Pictured above are David M. Longe II of Mechanicville, NY and Bob Wilson of Greenfield Center, NY with some fantastic smallmouth bass they caught while fishing on the Oswego River. Bob caught his smallmouth bass on a crayfish fished on the bottom. David caught his monster smallmouth on Cabela's Orange and Chartreuse Spoon. David was fishing the spoon very slowly just dragging the spoon on or slightly above bottom. This was to make it resemble and imitate a goby. He did a good job because on his third cast he thought he had a snag and then all heck broke loose. Using the current to his advantage the big smallmouth headed downstream forcing David to tighten his drag bearing in mind he only had six pound test line. After a fierce battle of 10 to 15 minutes David was able to bring this trophy smallmouth in close enough to net it. This was the biggest bass David has ever caught in two years of fishing the Oswego River. David took his trophy smallmouth to B & W Bait Shop and had it weighed. The fish weighed in at 6 pounds 4 ounces.

  The Oswego River is formed by the Oneida and the Seneca rivers. It is approximately 23 miles long and enters Lake Ontario in the City of Oswego. The Oswego River is second only to the Niagara River in size as a Lake Ontario tributary. The Oswego River has several dams that are used to hold back water for the canal system and to generate electrical power. The Varick power dam is the first one that blocks the fish migration upstream. It is located right in the city about a mile up from where the river enters the harbor. In the fall the steelhead, brown trout, and salmon will collect up below the dam providing anglers with a fantastic fishing opportunity.

   The lower section of river where it enters the harbor offers great fishing for bass, walleye, catfish, rockbass, sheephead, white bass, yellow perch, carp, northern pike, trout and the occasional salmon. This area is a real hotspot for fisherman in April and May. During the summer months many fisherman will fish this section of river at night for walleyes ranging from 2 to 14 pounds. The fall provides excellent trout and salmon fishing. During the winter months the steelhead reigns king. Spring fishing is also awesome as well. Spring time anglers on the river may encounter any and all species of fish that exist in the Lake Ontario waters. Fishing with live bait or lures in the spring are both very productive methods.

  The City of Oswego has spent considerable time and money working on the riverfront. As you can see there is a cement walkway with railings that runs the entire west side of the river from the harbor to the powerplant. This make a great fishing opportunity for the elderly and the handicapped. I once saw a guy in a wheel chair land a salmon on the upper wall near the powerplant. Everyone was very good about getting out of his way and when he got the fish in the net I never heard such a round of applause. That was truly a moment I will remember forever.

   The Oswego area of Lake Ontario has produced a World Record Coho Salmon as well as the New York State Record Brown Trout. Stephen M. Sheets of Woolrich, Pa., caught the record breaking coho that weighed in at 33.45 pounds on August 13, 1998. Tony Brown of Schenectady, NY caught the new state record brown of 33 pounds, 2 ounces on June 10, 1997. Both of these fantastic fish were taken by clients of local charter captains. If you would like to learn more please take a look at our listings for Oswego Fishing Charter Boats and Oswego River Fishing Guides.

   The following links break down the best fishing options according to the month of the year. Certain times of the year present excellent fishing opportunities for differnt species and can help make the best of your limited free time.