Typically late September
Dates TBA
Salmon River Festival & Derby
Festival · Pulaski
Village festival built around a Salmon River derby — vendors, food, live music and a farmers' market alongside the fishing.
Derbies, festivals & the fishing calendar
Tournaments, town festivals, season openers and the fishing windows worth planning a trip around — the next twelve months on Lake America.
3Dates confirmed
10Tournaments
20Entries
On dates: entries marked Dates confirmed come from the organiser and are linked to their source. Entries marked Dates TBA are annual events whose dates for the coming year have not been published yet — the month shown is where it usually falls. Always confirm with the organiser before you book travel.
September 2026
October 2026
October into November
Annual window
Fall salmon run — tributaries
Peak fishing · Oak Orchard, Eighteenmile, Oswego & Salmon rivers
Salmon in every major tributary, then steelhead behind them. Oak Orchard and Eighteenmile carry strong runs with far less pressure than Pulaski.
Pt. Breeze · Olcott · Oswego
November 2026
January 2027
January and February, ice permitting
Annual window
Chaumont Bay ice fishing
Peak fishing · Chaumont Bay
The lake's only serious walk-out fishery — yellow perch and northern pike. Conditions vary enormously year to year; go with local knowledge, never on a forecast.
Typically mid-January
Dates TBA
Salmon River Winter Festival
Festival · Pulaski, Richland, Sandy Creek & Altmar
Four-village winter festival with chili, mac-and-cheese and wing challenges, a craft show, live music, wagon rides and snowshoeing at Selkirk Shores. The 2026 edition ran 16–18 January.
April 2027
1 April
Annual date
Inland trout season opens
Season & rules · New York State
Statewide inland trout season opens. Lake Ontario and its tributaries run on separate rules — check the current NYSDEC regulations for the water you're fishing.
April into early June
Annual window
West-end brown trout season
Peak fishing · Olcott, Wilson & Point Breeze
Browns stacked shallow on the creek plumes in 8–25 feet. Short runs, light tackle, and the best first trip on the lake for someone who has never trolled.
Olcott · Wilson · Pt. Breeze
May 2027
7–16 May 2027
Dates confirmed
LOC Spring Trout & Salmon Derby
Tournament · Lake-wide
The first of the three Lake Ontario Counties derbies. The 2027 LOC events carry $140,150 in cash prizes between them.
Typically mid-May
Dates TBA
Wilson Harbor Invitational
Tournament · Wilson
Long-running Wilson Harbor salmon tournament, traditionally run alongside daily big-fish and Salmon Slam options.
Typically late May
Dates TBA
Skip Hartman Memorial Lake Ontario Pro-Am
Tournament · Lake-wide
The lake's flagship team salmon tournament, traditionally with 100% payback of entry fees.
Typically late May
Dates TBA
Don Johannes & Pete DeAngelo Memorials
Tournament · Wilson
Big-fish and three-fish memorial contests run back to back, traditionally $100 per boat with a full cash payout.
June 2027
Third Saturday in June
Annual date
Black bass season opens
Season & rules · New York State
Traditional statewide opener for smallmouth and largemouth, with catch-and-release opportunity before it. Confirm the current rules with NYSDEC — they do change.
Late June through August
Annual window
Offshore king season
Peak fishing · Lake-wide
The thermocline sets up and the fleet moves out. Riggers down 60–130 feet hunting 48–52°F water.
Oswego · Sodus · Fair Haven · Rochester
July 2027
3 July – 1 August 2027
Dates confirmed
LOC Summer Trout & Salmon Derby
Tournament · Lake-wide
The month-long summer derby, running through the peak of the offshore king fishery.
Typically summer
Dates TBA
Oswego Pro-Am
Tournament · Oswego
The Oswego leg of the Lake Ontario Pro-Am series, fished out of the harbour.
Typically late July
Dates TBA
LOTSA King Salmon Tournament
Tournament · Lake-wide
Lake Ontario Trout and Salmon Association's single-day king tournament, traditionally 100% cash payback.
August 2027
August into early September
Annual window
Typically mid-August
Dates TBA
Reelin' for a Cure
Tournament · Wilson & Olcott
Ladies-only charity tournament fished out of the two western harbours.
Typically mid to late August
Dates TBA
Greater Niagara Fall Classic Derby
Tournament · Niagara County waters
Long-running Niagara County derby with a large cash and prize board, and free entry for kids.
From 20 August 2027
Dates confirmed
LOC Fall Trout & Salmon Derby
Tournament · Lake-wide
The biggest of the three derbies, timed to the staging king run. The 2026 edition was won with a 30 lb 13 oz king. End date not yet published.
Oswego · Pulaski · LOC Derby ↗
Running an event?
We'll list it free
Tournaments, derbies, festivals and open days go on this calendar at no charge. Send us the dates and a link and we'll add it, and mention it in the weekly report the week it runs.
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