Salmon and Trout Seasons in the Upper and Lower River

You will learn how the New York Great Lakes page sets seasons, minimum lengths and combined daily counts for salmon and trout, lake by lake. Many named waters stay open all year with a 15-inch minimum and a combined daily count of five, while the mix you can keep shifts with each named water.

What does the New York page actually list?

The page uses a table with three columns for water, species and regulation. Read across one line to find season, minimum length and daily count for that water and fish group. Check the exact water name before assuming a statewide rule. Review seasonal patterns by species, then match expected fish to the line naming your water.

Most trout and salmon lines shown concern the Finger Lakes, not a separate Niagara River trout and salmon table. The lines name All Finger Lakes, Canadice Lake, Canandaigua Lake, Conesus Lake, Hemlock Lake, Keuka Lake, Seneca Lake, Cayuga Lake, Honeoye Lake, Owasco Lake, Skaneateles Lake, and Otisco Lake. Each line repeats the same structure for season dates, lengths and combination caps.

Why do combined limits change from lake to lake?

New York uses a combined daily count for brown trout, rainbow trout, lake trout, and Atlantic salmon on several Finger Lakes. Count all four together toward five fish per day, then apply a second cap controlling the mix. On Canadice Lake, Canandaigua Lake, Conesus Lake, Hemlock Lake, Keuka Lake, and Seneca Lake, the regulation states open all year with a 15-inch minimum and a daily count of five in combination, with no more than one rainbow trout or Atlantic salmon in that catch.

On Cayuga Lake, the base is similar but the mix rule widens. The line is open all year, a 15-inch minimum except 18 inches for Atlantic salmon, and five in combination, yet the catch shall include no more than three brown trout, three rainbow trout, or three Atlantic salmon. Owasco Lake follows the same pattern with open all year, a 15-inch minimum, five in combination, and no more than three brown trout, three rainbow trout, or three Atlantic salmon. Honeoye Lake lists open all year, a 15-inch minimum, and five in combination, with no more than one rainbow trout or three Atlantic salmon.

How long must a trout or salmon be to keep?

Measure length before counting the fish toward the daily total. For brown trout, rainbow trout, lake trout, and Atlantic salmon group on the waters named above, the page sets 15 inches as the minimum length, with the one exception noted for Atlantic salmon on Cayuga Lake at 18 inches. Skaneateles Lake uses the same baseline for that group with open all year, a 15-inch minimum, and five in combination, with no more than three of any species in the catch.

Two other trout lines show how New York separates fish by label. Under All Finger Lakes, the brook trout line shows April 1 to October 15 with a daily count of five and no more than two longer than 12 inches. Otisco Lake lists "Trout" with open all year, a 12-inch minimum, and a daily count of five.

What does open all year let you plan?

"Open all year" means the season cell does not close the water for that group, but length and daily count still control what you can keep on a given day. Check the minimum, count the combined total, and respect the mix cap for rainbow trout or Atlantic salmon where the line sets one.

Read the full table with seasons and combination caps in Great Lakes tributary rules, and compare one lake line against the next.

How does Ontario Zone 20 handle the same fish?

Ontario groups trout and salmon under an aggregate approach in Fisheries Management Zone 20. The Ontario page states that the Niagara River downstream of the falls is in Zone 20, and it sets aggregate limits for trout and salmon including splake at S 5 and C 2 as a total daily catch and possession limit for all trout and salmon species combined.

For individual species, the Ontario page lists Atlantic salmon as open all year with S 1 that must be greater than 63 centimetres and C 0, brown trout as open all year with S 5 and C 2, lake trout as January 1 to September 30 and December 1 to December 31 with S 3 and C 1, Pacific salmon as open all year with S 5 and C 2, and rainbow trout as open all year with S 2 and C 1. Brook trout and splake are listed as not present in this zone and as closed to fishing all year, and American eel is listed as specially protected and may not be caught or possessed under a recreational fishing licence.

Where does the Niagara River fit in these tables?

The New York lines shown name Finger Lakes waters one by one, and the eRegulations page does not publish a separate Niagara River salmon and trout line in the excerpts shown. Treat the Finger Lakes lines as guidance on how New York writes water-specific trout and salmon rules, then look for the Niagara River line by name on the current New York page before keeping a fish. For licenses, seasons and possession rules that frame that search, use New York licenses and limits alongside the Great Lakes table.

How can you use these numbers before you choose a shore?

Confirm whether the target is brook trout with its April 1 to October 15 window and its two-fish over 12 inches allowance, or "Trout" with its 12-inch minimum, or the four-fish brown trout, rainbow trout, lake trout, and Atlantic salmon group with its 15-inch baseline and five-fish combined cap. Keep the mix cap for that exact lake with the three numbers in that order.

eRegulations is the online publisher of the New York Fishing pages, where the Great Lakes and Tributaries Regulations table sits with related sections on licenses, statewide seasons, and catch limits, baitfish rules, and regional special rules. Last updated on May 13, 2021 in the excerpts shown, filter by water and species, open the water column first, and match the planned shore to its daily count before you pack.