Tailwater · Mixed · New York, US

Oswego River

Oswego River venue image
Today · Slow going — pick your moments
Pheasant Tail Nymph (18-20)
Forecast · Today
Slow going — pick your moments
Slow going — pick your moments and do not force it.
45% projected
Today's fly
Pheasant Tail Nymph (18-20)
Pheasant Tail Nymph (18-20)
Conditions on the water · Today
Live gauge
Level
Rising
1.00 m
Lifting fast
Water temp11.5°C
ClarityVery coloured
Weather23°C
WindN 27 km/h
Pressure1013 hPa
Rain · recent12.7 mm
Rain · ahead0.0 mm

The nearest gauge doesn't record temperatures, so we've estimated it — defer to the river keeper's advice.

Water temperature for Steelhead
Ideal
12°C est.ideal 4–13°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Steelhead
When
Salmon Sep–Oct; steelhead Oct–Apr
Where
A big, powerful river dropping into Lake Ontario at Oswego, where salmon and steelhead stack below the downtown dam.
Why this works
Excellent — conditions well-balanced, with water temperature particularly in your favour.
Likely species
Mayflies
Caddisflies
terrestrials
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 12pm

12pm(now) — Eastern Blue-Winged Olive

Stage: On emergersApproach: Emerger or dryActivity: 56%
Also:Black Midge26%
Peak emergence window5 food groups active

Peak activity at 12pm — Eastern Blue-Winged Olive (Eastern Blue-Winged Olive, Peak emergence window)

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

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Evidence
Records-basedModerate confidence

Based on species-occurrence records, not local invertebrate surveys.

Through the year
0–3 scale · September highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
SulphurHatch
2
3
2
Trico (Eastern)Hatch
2
3
3
2
Eastern Blue-Winged OliveHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
Eastern Summer BWO (Drunella)Hatch
2
3
3
2

Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.

Ranked for today
Steelhead fly box
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • New York licence; verify NY DEC rules and the downtown-dam access
  • Introduced, harvestable sport fishery.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 3
Salmon River
34 km
Steelhead · Chinook salmon · Coho salmon
Genesee River
96 km
Steelhead · Chinook salmon · Coho salmon
Oak Orchard Creek
140 km
0
Steelhead · Chinook salmon · Coho salmon
Gallery · 1
  1. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
Water quality · US Clean Water Act
  • Aquatic life: Supporting
What this classification means

EPA ATTAINS assessment unit 'Oswego River, Lower, Main Stem' (NY0701-0022), 2022 Integrated Report. Aquatic Life use: Fully Supporting. This is a Clean Water Act assessment-unit classification (the US analogue of WFD), not a live reading.

Status is for the Clean Water Act assessment unit covering this reach.

EPA ATTAINS (Clean Water Act) · NY0701-0022

Why this score · for Steelhead
  • Temperature10028% weight
  • Flow8022% weight
  • Clarity9518% weight
  • Feeding Time7013% weight
  • Pressure757% weight
  • Insect activity6612% weight
Related guides
Euro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts