I've decided to start a log to share my (honest) experiences on the s.r.. I got out today by 11:00 am. I got a late start renting equipment for my good friend Jays' first trip. WHAT A DAY FOR A BEGINNER! It was blowing and snowing like a mfer. There were three guys at the north trestle hole when we got there. They hooked seven and landed one all on black stone flies. They were leaving as we arrived and had the one they caught on a stringer. It was a 10lb. plus girl- real fat and very chrome for this time of year. With the wind that had kicked up I had a hard time staying in the water as I spent most of my time re-rigging my buddy and instructing him. He hooked up once (blue egg sack), but lost it in about ten seconds. We struggled for another hour with the wind with no luck. Three other crazy bastards arrived, and I let them fish right on us. They all had floats with trout beads, and I let them in with the stipulation they show me how to float a bead. I bottom bounce exclusively, and am interested in learning how to float. They swear they kill 'em with the beads, and they are not the first (or second, or third to tell me this). You rig the bead to your tippet 2-3 inches above a bare hook. you use toothpicks broken off to anchor the bead to your tippet. They then bead the tippet and mainline with various small splitshot with the float 8 to 10 feet from the hook. I didn't get the exact weight, as it was blowing like hell. There is nothing in the NYS fishing regs that specifically bans use of a bare hook. If you want to be sure, wrap a little black thread on the hook and you're golden. I also heard you can bottom bounce the beads, but haven't tried it long enough to tell one way or the other, prefering to stick to tried and true egg sacks. We only stayed on another half-hour with no one hooking up. The north and south trestle has been very productive lately, according to everyone I talked to.There are less people to deal with than further south, and it's a pretty landscape, sheltered from the wind on the south side. The south side requires 4wheel drive to get to the trestle, which is why I had to go north today, but is well worth it. The tailout on the north trestle is your best bet if you don't have 4 wheel drive, but prepare to walk through deep snow at least 1/4 mile from parking on the south side. Wittakers sport shop in Pulaski has the beads and toothpicks ($1.00 for twenty toothpicks) and they are pretty cool about showing you the right weight if you want to float. Talk to Rob. I live 40 minutes from the river, and I fish it a lot. Feel free to drop me a line if you want honest info. Trying to get honest info from anyone who makes their living off that river is IMPOSSIBLE. I have nothing to lose by giving up info, and I love to see people from out of town catch fish and enjoy our awesome resource. Till next time, warmest regards and good fishing.
Selah
F.
Sat May 25, 2013 7:57 pm :: TSS Main Page ‹ View topic - Salmon River Steelhead-The Never Ending Story
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Salmon River Steelhead-The Never Ending StoryModerator: WNY Steel Salmon River Steelhead-The Never Ending Story
Your welcome joel. Come on up to beautiful Pulaski N.Y.! If you want advice on a good guide, drop me a line. I see who is on the river the most, and I'll be happy to tell you what I know.I went to the trestle again today. It was nice and calm. Relatively warm. I fished the Rt 13 side of the trestle for about three hours. I didn't have any luck until I was just about to leave- nailed a nice 10 lb. female on a white egg sack soaked in GULP. She didn't fight as much as I'm used to- as a matter of fact I thought she was a big brown until she did a little tail dance about ten feet in front of me. If you read the above rant you might be confused as to what the hell I'm talking about when I say north and south. What I was calling north is the rt. 13 side of the trestle. The pineville (or is it Altmar?) side of the trestle is the side they don't plow and you need a 4 wheel drive truck to get in. The pineville side has a great drift if you walk to the trestle and go left when you get there. Stand right in front of the public fishing sign and cast about halfway across or a little more. There is a tree in the water right on the bank downstream a little which can make for trouble if your fish runs too far downstream. The perfect drift you get is worth the risk. I'd rather hook up and take my chances losing than not hook up at all. The girl I caught was very dark with her left front fin clipped. I heard they clip fins to identify where the fish is from and how old it is. I don't know what the left fin means, but I'd be curious to know. Tomorrow is supposed to be 50 degrees. I wish I didn't have to work.
Regards, F.
SALMON RIVER
If you are refering to a left fin(pictoral) clip,most are north of the border fish(canada) there is a link on the ohio report page that some one sent me that gives all the fin clip combinations in relation to states or provinces that stocked them.I have caught a few with a double fin clip recently still tring to figure out.A lot of canadian trout end up in our waters on both erie and ontario,as i,m sure our fish end up there.The bead system has been around for a long time and has been resurrected,with a very real looking product.I get reports from some guys that fish the S.R. with them and thats all they carry!Thanks for the great reports.
This last sunday I met a really cool spey fisher/ guide/bungalow owner who told me all the lovely appetizing baits and egg sacks don't do jack to make the steel bite. He says they are holding and just hit when they get backed up enough to get pissed-off. He says the ones I felt hit like freight trains are getting hooked from jump and running immediatly. Interesting, huh? Gotta get ready to work.
SALMON RIVER
hahaha Just keep doing what you are doing,CATCHING FISH,learning new systems,new bait or lures,And someday you will give real advise to someone who is a newbie and encourage them.I look forward to any new reports.Good luck
Gotta make this quick. Went out to the pineville side of the trestle at sunrise. WHAT A WALK! It sucks. We fished egg sacks and I nailed a HUGE girl. I'm going to say 15 lbs., but I couldn't weigh her. I think she was possibly up to 18. She's the biggest I ever caught or even saw up close. I've got pictures, but my buddy the jealous, in a hurry to fish photographer took lousy pictures. Her tail was bent. It's my fault for not holding her right. You can still see how fat she was. She fought for 15 minutes. I finally tried turning my rod down from the start, and that shiznit WORKS. She fought the drag for a long time with me reeling up when I could, but no hard runs left,right and down river. She came in steady with the rod tip DOWN. It was a GAS ON CHRISTMAS. Gotta go. Happy Holidays, and good health and happiness to all.
Went back to pineville side of the trestle testerday, Saturday, Dec. 27. I caught a small first year fish about a half hour after sunrise. The numbnuts with the net couldn't get the job done after four times in- it was dark and raining and he'd never netted a fish. I was going to finally keep this little guy too. Oh well. I can state for the record that two boats at the lower trestle hit five fish before 9:00am. The upper and lower schoolhouse is loaded with fish with people hooking up left and right.
It rained like a cow on a flat rock saturday, but everyone I spoke to hit fish. The upper and lower schoolhouse was loaded with both- fish and fishermen. I heard they were hooking up left and right. If anyone wants to know a little secret about the schoolhouse, drop me a personal message. If you are alone, I know a spot no one seems to use. it looks unpromising, but I've seen MANY fish taken there. Especially if you have a flyrod and know how to float. There is only room for one, though. A lot of "pros" I know say this is one of the best years ever for steel. Come to beautiful Pulaski N.Y.! Spend money! Catch FISH! Enjoy conversing with the coolest rednecks this side of Alabama! See beautiful homes with dead cars and washing machines outside! Buy Genny Light for $2.99 a rack plus tax and deposit! Have the best burger on the planet at The Altmar Hotel! Come to Pulaski, it's low rent white trash paradise! Fish cleaning $4.00!
Q: What's the difference between a girl from Pulaski and a Bull Moose? A: 20 pounds and a flannel shirt.
I made my way to Altmar about noon time. I stopped at th Altmar hotel for a burger and three fingers of Jim Beam no ice. The burger was sublime.
Feeling very fortified I parked at the Pineville side of the trestle. there was no one else parked there. A good sign. I walked the old railroad bed for the half mile or so it takes to get to the trestle. The sun shines so seldom in the mohawk valley/ tug hill plateau section of central New York in winter that today was just RADIANTLY BEAUTIFUL. It was cold as hell, but no wind. I've been fishing days that were twenty degrees warmer than today, but the wind ruins everything. The trestle was RIPPIN' with 1800 cfps, and I knew I wasn't going to catch anything unless I got lucky. I fished for an hour and a half with no luck. It was still sublimely beautiful. I lived 14 years in New Hampshire with its Granite bedrock landscape. Central New York is made up of sedimentary rock from an ancient seabed, and is principally defined by the water that runs through it. If it wasn't for the mohawk river valley which gave rise to the construction of the Erie canal from oneida lake to the Hudson River, cheap, easy transport of goods to and from the port of New York to the great lakes would never have happend. Places like Chicago and Detroit would never have developed without the great state of New York. I've seen the majestic notches in the white mountains of the great state of New Hampshire. I've seen the rolling hills and georgeous Allegheny mountains of beautiful Pennsylvania. I've seen the breathtaking beauty of the green mountains of Vermont, the raging seacoast and spooky wild primordial forests of magnificent Maine. None are more beautiful than Central and Northern new York. The old canal locks, towpaths, railroad beds and logging trails all hearken to an age gone past. Come to Pulaski to fish the Salmon river steel. If you have a flexible schedule, come on a moments notice when the weather is right. It costs $33.00 per man for a very clean, comfortable room at Whitakers in pulaski. This is the BEST YEAR EVER for steelhead in our great fishery. It doesn't matter how cold it is. If the wind is not blowing, the fishing will take care of itself. The river was lowered to 1050 cfps at five PM today, new years day. That means with the temperature warming to almost thirty degrees by Sunday, the fish will be back in the slots and hitting like hell. If you want the name of a guide who fishes the river every day, drop me a personal message. I know because I see them whenever I'm there. I fished the whole month of November, and I know the guides who have been fishing the most. Even without a guide, if the wind is down, you can't go wrong. I finished my day at the lower schoolhouse as I knew the trestle had too much water. I didn't hook up, but I talked to a lot of guys that did before I got there. Come to pulaski and catch some steel. Last edited by steelheaderny on Tue Mar 17, 2009 6:22 pm, edited 6 times in total.
It's a cold day in central New York. The wind is blowing like hell, so there's no point in going fishing. This is all bullshizt actually. I'd love to go right now, but I promised the old lady I'd take care of some work on the house. I have to keep telling myself, wait till tomorrow, wait till tomorrow. The river was lowered to 750 last night at 9pm. The steel are back in the slots doing their steelie thing. They know I'm not coming till tomorrow, so they're safe for the moment. They are probably VERY nervous knowing I'll be there at first light to ruin their day. As soon as I release the first fish, he will go right out to the slot and tell all his buddies Frank's here. The toll free number to check the water level is 800-452-1742 code 365123. 750 is PERFECT. Anyone with the time and means to come to Pulaski is NUTS not to do it now. All you snobby spey/flyrod, flytying pontificaters always talk about your gear and expert techniques, but I don't see anyone listing the FISH THEY CATCH. I will have a steelhead in my hands by 8am tomorrow. With my $45.99 noodlerod and my $39.00 reel and my store bought egg sacks.
I guess being a smug, bigmouth asswipe is bad fish karma. I got SKUNKED. Three bead floaters on the other side caught three. The same guy caught them all. He foulhooked one. I did have something happen that I never experienced. I was retrieving a pink worm and something SMASHED it halfway in. I thought for sure it must have been a Brown, but a guide friend of mine said steelies will hit on the retrieve. Very rarely, and usually first year fish, but he said they will do it sometimes. I thought after it could have been a piece of ice, but looking around I realized that was not the case. It bent my rod halfway around and took my pink worm, but no head shake, nothing. How the hell do they hit and clean a worm, or crush an egg sack without getting hooked? When you feel that rubber band boing, boing, boinging away, SLAM 'EM! If you don't slam it to them, you will miss tons of fish. This is my first year fishing steel, and looking back, I missed a TON of fish not knowing the difference between a bottom tick and a strike. The cold sun shone again today. We get less than thirty percent of possible sunshine in winter in the mohawk valley, so the sun really makes for a pretty day on the river. When the sun finally rose it backlit the frozen trees. Every branch in minute detail. A gorgeous morning even without any action. The old ladies nagging me to take her to eat. Till next time....
Kimosabe- Nice to hear from you. I worked all over Maine on and off for 14 years. I remember driving north on 95 and thinking "I must be almost to Canada by now" only to look at a map and find out I was not even halfway up the state. Did you ever hear of the "Swedish Health Club and Massage" right across the rt.1 bridge from Portsmouth?
14 years in Maine...you ain't missed nothing
No I have not heard of the Swedish Health Club...I guess I missed all the action
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