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Sacandaga River Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Oct 23, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Sacandaga River: a Hamilton County trout river above Great Sacandaga Lake, stocked each May by New York DEC in the town of Wells.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Flow
285 cfs
Air / High
57 / 59 F
Wind
NE 2 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 01321000, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
23
October 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

2/5Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Sacandaga River asks for patience today: short windows, precise presentations. The river is running 285 cfs, dropping and clearing. Today brings clear skies, wind NE around 2 mph, rising pressure near 1028 hPa and a high of 59. Water sits around 47 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 9:30 AM-11:30 AM and 9:60 PM-11:60 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Rainbow troutExcellent

In cold water rainbows use the deepest pools in rivers (Vermont), so slow, deep drifts there are the usual approach; Michigan DNR notes lake rainbows are also taken with bait or by jigging through the ice.

Brown troutExcellent

Below 50°F, fish slowly through the deeper pools; in early spring on the Great Lakes, Michigan DNR notes browns are often caught inshore before other species start biting.

Brook troutExcellent

Below 50°F is the fall spawning band (40-50°F in Vermont), so stay off spawning gravel. In winter Maine IFW finds pond fish close to shore in 4 to 12 feet of water under the ice.

Tomorrow: Similar at 60 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Oct 24, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Before you go

New York requires a fishing licence from age 16, from $25.00 for residents. What a New York licence costs and where to buy it →

Chasing rainbow trout here? Check the size and bag limits with DEC before you keep anything. The season dates for New York, read off the agency, are on the New York seasons page.

Water and weather

Live readings from Sacandaga River near Hope.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 01321000.

215455696285 cfs09/2310/0310/1310/23

Today’s flow against 115 years of October 23

At 285 cfs, the flow at USGS gauge 01321000 (Sacandaga River near Hope) is at the 28th percentile for the date: normal. In half of the 115 years of approved record the daily mean on October 23 was below 537 cfs; the highest was 6,000 cfs and the lowest 55 cfs.

p10 149median 537p90 1,838

Percentiles of the daily mean flow for this date, from the USGS Water Data Statistics API for gauge 01321000; today’s reading is the latest instantaneous value. Classes follow the ones the USGS used on its WaterWatch maps (retired at the end of 2025): below 10th, much below normal; 10th–24th, below; 25th–75th, normal; 76th–90th, above; over 90th, much above.

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp57 F
High / Low59 / 32 F
WindNE 2-3 mph
Pressure1028.1 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset07:20 / 18:01
MoonWaxing Gibbous, 91%
Water temp (seasonal)~47 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunset

Which day to fish Sacandaga River this week

The best day on Sacandaga River this week looks like Sunday Oct 25, at 4 out of 5, against 2 today.

Best day this week: Sunday, Oct 25 — good at 4/5, falling pressure, usually the best window of a week.

Today, Oct 23 — Tough

Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Solunar majors
9:30 AM-11:30 AM and 9:60 PM-11:60 PM
Minor period
3:52 AM-4:52 AM
Sun
07:20 to 18:01
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Overcast, 5 mph
Rain chance
0%

Forecast-based scores, less reliable further out: how the score is built.

Species guide

The species that matter on Sacandaga River: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Rainbow trout illustration

Rainbow trout

Spring and fall in most lakes; rivers fish year-round while the water stays cool

A cold-water trout native to Pacific drainages from Alaska to Baja California, now stocked in most states and fished in rivers, tailwaters and lakes. In cold water rainbows use the deepest pools in rivers (Vermont), so slow, deep drifts there are the usual approach; Michigan DNR notes lake rainbows are also taken with bait or by jigging through the ice.

Brown trout illustration

Brown trout

Spring along Great Lakes shorelines; low light and overcast days in rivers; fall spawning runs

A European trout first stocked in the US in 1883 and now fished in rivers and lakes nationwide; it tolerates warmer water than other trout, and mature stream fish feed mostly at night. Below 50°F, fish slowly through the deeper pools; in early spring on the Great Lakes, Michigan DNR notes browns are often caught inshore before other species start biting.

Brook trout illustration

Brook trout

Spring and fall in ponds and lakes, when fish come shallow; summer in the coldest headwater streams

The brook trout is a char native to eastern North America, a fish of cold, clean streams and ponds, and the state fish of Michigan. Below 50°F is the fall spawning band (40-50°F in Vermont), so stay off spawning gravel. In winter Maine IFW finds pond fish close to shore in 4 to 12 feet of water under the ice.

When to come: the Sacandaga River calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Rainbow trout
Brown trout
Brook trout
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 47 F (estimated, not a reading).

30405060JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~47 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Sacandaga River today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Oct 22

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 65 F, wind to 11 mph.

Wed, Oct 21

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 64 F, wind to 5 mph.

Tue, Oct 20

2/5 Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 65 F, wind to 8 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
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Before you go

License

New York requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

New York fishing license. DEC Region 5 special rule: Sacandaga River from Bridge St. in Northville upstream to the first Route 30 crossing is closed March 16-April 30. No ice fishing on trout waters in Hamilton and Fulton counties. For trout seasons and limits, see the current DEC freshwater fishing regulations.

Access

DEC lists the river under the Silver Lake Wilderness, Wilcox Lake Wild Forest, Siamese Ponds Wilderness and Jessup River Wild Forest units; the stocking point is the town of Wells.

About this water

A river in the town of Wells, Hamilton County, New York, upstream of Great Sacandaga Lake. Flow on this page comes from USGS gauge 01321000, Sacandaga River near Hope.

Fishing Sacandaga River: the full guide

Above the reservoir

The Sacandaga River runs through the town of Wells in Hamilton County before it reaches Great Sacandaga Lake, the 42-square-mile reservoir created in 1930 by the Conklingville Dam, which the Hudson River-Black River Regulating District operates. DEC's Hamilton County fishing list puts the main river and its West Branch in the brook trout table and lists them under the Silver Lake Wilderness, Wilcox Lake Wild Forest, Siamese Ponds Wilderness and Jessup River Wild Forest units.

Spring stocking at Wells

DEC's spring 2026 plan for Hamilton County lists 3,990 brown trout of 9-10 inches and 490 of 12-15 inches for the Sacandaga River in Wells, due in the second week of May. The West Branch, also in Wells, is down for 1,100 rainbow trout of 9-10 inches and 120 of 12-14 inches the same week. DEC notes that actual numbers and timing depend on fish availability and weather.

A spring closure near Northville

Under DEC's Region 5 special regulations, the river from Bridge Street in Northville upstream to the first crossing of Route 30 is closed to fishing from March 16 through April 30. In Hamilton and Fulton counties, ice fishing is prohibited on waters inhabited by trout unless DEC lists an exception.

Common questions

Is the Sacandaga River stocked?

Yes. DEC's spring 2026 Hamilton County list has 4,480 brown trout for the river in Wells (3,990 of 9-10 inches and 490 of 12-15 inches), planned for the second week of May.

When is the river closed near Northville?

From March 16 through April 30, between Bridge Street in Northville and the first Route 30 crossing upstream.

Can I ice fish the river?

No: DEC prohibits ice fishing on trout waters in Hamilton and Fulton counties unless a water is listed as an exception, and the Sacandaga River is not.

Is fishing good at Sacandaga River right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Nearby waters

Great Sacandaga Lake16 miLake George39 miMohawk River49 miOtsego Lake50 miLake Bomoseen57 miBattenkill60 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

River and reservoir readings
USGS 01321000 — Sacandaga River near Hope
Read from the USGS Water Data API (api.waterdata.usgs.gov). Latest value timestamped 2026-10-23 at 19:30 UTC.
Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 43.3500, -74.2700 in this water's own timezone. A model, not an observation.
Moon and solunar windows
Calculated on this site
Astronomical calculation from these coordinates and the date, not a third-party feed. How much weight it deserves.
Pages checked
The facts in the written guide were checked against these pages, from the agencies and operators that manage the water, on October 8, 2026. Anything we could not verify was taken out.
The written guide on this page
Pablo Ruiz Quintero
How this page was made. The daily report is computed by our scoring engine from live readings; nobody types it. The written text was drafted with AI assistance from the official pages listed above, and its facts were checked against those pages by automated verification on October 8, 2026; anything that could not be verified was taken out. Pablo Ruiz Quintero sets every guideline, the data-verification system and the minimum standards a page must meet to be published, reviews page structure and approves what goes live; the responsibility is his, and the AI carries out the work. We work this way because it is how one person can keep every page current with named sources. Errors are published in the verification log; the full policy is in the editorial policy.

Readings refresh on a 30-minute window. The full method, with every figure and its source, is on how our reports are made. Something wrong here? Tell us and it goes in the log with the date.