Tis the season - for Steelhead

Been a while since my last post.  Business is good and so is the fishing, the two probably go hand-in- hand.  The river is in excellent shape as are the fish.  The river has gone from flows as low as 335cfs to flows over 2000cfs.  The past week we enjoyed flows in the 700cfs range and as I type this the release is 1200cfs and the gauge at Pineville is reading 1480cfs.  This will continue to drop and I'd expect to see it settle back into the 700cfs range by the weekend.

The salmon run was excellent with plenty of fish and happy anglers. In the wake of last years historic run the river was VERY crowded.  Thankfully the boat can alleviate alot of this.  All-in-all it was a great season on the salmon and I look forward to next year. 

A nice King. Look at that bicep, heavy Krista?

I picked up a couple of new Redington 9wts, their Pursuit package (rod, reel, line and leader) to use with customers this year.  As a review, I was disappointed.  The reel seat will not stay locked up and needed to be checked (and  tightened) regularly.  Also the reel was the biggest disappointment.  The drag was weak to say the least, for a big game reel I expected more.  Granted, it's a 'package' reel but I expected more.  Also, the reel is cast, not milled, and on the third day using these, one of the handles snapped off while my client was fighting a salmon.  She was palming the spool and the handle caught her rain jacket, snapped off, cutting the back of her thumb pretty good in the process.  My feeling is that these outfits are NOT up to the task for big fish, both in design and in performance.

Dr. Ciccarelli with a nice chrome fish.

Steelhead fishing has been getting better over the last 2 weeks, alot of chrome right now.  We are indi-fishing for the most part and egg patterns are the fly to go to.  Glo-bugs in chartreuse with a pink or red dot, Oregon Cheese with Steelhead Orange dot and pink or chartreuse estaz is a good choice.  Have also pick a few on some stone flies, tan or yellow #10 and small flash-back Hare's ear, #12. 

Egg fishing is always good right now if your spinning or pinning.  Have also talked to a few guides who are doing well on beads.  Try Glo-roe and the various shades of chartreuse beads, these seem the be favored right now, 8mm and 10mm.

This says it all for late fall steelheading.  Nice job Brian.

The weather is typical for this area and this time of year.  Plan on cool to cold mornings and always plan on some form of 'lake enhanced' precipitation.  

Now is the time to fish steelhead in this guides opinion, nothing like this time of year for steelhead.  Hope you get the chance to come up and enjoy it.

Tight lines.

Salmon River fishing report - October 1-7, 2013

The water levels have been consistant with a 335cfs release and average 412cfs at Pineville gauge.  It spiked yesterday to 609cfs due to the all day rains we had here yesterday, it is however on the drop right now as run-off eases back.



Large numbers of fish equal large numbers of happy anglers.

The salmon are in full spawning mode in all the traditional spawning areas.  There are a lot of fish, and a lot of anglers.  Most fisherman are doing well on the 'catching', some are doing well on the 'snatching' too.  There are still very good numbers of salmon entering the river and making their way upstream.  This has kept the action steady and productive.

The weather has been beautiful and the forcast is for continued fair weather.  The temps are staying cool at night helping the fish survive the low water.

Hope you get an opportunity to get up here in the next 2 weeks as the fishing should continue to be very good.  Here are a few highlight from the last week.

Howard show us a nice fresh King.

A BEAUTIFUL Salmon River COHO.

Carlos and his father, Carlos Sr. hoist 2 nice
Kings caught on flies.
 

Tight lines.



Salmon River report - September 23, 2013

Fall officially arrived and it feels like it.  Friday and Saturday were warm on the river and we did get rain Saturday afternoon through the over night, not near enough to make this guide happy but any is better than none.  The river is running at 455cfs at Pineville with the release at 335cfs.  We've had temps in the 50's-60's the past few days and the overnight temp are dipping into the 30's, this is a good thing as it helps lower the water temp and this helps the fish.  The rain we got did help pull more salmon into the river with a decent run of Silvers blasting in.  There were reports of a few steelhead although I haven't seen any yet.

Early morning on the Salmon River, good time to fish right now.

So far the salmon are on the large side, with a fair number hitting the 30 lb mark.  Right now these fish are fresh and most are runners, hard to hold onto.  From last Wednesday to today the spawning activity is ramping up with new spawn beds seen everyday.  Most fish are still running and the deep holes are full of salmon.

Flies are working well with leech patterns doing the bulk of the work for us.  Set up is with 9' 9wt running WF floating line.  We have been able to use 15lb floro tippets and no fish shying away yet.

Dennis Ling with a nice King pushing 30lbs.

Besides the number of fish increasing so is the number of anglers, and leaves.  After last years storied run I am bracing for more than the normally crowded conditions usually dealt with around the river this fall.  Oh well, let's all be nice and we'll all have fun.

The river is setting up normally and should produce another great salmon season this fall.  I'll post again soon.

Tight Lines.

Salmon River report - Harvest Moon 2013

Last full moon of summer, Harvest Moon.

I fished the Salmon River last evening, not so much to catch salmon as to watch the Harvest Moon rise over the river.  This moon is the last full moon of summer and last night it appeared in all it's brilliance.  By the time the next full moon appears in October the salmon run will have peaked and will be slowly giving way to the migration of steelhead into  the river.

The Salmon River is running at 412cfs as I write this post.  Till we get some substantial rain it will hover here. The forcast is for rain this weekend which should pull some fresh fish into the river.  We are also enjoying cooler temperatures here which help the river a lot.  The estuary is holding fish in good numbers and the river has fish from top to bottom, not big numbers yet, but plenty to keep you busy.  With the water flows at their present level most of these fish are holding in deeper water.  Last evening I did see a few moving in the run I was on, I expected this.  I managed to hook up on one but never got it to the net. These fish are fresh and strong, a challenge to even the most experienced salmon angler.  I was using a 9' 9wt set up with a conventional floating wf fly line.  I was swinging a dark, tungsten conehead tube fly attached to a 15# florocarbon tippet.  The fish I cast to (I actually had opportunities at three salmon) didn't shy away from the rig, that will change soon. 

Until the river sets up with spawning fish or until there is a full-blown run, fish primarily the runs between deep holding water, especially the first 2-3 hours from sun up and again in the late evening.  You will ALWAYS find salmon on the move in these areas at these times of the day.  Pick areas in these runs where the water softens and look for salmon to be resting there.  In these flows you wont need alot of weight, I usually use only a weighted fly and swing through the runs.  If I need weight, say the run is 2'-3' in depth, I have found the Rio Freshwater VersiLeaders work well for weighting the rig.  These are a sinking leader and are constructed for various sink rates.  Check them out, they work well for both salmon and steelhead in most flows here on the Salmon River.

This week in September 1988 I became a licensed fishing and hunting guide here in New York.  This marks my 25th year working as a guide.  This has afforded me the opportunity to meet thousands of clientes from all over the world, which has influence my life to a degree and broadened my view of the world.  I know that I don't have another 25 years here, at my age the math doesn't add up, but I do plan to be around for awhile yet. 

Have a great fall fishing.  I'll post soon.

Tight lines.

And so it begins... Salmon River report - Labor Day 2013

Labor Day is the unofficial start of the salmon run here on the Salmon River and it appears that this year it may be the official start.  The release is 750cfs till 9pm tomorrow, Sunday Sept 1and it is running at 824cfs at the Pineville gauge.  The fish have been staging off the mouth of the river and this push of water has started to bring them into the river in fairly good numbers for this time of the year.  As of this posting you will find salmon up into the river between Pulaski and 2a bridge.  This water release will be cut back to 335cfs tomorrow night and should stay there for awhile, ensuring a steady run of salmon into the river.

Here in Camden we're starting to get a glimps of fall

The season is beginning to move from summer into fall, the trees are starting to show some color now for the past week or two, nothing major yet, but fall is upon us here in salmon country.  The last few mornings on the river have been cooler with fairly heavy fog over the river, I love that.  I feel anticipation rising as I think of what is coming over the next 6 weeks. 

September 1988, the year I started guiding here on the Salmon River doesn't seem that long ago but this September will mark my 25th anniversary of guiding, a milestone in my life.  I have spent almost half of the 57 years I have been alive working as a guide.  This experince has been full of great memories of many days spent on this river with all kinds of clients under all kinds of conditions.  I've seem major changes take place here that to this point have affected the fishery in mostly positive ways.  Our salmon fishery is world-class and the steelhead fishery, outside of the west coast, is in a league of it's own.  Dispite the negative press about crowded conditions, the Salmon River does, over most of it's course, offer an angler solitude and excellent fishing.  If a person complains about fishing in crowded conditions it's  because they have chosen to fish where it is crowded, there are other options on the river.

I am still fishing the local trout streams and will for another week or so.  There is an excellent Hex and White Fly hatch every evening right now, I can't seem to get enough of those big browns.

I will post again soon.  Have a good season and if you see me on the river give me a shout.

Tight lines.

Pre-season news letter, August 2013

The summer is moving towards fall and the recent change in temperature, getting cooler, has thoughts looking towards salmon fishing.  I just put together my late summer news letter for my client mailing list, sort of a pre-season prognastication of the fishing for the upcoming fall.  I am copying it here also this time.  Hope you enjoy it.

 

Late summer news letter

 

Hi folks,

 

I hope you’re having a great summer. 

 

It’s hard to believe that in about 6 weeks we’ll be chasing salmon around the river again.  After a wet summer the reservoir at Redfield is in good shape at full pool as I write this.  Things have cooled down temperature wise here in the Salmon River area and this has everyone here thinking of salmon fishing. 

 

Salmon Fishing

 

A nice Salmon River King from early October, 2012

As far as Lake Ontario fishing goes reports are that the fish haven’t set up yet due to the different wind directions over the past few weeks.  Without a steady wind (west wind preferably) the lake water is constantly turned over and mixed with no thermo-cline which means the fish are scattered.  This doesn’t mean they are not catching fish, actually there are some nice fish being taken now, they’re just not staging yet.  Reports from the lake do suggest that this fall’s salmon run should be another incredible run.

Last 2 years have seen a good mix of hatchery and wild salmon in the creel census and this fall should be no different.  These wild fish definitely help keep the salmon run strong and has established the fishery here as ‘world class’.  This fall is going to be awesome, again.  I have some prime date open the last week of September through October. I have excellent mid-week dates in early October open, including as of this writing October 13 and 14, the Sunday and Monday of Columbus Day weekend.  If you’d like to plan a trip with your son or daughter who will be off school these days contact me as soon as you can, these dates will book.  As you would expect, at this point most of my Saturdays are booked through to the end of the year.

Fall Steelhead fishing

 

16 pound Salmon River Steelhead
caught early November, 2012

I am very excited, looking forward to the steelhead fishing this fall.  Last season (2012/13) we netted some BIG steelhead.  The river was in prime condition for steelhead fishing and the fish were happy to cooperate.  Around here the general feeling among the guides is for another exceptional fall for steelhead fishing.  We are looking at good numbers of steelhead to return and if it’s like last year’s class of fish, we should see quite a few in the 14-18 lb. range, let’s hope so.  I have excellent dates open for fall steelhead fishing October thru December, again with the exception of most Saturdays.  Contact me and let’s work out a date for steelhead fishing this fall.  If you want to bring a group of 3-4 I have a very good guide who will work with us.

A few notes

 

I am working to update my web site so look for some changes soon.  Another change in my guide service this year is that I now have a card reader for my phone. You can pay the balance on your trip by credit card if you want.  You’ll still need to pay the deposit by check or MO.

 

 In closing

 

I have had some great times fishing with you over the years and some of the memories are unforgettable. The past few seasons have seen the fishery pass everyone’s expectations as to the potential this fishery could reach.  The techniques and fishery here has changed dramatically over the years and if you have not been here for a while I would be happy to re-acquaint you with this great resource.  I look forward to seeing you this fall.

 

Tight lines,

A little trout fishing through a heat wave

The Redfield boat ramp, lots of water.

It's officially a heat wave, three days in a row over 90 degrees.  That make 8 days this summer so far over 90, last year we had 28 days over 90.  It's all relative cause 90 with humidity is HOT.  It wont last long, we're past mid-July and that means in about 7 weeks we'll be chasing salmon around the river again, can't wait.  The next full  moon in August will bring us to with in two months of the salmon runs peak.  We have had good rains up to this point in the Salmon River water shed.  I took a drive up to Redfield two nights ago and the reservoir is in great shape, nice and full, at least full pool. 

The local streams on the other hand are getting low.  The Salmon River is running 650cfs at Pineville and the release is 500cfs.  Pretty nice flows for the middle of July.  It's sure to help the summer run steelhead live a little more comfortably.  The smallmouth fishing in the river is still nice, lots of cooperative fish.  Also, Oneida Lake is starting to turn on for smallies.  Drifting in 8'-10' of water working the edge of rock piles, shoals or under water points gets the smallies.  If the are weeds near by, all the better.

Late evening brown on a brown x-caddis.

I've fished the Mad River and Fish Creek this past week, LOW water.  The trout are feeding after dark due to the heat.  I have had a few takers before dark, few being the word that best describes the action.  But a few are better than none.   The old traditionals, BWO sparkle dun and hi-vis Adams are not doing the job.  The picture shows a brown that fell for a brown x-caddis #12 and all the trout in the past week have been on that fly.  They take it hard, probably hungry by late evening.  All these trout are strong and healthy.

Still a few drakes hanging around.

There are a few Green drakes hanging around.  Not much of any thing else on the water though.  I am anticipating the Hex hatch to start in about 4 weeks here on the local streams, always a highlight of summer for me.

 The Hex hatch marks the transition for me from stream fishing for trout to Salmon River fishing for the fall/winter season.  My drift boat is all ready to go, no last minute prep this year.  Now I am prepping rods, reels and line.  Check the fly boxes, boat gear and terminal tackle.

Salmon trips have been booking nicely and late Sept and 2/3 of October is booked.  Looking forward to fish with some old clients and a few new ones this year.  If you are interested in booking a guided trip this fall for salmon or steelhead give me a shout, I'd be happy to accommodate you if I can.

Enjoy the rest of your summer.

Tight lines.

Salmon River report mid-summer

A lone angler with Ellis Cove all to himself.  A rarity here
9 months out of the year.  Water flow here is at 300cfs.

The summer to this point has been a mixed bag of weather with most of the bag full of rain.  Thirty days in June and nineteen of them rain days.  A little over a week ago the Salmon River was pushing 3000cfs in anticipation of some heavy rains forecast, in the Tug Hill water shed this rain never developed the way it did to the south of us.  As I type this the river release is 1000cfs with the Pineville gauge at 1130cfs.  Yesterday the gauge struggled to hit 300cfs.  If you are a kayaker come on out and have some fun, this flow should hang around for the weekend to accomodate 4th of July vacationers.  The forecast for the next week is more of the same, hazy, hot and humid...and rain.



Fish these and hold on, smallies crush 'em.

If you are interested in fishing the Salmon River right now you can have a lot of fun with smallmouth bass.  They are eager to play and are never disappointing.  If you are fly fishing swing a deep fly like a cone-head wooly bugger, MOAL leech or a nice wool-head sculpin pattern.  Fish these in a size 6 or 8 and work the fast water at the head of runs like the Long Bridge, Compactor, Bird House or Sportsman Pool.  I fish these type patterns with a 7wt fly rod and Rio indicator line.  Run a straight 10lb test P-Line Floro-clear leader at 7' and tie on a 6lb test P-Line florocarbon tippet.

These smallies are also a lot of fun on an ultra-lite spinning outfit.  Run 6lb test and Mepps, Panther Martins and small Rapalas will work great.  Same deal, fish them through the fast water at the head of a run, instant fun!  The water temp is mild and great for wet wading.  A word of caution, wear your wading boots, the river is full of sharp pointy things that have been left there by countless anglers over the past 40 plus years.  Oh, and bug spray, don't forget bug spray.

Navagational hazzard at the head of Frazier's Run.  Get the
chain saws.  I can see a drift boat trying to get through the
right side with 50 salmon fishers standing there come September.

The local streams like the Fish Creek, Mad River and the Salmon River above Redfield are fishing nice with plenty of good water to keep the bugs coming and the trout and happy.  Area rivers like the West Canada Creek and Mohawk River have been impacted more by the rains so far and are hard to fish with the high water or, as with the West Canada Creek right now, un-fishable being at flood stage as recently as yesterday.  Be careful out there.

The graphs for Delaware River system looks like a roller coaster track and at present are at good fishable levels.  The problem is that the West Branch is susceptible to mudding up fast and if the tribs that feed the East Branch are muddy then so is the EB. 

Enjoy your summer.

Tight lines


Catching up

Been a while since my last post.  I've sat down several times to do this, post to the blog, but always seem to get side tracked.  A lot have happened in the last 6 weeks, spring run off sent the Salmon River to almost 9000cfs and with in a week the power company had it down to under 500cfs, the steelhead fishing came to a quiet end.

 I had a chance to fish the Delaware River towards the end of April with good friends and fellow guides Jeff Church (he did the rowing) and Gary Edwards, the fishing was mediocer but put three veteran fishing guides together for a day in a drift boat and the day was far from a bust.

Gary with a 18" Delaware brown trout.  These wild fish are nice.

Along the way of life, I managed to pick up a deer tick and  along with it I got Lyme disease.  Been three weeks since being infected and have one more week to go on the meds, sure hope this ends the sickness.  I have never been sick with a 'disease' before and hope not to be in the future.  Aside from feeling like I had the flu for a few days initially and just generally crappy, I have  basically been feeling wiped out, no energy.

Trout fishing locally has been good.  The Fish Creek in the Camden area is fly fishing well.  At this point there are some Green Drakes hatching as well as sulphurs (just starting) and your garden variety of caddis and midge hatches.  The most productive flies recently have been parachute Adams #14-16, BWO sparkle duns #16-18 and thorax Sulphurs #18, in that order.  Parachute Hendricksons were the only fly you needed for a couple weeks but it is moving to the back of the fly box now.  Should be seeing some big Isos soon.


Our neighbors from the north working to protect the fantastic
Great Lakes fishery.   

This past week has seen alot of activity by by the Great Lakes Fishery Commission. The US Fish and Wildlife Service, the Canadian Fisheries and Oceans and the US Army Corps of Engineers have been busy in their efforts to control sea lamprey in the Great Lakes.  Locally, the fresh water streams and tributaries that feed Lake Ontario were treated with lampricide.  I took a few minutes to chat with the folks from the Canadian F&O who were taking care of the areas here to the east of Lake Ontario.

I am in the process of fixing a few chips in the gelcoat of my drift boat.  Never did it before and am some what tentative about the whole process.  Have one side done and so far so good.  I can wait to get the other chine done so I can buff the boat out.  She'll be ready for the Snake River come July and August, I can't wait.  My wife and I will be on the way west in just a few short weeks.  That trip every summer never gets tiring, so much to fish and so little time.

Hope your summer is a good one and you get to your favorite fishing stream or lake.

Tight lines.

Salmon River steelhead report, local trout fishing

The Salmon River is running at 2290cfs at Pineville gauge at a release of 1650cfs.  Expect levels to continue to go up with constant temperatures now above freezing and rain forcast from now into early next week.  Spring run off is here.  At current conditions the river is fishable, just use common sense when it comes to wading.  Crossing the river right now is not an option, no fishing spot, or fish, is worth your life.

Bitch Creek Nymph

Whether spin, fly or pin fishing, the soft water on a current seam is going to get the best results. Any where two currents converge below a large rock, tree stump or island is also a likely spot to fish for resting fish. Drop back fishing is getting pretty good now and these areas, soft water areas, are likely to produce drop backs, spawning fish are going to do there thing regardless of water flows so if you can fish areas know to hold spawning steelhead you will find fish here.

Montana Stone Fly



In these conditions, drifting egg sacks under a float is without a doubt one of the most productive ways to go after drop backs. Pin or spin, you should see good action with eggs OR night crawlers. Indi fishing soft water or high sticking pocket water with the fly rod is going to produce well too.





Yuk Bug or 'Pepperoni'

Lake Ontario tribs are fishing well too. Pocket fishing with the fly rod has producde well for us and a nice MEATY fly, like a golden or brown stonefly nymph in size 8, has been the most productive this way. Rubber legged stonefly nymphs like the Bitch Creek nymph, Girdle Bug, Montana Stone or Yuk Bug (aka 'pepperoni') in size 8 or10 work very well too.  These flies are fished heavily weighted.

Inland trout season came in here April 1 and the streams have been in good shape, until two days ago.  Water levels have been steadily rising and slightly off colored.  Swinging weighted steamers or scullpin along under-cut banks, mending these to get them as deep as possible works, not the flies I want to fish but they work.  Locally no stocking has been done yet, the DEC usually waits until after the run off from the Tug Hills is done, so all fish taken now are hold-overs from last years stocking.  These trout are nice sized, 16"-18" now and very aggressive.  Here is a scullpin pattern tie by Rick Strolis  that is quite unique, using a weighed 'scullpin helmet' in the pattern.  These are producted and marketed by Flymen Fishing Company .  These guys have some pretty innovative fly tying and fishing products.  Click on their name and check them out.

Thing are changing here as we get deeper into spring.  Hope you get out and enjoy the nice weather.

Tight lines.

 

 





Salmon River and tribs fishing report

Spring arrived today.  Looks the same as yesterday but with more snow.  The weather here has been typical of this area.  The sun is climbing higher in the sky so when it shines it is very comfortable, however, we're seeing more grey days and temperatures starting in the high teens to low twentys.  Most days for this past week have barely been above the freezing mark.  Spring in salmon country!

Water flows have been pretty consistant with the gauge at Pineville, NY reading 1090cfs  with a release of 900cfs.  This is near perfect conditions flow wise.  The levels have not been fluxuating wildly and the water is giving the steelhead good cover for spawning.  As for spawning activity, it is in full swing.  Most of the spawning areas in the main river are seeing activity and the diversions are carrying enough water to see decent numbers of steelhead using these.

Area tribs have also been producing steelhead.  Most have very good flows with the steady snow melt going on daily.  I've been guiding tribs for the past week and have had good results.  Most tribs I am working are in the Mexico Bay areas and I have hit a few north of the river in the last two days.  It is critical to get on the trib of choice early, at first light, as they are beginning to see heavier fishing pressure daily.  Stealth is the key to success when trib fishing.  Approach fish from down stream and do so as  quietly and unobtrusive as possible.  Egg sacs are working well on the tribs with blue and pink being favored.  Flies of choice are clouser, bugger and leech patterns.  You know those trout streamers you carry but never use, those work for steelhead right now in the tribs.  Use these too.  Most all the fish in the tribs right now are fresh and actively spawning, not many drop backs as of yet.

The big river, the Salmon River, is fishing very well.  You will find steelhead in 3 stages; fresh in from the lake, actively spawning and dropping out, although they will not really start drop out of the river for about another month.  The drop backs are the most cooperative of the three, with the actively spawning fish being the least friendly (actually they tend to be rude and ignore you completely).

For fly fishers who like to spey cast, the spring shines for you.  The steelhead I find are more receptive to a fly swinging thru the run than at any other time of the year.  Again the buggers and leech patterns, especially the bright flashy ones are good to go right now. 

A few good patterns to fish right now by Richard Strolis.

Muddler Minnow

Pine Squirrel Streamer

Clouser Minnow

If you are spinning then you can't beat eggs being fished under a float or scratching the bottom, both will produce good results.  As April rolls around and the water warms 'garden hackle' is a good choice for drop backs too.  If you want to try something different fish a live minnow through a spawning area, works fairly good to pick up any big territorial males and it breaks up the 'same ole-same ole' of egg or bead fishing.  Also, this is the time of year to use spinners for steelhead if you have ever wanted to try is.  The spinner should be sparesly dressed, 2-3 metalic beads max, about 2"-3" long and swinging 1 willow leaf blade in copper, chrome or brass.  A single side wash hook and you have a good steelhead spinner for spring steelhead.

Fishing is good here, and there are many options for you to try.  I have a few dates open from now to the end of April/ first week of May.  If you would like to spend a day or two with a guide give me a call or drop an email.  I would be happy to work with you. 

Tight lines.

Salmon River - Steelhead fishing report

Current water flow is 1200cfs released with 1390cfs on the gauge at Pineville, NY.  With the increase in flow it goes without saying that you need to exercise caution when wading.  The current water temperature is 34/35 F  degrees and a dunk in these temps can be a bad thing.  Fish with a partner and wear some sort or wading cleat, korkers or a studded wading boot.  If you feel the need to move around in the water use a wading staff, they're not for sissies.

The steelhead fishing is fair to good.  The colder water temps as well as the fluctuating flows have been keeping the steelhead in a constant state of flux.  Colder temperatures slow the fish down making them conserve energy.  This means that they are not going to move very far to pick up a bait and they tend to prefer smaller offerings this time of year. They are still in their typical winter holding areas, Schoolhouse, Trestle, Pineville, Ace, Sportsman, Birdhouse, Compactor, etc...  You will need to have patience and work these areas thoroughly, and work them deep. 

The steelhead get stressed easily under these conditions so getting them released as soon as possible should be the goal if you are not keeping the fish.  Use your drag.  Alot of anglers are so afraid of loosing the fish they go with too light of a drag, this can kill the fish as it unnecessarily prolongs the fight.  If you are using 6-8lb test you can go fairly heavy on the drag.  Also, work the fish out of heavy current as quickly as you can.  This is done by rod handling.  Pull the rod downstream and into the shore, keep the pressure there and lower the rod to parallel or slightly below parallel to the river surface.  Giving the fish a 'rod up' fight does not give you much control over the fish.

Photo-ops are great, even I as a guide try to get good photos of my client's catch.  In these conditions, however, even a quick fight will stress a fish so here are some suggestions.  Use a net or a 'Michigan Mit' to help keep the fish safe and calm once you land it.  Beaching a steelhead is fairly easy to do but having a fish flop around on the shore and then having your buddy pin it down against frozen rocks or bank does not help the fish at all.  Try to handle the steelhead as little as possible, meaning get set up to take the picture before you handle the fish.  Getting set up to take the picture means deciding how you'll hold it, what you want for a back ground, who's taking the picture and how many shots do you want. 

With the higher water level, if they are sustained, the steelhead should begin to become more active spawning.  I have noticed a few spawn beds in a few areas but things will begin to heat up soon.  With more spawning gravel covered by higher flows we will see more activity in these traditional areas and in the diversions.  The basic instinct to procreate is a strong thing in these fish and soon it will be their primary focus. 

Hope you have had a chance to get up here this winter or are making plans to fish here this spring.  It is shaping up to be a good spring for steelhead as there are excellent numbers in the river now.  It will only get better. 

Tight lines.

Salmon River report - February 2013

Since I last posted to the blog the Salmon River has gone from one extreme to the other.  Both in weather and in water flow the river has 'seen it all' in the last month or so.  The flows have been relatively high with flows approaching 2000cfs as recent as two to three days ago and is now dropped to a current flow at Pineville of 460cfs at a 285cfs release.  We may see this bump up some in the next few days as the tempuratures are going to climb into the mid 30s for most of this week, with temps hitting mid 40s tomorrow with some rain forecast. This will be a nice break as recently the temperatures have struggled to climb into the low 20s for the last 3 or 4 days. 

The steelhead fishing has been very good so far this winter.  Dispite some brutal temperatures and a few days fishing in heavy lake snows, this winter has been a good one for catching steelhead.

Three stone fly patterns that are working well.  The top pattern is
the dbl bead thorax.  The lower is a rubber leg stone that gets
attention too.
 

A majority of our fish are taken on the fly rod fishing indies.  Seems most of the time we have been dealing with flows in the 600cfs - 900 cfs range so we've been bulk shotting to get the flies down fast.  I have been setting up a dropper fly, usually running a Copper John, caddis pupae or an egg pattern in 12-14 on the bottom followed by a golden stone in size 10.  The particular stone fly pattern I am using is a double gold bead thorax and probably 45% of our hook-ups are coming on the stone fly dropper with the balance of hook-ups on the bottom nymph.


We have been doing some spin fishing as well and this is always productive.  I've been using nymphs, trout beads and salmon eggs, with the salmon eggs producing the better of the three.  Three to 4 eggs in a sac working the best and anise scent helps a bit too.  The 10mm trout beads are working better the the 8mm and a few guys seem to be doing good on 12mm beads.  With the beads we are drifting the under a float but the eggs and nymph we are working on the bottom and this seems to be the way the steelies want these. 



A good selection of nymphs.

We still have a few good months left to fish steelhead and traditionally mid February is when things start to heat up.  Spawning activity is beginning and soon will be in full swing.  If you are interested in fishing a few days on the river I'd give you the thumbs-up to go ahead and make your plans.  If you would like to work a guided float trip into your arrangements give me a shout and I'll see what I can do to accomodate you.  Looking forward to an excellent spring, hope to see you here. 

Tight lines.