Little Salmon River (Lake Ontario) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Little Salmon River
Show map of New York Show map of the United States Location of the mouth of the Little Salmon River in New York State
Country	United States
State	New York
County	Oswego County
Physical characteristics
Main source	North Branch Little Salmon R. Town of Albion 43°28′08″N 75°58′32″W / 43.46889°N 75.97556°W / 43.46889; -75.97556
2nd source	South Branch Little Salmon R. Town of Amboy 43°22′26″N 75°56′47″W / 43.37389°N 75.94639°W / 43.37389; -75.94639
River mouth	Lake Ontario Town of Mexico 43°31′27″N 76°15′31″W / 43.52417°N 76.25861°W / 43.52417; -76.25861
Basin features
Basin size	85 sq mi (220 km2)
Tributaries	Left: North Branch Little Salmon R. Right: South Branch Little Salmon R.

The Little Salmon River is a tributary of Lake Ontario located in Oswego County, New York. The river enters Lake Ontario approximately four miles (6.4 km) southwest from the mouth of the Salmon River.

The river was known by the Iroquois as Cas-son-ta-che-go-na, translated as "river of great bark" or "large pieces of bark lying down, ready for building". In addition to its current name, the stream was historically known as Salmon Creek or Little Salmon Creek. The current name was officially adopted by the United States Board on Geographic Names in 1905.

Course

The Little Salmon River drains an approximately 85-square-mile (220 km²) watershed, which is primarily agricultural and residential in nature.

The river rises at the confluence of the North Branch Little Salmon River and South Branch Little Salmon River in the eastern part of the town of Mexico, west of the village of Parish. From there, the river flows northwest through the village of Mexico and the hamlet of Texas before emptying into Lake Ontario at Mexico Point.

Sportfishing

The lower Little Salmon River provides habitat for a variety of resident fish species, including brown bullhead, white suckers, rock bass, largemouth bass, and northern pike. In addition, several lake-dwelling species enter the Little Salmon River during annual spawning runs in the fall, including Chinook salmon, coho salmon, steelhead, and brown trout. In 2015, 3,410 six-inch-long (15 cm) steelhead were stocked in the river by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

The majority of the river is privately owned, and fishing access to the river is limited to Mexico Point State Park and the Mexico Point Boat Launch, both located near the mouth of the Little Salmon River.