Seneca River fishing guide
A 97-mile river touching 5 New York counties: Seneca, Onondaga, Cayuga, Yates and Schuyler. The state agency lists 9 species here and last stocked it in August 2023. It has 3 public access points and 6 live sensors on the water.
Today's fishing forecast
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Live sensors on this water
- Seneca River near Seneca Falls NY · flow, water level · USGS 04232730
- Seneca River (erie Canal) near Port Byron NY · flow, water level · USGS 04235600
- Seneca River near Baldwinsville NY · flow, water level · USGS 04237496
- Seneca R (barge Canal) at Cross Lake nr Jordan NY · water level · USGS 04237020
- Seneca River, Mouth of State Ditch, nr Jordan NY · water level · USGS 04237411
- Seneca River at Free Bridge Corners NY · flow, water level · USGS 0423406130
Seneca River flow
Flow gauge: Seneca River near Seneca Falls NY, USGS 04232730 . 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: 3 more USGS gauges on it are 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 | 278–1,225 | 838 | 1,560 |
| February | 192–1,200 | 501 | 1,620 |
| March | 123–1,170 | 425 | 1,942 |
| April | 552–1,730 | 1,105 | 2,341 |
| May | 451–1,700 | 903 | 2,280 |
| June | 204–922 | 496 | 1,471 |
| July | 170–622 | 300 | 1,150 |
| August | 143–276 | 175 | 675 |
| September | 119–201 | 147 | 371 |
| October | 91–226 | 117 | 866 |
| November | 90–1,055 | 244 | 1,774 |
| December | 461–1,390 | 903 | 1,784 |
Fish species in Seneca River
Species on the official fishing-waters list from New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. 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 | — |
| Tiger Muskellunge | Agency list | Aug 2023 |
| Walleye | Agency list | Jun 2020 |
| Yellow Perch | Agency list | — |
Stocking history
Last stocked August 2023: tiger muskellunge catchable. 19 stocking records in the last 10 years, 175,166 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 2023 | Tiger Muskellunge | catchable | 12,800 |
| Jul 2023 | Tiger Muskellunge | yearling | 12,000 |
| Jul 2021 | Tiger Muskellunge | catchable | 3,000 |
| Sep 2020 | Tiger Muskellunge | catchable | 12,800 |
| Jul 2020 | Tiger Muskellunge | yearling | 5,434 |
| Jun 2020 | Walleye | fry | 24,000 |
| Sep 2019 | Tiger Muskellunge | yearling | 12,800 |
| Aug 2019 | Tiger Muskellunge | catchable | 4,600 |
| Aug 2019 | Tiger Muskellunge | yearling | 5,000 |
| Jun 2019 | Walleye | fry | 30,449 |
| Sep 2018 | Tiger Muskellunge | catchable | 3,483 |
| Jun 2018 | Walleye | fry | 24,000 |
| Sep 2017 | Tiger Muskellunge | catchable | 12,800 |
| Jun 2017 | Walleye | fry | 12,000 |
Plus 2 stocking records before October 2016 in the agency data.
Public access and boat launches
2 boat ramps and 1 carry-in launch from New York State Department of Environmental Conservation; orange dots on the map above.
Access along the river
- End near Watkins Glen
- mi 47Seneca River near Seneca Falls NYFlow gauge
- mi 50Seneca River boat launchRamp
- mi 50Seneca River at Free Bridge Corners NYFlow gauge
- mi 60Seneca River (erie Canal) near Port Byron NYFlow gauge
- mi 60Seneca River boat launchRamp
- mi 68Seneca River boat launchCarry-in
- mi 70Seneca R (barge Canal) at Cross Lake nr Jordan NYSensor
- mi 76Seneca River, Mouth of State Ditch, nr Jordan NYSensor
- mi 83Seneca River near Baldwinsville NYFlow gauge
- End near Three Rivers
Access points
- Seneca River boat launchRamp
- Seneca River boat launchRamp
- Seneca River boat launchCarry-in
Regulations
No special regulations for Seneca 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.
Seneca River fishing FAQ
What fish are in Seneca River?
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation lists 9 species for Seneca River: black crappie, channel catfish, common carp, largemouth bass, northern pike, smallmouth bass, tiger muskellunge and walleye, plus 1 more in the table above.
When was Seneca River last stocked?
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation last stocked Seneca River in August 2023 with tiger muskellunge. Our data has 19 stocking records in the last 10 years.
Where can I launch a boat on Seneca River?
The agency lists 2 boat ramps and 1 carry-in launch for Seneca River, near Mosquito Point, Mud Lock and Pump Corners. Each one is listed in the access section with parking and toilets where the agency records them.
Is there a flow gauge on Seneca River?
Yes. USGS gauge 04232730 (Seneca River near Seneca Falls NY) measures flow on Seneca River. Its median daily flow runs from about 117 cfs in October to 1,105 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: 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