Oswegatchie River fishing guide
A 144-mile river touching 4 New York counties: St. Lawrence, Herkimer, Hamilton and Jefferson. The state agency lists 11 species here and last stocked it in September 2025. It has 4 public access points and 2 live sensors on the water.
Today's fishing forecast
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Live sensors on this water
- Oswegatchie River near Oswegatchie NY · flow, water level · USGS 04262000
- Oswegatchie River near Heuvelton NY · flow, water level · USGS 04263000
Oswegatchie River flow
Flow gauge: Oswegatchie River near Oswegatchie NY, USGS 04262000 . The forecast above shows its latest reading and band: Fishable up to this month's typical high (75th percentile), High up to the 90th percentile, Blown out above that.
Flow changes along the river: 1 more USGS gauge on it is listed above.
Typical flow by month
Typical is the middle half of daily mean flows in that month (25th to 75th percentile), from 20–21 years of USGS records.
| Month | Typical flow (cfs) | Median (cfs) | Blown out above (cfs) |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 475–906 | 709 | 1,191 |
| February | 328–663 | 439 | 900 |
| March | 470–1,070 | 760 | 1,400 |
| April | 567–1,263 | 826 | 1,801 |
| May | 344–900 | 570 | 1,401 |
| June | 248–651 | 367 | 997 |
| July | 205–480 | 264 | 837 |
| August | 193–382 | 232 | 779 |
| September | 176–269 | 214 | 423 |
| October | 213–658 | 365 | 1,000 |
| November | 438–863 | 659 | 1,110 |
| December | 580–917 | 731 | 1,140 |
Fish species in Oswegatchie River
Species on the official fishing-waters list from New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, then species known only from stocking. Species links open our guide to that fish in New York.
| Species | Status | Last stocked |
|---|---|---|
| Black Crappie | Agency list | — |
| Channel Catfish | Agency list | — |
| Common Carp | Agency list | — |
| Largemouth Bass | Agency list | — |
| Northern Pike | Agency list | — |
| Smallmouth Bass | Agency list | — |
| Walleye | Agency list | — |
| Yellow Perch | Agency list | — |
| Brook Trout | Stocked | May 2025 |
| Brown Trout | Stocked | May 2025 |
| Lake Sturgeon | Stocked | Sep 2025 |
Stocking history
Last stocked September 2025: lake sturgeon fry. 40 stocking records in the last 10 years, 52,320 fish in all, from New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Each row below sums the agency's records for one month, species and size.
| Date | Species | Size | Fish stocked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2025 | Lake Sturgeon | fry | 1,500 |
| May 2025 | Brook Trout | catchable | 420 |
| May 2025 | Brown Trout | catchable | 2,620 |
| May 2024 | Brook Trout | catchable | 590 |
| May 2024 | Brown Trout | catchable | 320 |
| Oct 2023 | Lake Sturgeon | fingerling | 1,000 |
| May 2023 | Brook Trout | catchable | 590 |
| May 2023 | Brown Trout | catchable | 170 |
| Oct 2022 | Lake Sturgeon | yearling | 1,340 |
| May 2022 | Brook Trout | catchable | 2,290 |
| May 2022 | Brown Trout | catchable | 1,800 |
| Oct 2021 | Lake Sturgeon | fry | 1,400 |
| Sep 2021 | Lake Sturgeon | fry | 8,000 |
| Jun 2021 | Brown Trout | catchable | 330 |
| May 2021 | Brook Trout | yearling | 3,760 |
| Oct 2020 | Lake Sturgeon | yearling | 1,000 |
| Mar 2020 | Brook Trout | yearling | 2,800 |
| Mar 2020 | Brown Trout | catchable | 340 |
| Mar 2020 | Brown Trout | yearling | 1,910 |
| Oct 2019 | Lake Sturgeon | yearling | 2,000 |
12 earlier rows, back to Apr 2017
| Date | Species | Size | Fish stocked |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 2019 | Brown Trout | catchable | 340 |
| Apr 2019 | Brook Trout | yearling | 3,000 |
| Apr 2019 | Brown Trout | yearling | 2,300 |
| Oct 2018 | Lake Sturgeon | yearling | 1,000 |
| May 2018 | Brook Trout | yearling | 1,000 |
| May 2018 | Brown Trout | catchable | 340 |
| May 2018 | Brown Trout | yearling | 2,260 |
| Mar 2018 | Brook Trout | yearling | 2,000 |
| May 2017 | Brook Trout | yearling | 1,000 |
| May 2017 | Brown Trout | catchable | 340 |
| May 2017 | Brown Trout | yearling | 2,560 |
| Apr 2017 | Brook Trout | yearling | 2,000 |
Plus 5 stocking records before October 2016 in the agency data.
Public access and boat launches
1 boat ramp and 3 carry-in launches from New York State Department of Environmental Conservation; orange dots on the map above.
Access along the river
- End near Lower Oswegatchie
- mi 1Oswegatchie River near Oswegatchie NYFlow gauge
- mi 16Oswegatchie River boat launchRamp
- mi 17Oswegatchie River boat launchCarry-in
- mi 43Oswegatchie River boat launchCarry-in
- mi 83Oswegatchie River near Heuvelton NYFlow gauge
- End near Ogdensburg
Access points
- Oswegatchie River boat launchRamp
- Oswegatchie River boat launchCarry-in
- Oswegatchie River boat launchCarry-in
- Oswegatchie River boat launchCarry-in
Regulations
No special regulations for Oswegatchie River in our data. New York statewide rules apply unless the agency lists a special rule for this water. Seasons, limits and size rules change: check New York fishing regulations before every trip.
Licence: New York fishing licences from New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.
Oswegatchie River fishing FAQ
What fish are in Oswegatchie River?
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation lists 11 species for Oswegatchie River: black crappie, channel catfish, common carp, largemouth bass, northern pike, smallmouth bass, walleye and yellow perch, plus 3 more in the table above.
When was Oswegatchie River last stocked?
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation last stocked Oswegatchie River in September 2025 with lake sturgeon. Our data has 40 stocking records in the last 10 years.
Where can I launch a boat on Oswegatchie River?
The agency lists 1 boat ramp and 3 carry-in launches for Oswegatchie River, near Edwards, Oxbow and Wanakena. Each one is listed in the access section with parking and toilets where the agency records them.
Is there a flow gauge on Oswegatchie River?
Yes. USGS gauge 04262000 (Oswegatchie River near Oswegatchie NY) measures flow on Oswegatchie River. Its median daily flow runs from about 214 cfs in September to 826 cfs in April. Today's reading is in the forecast at the top of this page; the flow section has the typical range by month.
Sources: NOAA NDBC, National Data Buoy Center stations and observations · New York State DEC, Boat launch sites · New York State DEC, Recommended Fishing Lakes and Ponds (mw8j-wduf); Recommended Fishing Rivers and Streams (tjny-fki3), on data.ny.gov · New York State DEC, Fish stocking lists on data.ny.gov · U.S. Geological Survey, Geographic Names Information System, domestic names · U.S. Geological Survey, National Hydrography Dataset, high resolution, state geodatabases (NHDWaterbody, NHDFlowline); 3DHP when it replaces it · U.S. Geological Survey, Water Data OGC API (monitoring locations, discharge, gage height, water temperature). Checked: Oct 4, 2026. Official links open the agency page. How we use data