecast LOZ044 - https://tgftp.nws.noaa.gov/data/forecasts/marine/near_shore/lo/loz044.txt (checked 2026-10-09)
• NWS 7-day forecast, Olcott - https://api.weather.gov/gridpoints/BUF/39,68/forecast (checked 2026-10-09)
• DEC Region 7 fishing hotline - https://dec.ny.gov/things-to-do/freshwater-fishing/central-new-york-hotline (checked 2026-10-09)
• DEC Region 9 fishing hotline - https://dec.ny.gov/things-to-do/freshwater-fishing/erie-western-new-york-hotline (checked 2026-10-09)
• DEC Great Lakes tributaries regulations - https://dec.ny.gov/things-to-do/freshwater-fishing/regulations/great-lakes-tributaries (checked 2026-10-09)