Small craft advisory Thursday, calmer water by Saturday

A small craft advisory is coming for Lake America (Lake Ontario). For Niagara River to Hamlin Beach it runs from 1 PM EDT Thursday through late tonight. Check the NWS marine forecast for your zone before you launch.

Conditions this week

Readings are as of early Thursday morning, October 29.

The whole-lake average surface temperature was 57.2 F on October 28, down 1.1 F in seven days. Buoy 45215 off Oswego read 56.7 F, buoy 45012 north of Rochester 55.4 F, and buoy 45135 at the east end 54.7 F. The Oswego and Rochester CO-OPS stations had no water temperature data.

The lake was quiet this morning, with 1.6 ft waves at buoy 45135 and 0.0 ft at buoy 45012. That changes. NWS has Friday waves of 3 to 6 feet, occasionally around 7, from Hamlin Beach to Mexico Bay, with that advisory running from late tonight through Friday evening. West winds of 15 to 20 knots are forecast Friday.

Saturday waves are forecast at 1 foot or less from the Niagara River to Hamlin Beach and 2 feet or less from Hamlin Beach to Mexico Bay. Sunday and Monday are forecast at 1 foot or less in both zones. The forecast points to Saturday through Monday for the calmest water.

Showers and thunderstorms are likely Thursday night at Oswego, a 62% chance.

Rivers and creeks

Flows are USGS provisional, read early Thursday.

• Salmon River at Pineville: 236 cfs, roughly steady over seven days.
• Oswego River at Lock 7: 1,100 cfs and rising. Near Phoenix: 742 cfs and falling.
• Genesee River at Rochester: 725 cfs, roughly steady.
• Oak Orchard Creek near Shelby: 48.2 cfs and falling.
• Eighteenmile Creek at Burt: 108 cfs, roughly steady.
• The Niagara River at Youngstown gauge had no current data.

What DEC is reporting

Region 7, report dated October 23 to October 30. DEC says the Salmon River's Lower Fly Section is closed due to low water and the Upper Fly Area remains open. As of October 20, DEC listed the river at 264 cfs. Anglers were catching king and coho salmon throughout the river, plus brown trout and a few steelhead, and DEC suggests floating eggs or beads. On the Oswego River, brown trout were being caught mainly below the dam, behind the hotel and along the wall, and salmon at the dam. DEC says the dam can be accessed from the West (Brookfield) side, not Leto Island.

Region 9, report dated October 16 to October 30. DEC says king salmon fishing is in full swing on the western Lake Ontario tributaries, mostly on creeks receiving supplemental Erie Canal release water, including Eighteenmile, Oak Orchard, Johnson and Sandy. Piers at Olcott, Oak Orchard and the Genesee River are producing mostly king salmon and brown trout. DEC says trollers report a consistent bite for king salmon and steelhead at 200 to 400 feet, on spoons and flasher-fly combinations run in the top 60 feet.

Rules to know right now

• Lake trout harvest on Lake Ontario is closed October 1 through November 30. Fish caught now must be released.
• Brown trout, rainbow trout (steelhead), coho and Chinook are open all year, 3 per day in combination, 15 inch minimum (21 inches for rainbow/steelhead in the lake, 25 in tributaries).
• Seasonal tributary rules apply September 1 through March 31 on the listed tributaries: no fishing from 1/2 hour after sunset to 1/2 hour before sunrise, and one single-point hook.
• On the Salmon River from Altmar downstream, additional floating-lure rules run through October 31.

Sources

• USGS Salmon River at Pineville - https://waterdata.usgs.gov/monitoring-location/04250200/ (checked 2026-10-29)
• USGS Oswego River at Lock 7 - https://waterdata.usgs.gov/monitoring-location/04249000/ (checked 2026-10-29)
• USGS Oswego River near Phoenix - https://waterdata.usgs.gov/monitoring-location/04247055/ (checked 2026-10-29)
• USGS Genesee River at Rochester - https://waterdata.usgs.gov/monitoring-location/04231600/ (checked 2026-10-29)
• USGS Oak Orchard Creek near Shelby - https://waterdata.usgs.gov/monitoring-location/04220045/ (checked 2026-10-29)
• USGS Eighteenmile Creek at Burt - https://waterdata.usgs.gov/monitoring-location/04219768/ (checked 2026-10-29)
• USGS Niagara River at Youngstown - https://waterservices.usgs.gov/nwis/iv/?format=json&sites=04219630&parameterCd=00060,00010,00065&period=P7D&siteStatus=all (checked 2026-10-29)
• NDBC buoy 45215 - https://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/data/realtime2/45215.txt (checked 2026-10-29)
• NDBC buoy 45012 - https://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/data/realtime2/45012.txt (checked 2026-10-29)
• NDBC buoy 45135 - https://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/data/realtime2/45135.txt (checked 2026-10-29)
• 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 2026-10-29)
• 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 2026-10-29)
• GLERL CoastWatch GLSEA - https://coastwatch.glerl.noaa.gov/statistic/statistic.html (checked 2026-10-29)
• NWS nearshore forecast LOZ042 - https://tgftp.nws.noaa.gov/data/forecasts/marine/near_shore/lo/loz042.txt (checked 2026-10-29)
• NWS nearshore forecast LOZ043 - https://tgftp.nws.noaa.gov/data/forecasts/marine/near_shore/lo/loz043.txt (checked 2026-10-29)
• NWS nearshore forecast LOZ044 - https://tgftp.nws.noaa.gov/data/forecasts/marine/near_shore/lo/loz044.txt (checked 2026-10-29)
• NWS 7-day forecast Oswego - https://api.weather.gov/gridpoints/BUF/112,83/forecast (checked 2026-10-29)
• DEC Region 7 hotline - https://dec.ny.gov/things-to-do/freshwater-fishing/central-new-york-hotline (checked 2026-10-29)
• DEC Region 9 hotline - https://dec.ny.gov/things-to-do/freshwater-fishing/erie-western-new-york-hotline (checked 2026-10-29)
• DEC Great Lakes tributaries regulations - https://dec.ny.gov/things-to-do/freshwater-fishing/regulations/great-lakes-tributaries (checked 2026-10-29)