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Black River

Type
Freestone river, New York (East)
Designation
Steelhead / salmon water · Special-regulation trout water
USGS gauges
2 live
Guides
1 nearby
Shops
1 nearby

Today on the Black River

Reading the gauge…

Regulations & access Guides & shops

The Black River is a freestone river in New York, listed as Steelhead / salmon water by New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC), Bureau of Fisheries.

More about the Black River

2 USGS gauges on the water report flow; New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC), Bureau of Fisheries lists 7 species, including brown trout, chinook salmon and coho salmon. 1 guide and 1 shop nearby are listed here; the nearest destination hub is Pulaski & the Salmon River.

Updated · Sources: Great Lakes tributary sections with their own seasonal (Sept 1 - Mar 31) trout and salmon run regulations, Steelhead Fishing in Lake Ontario Tributaries: steelhead waters with public access, USGS Water Data

Representative photograph of similar water; not a photograph of this place.
Representative photograph, not this water.
Where it is

Black River is a freestone river in New York. Our destination hub Pulaski & the Salmon River is 31 mi away in a straight line. New York has 3 waters named Black River in the USGS Geographic Names Information System; this page is the stream whose mouth is in Lewis County, the one the agency list names.

Flow now at 2 gauges
Reading the gauges…

Check any river's flow

Follow Black River for flow alerts

Pick one of its USGS gauges and hear from us when the flow moves into or out of its usual range for the date, or crosses a flow you set. We check the public USGS reading every 2 hours and email only when it crosses, at most once every 6 hours. Flow alone is not a fishing forecast or a safety call.

Follow this water

Signed in: one step. Otherwise we email a confirmation link first. Every alert has one-click links to stop it.

Where to fish

About this

Start from the agency's public access map. Nothing on this page grants or implies access: check the agency map, posted signs and landowner permission before you fish.

Nothing on this page grants or implies access.

New York streams with public fishing rights

Black River on the map

About this

Gauges, shops and guides within 40 miles

Map of Black River: gauges, shops and guides

RestroomsAccess map

Map of Black River with 2 USGS gauges.

Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors · OpenFreeMap · © OpenMapTiles

Restrooms near Black River

Restrooms near Black River

Restrooms within 2 miles of Black River in a straight line, nearest first, with what anglers found when they went. The map says a restroom is there, not whether it is clean or open today.

No restroom mapped within 2 mi yet — add one you know.

Campgrounds, fishing access sites and boat ramps often have one that isn't on the map yet.

Restroom locations and map details: © OpenStreetMap contributors, Open Database License, read Oct 24, 2026. Ratings, answers and photos are members' own; who shared them is never shown, and every photo is reviewed before it appears. Visits older than 18 months no longer count. Distances are straight-line miles, not driving. Nothing here grants access to private land. Community guidelines.

More water near Black River

  • Anglers wading and fishing from the grassy bank and from drift boats on the wide lower Salmon River in autumnSteelhead / salmon water
    Photo credit

    Anglers on the lower Salmon River near Port Ontario, New York, in October. Photo: Bill Blevins, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Salmon River

    New York · about 37 mi

    Brown trout, steelhead & chinook salmon

  • Oatka Creek flowing north through Le RoySteelhead / salmon waterRepresentative photo · not Orwell Brook
    Photo credit

    Oatka Creek at Le Roy, New York, looking north from the Main Street bridge. Photo: Andre Carrotflower, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Not Orwell Brook.

    Orwell Brook

    New York · about 35 mi

  • A road and bridge crossing the West Branch Delaware River at Hale Eddy, with wooded hills behindSteelhead / salmon waterRepresentative photo · not Trout Brook
    Photo credit

    The West Branch Delaware River at the Hale Eddy bridge, Deposit, New York. Photo: Mr. Matté, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Not Trout Brook.

    Trout Brook

    New York · about 36 mi

  • The West Branch Ausable River pouring through the rock chute of Flume Falls at WilmingtonSteelhead / salmon waterRepresentative photo · not Little Sandy Creek
    Photo credit

    Flume Falls on the West Branch Ausable River, Wilmington, New York. Photo: James St. John, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons Not Little Sandy Creek.

    Little Sandy Creek

    New York · about 37 mi

    Rainbow trout, steelhead & chinook salmon

  • The East Branch Delaware River at its confluence with the Beaverkill, below wooded hillsSteelhead / salmon waterRepresentative photo · not South Sandy Creek
    Photo credit

    The East Branch Delaware River at its confluence with the Beaverkill, East Branch, New York. Photo: Daniel Case, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Not South Sandy Creek.

    South Sandy Creek

    New York · about 39 mi

    Rainbow trout, steelhead & chinook salmon

  • The Beaverkill in early autumn, rain dimpling a broad pool below wooded hillsSteelhead / salmon waterRepresentative photo · not Deer Creek
    Photo credit

    The Beaverkill in autumn rain. Photo: Jack Enright, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons Not Deer Creek.

    Deer Creek

    New York · about 40 mi

    Steelhead

Regulations

About this

Seasons, limits, special regulations and closures for each reach are on the agency pages below. Read them before you go.

2 official designations

Each comes from the agency's own published list; where the list names a reach it is quoted. A designation applies to the listed reach, not necessarily the whole water. Listed in the finder under trout, salmon & steelhead, bass.

The water on the map

About this

Measured from the NHDPlus High Resolution (flowlines and waterbodies) (U.S. Geological Survey, read 2026-11-04) for this water’s own mapped feature. Rounded figures; they describe the channel, not today’s conditions.

Whole Black River, not only this reach.

Length
126 mi (123.6 in NY)
Drains
1,900 sq mi
Drop
1,560 ft · 12.4 ft/mi
Watershed
Black

Public land along it

About this

Areas the Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), public access (U.S. Geological Survey, Gap Analysis Project, read 2026-11-05) lists as owned or held in easement and open to the public, crossed by the mapped channel of the whole Black River. Boundaries are mapped, not surveyed. Nothing on this page grants or implies access: check the agency map, posted signs and landowner permission before you fish.

11.7 of 123.6 mi on public land

  • Black River Wild ForestState Department of Conservation · 9.1 mi
  • North Lake Tract EasementState Department of Conservation · 2.1 mi · restricted
  • Black River Fishing AccessState Department of Conservation · 0.1 mi
  • Dexter Marsh WmaState Department of Conservation · 0.1 mi
  • Waterworks ParkCity Land · 0.1 mi

Nothing on this page grants or implies access.

Agency access sites (14)

About this

From Public Fishing Rights Parking Areas (New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC), via data.ny.gov, read 2026-11-04); each site’s own point lies on the mapped water. Trout as the agency lists them for the site. Nothing on this page grants or implies access: check the agency map, posted signs and landowner permission before you fish.

  • Black River parking area 1

    Vanduzee St · Watertown · stocked: Brown Trout, Rainbow Trout

  • Black River parking area 2

    Greig Rd · Greig · stocked: Brown Trout, Rainbow Trout

  • Black River parking area 3

    NY 12 · Lyonsdale · stocked: Brown Trout, Rainbow Trout

  • Black River parking area 4

    River Rd · Lyonsdale · stocked: Brown Trout, Rainbow Trout

  • Black River parking area 5

    River Rd · Lyonsdale · stocked: Brown Trout, Rainbow Trout

  • Black River parking area 6

    River Rd · Lyonsdale · stocked: Brown Trout, Rainbow Trout

  • Black River parking area 7

    River Rd · Boonville · stocked: Brown Trout, Rainbow Trout

  • Black River parking area 8

    Lauelwood Dr · Boonville · stocked: Brook Trout, Brown Trout, Rainbow Trout

  • Black River parking area 9

    Wingert Rd · Boonville · stocked: Brown Trout, Rainbow Trout

  • Black River parking area 10

    Edmonds Rd · Boonville · stocked: Brook Trout, Brown Trout, Rainbow Trout

+4 more on the agency’s list

Stocking records

About this

From the agency’s own records (Fish Stocking Lists (Actual): Beginning 2011, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC), via data.ny.gov, read 2026-11-04), listed as Black River (Jefferson County); Black River (Lewis County); Black River (Oneida County). Check the agency for this season.

Past stockings, not a schedule

  • 2025: Brown Trout, Chinook, Steelhead in Apr, May (14 stockings, 181,401 fish).

  • 2024: Brook Trout, Brown Trout, Chinook, Steelhead in Apr, May (14 stockings, 151,110 fish).

  • 2023: Brook Trout, Brown Trout, Chinook, Steelhead in May (12 stockings, 150,600 fish).

Agency records

Guides and shops near Black River

About this

Listings marked Unclaimed are built from open map records and the business's own website: confirm licensing, rates, dates and hours directly.

Guides

All New York guides

1 shop nearby

  • Healy Outdoors

    Nanuet, NY · 41 mi

    Fishing shop · Float trips · Wade trips

    • Unclaimed

All New York shops

How these are chosen

Guides whose own website names this water come first, nearest first. After them, fly-focused guides within 40 miles whose website does not name it. Distances are straight-line.

Shops: fly shops first. A distance is shown when the shop’s website gives its location (within 60 miles); otherwise the shop is in one of the towns within 25 miles of the water.

Guide and shop listings come from the Legendary directories.

Species and hatches

About this

The species the agency lists here; presence varies by reach and season.

Listed by the state agency

  • Illustration of a rainbow trout in side view: olive back with small black spots and a pink band along the side

    Rainbow trout

    Species guide

    Photo credit

    Rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), illustration by Duane Raver for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Photo: Duane Raver, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

  • Illustration of a brown trout in side view: golden-brown body with dark spots and red spots ringed in pale halos

    Brown trout

    Species guide

    Photo credit

    Brown trout (Salmo trutta), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service illustration. Photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

  • Two anglers in rain gear standing in a boat on a grey river, one holding a long rod

    Steelhead

    Species guide

    Photo credit

    Winter steelhead fishing on the Skagit River, Washington (Doug Wilson, U.S. National Archives and Records Administration). Photo: Doug Wilson, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

  • Several red-backed Chinook salmon splashing upstream through shallow, fast water

    Chinook salmon

    Species guide

    Photo credit

    Chinook salmon moving upstream in the lower Tuolumne River, California (Dan Cook, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service). Photo: Dan Cook (USFWS), public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

  • Illustration of a silver coho salmon with a blue-green back and small dark spots on the back and upper tail

    Coho salmon

    Species guide

    Photo credit

    Coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch), illustration by Timothy Knepp for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Photo: Timothy Knepp, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

  • Illustration of a smallmouth bass: bronze-brown body with faint vertical bars and a red eye

    Smallmouth bass

    Species guide

    Photo credit

    Smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu), illustration by Duane Raver for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Photo: Duane Raver, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

  • Walleye

When the bugs come off

Regional hatch months: Catskills and the Northeast
About this chart

8 hatches charted for the region, not measured on this water. From Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission.

  1. January: no charted hatch
  2. February: no charted hatch
  3. March: no charted hatch
  4. April: 3 charted hatches
  5. May: 2 charted hatches
  6. June: 1 charted hatch
  7. July: 1 charted hatch
  8. August: 1 charted hatch
  9. September: 2 charted hatches
  10. October: 1 charted hatch
  11. November: no charted hatch
  12. December: no charted hatch

Blue Quill (April) · Hendrickson (April) · Quill Gordon (April) · Green drake (May) · Mayflies (best hatches) (May) · Mayflies, stoneflies and caddisflies (June to September) · and 2 more on the chart

Pulaski & the Salmon River

About this

Pulaski is a village on the Salmon River in Oswego County, a few miles above the river's mouth on Lake Ontario; Altmar and the Salmon River Fish Hatchery are upstream, and the county's other Lake Ontario tributaries, from the Oswego River to the Sandy creeks, reach the lake along its shore.

Destination hub · 31 mi away in a straight line

Open the hubPlan a trip here

Fish these abroad

About this

Matched on the fish the agencies list for both waters first, then the same water type, an official designation or flagship listing on both, and a similar mapped size where USGS hydrography covers both.

At most two waters per country. A shared fish is a listing, not a promise: presence varies by reach and season.

Like the Black River? Same fish, overseas.

  • The braided Rakaia River spreading across a wide valley floor between mountain rangesFlagship water
    Photo credit

    The Rakaia River where the Wilberforce joins it, Canterbury. Photo: Michal Klajban, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Rakaia River

    Canterbury, New Zealand

    Same fish: rainbow & brown trout · also a freestone river

  • The braided Waimakariri River in a wide valley under cloud-capped mountainsFlagship water
    Photo credit

    The Waimakariri River from the Cass-Lagoon Saddle Track, Craigieburn Forest Park. Photo: Michal Klajban, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Waimakariri River

    Canterbury, New Zealand

    Same fish: rainbow & brown trout · also a freestone river

  • The wide milky-turquoise Santa Cruz River between low, dry Patagonian banksFreestone river
    Photo credit

    The Santa Cruz River from National Route 40, downstream of Lago Argentino. Photo: Fredlyfish4, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped, via Wikimedia Commons

    Río Santa Cruz

    Santa Cruz, Argentina

    Same fish: brown trout & steelhead · also a freestone river

  • Evening sun on the green banks of the River Moy at BanadaFlagship water
    Photo credit

    The River Moy at Banada Priory. Photo: Andreas F. Borchert, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    River Moy

    Mayo, Ireland

    Same fish: brown trout · also a freestone river

  • The clear Radovna pooling below a spruce on a small island, beech forest aroundFreestone river
    Photo credit

    The Radovna. Photo: Mihael Simonič, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Radovna

    Gorenjska, Slovenia

    Same fish: rainbow & brown trout · also a freestone river

  • The broad blue-green Río Puelo between forested banks, mountains beyondFreestone riverRepresentative photo · not Río Petrohué
    Photo credit

    The Río Puelo at Las Gualas, Cochamó. Photo: Nicolás from seno de reloncaví, Chile, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons Not Río Petrohué.

    Río Petrohué

    Los Lagos, Chile

    Same fish: chinook salmon & coho salmon · also a freestone river

Fish it when it's winter here

Southern seasons open while ours close.

  • Lake Taupō's blue water framed by yellow kōwhai and bush, hills across the lakeFlagship water
    Photo credit

    Lake Taupō. Photo: Ériugena, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Lake Taupō

    Waikato, New Zealand

    Season open all year · DOC

  • Penstock Lagoon's open water below a shoreline of tall eucalyptsFlagship water
    Photo credit

    Penstock Lagoon, Central Highlands, Tasmania. Photo: Mike Cline, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Penstock Lagoon

    Tasmania, Australia

    Season open Aug–May · Inland Fisheries Service

  • The clear turquoise Río Limay flowing past green willows and rock outcropsTailwater
    Photo credit

    The Río Limay, Argentina. Photo: P. Hughes, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Río Limay

    Río Negro, Argentina

    Season open Nov–May · Patagonian fishing regulation

  • The electric-blue Río Futaleufú rushing between dark rock walls and bushFreestone riverRepresentative photo · not Río Petrohué
    Photo credit

    The Río Futaleufú, Los Lagos. Photo: Kaaty.7, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons Not Río Petrohué.

    Río Petrohué

    Los Lagos, Chile

    Season open Nov–May · SERNAPESCA

  • The Río Simpson running past the edge of Coyhaique under cliffs and hills in AysénLake or reservoirRepresentative photo · not Lago Llanquihue
    Photo credit

    The Río Simpson passing Coyhaique, Aysén. Photo: Manxuc, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Not Lago Llanquihue.

    Lago Llanquihue

    Los Lagos, Chile

    Season open Nov–May · SERNAPESCA

  • Lago Nahuel Huapi's blue water and wooded islands below snow-capped Andes, framed by conifersLake or reservoir
    Photo credit

    Lago Nahuel Huapi from Llao Llao. Photo: David, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Lago Nahuel Huapi

    Río Negro, Argentina

    Season open Oct–May · Patagonian fishing regulation

  • The braided Oreti River across green farmland, mountains on the horizonFlagship waterRepresentative photo · not Mataura River
    Photo credit

    The Oreti River near Lumsden, Southland. Photo: Krzysztof Golik, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped, via Wikimedia Commons Not Mataura River.

    Mataura River

    Southland, New Zealand

    Season open Oct–Apr · Fish & Game NZ

  • Old timber pilings reflected in the still water of Great Lake, a low wooded shore beyondFlagship water
    Photo credit

    Great Lake, Tasmania. Photo: Peripitus, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Yingina / Great Lake

    Tasmania, Australia

    Season open all year · Inland Fisheries Service

Gear checklist

About this

A steelhead and salmon fly-fishing checklist: a switch or spey rod (or 9′6″ single-hand) in 7–8 weight, Skagit lines and sink tips, swing flies, studded boots and cold-weather layers, with estimated prices and where to buy.

An angler wades the Deschutes River and casts, dry canyon slopes behind

Steelhead & salmon

11′–13′6″ two-hand rod, 7–8 weight, Skagit head + sink tips · Steelhead and Pacific salmon

Open the checklist
Videos for this water (5)

Watch: reading a trout stream

About this

Seams, shelves and soft water, shown on real rivers.

Public YouTube videos from established channels, chosen by us to support this page. Not sponsored; the creators are not affiliated with Legendary Fly Gear.

  • How I Learned to Read Water (Fly Fishing)Embedded from YouTube · Mad River Outfitters · not affiliated with Legendary Fly Gear. Watch on YouTube
  • How To Read The Water with Tom RosenbauerEmbedded from YouTube · The New Fly Fisher · not affiliated with Legendary Fly Gear. Watch on YouTube
  • Reading the Water to Successfully Locate TroutEmbedded from YouTube · Orvis Guide to Fly Fishing · not affiliated with Legendary Fly Gear. Watch on YouTube

Not sponsored All videos on reading water

Watch: nymphing basics

About this

Indicator rigs, depth and detecting the take.

Public YouTube videos from established channels, chosen by us to support this page. Not sponsored; the creators are not affiliated with Legendary Fly Gear.

  • 90° Nymph RigEmbedded from YouTube · Huge Fly Fisherman · not affiliated with Legendary Fly Gear. Watch on YouTube
  • Casting with an Indicator & Better Nymphing TechniquesEmbedded from YouTube · The New Fly Fisher · not affiliated with Legendary Fly Gear. Watch on YouTube

Not sponsored All videos on nymphing

Fish Tales

About this

Trip stories anglers chose to share publicly and tagged with Black River.

No stories from here yet.

Write the first story Share your day

Sources for this page

Not a statement of access, fish presence or conditions.

Something wrong?

All 17 sources and dates

A water page organises discovery. It does not assert public access, legal access, current fish presence, guide availability or fishing conditions.

Flows, gauge statistics and flood stages come from USGS and the National Weather Service when the page is shown. Regulations, stocking, species and season statements link to the agency that publishes them; this page copies only the species names and the quoted sentences. Guide and shop listings come from the Legendary directories. Position: the USGS gauge BLACK RIVER NEAR BOONVILLE NY. Water type is our own classification.