Port 05 of 11 · Monroe County
Rochester fishing charters
Three different fisheries inside twenty minutes of downtown. Rochester is the only place on this shoreline where you can leave a city hotel, be on the water in fifteen minutes, and be over three hundred feet of salmon water not long after. The bottom falls away unusually fast off the Genesee, and that single piece of geography makes half-day trips genuinely worthwhile here.
The water
What Rochester is good for
The Genesee River plume is the offshore engine. Spring browns work the warmer discharge in close, and from June through September the fleet runs north into deep water for Chinook, coho and lake trout. Because the depth is close, you lose less of your trip to travel than at almost any other port.
Then there are the bays, which are a completely different sport. Irondequoit Bay holds smallmouth and largemouth, northern pike, walleye and a serious winter perch fishery. Braddock Bay to the west is a shallow, weedy warmwater system famous for pike and spring bass, and it fishes from a small boat in weather that would keep the big boats tied up.
For a mixed group — some who want to troll for kings and some who would rather cast for bass — Rochester solves a problem no other port on the lake solves as neatly.
How it's fished
The programmes that actually produce here, and when each one is worth booking.
Offshore trolling
Riggers, wire divers and copper over 150–400 FOW for Chinook, coho and lake trout, June through September.
Spring nearshore
Browns on the Genesee plume in 10–30 FOW with boards and stickbaits, April and May.
Bay fishing
Casting and jigging Irondequoit and Braddock Bays for smallmouth, largemouth, pike and walleye; hardwater perch in winter.
What you'll catch
Species that hold at Rochester, and the months they're at their best.
| Illustration | Species | Notes | Best months |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chinook Salmon | King · to 35 lb | Jul, Aug, Sep | |
| Brown Trout | Nearshore · to 20 lb | Apr, May | |
| Lake Trout | Deep · to 25 lb | May, Jun, Jul | |
| Smallmouth Bass | Eastern basin | Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep | |
| Walleye | Bays & rivers | Jun, Jul | |
| Northern Pike | Weed edges & bays | Jan, Feb, May, Jun, Sep, Oct, Nov |
Full twelve-month picture across all species: the seasons guide.
Captains & guides — Rochester
Listings for this port. Every charter is licence-verified before it appears.
Featured slot 1 of 2 — open
Top of this page, above every other listing, plus first call on every trip request for Rochester.
$149/mo — see detailsFeatured slot 2 of 2 — open
Same placement, second position. Both slots sell as a pair or singly, month to month.
$149/mo — see detailsFree basic listings — open
If you run a boat for Rochester, get your name on this page at no charge while we build the directory.
Claim a free listingThis week & what's coming
The current report as it applies to Rochester, and the dates worth planning around.
Common questions
What people ask before they book Rochester.
Is a half-day trip worth it out of Rochester?
More than anywhere else on the lake, yes. Deep water sits close to the river mouth, so a four or five hour trip still gets real time with lines in rather than burning the morning on the run out.
What can I fish if the lake is too rough?
Irondequoit and Braddock Bays. They fish from small boats in weather that cancels offshore trips, and they hold good pike, bass and walleye. A lot of captains will offer this as the fallback.
Can I fly in for this?
Rochester has a proper airport twenty minutes from the water, hotels in every bracket, and captains who will collect you from the dock. It is the least logistically painful port on the lake.
Fish Rochester
Your request goes to captains covering this port with open dates in your window.