Unimproved trailer launch · Lake Ontario · New York

Selkirk Shores State Park Boat Launch

A public unimproved trailer launch on Salmon River / Lake Ontario in Richland, Oswego County, New York. Managed by NY State Parks (OPRHP).

Directions All Ontario launches

The launch

What the agency lists

Launch type: Unimproved trailer launch
Water: Salmon River/Lake Ontario
Parking: 120 cars and trailers
Fee: Not published in the source — ask the manager
Managed by: NY State Parks (OPRHP)
Location: Richland, Oswego County, New York
Coordinates: 43.5672° N, 76.2034° W

Before you launch

Lake Ontario is big water

Creek-mouth launches depend on lake level and sand. Some shoal in low water, and the DEC notes where that is a known problem. Out front, the lake is deep and cold close to shore, and a north or west wind stacks waves at the harbor entrances.

Lake-effect snow squalls off the east end. Oswego and Tug Hill can get several feet in a day, and a squall can arrive on a boat ramp with almost no warning in November.
Deep water very close to shore on the south side, which means fish are far offshore in summer — 8 to 15 mile runs are normal and the weather can change during them.
Strong current and standing water at the Niagara Bar. The river outflow meets lake water and creates real hydraulics; small boats get into trouble there in wind against current.

Read how to read a Great Lakes marine forecast and trailering and launching on big water. Pack the big-water safety kit.

From this launch

What to fish on Lake Ontario

Our Ontario fishing guides name spots at or near Salmon River:

Chinook Salmon · Mid-June through mid-September, peaking with the staging fish off Oswego and Mexico Bay in late August

Chinook Salmon Fishing on Lake Ontario

Oswego and the Oswego Trench: Deep water swings close to the harbor mouth and the trench holds cold water and bait through the hottest weeks. Late August staging fish pile up here ahead of the Oswego and Salmon River runs.

Coho Salmon · Late July through September, concentrated in the eastern basin

Coho Salmon Fishing on Lake Ontario

Mexico Bay and Port Ontario: The shallow eastern shelf off the Salmon River mouth is where Lake Ontario coho gather before their run. From mid-August, fish 40 to 100 feet of water within two miles of the river.

Steelhead · October through April in the tributaries, peaking December and again in late March; June through August offshore

Steelhead Fishing on Lake Ontario

The Salmon River at Pulaski: A managed tailwater with dependable winter flow and the largest steelhead run on the American side of the lake. The upper fly-fishing-only water and the lower river fish very differently.

Brown Trout · Late March through May, with a second window in October and November near the river mouths

Brown Trout Fishing on Lake Ontario

Lake Ontario is the best brown trout water in the Great Lakes and it is not particularly close. Spring browns hold inside 20 feet of water along the south shore and on the Niagara Bar, which means genuine 15-pound trout are catchable from a small boat within sight of the beach.

Lake Trout · May and June shallow, July through September deep, with a fall concentration on the eastern shoals

Lake Trout Fishing on Lake Ontario

Lake Ontario has more lake trout than most of the boats out there are trying to catch, because the fleet is chasing chinook. Drop one rigger to the bottom in 120 to 200 feet along the south shore or fish the eastern basin shoals off Galloo Island and you will find them all summer.

Muskellunge · Late August through November, with October and November the trophy window

Lake Ontario Muskie Fishing: The Thousand Islands & Cape Vincent

Almost all of Lake Ontario's muskie fishing is in the upper St. Lawrence River, from Cape Vincent through the Thousand Islands, plus the eastern end of the lake those same fish roam after spawning. It is one of the few self-sustaining Great Lakes muskellunge populations and a true trophy fishery, but it has declined and is slow fishing even by muskie standards.

Northern Pike Smallmouth Bass Walleye Yellow Perch

Ontario by season

SpringBrown trout on the Bar and along the beach SummerKings offshore, deep and heavy FallThe Salmon River, and the biggest event on the chain WinterTributaries stay open, the lake mostly does

Next ramp over

Nearest Ontario launches

Mexico Point3.9 mi · trailer ramp · NY
Sandy Creek DEC launch6.6 mi · trailer ramp · NY
Wright's Landing Marina17 mi · trailer ramp · NY
Henderson state park launch18 mi · trailer ramp · NY
Henderson municipal launch19 mi · trailer ramp · NY
Westcott Beach State Park23 mi · trailer ramp · NY

Straight-line distance, not a boating route.

Landmarks from the water

Lighthouses nearby

Selkirk Light0.5 mi · deactivated

For the crew ashore

Beaches nearby

Selkirk Shores State Park Beach1.1 mi
Selkirk Shores State Park Beach - South1.1 mi
Brennan'S Beach1.4 mi

Camp or picnic

State parks nearby

Selkirk Shores State Park0.7 mi
Mexico Point State Park3.9 mi

On shore nearby

Worth the stop

Sackets Harbor26 mi · town
Fair Haven Beach State Park29 mi · beach

Source

Launch facts are from the NYSDEC, Boat Launch Sites for Oswego County, retrieved 2026-10-05. Ramps close for repairs, fees change and water levels move; confirm with NY State Parks (OPRHP) before you tow. Fishing rules are set by theNYSDEC.

Chart shoreline generalized from Natural Earth (public domain). Not for navigation. Something wrong or missing? Write to contact@greatamericanlakes.com.

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