I'm still here

I've been on hiatus for quite awhile, but I'm still here.  I got busy through the fall and winter, for a while it was brutal.  Getting off the river after fishing all day in 10-20 degrees make for a tough day, so when I get home I pull the anchor rope out of the boat to dry and then I'm looking for the couch.

Fishing through all of this was very good, great some days.  We have had several years now of some very good steelhead fishing and it helps when it's bitter cold outside.

I just posted the egg collecting report for this spring's steelhead take, awesome numbers.  This is consistent with past years take and we are reaping the benefits out on the river.  I am looking forward to another good year this coming fall.  Only 3 more full moons and we'll be in the peak of the salmon run.

I'll Post soon with local trout fishing report.

Tight lines

DEC asks for your help

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) and Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (OMNRF) requests your help with recovering samples of Coho Salmon caught in Lake Ontario beginning in 2018 and continuing until 2021. Each year, NYSDEC stocks Coho Salmon as fall fingerlings at six sites along the New York shoreline, and as spring yearlings at the Salmon River, and Metro East Anglers in cooperation with OMNRF stock Coho fall fingerlings at the Credit River. As part of a continuing effort to evaluate the effectiveness of stocking programs, we are evaluating Coho Salmon stocking strategies by mass marking and/or tagging all stocked Coho Salmon in 2016-2019.

Some portion of the Coho Salmon caught in Lake Ontario may also come from natural reproduction instead of hatcheries. Although some streams are known to produce wild Coho smolts, the relative contribution of wild and hatchery Coho Salmon to the Lake Ontario fishery is unknown. This information is important for fisheries managers to understand trends in Coho Salmon catch rates. To determine the proportion of wild Coho Salmon in the Lake Ontario fishery, the adipose fin of all Coho Salmon stocked by NYSDEC and OMNRF will be clipped in 2016-2019, including the fall fingerlings stocked by Metro East Anglers at the Credit River. Tags are 1 mm long pieces of coded wire inserted into the snouts of fish prior to stocking, therefore invisible to the naked eye and undetectable without specialized equipment. Recovery of mark and tag data is ongoing until 2022.

To supplement NYSDEC and OMNRF sampling by the Fishing Boat survey and at fishing tournaments, we are asking volunteers to collect Coho Salmon heads from fish harvested in the Lake and tributaries and place them in freezers located at sites from the Niagara River to Oswego (see below). Bags and labels will be available at freezer locations, and instructions for collections are provided below. We would like your help. Please be on the lookout for Coho Salmon when fishing. For all harvested Coho Salmon, please cut off its head, toss it in a bag, label, and put it in a freezer. If you are willing to collect Coho Salmon heads and store them in your personal freezer, we will happily come pick them up. Arrangements can be made by emailing fwfishlo@dec.ny.gov.

DEC Completes Salmon River Hatchery Egg Collection

DEC Salmon River Hatchery staff completed steelhead egg collection on April 4, 2019.  The egg take resulted in 2.47 million eggs from 681 Washington strain steelhead, exceeding the target number od 2.15 million eggs.  Fish hatched from this collection will be raised in the hatchery for approximately one year and then stocked as spring yearlings in 2020.

Staff collected an additional 194,72 eggs from 51 Skamania strain steelhead.  Steehead are stocked every spring in Lake Ontario and Lake Erie tributaries where they contribute to both the tributary fishery and open lake fisheries.  Current Lake Ontario steelhead/rainbow trout stocking include 497,700 Washington stain yearlings, 43,000 Skamania strain yearlings and 75,00 domestic strain rainbow trout yearlings.  Lake Erie stockings include 225,000 Washington strain steelhead and 5000 domestic strain rainbow trout. 

Fish for free day!

Veteran's Day, November 11, 2018 residents can enjoy a day of fresh water fishing in New York without a license.  Fall is a great time to fish and there is no better way to spend a 'free' day of fishing than on the salmon River chasing steelhead.

2019 Chinook salmon stocking plans

In response to intensified concerns regarding Lake Ontario's alewife population, DEC must take additional action to protect the long-term sustainability of the trout and salmon fishery.  Failure to act will serve to extend the severity and duration of adult alewife population instability, with greater potential impacts to the sport fishery. When the adult alewife population is comprised of a broader number of age classes we will consider adjusting stocking back to normal levels.  DEC will further reduce Chinook salmon stocking by an additional 20% in 2019. On average, approximately 50% of Lake Ontario's Chinook salmon originate from natural reproduction ("wild" fish).  

Table 1. Anticipated NYSDEC 2019 stocking targets for Lake Ontario.

Species	Life Stage	NYSDEC Stocking Policy 2019
Chinook Salmon*	Spring Yearlings	1,056,960
Lake Trout	Yearling equivalents	400,000
Rainbow Trout	Spring Yearlings	615,700
Brown Trout	Spring Yearlings	400,000
Atlantic Salmon	Spring Yearlings	50,000
Coho Salmon	Fall Fingerlings	155,000
	Spring Yearlings	90,000
2,767,660

Salmon River mid-October report

The salmon fishing has been excellent up till now.  We had good numbers and the spawning areas were holding what seemed like more than normal numbers.  This is all winding down in the middle river.  I can't say what is happening in the Altmar to Pineville stretch because I avoid it till mid to later November when the crowds and the seasonal guides go away.  Since yesterday the number of salmon in the river from Pineville to 2A has dropped off noticeably, doesn't mean there wont be more entering the river, but seems the 'fat lady has sung'.

Use these,

Yesterday we picked up our first steelhead of the fall, 2 actually. Another 4 to the net today.   All came on 10mm trout beads, egg colors working today as well.  We were drifting them on the bottom, not under floats, and all fish came from behind spawning salmon.  Fish egg sacks or egg fly patterns and you will do well.

these,

The water temp as of yesterday was 51 degrees and the river is running at 476 cfs at Pineville gauge as I type this.
Tis the season, so take advantage of the best fishing on the Salmon River of the year.  November and December are top months for steelhead fishing.  See you out there.

Tight lines.

and these.

Salmon River report, Columbus Day weekend

Well, the biggest weekend of the year for the Salmon River fishery has arrived, Columbus Day weekend.  Over the years it has been viewed as the height of the salmon season and the grand finale.  Despite these views, the salmon run is just reaching a crescendo that will last another 2 weeks, possible 3, before it all winds down for another year.

To date it has been very good, somedays great.  As of this posting the river is holding salmon throughout its length and the tribs, thanks to some good rainy days, are up and holding good fish.

New wing wall at Altmar boat ramp, 

it's deep out there.

If you plan on fishing the next few days you can expect a lot of salmon in spawning areas and ALOT of fishing pressure, but we expect and accept this, it's tradition at this point.

The fly zones are loaded and if you are fishing the lower fly zone for the first time this year you'll notice a slight change at the Altmar boat ramp, a new wing wall to give drift boat launches a relief from the currents that, in the past, trended to push against the ramp making launching a boat interesting.  I have seen more than 1 boat drifting empty down stream from the ramp with a panicked guide chasing it down the river,

Water is flowing at 488 cfs at Pineville with a release of 335 cfs through Sunday, October 7.

Have fun if you come and talk to the fisherman beside you, he's like you.

Tight lines.