Central New York hotline: Salmon River at 216 cfs and 58 degrees, lower fly stretch still shut

The current Central New York fishing hotline is the Oct. 9–23, 2026, sheet from DEC Region 7. On the Salmon River, it says the lower fly section is closed because of low water and the upper fly area is open. As of Oct. 6, the hotline lists the river at 216 cubic feet per second, the dam release at 185 CSF — that is the abbreviation printed on the page — and the water temperature at 58 degrees. It says anglers are catching salmon through the river on floating eggs or beads, and it tells people to check flows before they go because the water is low.

The Oswego River line is also dated Oct. 6: 1,220 cubic feet per second. Brown trout are being caught mainly below the dam, behind the hotel, and along the wall. Salmon are coming on eggs, lures, and beads. A few Atlantic salmon have been caught on jigs and floats. Bass are in the mix, and the walleye suggestion is large stickbaits or jigs. The hotline says some fish are holding at the power plant and most are heading upstream. Leto Island cannot be used to reach the dam; access is from the west, Brookfield, side. Mandatory personal-flotation-device zones are still in effect on the river.

Farther down the same sheet, the fall perch bite on Cayuga Lake is described as heating up in about 15 to 20 feet, with lake trout in about 100 to 130 feet. On Oneida Lake, perch and walleye are picking up, including walleye from shore as fish move shallow. This is the Region 7 hotline now posted for mid-October. It is separate from the September notices about the Salmon River egg take.

This is a The Gillnet news desk summary, not a reprint.

Source: NYSDEC — Central New York Fishing Hotline (hotline period Oct. 9–23, 2026; river figures as of Oct. 6, 2026).