Newbie with q's on Salmon River

[red owl]

I have not yet fished for either salmon or steelhead but I want to try it and the only river I can routinely reach is the Salmon. Most of you are more interested in steelhead than salmon and they both seem to be pretty big fish so I am wondering why the preference for steelhead? Another thread said the salmon only eat a little ways up river and then stop- is that why the steelhead is preferred?

I think I read that the King/Chinook start up the Salmon around mid-sept to first of October, is that true for most years? I read there is a Coho run but it is very short in duration. When do the steelhead enter the river? Is it a run or are they there after other fish.

Since I am so new to all this- is there any particular book that would furnish me a lot of this information regarding Salmon and Steelhead from the Great Lakes or more particularly the Salmon River.

Thanks for any help.

[red owl]

Not to answer my own question but I did some calling to bait and tackle shops in Pulaski and this is what I have been told. The Salmon enter the river mid-Sept to mid-Oct and after mid-Oct they all die. From mid-Sept to the end of the month they may still feed after first entering the river but then they feed no more and if you catch one you basically snagged it.

The steelhead enter the end of October and are in the river Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb after which the leave and they'll eat all the time they are in the river, salmon and brown trout eggs- so egg sacks or flies that imitate eggs.

Is all this correct by anyone who has fished the river? Thanks. and...I can see why steelhead are the target fish- much longer time to catch them. One guy also told me a 20 pound steelhead fights as hard as a 30 pound salmon. True?

[steelheaderny]

Salmon enter their natal waters to spawn in the fall and die soon after. Steelhead enter their natal waters right on the heels of the salmon and hang in the river until they spawn in the spring. Then, unlike salmon, they return to the lake to forage and grow strong again until they return the following fall. Most of your info seems to be accurate as far as dates go. The salmon are already showing their faces-fins as far as the ladder at hatchery from what I've heard. I've also heard the DEC has flown over the mouth of the S.R. and can see them schooling up ready to enter the river. As far as preference for steel- There's no comparison to salmon for me for several reasons. Steelhead aggressively feed/ strike during their pre-spawn time in the river. Salmon by comparison rarely feed/strike aggressively after entering spawning mode shortly after entering the river. There's more skill and experience needed to catch steel than salmon in my opinion and it is thus more rewarding to me. It does take skill to lift a salmon, but once you learn a few basics, if they are present in the river, and you know where to fish, you will almost certainly get SOME action. The vast majority of salmon are foul hooked- hooked anywhere other than the mouth. While this is still fun, it's not the same as fighting a fair hooked steelie going ballistic up, down and OUT of the river. By the time the salmon are dying/dead most of the fair weather snagging/snatching drunk, argumentative yahoos are home watching football. There is MUCH LESS competition for space, much less littering azzwipes, much more opportunity to have a peaceful day chasing the most elusive, hard fighting, hard to land fresh water game fish available to the average income angler. Standing in that shallow and hooking a ferocious steelhead, your heart POUNDING, the adrenaline brassy in your mouth , the sense of pride you get after FINALLY winning a serious BATTLE with these damn fish puts you right on top of the world. To me there's nothing that compares to it. I would definitely start off with salmon. If you've never hooked a huge fish in a shallow river it gives you the experience you'll need when moving UP to steelhead. If you can afford it, starting out by hiring a competent guide at least the first time is a huge advantage. It's like golf or tennis- you can learn on your own, but save a lot of time and effort by starting off on the right foot from jump street. You can then fish salmon on your own, learning from experience and watching the anglers around you until steelies are dominating the river. It would be advantageous to you if you could then hire a guide your first time out for steel. The process is then the same- learn all you can from the guide the first time, and go it alone after wards, learning by experience and watching others. When hiring a guide, two or three anglers splitting the cost are cheaper than one. If you are determined to go it alone, don't be afraid to ask other anglers for advice. If the angler seems responsive, pick his brain for all he's worth. If he can't be bothered, nothing ventured, nothing gained. I've learned more by watching and conversing with other anglers who are catching fish than I could ever get from a book or the web. If you want the names/numbers of competent guides, drop me a P.M. Good luck, and have fun!

[red owl]

Well there was an article about the Salmon River in Kype magazine. The lower area I guess is referred to as DSR. From what I get, the salmon would still be feeding in that area and you could jaw hook them. I can't see the point of lifting them and I wouldn't be interested in that. I am sort of unusual in that I fish all methods. I got going on fly fishing for small, stream trout because I think that's the best way to catch them. I release probably 90-95% of the fish I catch but I try at least once a year to have a cookout just to connect with times past.
In any event to catch a big Chinook salmon would be a thrill- I'll think about steel head after I get a few salmon if the salmon are easier to take- thanks for that advise. Now....
What is the easiest way to get a salmon: Bait? Egg sacks? Lures- spoon? Spinner? Plug? Fly fishing? Sinking line? Egg pattern? As a newbie I just want to hook up and land a salmon- get it out of my system- I can then settle down to try more challenging methods. Thanks for any tips.

[uplandguide]

Fly fishing is the (my) preferred method. I equip my clients with 9' 9wt and use Airflo Ridge line, Nymph line. This line loads and shoots just thinking about it, easy to cast and handle. For flies I like wooly buggers or the like tied on #2 salmon fly hooks, bright colors for the most part as you are trying to trigger aggressive strikes (from males). From Columbus Day on I use steelhead spey type patterns, MOAL leeches, articulated leeches... steelhead patterns as you will pick up steelhead below the kings you are casting to.

[steelheaderny]

Don't sell lifting the salmon short- if you rig right and fish right in the right stretch you can get plenty at least "head shakes" i.e. on or around the mouth/head. You release most of your catch anyway. Then there's always that brown or steelie there to blow your mind and make your day.

[RyanS]

dont ever believe that because the salmon are not eating for nourishment, that they will not strike your bait or lure, they will readily strike for other reasons than actually feeding. you can get them to strike from the minute they enter a river, up to when they are half dead zombies that are ready to die, they will strike. any decent angler can usually hook more salmon with a legit strike than a guy throwing a weighted treble and yanking, you just gotta forget that they "dont eat or strike lures or bait" because its just not at all true.

[steelheaderny]

Redowl- There you have it, dude! You're gonna make puddin' in your waders the first time one of those twenty-five pound footballs take you for the ride of your life! Make sure you keep us posted. I'm curious to see how you make out. I'm sure you'll be (ahem) "HOOKED" on the salmon River action very soon.

[red owl]

Thanks. I have learned quite a bit here. I can see why folks are on the steelhead but the salmon seem like a big hunk a hunk of fish and I still want to tag a couple. BTW how are they as an eating fish? Some guy told me years ago that there are a few outfits that trade you 1 pound of smoked salmon for two pounds of your salmon. Are any of those outfits still around? Since the salmon are going to die anyway- is there are harm in taking one? Thanks.

[steelheaderny]

Apparently I am a large dumbazz using the term "lifting" as the legal way to hook salmon on the S.R.. I'm told the proper term is "dead weight drifting". There is also a method called "wet fly swinging" I am not familiar with as I apparently have never done it. I'm going out Wednesday afternoon with a guy I met at work who seems to know his stuff. I'll report all in my blog when I get back. Sorry for the confusion. As far as taking a salmon or any other legally caught fish I say go for it. You've paid for a license and made the effort. Try it. I can't say anything about the taste of any fish other than smoked salmon. I give whatever I keep to the old buck across the street who LOVES 'em. I like the smoked salmon I've tried out of the S.R.. It seems like they taste a little too fishy for me a day after the sealed package is opened. When I've tried it fresh from the just opened sealed package it was AWESOME.The recipe my friend Z-man uses is thinly sliced white onion, roumalade <----sp?, capers on ritz crackers. The "roumalade" is equal parts tartar sauce and cocktail sauce with fresh lemon juice to taste. Z-man says a tablespoon of fresh lemon juice. There are a lot of places to smoke your fish. I can't recommend one or another. Ask around. Getting a consensus from several anglers/stores/guides would probably be your best bet.

[steelheaderny]

I can state emphatically kings DO hit agressively (or otherwise) as I caught a fresh fish from the lake at the DSR Monday. I was fishing under a float, and my line was tight to the float. The first thing that fish saw was my fly, and he SLAMMED it! He turned sideways and came up shaking his head like a shark. There's no doubt in my mind that fish hit that fly. It was the most AWESOME salmon experience I've ever had. It was a twenty seven and a half pound king- bright silver and fresh from lake Ontario. I was told they change shortly to spawning mode, and won't hit again for a while until fully sexually mature. Then, I was told they hit out of aggression, especially on the redds. I'd love to find the redds and float a big, gnarly, bright something or other with a hook and get them to hit again. There's nothing like knowing you caught one clean and fought the big basterd into submission. I can't believe how hard they pull. Pound for pound though, steelies are still number one in my book for a real battle. We saw a pod of seventy or so coho come blasting up the shallow, then turn around and blast right back down towards the lake. It was a very cool sight.

[mcds7]

steelheaderny,hows it going man?i havent had the opp.to be on here in a while . posted a bit during your never ending story thing. hope you had a good summer and were able to fish the big pond. your first response to red owl was right on and i couldnt have said it much better!
personally, i would preferr to wait till the "goonies "have gone home,because it is a whole differnt world on the SR when they are gone
i took a walk down to the second set of wires two weeks ago,wow what a difference it is this time of year than in the winter. the grounds were maticulous(sp?)no litter at all but i,m sure that will be short lived as the goonies dont know how to pick up after themselves.
hope to meet up with you at some point to share some water!
mike m

[steelheaderny]

Mcds7- I'm doing good, man. Every day closer to November is a good day for me. I'm trying to figure out how to post the picture of that king I caught Monday (14th.) It'll be in the never ending story if I can do it.