Trailer ramp · Lake Ontario · New York

Westcott Beach State Park Boat Launch

A public trailer ramp on Lake Ontario in Henderson, Jefferson County, New York. Managed by NY State Parks (OPRHP).

Directions All Ontario launches

The launch

What the agency lists

Launch type: Trailer ramp — hard surface launch
Water: Lake Ontario
Parking: 35 cars and trailers
Fee: Not published in the source — ask the manager
Managed by: NY State Parks (OPRHP)
Location: Henderson, Jefferson County, New York
Coordinates: 43.9010° N, 76.1259° 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 Henderson:

Northern Pike · May through June, September until ice-up, and December through mid-March through the ice

Lake Ontario Northern Pike: Chaumont Bay, Henderson Harbor & the South-Shore Bays

Henderson Harbor: Famous for smallmouth, but NYSDEC describes the protected harbor as commonly holding pike up to 12 pounds, with fast fishing in spring, fall and winter. Launch at Henderson.

Smallmouth Bass · Late June through October, with September and October the best size window

Smallmouth Bass Fishing on Lake Ontario

Galloo Island and the surrounding shoals: Offshore rock west of Henderson. Isolated hard bottom rising out of deep water, and the best big-fish structure in the eastern basin. Open-water run — go on a good forecast.

Yellow Perch · September through November open water; January through February on bay ice

Yellow Perch Fishing on Lake Ontario

Black River Bay and Henderson Harbor: Eastern basin, out of Dexter and Henderson. Mixed perch and smallmouth water over 10–20 ft of rock and grass.

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.

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

Pound for pound Lake Ontario produces the biggest chinook in the Great Lakes, and a 25-pound fish here is a good day rather than a career fish. The offshore run is shorter than Lake Michigan's and the south-shore ports put you over 400 feet of water within a few miles.

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

Coho Salmon Fishing on Lake Ontario

Coho are the second salmon on Lake Ontario, not the first, and most anglers catch them incidentally on a chinook program. The exception is late summer in the eastern basin, where maturing coho gather off the Salmon River and Oswego River mouths in numbers worth targeting on purpose.

Lake Trout Muskellunge Steelhead Walleye

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

Market Square Park3.3 mi · trailer ramp · NY
Hounsfield DEC launch (Black River Bay at Lloyds Landing)5.3 mi · unimproved trailer launch · NY
Henderson municipal launch5.5 mi · trailer ramp · NY
Hounsfield DEC launch (Black River Bay at Muskellunge Creek)6.5 mi · unimproved trailer launch · NY
Henderson state park launch7.3 mi · trailer ramp · NY
Brownville DEC launch7.5 mi · unimproved trailer launch · NY

Straight-line distance, not a boating route.

Landmarks from the water

Lighthouses nearby

Horse Island Light3.0 mi · deactivated
Stony Point Light9.6 mi · deactivated

Camp or picnic

State parks nearby

Westcott Beach State Park0.4 mi

On shore nearby

Worth the stop

Sackets Harbor3.1 mi · town

Source

Launch facts are from the NYSDEC, Boat Launch Sites for Jefferson 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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