Oswego River New York Fly Fishing Report & Options for Selecting Flies: Email us at (sales@perfectflystore.com) with the dates you will be fishing and we will send you a list of our fly recommendations. We can get flies and gear to you within two to three business days from the time you place your order via Priority Mail. If you provide a budget for flies, we will select them to match the budget and get them to you on time for your trip. Your can also call us at 800-594-4726 and we will help you decide what flies and gear to use. All orders are shipped free in the U.S. If under a $100 order requiring Priority mail is a charge of only $8.10. Orders over a $100 are shipped free via Priority Mail.
We have custom Perfect Fly selections in 3 different price ranges for this stream that come with or without fly boxes that make excellent gifts. Click Here To Order or Call us at 800 594 4726 or email us at sales@perfectflystore.com.
Type of Stream
Freestone
Species
Brown Trout
Rainbow Trout
Steelhead
Coho Salmon
Chinook Salmon
Size
Large in width, short in length
Location
North Central New York
Nearest Town
Oswego
Season
Species Dependent
Access:
Good
Special Regulations
Yes, check for current regulations
Non-Resident License
State of New York
Weather
National Weather Service Link
Seasons:
The steelhead season runs from September to mid May.
Spring:
Steelhead fishing continues into the Spring months until as late as the first of May.
Summer:
During the Summer, the water is too low and warm for trout or steelhead.
Fall:
Brown trout fishing is best from early October to the end of November. Chinook and Coho Salmon run in the Fall. Steelhead follow them.
Winter:
All but the very coldest days of Winter is good for steelhead.
Recommended Tackle & Gear
For Steelhead and Salmon
Fly Line:
7, 8 , 9 or 10 weight for appropriate typerod, sinking, sinking tip and floating
Leaders:
10#, 12# in 9 to 15 feet lengths
Tippets:
10# and 12#
Best Fly Rods:
Perfect Fly 7, 8, 9 and 10 ft. single hand rods
Fly Reels:
For 7 to 10 weight lines
Fly Floatants and Misc Items:
KISS Strike Indicators, Lanyards, etc.
Tools & Accessories:
Nippers, forceps, retractors, etc.
Recommended Tackle & Gear
Fly Line:
4, 5 or 6 weight
Leaders:
Dry fly: 9 to 12 ft., 5 or 6X Nymphing:
71/2 ft., 3 or 4X, Streamers 0-2X
Tippets:
Dry fly: 5 or 6X, Nymphing: 3 or 4X,
Streamer 0-2X
Best Fly Rods:
Perfect Fly Supreme Four, Superb Five
or Ultimate Six
Fly Reels:
For 4/5/6 fly line
Fly Floatants and Misc Items:
Floatants, KISS Strike Indicators
Tools & Accessories:
Nippers, forceps, retractors, etc.
Fly Fishing The Oswego River New York
The Oswego River is a tributary of Lake Ontario and is one of New York’s better steelhead, salmon, rainbow, and brown trout streams. The section of the stream below the dam is a short one of only a mile in length, but it’s also very wide, averaging four to five hundred feet in width. Even so, it has huge runs of salmon and steelhead, as well as brown trout and actually has more fish at any one time than any of the other tributaries of the Great Lakes.
Its steelhead fishing is the prime attraction. These large fish, averaging between five and twenty pounds, start coming into the river in the early part of October and run throughout the Winter into early Spring.
The Oswego River also has good runs of Chinook salmon that enter the river between late August and October. Coho salmon, averaging from six to twenty pounds, also show up at this time of the year. The large brown trout, averaging four to over fifteen pounds, enter the river in September and can be caught from then until early Winter. Brown trout fishing is best from mid October until the end of November.
Wading can be difficult below the dam for the first quarter of a mile. The water consist of deep pockets and pools with runs mixed in between them. It’s a shale bottom that requires cleats on your wading boots. Beware of sudden rises in the water level. There’s a warning siren but you should continuously check the levels visually. The upper part of the river has large walls and a concrete channel. This area is mostly fished by anglers using spinning and casting gear.
Below the section of the river with walls, you will find an area that is suited for fly fishing with runs and some pools. This is just above the Route #104 Bridge. Below the bridge the river gets larger and slower due to its confluence with Lake Ontario. This section of the river has a coble bottom and/or large rocks. It shouldn’t be waded on higher flows.
There is a suitable fly fishing section on the north side of the Oswego River that’s directly across from the walled section. This section is just below the Varick Dam locks.
Fly fishing the Oswego River is usually done using a floating fly line, long leader and weighted fly. Sink tip lines and a short leader can also be used. Much of the fly fishing is done using the traditional wet fly swing.
The river is usually crowded with salmon anglers during the early Fall season. These are meat fishing anglers that are lined side by side at times.
Fly fishing the Oswego River can be very productive at times, especially when one fines the fish concentrated in a certain area. It’s not uncommon to hook several steelhead and brown trout in a good day of fly fishing.