Also called Chinook · facts last verified October 5, 2026

King Salmon on Lake America

King Salmon (Chinook) on Lake America (Lake Ontario), NY: current NY DEC regulations, stocking and seasonal pattern, each linked to its source.

Live conditions

Overview

• DEC: "Age 2 and 3 fish make up 90% of the run and will weigh between 15-25 pounds." Chinook "range in age from 1 to 4 years" and are stocked "as 3-inch fingerlings in May or June". [dec.ny.gov]
• DEC: "Lake Ontario's chinooks are, by far, the largest found anywhere in the Great Lakes." [dec.ny.gov]
• DEC temperature preference for Chinook: 52-58°F, optimum 53°F. DEC names the main forage as "alewife and rainbow smelt". [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]

Seasonal pattern

• DEC: "Generally in the spring, the western end of the lake is the starting point for the salmon fishery. 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." "At times you may find them 100 or more feet down over 500 feet of water." [dec.ny.gov]
• DEC (western Lake Ontario): "near-shore chinook fishing starting in late April and lasting through May"; "Offshore fishing for chinooks ramps up in July and runs through September." [dec.ny.gov]
• DEC: "Typically, the tributary fishing for Chinook and coho salmon begins in early-September and runs through early-November, with the peak often occurring during the first two weeks of October." "The peak of the run when the best stream fishing occurs is actually a rather short 4 week period." The dam-controlled Salmon and Oswego rivers peak "from mid-September through mid-October"; other streams "in mid-October". [dec.ny.gov]

Stocking

• DEC 2023 annual report: 1,014,677 Chinook stocked in NY waters against a target of 985,180. [dec.ny.gov]
• 2022-2026 stocking strategy annual Chinook target: 895,600 (Salmon River 300,000; Olcott, Oak Orchard, Genesee River and Oswego 111,400 each; Niagara River and Sackets Harbor 75,000 each). [extapps.dec.ny.gov]
• DEC's Pacific salmon page states: "Approximately 1.7 million Chinook salmon and 250,000 coho salmon stocked annually in Lake Ontario and its tributaries by New York State." This is higher than the strategy targets and 2023 actuals above. [dec.ny.gov]

Charters targeting king salmon

No listed captains target king salmon 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/pacific-salmon-fishing (verified 2026-10-05)
• 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://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/regulations/great-lakes-tributaries (verified 2026-10-05)
• https://dec.ny.gov/sites/default/files/2025-02/lakeontarioannualreport.pdf (verified 2026-10-05)
• https://extapps.dec.ny.gov/docs/fish_marine_pdf/lostockingstrategy.pdf (verified 2026-10-05)

From the blog

• Lake Ontario Fishing Regulations & Limits by Species October 29, 2026 — Lake Ontario fishing regulations by species: NYS DEC limits, sizes and seasons for trout, salmon, bass and more, plus Salmon River fall rules.

All blog posts →

Where to fish

• All ports
• Wilson
• Olcott
• Rochester
• Sodus Bay
• Oswego
• Henderson Harbor
• Niagara Bar

Other species

• All species
• Brown Trout
• Steelhead
• Lake Trout
• Coho Salmon
• Atlantic Salmon
• Walleye
• Smallmouth Bass