| Little Salmon River | |
| Pushpin Map: | USA New York#USA |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location of the mouth of the Little Salmon River in New York State |
| Subdivision Type1: | Country |
| Subdivision Name1: | United States |
| Subdivision Type2: | State |
| Subdivision Name2: | New York |
| Subdivision Type3: | County |
| Subdivision Name3: | Oswego County |
| Source1: | North Branch Little Salmon R. |
| Source1 Location: | Town of Albion |
| Source1 Coordinates: | 43.4689°N -75.9756°W |
| Source2: | South Branch Little Salmon R. |
| Source2 Location: | Town of Amboy |
| Source2 Coordinates: | 43.3739°N -75.9464°W |
| Source Confluence Location: | Town of Mexico |
| Source Confluence Coordinates: | 43.4019°N -76.1558°W |
| Mouth: | Lake Ontario |
| Mouth Location: | Town of Mexico |
| Mouth Coordinates: | 43.5242°N -76.2586°W |
| Basin Size: | 85sqmi[1] |
| Tributaries Left: | North Branch Little Salmon R. |
| Tributaries 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 4miles 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".[2] 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.[3]
The Little Salmon River drains an approximately 85sqmi watershed, which is primarily agricultural and residential in nature.[1]
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.
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.[1] In 2015, 3,410 6inches steelhead were stocked in the river by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.[4]
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.[5]