Salmon River Flow Today: Pineville CFS, Lines In and Out

A wide, fast river curving past a gravel bar, with orange and gold fall trees under a bright, cloudy sky. — The Salmon River on an October morning, 2024. My shot.

The Count’s water · Pulaski, NY

Salmon run is onSalmon are running up the Salmon River. Check the gauge before you go.

The Pineville gauge, the legal light, and what tomorrow probably looks like. The site reads the gauge every 30 minutes; nothing here is a forecast model.

Right now · Salmon River at Pineville, NY

Flow…USGS gauge 04250200

Water…at the gauge

24 hours…trend

Gauge read…Eastern time

256 cfs · low and clear · gauge read 11:15 PM, Oct 22 ET

Normal for Oct 23: about 478 cfs, the median of 33 years. Right now: much below normal.

Flow and water temperature from USGS. Fishable, pushing and blown out are this site’s own lines at 335, 750 and 2,000 cfs; the river does not read the chart.

Tomorrow

Steady over 24 hours (-16 cfs). Rain at Redfield loads when online.

Going today? The Bite Window reads the barometer, light, wind and moon around Pulaski and gives you the two best times to fish.

A calm river bending between a gravel bar and a rock-lined bank under bright yellow fall trees and a blue sky. — Peak yellow on the Salmon River. October 2025. My shot.

A danger sign on a sandy bank across a fast river, under hemlocks and a bright yellow tree. — The end of the line: no trespassing or fishing above this sign. October 2022. My shot.

Lines in, lines out · legal light on the lower river

Lines in…half hour before sunrise

Lines out…half hour after sunset

Lines in 6:57 AM, lines out 6:40 PM today. Half hour before sunrise to half hour after sunset. Check DEC.

August 15 to April 14 the lower river closes at night, half hour after sunset to half hour before sunrise (Lake Ontario to the Route 3 bridge stays open at night April 1 to August 14). Sunrise is computed for Pulaski. Hours and gear rules change: check DEC before you go.

Low sun shining through yellow and orange trees onto a rocky bank, with two fishing rods leaned up by the water. — Rods leaned up and the sun coming through. October 2020. My shot.

Skunk Bell

Back from the water? Ring it honest. Landed or skunked, one ring a day. Nobody is keeping score but the bell, and the bell only counts the year.

2026 so far: 5 landed · 1 skunked

Rung. Same bell tomorrow.

You rang today. Tomorrow is another cast.

River Bell

Can’t watch the gauge all day? Let the river ring you. Pick a bell, drop your email, hit the link in your inbox.

One short email when the Pineville gauge crosses your line. That’s it.

Your email rings this bell and nothing else.

How your email is handled

It’s kept on this site and with Brevo, the service that sends the mail. Never sold, never shared, no newsletter unless you join the Guild yourself. Every bell email has a one-click off link. Up to 3 bells per email, and each one rings once a day, tops. Privacy policy

A pale salmon in dark riffled water, with the leaf-covered bank just below it. — A salmon in the shallows by the bank. October 2021. My shot.

What 335, 750 and 2,000 cfs mean for wading

Cubic feet per second sounds like a physics test. On the Salmon River it’s the whole vibe. It decides whether you’re wading or watching. The gauge is at Pineville, so read it as the river’s mood, not the depth at your boots.

A red and white sign on a tree reading Danger, swift current and fast rising water, with the river behind it. — The sign on the bank says it plainly. October 2024. My shot.

335 cfs. Fall base. This is the number I wait for. Wading is honest: you can read the bottom, the fish are moving and so are you. Base isn’t easy mode, though. The rock is slick as hell, the water’s cold, and cold legs make dumb steps. Wear cleats. Carry a wading staff. Every trip. Bring a buddy, even at base. Once it’s pushing, never wade alone. Can’t see the bottom? Don’t cross.
750 cfs. Pushing. Every step is a decision now. Fish the edges, stay out of the middle, and if it’s your first fall on this river, this is a bank day. Nobody at the Guild Hall respects a swim.
2,000 cfs. Blown out. Don’t. Tie flies, play Kenshi, come back tomorrow. The river will still be there and so will the fish. It just doesn’t always wait for you to get out. This is a dam river. Releases out of the Lighthouse Hill dam up by Altmar move it up and down. Brookfield runs that dam, and they say it flat out: a large amount of water can come down without warning, any time. Water climbing your legs? Walk out. Right then. Don’t finish the drift. Before you step in, check Brookfield’s release schedule or call their flow line, 1-844-430-3569. And don’t treat this page like an alarm. It reads the gauge every 30 minutes. It’s real dangerous up there. Can’t play around. When in doubt, fish the bank.

Two things the number can’t tell you: how fast it’s moving and how cold the water is. A river dropping from 1,200 to 800 fishes different from one climbing from 400 to 800, which is why the 24 hour line up top exists. And a wading belt costs less than a hospital bill. Wear it.

An angler in waders, seen from behind, walks a leafy path past a sign reading Beware of Alligators. — Beware of alligators. Somebody on the Salmon River has jokes. October 2025. My shot.

A riffled river with leaves along a stony shore, under tall orange and yellow trees. — A riffle under fall color. October 2020. My shot.

Hours, gear and seasons on this river are DEC’s call, not mine, and they change. Check DEC before you go. Sun times here are computed for Pulaski; the legal light on the site was last checked against DEC on September 27, 2026.

← All rivers Fishing room Count’s Corner Spin the Lure Wheel

Salmon River, right now