Salmon River  If you’d like to try your hand on a world-class salmon fishery, consider New York’s Salmon River, a 13-mile tailwater of runs, pools, pockets and riffles that are the spawning grounds of trophy-sized steelhead, king and coho salmon and awesome lake-fed brown trout. A tributary of Lake Ontario, The Salmon gets its start at the Lighthouse Hill Reservoir near Altmar and then plunges over rocks and around bends until it empties into the lake at Port Ontario in Pulaski. The river boasts the world record for coho salmon as well as several New York State records for king salmon, coho and steelhead, which it produces in awesome numbers. While the river is fast becoming a year-round fishery due to the controlled releases at the Altmar dam, the salmon runs begin in early September with kings, cohos and browns moving into the river to spawn. The kings range in size from 15 pounds up to 40 pounds, while cohos are regularly caught in the six to 15-pound range. (The world-record coho exceeded 30 pounds). In October, steelhead begin their migration, which continues through April. Steelies range in size from five to 20 pounds, and -- like the other salmon -- are fattened by an abundance of alewives in Lake Ontario. The salmon move into the river in waves, and when you
hit it right the fishing can be truly awesome. Snagging was banned in 1993, and the river
is now a true sport fishery for both the flyfisher and those who prefer spinning rods. For
the flyfisher, generally longer rods for five to eight-weight lines are the standard for
steelhead and cohos, while heavier rods for nine- to twelve-weight line are the choice for
kings. Longer rods are best in order to accommodate lighter-weight tippets. Anti-reverse
reels are essential to avoid line snarls and lost fish. For the spin-fisher, rods strung
with 8- to 12-pound-test mono are the choice. The Salmon River can be fished by driftboat or from streamside. For the flyfisher, one of the most popular spots for the streamside fishing is the catch-and-release, flyfishing-only section at Altmar. The Douglaston waters in the lower section of the Salmon River are also popular, but these waters are controlled privately and anglers must pay to fish. Since many of the fish that run the Salmon will die after spawning as part of their natural life cycle, many anglers elect to keep their trophies for mounting or eating. The law permits this outside the designated catch-and-release section. To get the full taste of the Salmon River, driftboat fishing is your best bet. With scheduled releases from the dam, conditions for a float down the Salmon are predictable. In addition to the Salmon River, Captain LaSorte also provides driftboat and streamside outings on the Oswego River as well as streamside outings on the South, North and Little Sandy rivers, other excellent Lake Ontario salmon tributaries. |
|
|
|
