State fisheries managers are re-evaluating decades of Atlantic salmon stocking in Lake George after acknowledging that the program – which every spring has deposited 30,000 fingerlings into the lake – has failed to produce a sustainable fishery.
“Lake George has received annual stockings of Atlantic salmon since 1966,” according to the Department of Environmental Conservation’s ‘Fisheries Management Plan for Lake George, 2025–2029.’ But the report, which was released on January 12, states bluntly that “the stocking of Atlantic salmon has failed to create a viable cold-water fishery.”
It is quite likely that the policy of stocking Lake George with Atlantic salmon will be discarded in favor of one that manages the fishery solely for lake trout.
Angler catch rates for Atlantic salmon remain far below targets set more than 30 years ago. The plan notes that desirable catch rates were established at 0.1 salmon per hour in 1990, yet recent surveys show much lower success.
During a 2023 angler creel survey, non-charter anglers caught Atlantic salmon at a rate of just 0.03 fish per hour, the report says. “Poor survival of stocked yearling salmon is thought to be responsible for the low catch rates, but the exact cause is unknown,” the DEC found.
The state has attempted to improve results through experimental stocking methods, including stocking the lake every autumn with 3,000 yearlings, a practice begun in 2011. Those efforts have not paid off.
“The experimental stocking of fall yearlings has not resulted in a noticeable improvement in angler catch rates or satisfaction with the fishery,” the plan states.
As a result, fisheries managers say the future of the salmon program is uncertain and will depend upon the results of additional experiments planned over the next several years.
Some changes in policy are already underway, such as a decision made in 2025 to discontinue the practice of stocking the lake in autumn with the yearlings, which were held at the Warren County Fish Hatchery in Warrensburg.
The Fisheries Management Plan will also implement management actions to make changes in the recruitment of Atlantic salmon to the fishery, using the outcome of those actions to determine the fate of the Atlantic salmon stocking program, the report says.
According to Lori Severino, a spokeswoman for the DEC, one such “management action” is “stocking half of the 33,000 Atlantic salmon for Lake George into net pens for a brief period before being released into the lake while the other half will be directly stocked. Based on the five-year experimental program, DEC will determine if the continuation of the Atlantic salmon program is warranted.”
But clearly, ending salmon-focused management on Lake George is already an option. Don Lehman, a Warren County-based outdoors writer, was told by DEC Region 5 Fisheries Manager Rob Fiorentino that, “In its current state, I am not sure we can say we have an Atlantic salmon fishery.”
According to a recent article in Outdoors News magazine written by Lehman, “some anglers and charter captains have advocated for stocking a different species of cold-water fish in Lake George, such as rainbow trout or brown trout.”
The DEC’s Rob Fiorentino told Lehman, “We looked into the data on the rainbow trout stocking. Findings at that time indicated that unless we stock a larger fish, there would be limited survival due to the high lake trout population.”
In the absence of a successful program to sustain an Atlantic salmon population in Lake George, DEC may “focus solely on lake trout,” the report states.
Lake trout, which are native to Lake George, currently support a popular cold-water fishery, though managers say more data is needed to improve the condition and size of adult fish. The management plan schedules multiple surveys through 2029, with an evaluation of the Atlantic salmon stocking policy slated for 2028.
New Lake George Fisheries Management Plan Focuses on Health of Lake Trout and Black Bass Populations
Lake George’s lake trout population is strong and growing quickly, but state fisheries managers say too many fish may be competing for food, leaving anglers catching plenty of trout — just not the big, heavy ones they want.
That’s one of the key findings in New York’s new five-year “Fisheries management plan for Lake George,” which lays out how the state will study and manage trout, bass and salmon through 2029.
Gill net surveys conducted in 2024 found Lake George has one of the higher lake trout catch rates among Adirondack waters, with fish growing faster than trout in most comparable lakes. But those same fish appear thinner than average, especially at larger sizes.
A 23-inch lake trout in Lake George weighed an estimated 3.84 pounds in 2024, well below the standard weight of about 4.4 pounds for a trout that size, according to the plan. Anglers have also reported catching fewer trout over 30 inches, a concern echoed by state biologists
Despite those concerns, catch rates remain high. Charter anglers targeting salmonids caught an average of 0.68 lake trout per hour in a 2023 creel survey — well above the regional average — while non-charter anglers caught about 0.25 lake trout per hour.
Biologists believe the issue may be overabundance rather than decline.
“The poor condition observed in larger fish, and perceived lack of large-sized individuals caught by anglers may be attributed to overabundance, resulting in increased competition for food,” the plan states
Lake trout in Lake George are currently managed under a special regulation allowing anglers to keep two trout per day, year-round, with a minimum size of 23 inches. That rule was designed to protect young fish until they spawn, but the new plan acknowledges that adult lake trout have not been studied as closely as juveniles in the past.
To address that gap, the state plans to conduct targeted adult lake trout surveys in 2026, 2027 and 2028, along with diet studies to better understand whether forage fish such as cisco, rainbow smelt and yellow perch are limiting trout growth.
Atlantic salmon, stocked in Lake George since the 1960s, remain a disappointment for anglers. Catch rates are far below desired levels, and experimental stocking of fall yearlings has not improved results. Managers plan to test net-pen rearing of salmon fingerlings to see if survival — and angler catches — can be improved before deciding whether to continue the program.
Bass anglers, meanwhile, continue to fare well. Black bass dominate fishing effort on Lake George, accounting for nearly half of angler trips. Surveys show strong catch rates and high satisfaction, with about 70% of bass anglers reporting they were satisfied or very satisfied with the fishery.
State officials say the long-term goal is a “two-story” fishery that supports both quality cold-water species like lake trout and a high-quality bass fishery.
A public meeting is planned for 2029, after additional surveys are completed, to discuss the status of the lake trout fishery and potential management changes — changes that could directly affect how Lake George anglers fish the lake in the future.
In a prepared statement, the Lake George Association said it “strongly supports comprehensive, science-based management planning that ensures long-term decisions (about the Lake George fisheries) are grounded in robust data, not short-term assumptions about our delicate ecology.”
