Rochester, NY Fishing Report & Live Conditions

Rochester, NY fishing report

Rochester's Lake Ontario fishery runs on salmon first. Spring brings staging brown trout tight to the river mouth as water temperatures climb through the 40s, with fish stacking where the warmer Genesee discharge meets the cold lake. Chinook and coho salmon dominate late summer through fall as mature fish push toward the river to spawn, creating some of the most intense shore and boat action on the Great Lakes. Walleye are a year-round option, peaking in spring near the river mouth and again in fall as they follow baitfish concentrations along the south shore.

Trolling spoons and stick baits on planer boards works the lake's temperature breaks for browns and salmon, targeting the thermocline where baitfish concentrate. In the Genesee, reading current seams is everything — salmon and browns hold in softer water behind boulders and along ledge edges. Spawn sacks, streamers, and egg patterns produce in the river during fall runs, while jigging blade baits along rocky bottom structure near the mouth will pull walleye when lake temperatures drop into the low 50s and fish tighten to deeper structure.