The Salmon River arises in north central New York State on the Tug Hill Plateau to the east of Lake Ontario. It flows westward off the plateau and there is a hydroelectric dam near Little America to create the Salmon River Reservoir. Below the dam it continues westward through Pulaski to Lake Ontario. The inlet is referred to as Port Ontario, though it is no longer an active commercial port.The river is noted for its recreational salmon fishery today. In early history this was Atlantic salmon, but now these have been mostly replaced by stocked coho and chinook which make spawning runs upriver from Lake Ontario in autumn.