September 28, 1999

Quick Report: The Salmon River fishing has been good, with runs of king salmon and cohos with a few browns and steelies tossed in. The river is moving at 285 cfs, and the water temperature has been steady at 65 degrees. Plenty of fish are still in the lake and estuary, waiting for the right moment to move into the river.

Dear Flyfisher:

We had a great run of fish a week to ten days ago, although things have tapered off a bit over the past few days. But there are plenty of fish in the river, and more are coming in every day. Others are schooling in the lake and moving into the estuary, waiting for their cue to glide into the river and make the swim upstream.

This morning we fished several pools before hitting the right one. We had ten fish on, but landed only one. Most were kings, although we also had a couple of nice cohos on, too. No steelies or browns today, but we’ve connected with them in fair numbers throughout the season.

The key to Salmon River fishing -- absent a major run -- is simply knowing where to fish. And, to do that, you need to be fishing the river regularly. There’s plenty of people who spend a day on the river, and never come close to a hook-up. That’s because they’re fishing empty pools. On the other hand, there are those who get into 50 fish on the same day. They either had the dumb luck to pick the hot pool, or they knew where the fish were before they started out.

This empty-pool, active-pool idea is easy to understand, especially when you remember that these are fish on the run. Nonetheless, it’s amazing how many fishermen will hang in the same lifeless pool all day long just because they had a good outing there once upon a time. The world turns. The river changes. The fish move. And, you have to learn to move with them, or you’ll suffer a lot of fishless days on a river that can produce unbelievable catches.

Sure, there’s always the chance that the fish will move to the stand-up sport who has the time and patience to wait for passers-by. But, the fact remains that the flyfisher who is willing to move is far more likely to score than the fellow who wants to stand still. In these waters, the advantage of a guide is especially significant; guides are on the river every day, and they know where the fish are today and where they’re likely to be tomorrow. Even expert flyfishers get skunked when they’re casting to a fishless pool; and the rankest amateur can enjoy wild success if they find the right one. Enough about that.

The big fear for the salmon run this year is water. Will there be enough to keep the salmon coming into the river? The drought that has afflicted this region over the past summer has translated into reduced water releases. Currently, the release is pegged at 275 cfs, which is enough to support a run. But, there’s a chance that even this release will be cut back if we don’t have a drenching rain soon. So, think rain. Think salmon. And let’s get together.

To arrange a great day on the Salmon River give me a call at 570-635-5986, or drop me an e-mail. If I’m on the river, I’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

– Adrian