Stuck On Steelhead – Salmon River Report
One of the challenges of booking a fishing trip way in advance is that you have no control over the conditions you’ll be fishing. It’s for that reason that I usually don’t commit to a weekend trip to the Salmon River until after checking the water level, the weather, and the reports on the Thursday night before. If the weather or water look out of whack, I’ll pull the plug. It’s a proven system for solo runs to the river, but one that rarely works for groups.
So when Anthony DeiCicchi and Ryan Bibeau told me they were determined to go steelhead fishing this winter a couple months ago, we checked our schedules and and talked to our significant others and landed on the weekend of January 16 and 17. As we watched the weather and the reports in the weeks leading up to the trip, things were looking great. And then, on January 15, unseasonably warm temperatures and rains washed snow into the river and dropped the water temperature several degrees just in time for us to pull off I-81 and onto Route 13 in Pulaski, New York.
We stayed at Tailwater Lodge. It was my second time there, the first being during a shoot for OTW TV last December. Tailwater was converted from an old schoolhouse—the school’s gymnasium converted into the bar—located right on the Salmon River’s Schoolhouse Pool, where guests enjoy exclusive access to 1700 feet of riverbank.
While the accommodations were excellent, the fishing was not. We fished with Mike De Rosa from Zero Limit Adventures, Tom Fernandez from Tailwater Lodge, and Jeff Waner from Osprey Adventures Guide Service. Unfortunately, the recent drop in water temperature shut down the steelhead, and our party of three went fishless. The only excitement came toward the end of the day Saturday when Anthony, a steelhead first-timer, hooked up on 12 pounds of angry steelhead that showed itself briefly before sprinting 50 yards downstream where it spit the hook. The battle lasted no more than 30 seconds before the steelhead won, but it made a lasting impression.
“I can’t wait to go back,” Anthony said on the ride home Sunday night, despite the slow fishing. “I need to go back!”
I understood. It was the same feeling I had after my first trip to the Salmon River back in 2009, one that I’ve felt on every trip since, whether I landed 10 steelhead or zero. It’s the type of fishing that gets into your blood the second you feel the power and speed of a big lake-run rainbow trout. Anthony and I will plan a return trip to the Salmon River soon, but next time we won’t commit until the conditions look perfect.
8 on “Stuck On Steelhead – Salmon River Report”
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BKill Your report sounds on par with many others. Some more food for thought … http://therustyspinner.blogspot.com/2016/01/on-salmon-river-common-sense-and.html
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jrp THANKS FOR THE PICS.Brings back a lot of memories fishing with Project Healig Waters on
In Salmon River. -
Norm Kruth I just love the winter steelhead fishing on the Salmon River…..
I’ve even had to snowshoe to get to some spots [when I was a much younger man] -
Norm Kruth I just love winter steelhead fishing on the Salmon River….
I’ve even had to snowshoe to get to some spots along the river [wen I was a much younger man]…
Quiet…no crowds….lots of parking spots… -
Tom Loughlin Jr. MR DeRosa’s hat looks expensive. Like your “foliage” photos..I have contributed.
Tom Loughlin Jr.
3x NY State Masonic Freshwater Fishing Tournament champ -
Jeff I’M a frequent visitor to the salmon river and the and had a similar trip. I was a bit more inexperienced then I am now. I was watching the weather looking for a warm trend and put the water up a couple degrees. But like you said the melting snow sunk the water temp to near freezing and the bite shut down. After 2 days and fishing my but off I only hooked into 1, 12pound steelhead that took off down the river ane I couldn’t stop. I had a 3rd day but went home beaten and bruised. That is the only time I have been skunked in my 9 years of going.
You do have to have a back up plan upon back plan if you go on random date. NY is big but, within a 2 hour drive off the salmon you can hit almost all other tributaries. Since these tributaries are different style rivers and Ontario has it’s own localized weather patterns conditions will be perfect on at least one off them. For example oswego country rivers might have melting snow and freezing water temp but western tribe the snow never melted because of hi snow pack or colder air temperature so conditions stay the same. Or fish a larger river that’s not as affected by melting snow, meaning the fish can go deep on bottom were it’s warmer. The same thing with too much rain or not enough of it. Example, I was fishing the salmon river before hurricane sandy was suppose to hit. First day release 900cfs was good me and my brother caught 3 steel head each and hooked many more. The second day they jacked it up to 1200 we caught 1 steel and 1 beat up salmon next day it was at 2100. Pretty much unfishable we then left. Funny thing is sandy never hit the salmon and they had low flows the rest of the fall/winter cause they dumped all there water thinking sandy was coming. Like many people that fish salmon river we had tunnel vision refused to go anywhere else. If we had gone to the Sandy’s or the little salmon at the time we probably would have scored. Remember just 3/4 of a inch of rain is enough to make a small to medium tributaries fish well. Get a river flow app mark all tributaries to lake and see which ones are hi or low. Check the weather a couple days before and you’ll be ready for the tribs to many get a shot of water if the salmon doesn’t look great. -
Woody Nice hat, not!! Poster boy for a knuckle dragger, one of maine reasons I avoid fishing Pulaski.
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Chas Excellent article, spot on. My 1st trip 12-13 lb n 14-15 lb steelhead
15-17 lb rainbow. Differently in my “Blood”
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