Salmon River Report 2007

[AKSkim]

It is never too early to get ready for the up coming Salmon and Steelhead season in Pulaski. Most of the fly shops will start opening for the season in two weeks or so.

Dawn at Yankee Fly Shop reports that the "white water" release of 750 cfs scheduled for the first weekend of August has been cancelled due to lack of rain fall so far this summer. The next scheduled release date will be Labor Day weekend which is September 1-3. It will be 750 cfs for that weekend.

I had plans on heading up there this Friday anyway. Mostly to get my place in order for the season. Hot water heater needs a little TLC (like my creature comforts) and I don't want to wait till the season and spend a day getting it back on line.

Have to hit a local stream here and break out the spey rod and get a little practice in and use to a two handed rod again. I took a number of casting lesson from Drew at Tight Lines last year and with a number of hours of practice in between each lesson the confidence and ability to handle that rod made a huge difference. I plan on taking a few more lessons this month (time permitting) before the season hits full stride.

This season for Salmon I plan on switching between the spey rod and a St Croix 10 WT that I made with the help of Bill Detmer at DRO, with a Able 11. I got a half day worth of casting with it the last time I was in Altmar in May and it was a sweet rod to cast because it was a little faster than what I am use to, but I liked it anyway. Last year I made a 10 foot 7 wt for Steelhead and I switched over to the Royal Wulff Triangle Taper line and I have to admit that line has made such a difference in my casting abilities that I switched all my reels over to the Triangle Taper. Like everything else if it feels good casting and just as importantly, between your ears, go for it.

I have tied and tied and tied enough salmon and steelhead flies for a few seasons over this past spring & summer, the reels have been peeled and inspected, now the time is getting closer to the start of the early runs, and that itch is starting to burn.

Present river conditions:

Gage height, feet Most recent instantaneous value: 5.41 08-01-2007 16:45

Create presentation-quality graph [SIZE=-2]Parameter 00065; DD 01[/SIZE]
Discharge, cubic feet per second


Most recent instantaneous value: 226 08-01-2007 16:45

Create presentation-quality graph [SIZE=-2]Parameter 00060; DD 02[/SIZE] Daily discharge statistics, in cfs, for Aug 1 based on 14 years of record more Min (1995) 20% Median Most Recent
Instantaneous
Value


Mean 80% Max (2006) 73 90. 213 226 363 508 1470
</IMG></IMG>

 

[McAwful]

AK,

DAMN THESE REPORTS. They make me drive and freeze in the winter... DEATH and GLORY! The spoils await me in Valhalla.

McA

 

[AKSkim]

AK,

... They make me drive and freeze in the winter... DEATH and GLORY! The spoils await me in Valhalla.

McA

I must remind you, to get there is usually on a burning Viking ship, so the trip should be on the warm side, don't you agree?

As always, not wanting to go there just yet.

AK Skim

 

[rckrego]

Just talked to Bill Dettmar yesterday. I guess Mark's not feeling so well. Mr. Dettmar is running the show by himself for a few days. He's a hoot.

 

[AKSkim]

First Trip North

This past weekend I made my way up to Pulaski and being up there in August is truly strange experience. I have discovered that there is a very active and vibrant community that does not depend on us to provide the lively hood or in sad cases, entertainment. Saturday nights on the town square with music and craft fairs bring out the good people of Pulaski, the town pool and lower fly zones were filled with porpoising bathers, swimming in those hallowed pools and the thought of salmon and steelhead being displaced..!!?? Oh, it is still mid August and within a few weeks school will be in session, and those splashy lads will be reading Poe and Vonnegut while day dreaming the morning away.

As I hit Exit 36 it was clear the weekend was not going to be my typical weekend in Pulaski. The sky was blue, with few billowing clouds drifting off to the east, and the land scape.. GREEN, green lawns, green trees...
No sign of black onymous clouds drifting in with the radio stating a lake effect snow storm due this evening... "Lake Effect" only in Pulaski the term is unique, the rest of the United States would be touting a BLIZZARD is coming!

The weather couldn't have been any better.

Did I say how strange everything looks without bare trees, brown lawns, and no snow??

To the regular visitor there will be a couple of new things this season.

Across from the Yankee Fly Shop is a new restaurant calls "River House" that was once the vacant parking lot last year. The menu boasts of soups, salads, appetizers, along with usual fare, Dinners of Pastas, chicken, pork, veal, steaks, and seafood. A little more pricer than the typical eatery in Pulaski, but it is new, and most gentlemen fly fishers will feel out of place sitting there in their waders and korkers. There is also a bar inside, but I decided to sit outside to enjoy my meal and weather. Wish them luck....

The sign posts of No Parking Allowed may have been there in the past (doubt it in that number), however, those of you who like to park on Rt. 13 west bound, 100 yards or so down from Rt. 2A, your short cut to the Long and Slide Holes will have a longer walk this year to your favorite spots.

The Portly Angler Lodge is still up for sale.

Fat Nancy's has entered the River Map venue. Their map is a line drawing of the river, naming all the pools, and two unique features, it is laminated and in blue the "shape" of the pool. The cost is very steep at $9.99 a copy. Still it would be hard to beat the Salmon River Aerial Map. A few years ago it was only $2.99, because of its popularity it is running in the $5.00 range.

Road construction on Rt. 81 north and south bound close to the PA/NY boarder near New Milford, PA (Exit 223) will have you sitting in a 4 mile backup, costing you at least 45 minutes, up and back. Check you map and plan around it accordingly, this construction looks like it will be going on all season.

I spent the better part of late Friday, all day Saturday, and Sunday morning walking the river from the upper fly zone to the Black Hole photographing as I walked and because of the low flows and level, taking detailed notes on each of the pools runs and flats of the river. I met and talked with many local fisherman out there fishing and gained a whole new insight to many areas of the river. To each and everyone of them, Thanks.

As always, nice to be in Pineville for the weekend.

AK Skim

 

[AKSkim]

From Dawn at Yankee Fly Shop

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD width="100%" bgColor=#ffffff>Salmon River Hatchery Facts</TD></TR><TR><TD bgColor=#ffffff colSpan=2>
<TABLE width="98%" align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>Yesterday I was on the phone with Andy Gruillech from the Salmon River Fish Hatchery in Altmar, NY. He was telling me about last year's fall figures. I asked him, "How many salmon came into the Salmon River last year?" Andy said that the hatchery handled 7900 Chinook (King) Salmon, 2529 Coho Salmon, 74 Washington Steelhead, 32 Skamania Steelhead, and 109 Brown Trout. He also said that the hatchery had "no problem" getting the eggs that they needed and that he considered it "above fair/average". Now this doesn't mean that's how many really came into the Salmon River, because there's really no way to find out how many were caught by fisherman or how many made it past the hatchery. The figures above are what the hatchery "handled". So, how many salmon do come in the Salmon River? Who really knows? I'd guess about double the figures above. I mean, we just don't have the Salmon River, we have Grindstone Creek, South Sandy Creek, North Sandy Creek, Orwell Creek, Trout Brook, Lindsey Creek, Skinner Creek, and of course, "XYZ Creek", not to mention many more.

I asked Andy a few more questions so I could relay the information to you. Like, "how do you tell the difference between a Washington Steelhead and a Skamania Steelhead?" Andy said, "On a Washington Steelhead the left ventral fin will be clipped and on a Skamania Steelhead there will be no adipose fin (the top one that looks like a thumb near it's tail) and the left pectoral fin will be clipped. Hmmm I thought, interesting. The other way to know if you have a steelhead, whether it be a Skamania Steelhead, Washington Steelhead, or any trout for that matter, like a brown or a rainbow trout, just look in the mouth. It will be all milky white. A lot of times people think they have a steelhead and it turns out that it's a silver Coho Salmon and they have black in their mouth and on their jaw. So, keep this in mind when fishing. It's nice to know what kind of fish you have cause you don't want to look like a jerk when you start bragging you caught a huge steelhead and it turns out it's a Coho Salmon.

Another interesting tidbit of info. was that Andy told me that all the brown trout the Salmon River Hatchery got last fall were considered "local browns", meaning that the hatchery doesn't stock browns anymore and that when they do return to the Salmon River from Lake Ontario, the hatchery will just put them back in the Salmon River. What they do next is up to them. Some return to the lake and some stay in the river.

I would suggest when you're in the Pulaski NY area that you take some time to go and visit the Salmon River Fish Hatchery which is located in Altmar. Just take route 13 into Altmar and then get onto County Route 22 or "Cemetary Rd." It's pretty simple. Ask someone if you're not sure. Taking a tour and learning about the hatchery and how everything works will help you better understand our fishery and what a great privelage it is to fish it! You can also call the hatchery and request a guided tour by Fran Verdoliva or one of the staff. The number is 315-298-5051. The Salmon River Fish Hatchery is open everyday from 9:00 am until 4:00 pm. PRIME VIEWING TIME OF TONS OF CHINOOK & COHO SALMON, WITH SOME BROWNS AND SKAMANIA STEELHEAD IS MID SEPTEMBER until MID OCTOBER. It's really cool to see these fish and the kids go nuts!
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

 

[emerger]

Great info.

Thanks!

 

[AKSkim]

Douglaston Salmon Run have up dated their web site to a more modern look with additional useful information.

The "new" DSR web site can be found at:

Douglaston Salmon Run, World-Class Salmon Fishing

 

[Christophe]

One more time...what a great information !

Thanks

 

[AKSkim]

Oh here we go... the opening of the salmon season on DSR was today and I have to be home...

But lucky for us George OBrien of Trophy-Angler Guide Service he got to go out today early this morning on the DSR.

Today marked the second year that Dr. Charles Keenen spent the morning with me as the DSR re-opened. Connie Rogers has done a fantastic job (with the help of Norm, her asst.) in re-building the trails! What a pleasure to walk along at day break on crushed stone paths! Spotted a Doe and her 2 fawn's nibbling on grass as we headed down river. Cool crisp air (mid 40's) greeted us as the morning bird's were flying above our head's eating the hatch of the day! The water flow was @ Summer level's and our anticipation was at a peak! Would we see any Salmon traversing the rapid's? Didn't matter-the morning was already a success! After setting up "shop" we waited -taking in the fresh smell of the morning air, watching for that first splash of a tail! As we were chatting about life, out of the corner of my vision, there! not one ,but two fish working their way up river-soon to lost in the rapid's. It's amazing how a fish that is over 2 foot long can hide in plain sight! This morning we spotted 4 King's and had a chance at one and then it was time to leave and get weekend chore's done. Tomorrow will find me back @ the DSR to sample another "perfect morning"

May have been a perfect morning for George.. like I stated above, I was home...

Two weeks and I have permission to head on back up there.

As always, wishing I was up there and not ... you get the idea...

AK Skim

 

[AKSkim]

The latest on the Labor Day Weekend release.

THE SALMON RIVER AT LIGHTHOUSE HILL
PUBLISHED ON AUG 20, 2007 AT 15:46:07 - EXPIRES SEP 04 9:00 PM
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=634 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top align=left>
For the Salmon River at Brookfield Power's Lighthouse Hill Dam, Altmar, NY.
The following predictions are for flows in the river just below the powerhouse unless
otherwise noted.

Information about the timing of water level changes downstream of the powerhouse
is included after the forecast.


Until 9:00 PM Tue SEP 04, 185 CFS


</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

 

[AKSkim]

Report from the Douglaston Salmon Run. 21AUG07

A quiet day with no Kings spotted.

The water level is at 185 cfs. Water temperature was 65 at 8 a.m..

 

[AKSkim]

Yesterday while I was working I switched on the Yankee Fly Shop Salmon River Cam and saw some activity just out of range to the right, and the angler that was in the center of the cam view stopped fishing and was watching intently also... and a gentleman appeared in the lower right cornor or the cam and was taking a number of photos... could this have been the reason...

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD width="100%" bgColor=#ffffff>Skamania Steelhead Caught 8-20-07</TD></TR><TR><TD bgColor=#ffffff colSpan=2>
<TABLE width="98%" align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>

A nice 10 pound Skamania Steelhead was caught out back behind our fly & tackle shop this afternoon in the Salmon River, New York by an unknown angler. Guide Mike who guides for our shop took the picture. Guide Mike fished yesterday, August 19 down in the lower part of the river and said he saw about 4 Kings and some trying to come in through the estuary. He hooked 2 Kings and both


broke off. The one King he said he should of had but hey, that's fishn'...the line went limp and that was all she wrote. He had to drop down to 3 lb. test leader because the salmon were very spooky in the low water. There was only one other angler he saw so he had the place to himself. With the cold temperatures and winds, that's what will bring the salmon in even though the water level is low, they will still come in with those two factors. Most guides are still fishing on Lake Ontario. Read the report that will follow. Check out our "Beat The Crowds" special for lodging and guiding. Give us a shout at 315-298-6253 or 2466.










</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>









</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

 

[AKSkim]

Douglaston Salmon Run:

8/23/07)

Our 3 Anglers reported spotting a few Kings, but had no angling success.

The water level is at 185 cfs. Water temperature was 65 at 7 a.m..

Our opening time for the first few weeks of the season will be 6 a.m..
The season looks promising with excellent reports lake wide.


Whitaker's Fly Shop:
On August 20, 2007 Brookfield Power, the NYSDEC and US Fish & Wildlife Service(Executive Committee of the Salmon River Flow Management Team) agreed it would be in the best interest of the Salmon River watershed to cancel the September 1st & 2nd scheduled whitewater release and delay the scheduled September 1 start of the 335 cfs base flow. Due to the drought conditions in NY State, the Salmon River Reservoir is currently more than 7 feet below average elevations on this date for the period of record from 1998-2005 and 1.5 feet below the elevation on this date during 2006, when a special drawdown was taken to facilitate a dam rehabilitation project. The September 1st & 2nd whitewater release would further diminish the reservoir storage and further delay the start of the 335 cfs fall base flows (per the Salmon River Settlement Agreement, base flows take precedence over whitewater releases).


Yankee Fly Shop:
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD width="100%" bgColor=#ffffff>Lake Ontario & Salmon River Fishing Report: 8-22-07</TD></TR><TR><TD bgColor=#ffffff colSpan=2>
<TABLE width="98%" align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>Sorry, no pictures today however the fishing was great for one of our charter boat captains. He said he boated 10 King Salmon today. Over the last 3 days he fished he boated 30 Kings and the biggest was 27 pounds. As far as the river goes, there are some anglers out there fishing. Guess they have the early itch. </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
As always, more than willing to post a tease or two... only a matter of time... only a matter of time...

AK Skim

 

[AKSkim]

Douglas Salmon Run (8/24/07)

The Kings continue to trickle in a few at a time.

The water level is at 185 cfs. Water temperature was 67 at 7 a.m..

<TABLE class=boxB id=full style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 10px" cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0><TBODY><TR class=taC><TD style="WIDTH: 20%">Saturday


</TD><TD style="WIDTH: 20%">Sunday


</TD><TD style="WIDTH: 20%">Monday


</TD><TD style="WIDTH: 20%">Tuesday


</TD><TD style="WIDTH: 20%">Wednesday


</TD></TR><TR class=taC><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ddd 1px solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 2px; PADDING-LEFT: 2px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #ddd 1px solid; PADDING-TOP: 2px">

88° F | 64° F
31° C | 18° C

</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ddd 1px solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 2px; PADDING-LEFT: 2px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #ddd 1px solid; PADDING-TOP: 2px">

78° F | 54° F
26° C | 12° C

</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ddd 1px solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 2px; PADDING-LEFT: 2px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #ddd 1px solid; PADDING-TOP: 2px">

77° F | 58° F
25° C | 14° C

</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ddd 1px solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 2px; PADDING-LEFT: 2px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #ddd 1px solid; PADDING-TOP: 2px">

85° F | 63° F
29° C | 17° C

</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ddd 1px solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 2px; PADDING-LEFT: 2px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #ddd 1px solid; PADDING-TOP: 2px">

84° F | 62° F
29° C | 17° C

</TD></TR><TR class=taC style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top"><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ddd 1px solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 2px; PADDING-LEFT: 2px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #ddd 1px solid; PADDING-TOP: 2px">Chance of T-storms 60% chance of precipitation

</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ddd 1px solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 2px; PADDING-LEFT: 2px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #ddd 1px solid; PADDING-TOP: 2px">Partly Cloudy </TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ddd 1px solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 2px; PADDING-LEFT: 2px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #ddd 1px solid; PADDING-TOP: 2px">Clear </TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ddd 1px solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 2px; PADDING-LEFT: 2px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #ddd 1px solid; PADDING-TOP: 2px">Clear </TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ddd 1px solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 2px; PADDING-LEFT: 2px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #ddd 1px solid; PADDING-TOP: 2px">Chance of T-storms 30% chance of precipitation

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

 

[AKSkim]

Douglaston Salmon Run (8/26/07)

Our anglers reported 2 kings landed and spotted approximately 2 dozen more.

The water level is at 185 cfs. Water temperature was 70 at 7 a.m..

From George O'Brien

I was eager to hit the DSR today and even though it was a dreary,misty morning,the King's were around!! yup! In 3 hour's (6:30am-9:30am) mid - DSR, I watched 22-25 King's blast their way up river ,getting to cast to a couple and enjoying the thrill of watching the explosion as the King felt the hook - set! Even though both fish were lost to the rocks,I had a great time!
water flow=185cfs
water temp's low 70's
I'll be back in the DSR tomorrow .......
George<!-- / message --><!-- sig -->

 

[Green Butted Skunk]

Dawn at Yankee Fly Shop reports that the "white water" release of 750 cfs scheduled for the first weekend of August has been cancelled due to lack of rain fall so far this summer. The next scheduled release date will be Labor Day weekend which is September 1-3. It will be 750 cfs for that weekend.

On August 20, 2007 Brookfield Power, the NYSDEC and US Fish & Wildlife Service(Executive Committee of the Salmon River Flow Management Team) agreed it would be in the best interest of the Salmon River watershed to cancel the September 1st & 2nd scheduled whitewater release and delay the scheduled September 1 start of the 335 cfs base flow. Due to the drought conditions in NY State, the Salmon River Reservoir is currently more than 7 feet below average elevations on this date for the period of record from 1998-2005 and 1.5 feet below the elevation on this date during 2006, when a special drawdown was taken to facilitate a dam rehabilitation project. The September 1st & 2nd whitewater release would further diminish the reservoir storage and further delay the start of the 335 cfs fall base flows (per the Salmon River Settlement Agreement, base flows take precedence over whitewater releases).

GBS

 

[AKSkim]

Just a reminder for those heading up to the Salmon River this weekend.

Special Regulations for the Salmon River (Oswego County) Fly Fishing Catch-And-Release Areas

Location

Two stream sections between County Route 52 Bridge in Altmar and the Lighthouse Hill Reservoir.
Fishing Hours, Season Dates & Boundaries

Angling permitted: from 1/2 hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset. Trespassing prohibited at night.

Lower Fly Section: September 15 through May 15. From County Route 52 bridge in Altmar upstream .25 miles to the marked boundary at Beaverdam Brook.

Upper Fly Section: April 1 through November 30. From a marked boundary upstream of the New York State Salmon River Fish Hatchery property to marked boundary approximately 0.6 miles upstream at the Lighthouse Hill Reservoir tailrace.


Regulations

Catch & Release: All fish must be released without unnecessary injury.

Tackle Restrictions: Tackle is restricted to a traditional flyrod, flyreel and flyline.

Flies: A single unweighted or weighted artificial fly having one hook point with a one-half inch maximum gap. A weighted fly may have no more than a one-eighth ounce added weight.

Leaders: The total length of the leader including the tippet shall not exceed 15 feet.

Additional Weight: Between August 15 and April 30 of the following year, the maximum distance between the artificial fly and any added weight to the line, leader or tippet shall not exceed four feet. Between May 1 and August 15, no supplemental weight shall be placed on the leader, tippet or fly line. At any time during the year, weight shall not be added to the line, leader, swivels or artificial fly in any manner such that the weight hangs lower than the attached fly when the line or leader is suspended vertically from the rod.

Note: the Daily Limit for Rainbow Trout or Steelhead Is One Fish per Day for All Lake Ontario Tributaries Except Lower Niagara River.

 

[AKSkim]

Yankee Fly Shop Report
I know all of you are just itching to get up here and fish for salmon so first official King landed behind our shop. Reggie, who should be well known by now to all of you as he's been on my site a lot is holding a Chinook (King) Salmon he caught about 2-ish this afternoon. My husband, John, noticed there were some Kings out back along with some Skamania Steelhead.

DSR (8/27/07)

Our anglers reported 3 kings landed and a few others spotted.

The water level is at 185 cfs. Water temperature was 70 at 7 a.m..

 

[AKSkim]

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD width="100%" bgColor=#ffffff>Yankee Fly Shop
Pulaski New York: Salmon River Fishing Report 8-28-07

</TD></TR><TR><TD bgColor=#ffffff colSpan=2>
<TABLE width="98%" align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>Low water level doesn't seem to be a factor with the Coho & King Salmon. Some pods moved through the lower river this morning and the locals were fishing for them behind my shop today. Sorry, no pictures. There are fish in the river folks and if you want to have your chance at them without crowds, now would be a good time to come. Depending on your skill level and fishing experience, it's a gamble. This upcoming Labor Day weekend is the official "Kick Off" to Salmon Season and our shop is getting many calls from people wanting to know if they should come up or not. We'd like to say that we at Yankee Fly cannot answer that question. We will not tell you whether or not you should come up or not. All we can say is that there are some salmon in the river along with some Skamania Steelhead and Atlantic Salmon. Ya just never know if it's going to be you that catches the "Big One". Fishing is fishing and it's all about the experience. (for those who PM'd me about lodging in Pulaski this weekend. AKS) We have openings at our lodge for this weekend if you'd like to make a last minute reservation. Please call 315-298-6253 and ask for me....Dawn Rucando </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>


DRS 8/28/07)

A little more action today with a few small pods of kings and cohos moving through the lower DSR.

The water level is at 185 cfs. Water temperature was 68 at 7 a.m. and 72 at 2 p.m..

George O'Brien's August 28th Report

Was able to get to the DSR by 1pm! Bright Sun, very Hot temps(88degrees)and I was not very enthused, and boy was I wrong!! From about 2pm till I left @ 4pm,it was a continual stream of King's and Coho's! With only 2 other lucky angler's with in eyesight, the afternoon proved to be as exciting as any that I've spent on the river this year! While most of the fish were King's, I did have a chance at 2 pod's of Coho's (about 10-12 in each pod). In a tad bit over 31/2 hours of fishing ,I fought 8 fish, landing 4! Guess where I'll be tomorrow morning???

Whitaker's Fly Shop Report 8.28.07

Over the last few days a few kings have been spotted and landed in the lower end of the river which is normal for this time of the year. The fishing pressure has been extremely lite and most of the activity has been early morning. The few anglers that are here now understand the conditions and realize it's still early, but complete solitude and a chance at some early fish is worth it to them. The last couple of days we've been fishing out in the lake off the mouth of the Salmon River in 80-100 feet of water. Half the fish were catching are colored up, while the other half is bright weighing between 16-22lbs. Were catching our fish right off the bottom, with white or green flashers with the hammer fly.


5-Day Forecast for ZIP Code 13142

<TABLE class=boxB id=full style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 10px" cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0><TBODY><TR class=taC><TD style="WIDTH: 20%">Wednesday


</TD><TD style="WIDTH: 20%">Thursday


</TD><TD style="WIDTH: 20%">Friday


</TD><TD style="WIDTH: 20%">Saturday


</TD><TD style="WIDTH: 20%">Sunday


</TD></TR><TR class=taC><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ddd 1px solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 2px; PADDING-LEFT: 2px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #ddd 1px solid; PADDING-TOP: 2px">

86° F | 63° F
30° C | 17° C

</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ddd 1px solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 2px; PADDING-LEFT: 2px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #ddd 1px solid; PADDING-TOP: 2px">

77° F | 55° F
25° C | 13° C

</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ddd 1px solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 2px; PADDING-LEFT: 2px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #ddd 1px solid; PADDING-TOP: 2px">

76° F | 52° F
24° C | 11° C

</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ddd 1px solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 2px; PADDING-LEFT: 2px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #ddd 1px solid; PADDING-TOP: 2px">

75° F | 54° F
24° C | 12° C

</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ddd 1px solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 2px; PADDING-LEFT: 2px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #ddd 1px solid; PADDING-TOP: 2px">

80° F | 60° F
27° C | 16° C

</TD></TR><TR class=taC style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top"><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ddd 1px solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 2px; PADDING-LEFT: 2px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #ddd 1px solid; PADDING-TOP: 2px">Clear </TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ddd 1px solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 2px; PADDING-LEFT: 2px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #ddd 1px solid; PADDING-TOP: 2px">Chance of T-storms 40% chance of precipitation

</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ddd 1px solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 2px; PADDING-LEFT: 2px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #ddd 1px solid; PADDING-TOP: 2px">Clear </TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ddd 1px solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 2px; PADDING-LEFT: 2px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #ddd 1px solid; PADDING-TOP: 2px">Partly Cloudy </TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ddd 1px solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 2px; PADDING-LEFT: 2px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #ddd 1px solid; PADDING-TOP: 2px">Clear </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>


Rain on Thursday.. if so may bring in more early fish to make the holiday weekend all that much more enjoyable.

 

[AKSkim]

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD width="100%" bgColor=#ffffff>Pulaski New York: Salmon River Fishing Report 8-30-07</TD></TR><TR><TD bgColor=#ffffff colSpan=2>
<TABLE width="98%" align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>

"Are there any fish in the river yet???" These are the calls we're getting lately and here's yet another picture to prove it. Yes, there are King Salmon in the river along with some Skamania Steelhead and Atlantic Salmon. The low water levels (185 cfs) don't seem to be a problem for the ones that are coming in. Now are there "thousands"??? No, not yet. The major salmon run has not happened yet. There are people fishing....mostly locals and a few out-of-

towners. Today was a HOT day in Pulaski, NY and around 3 pm I saw a kid behind my shop with one on. Didn't stay to watch him land it since I'm putting my inventory on the shelves. We're looking forward to this Labor Day weekend. A time for families to take their children fishing before the new school year starts. Whether it's fishing in the Salmon River or out on Lake Ontario, we can set your charter/guide trip up for you. Please give me a shout.
P.S. This King Salmon was caught by Eric Geary of PA who fishes Pulaski on a regular basis. He's awesome at the centerpin and caught this King with it. He used an egg sac and fished "XYZ" spot. So, yes, you CAN catch King Salmon in August!!!

DSR (8/30/07)

A pretty good day with everyone at least seeing a few fish.The fishing pressure was light.

The water level is at 185 cfs. Water temperature was 69 at 7 a.m. and 73 at 2 p.m..

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

 

[flyman23]

I'll be heading up there the 16th Sep. Hey AK, from your last post it looks like you have a shop in Pulaski. Which one? I'll stop by.

 

[AKSkim]

I'll be heading up there the 16th Sep. Hey AK, from your last post it looks like you have a shop in Pulaski. Which one? I'll stop by.

I have a trailer that I leave up there all year round, I'll be heading up there in a couple of hours for the weekend and hopefully be up there every weekend there after.

I don't have a fly shop up there, the fly shops, guides, and the DSR that I post reports from I have no financial connection or receive discounts (The Yankee Fly Shop offers a 10% discount for active duty personnel and not for old retired military like me) or anything in that manner.

As the season goes along you will see posts from members like TKHOUR, Shaq and a number of other's on the river conditions, flies, techniques and so on for the sole purpose to pass along any advice or tips to member's of this board.

So when you go up.. we all... expect a good report of your adventures!

As always, just helping out when and were I can.

AK Skim
Winner of the NEFF 2007 Most Prestigious Award

 

[AKSkim]

Seven Words Will Say it All

Seven words will say it all...

Pray for rain
and
Lots of it.​

The river flow rate according to the board at DSR was 166 cfs.

No one likes to be the bearer of bads news. However, I would hate to see some "first timers" come all the way up here to fish and find these conditions and become disenchanted. It is still very early up here for salmon season, and there have been a number of reports of pods running in the lower sections of the river. Perhaps staying a short time and running right back out into the lake saying to each other "Gee Ollie, where'd all the water go?"

When I arrived up here yesterday afternoon, after I unloaded the car I went to scout the river. I was very schocked to see how much the level of the river has fallen in the past two weeks. It was low to begin with, but now... Fish entering the river will have to climb up and over rocks to make their way in. Two weeks ago I saw kayaks having no problem passing through the Clam Shed area, yesterday, I don't think they could make it down without tearing up the bottom of their boat.

I will give it a shot today and wet a line in the lower section of the river. If nothing is happening I will use the rest of the weekend to scout the other parts of the river I wasn't able to on my last trip up here.

Last time I found locations where cuts in the shale bottom should hold steelhead when the flows increase in November & December for them to slip in and get out of the currents, and good gravel sections for redds.

As always, hoping for lots and lots of rain SOON.

AK Skim

 

[AKSkim]

After my morning report today I got involved in reading (brought work along with me) and lost all track of time. Needless to say I didn't make it out at the crack of dawn as I had planned. One thing lead to another and I ended up today completely remodeling the front half of my trailer. I removed the bench seating and table and replaced it with a normal table and chair. In lieu of a sofa I have one of those futons and up graded that with a 8 inch pad. comfortable.. guess what I may be sleeping on...? So the remodeling was completed an hour ago to my satisfaction, except that my trailer is a "Bunk house" style... now I may remove the two bunks in the back with a store bought set I saw today. So the sleeping capacity just went from seven down to three. More room, more creature comforts. An easy chair and tying bench and I might not make it back to work... ever.

I spoke to my "neighbors" a short time ago who made it into the DSR this morning and they reported they landed two Kings (Chinook), and a Steelhead. Sometimes a fresh steelhead just maybe a fresh Coho (silver salmon) , you have to look inside the mouth to determine sometimes. Steelhead has white gums and mouth and a Coho will have white gums and black mouth. Also reported they had a number of hooks up and lost.

Interesting that they were all caught on Black Stoneflies.

Well, tomorrow I will be back up at the crack of dawn and this time.. will be heading out to the DSR with a few extra stoneflies in my fly box.

I was looking at the flow rates from last year on this date and it was 299 cfs, today remains at 166 cfs.

As always, doing my duty when it is called for. Rather have been in ankle deep water swing a black stonefly.

AK Skim
Winner of NEFF 2007 Most Prestigious Award

 

[AKSkim]

Arrived this morning at the Douglaston Salmon River (DSR) parking lot and was the 16th vehicle there this morning. Some must have been waiting for it to open this morning. For those of you who didn't know already the daily fee went up this year to $30.00 a day. The daily passes this year are yellow and white, humm... I was thinking, with todays high resolution scanners and printers... Making bootleg passes today and NY State licence plates tomorrow... I'll keep the job I have now thank you.

After paying, parking and rigging, I headed off in a southernly direction. Was fresh fish, gotta catch them as they come in.... First thing you notice is that they did some work to the place over the summer. The upper paths are now pea gravel until you reach the staircase on the Joss Hole side. Also there are wooden signs posted on trees giving you directions to the various holes, Joss straight - Meadow Run to the right, and of course the signs reminding you to stay on the paths (more on that later).

The Joss Hole had about six fisherman in it early this morning, I even took a photo of to remember on days when it will be shoulder to shoulder in there.

I ran into Bill from DSR as I was finishing up working the Spring Hole(s), and since nothing was happening we chewed the fat for a bit. One thing I have to say about the people that work there, they are all more than willing to share information to make your fishing experience all the better.

As I was S-l-o-w-l-y making my way down to the Clay Hole out pops from within the trees was a gaggle of fly fisherman, I politely had to ask them to hold up as they were crossing the river just feet in front of me. I still had my line out and the first catch of the day would have been a pair of Simms. They were cool, and even offered me some of their lunch later on if I wanted... they walk in all this way with lunch and no-one had a cooler of Coronas.... Not my idea of a stream side pick-nick. Well I did get to work and work the hole till I just had to find a shady spot to sit and ponder my next move. The whole time I was there - there was another guy at the tailout, just sitting on a rock in the middle.. Budda.. waiting and waiting. As I sat there and pondered it dawned on me.. this guy was smart. See, there was not one single solitary fish of any kind passed by, I know, it would not have been an easy task with the extreme low water levels and flow, and did I happen to mention it was clear as gin?? anyway, O'l Budda wasn't going to waste an ounce of energy casting to .. water... nope. so budda had his spot.. I had mine and we waited... and waited... did I say we waited?? we waited.

Enough of the waiting, it was time to explore! and off I went.

Made it down pass the Meadow Run and almost to the Lower Clay Hole fishing (casting and casting) as I went. sun was up and shining brightly... I reached around into my LL Bean back pack for a bottle of water... you know you always forget something on hikes like this....

So I cut my expedition short (6.5 hours at this point) and cut in off the river to take the path back to the parking lot. Remember I said they posted signs about staying on the path.. first problem is you have to FIND the path. Well I headed north and sure enough I found Rt. 5 alright... to make a very long walk into a short story... I made it back to the parking lot where I had the chance to ask Norm.. hey Norm, are there any paths down by the Lower Clay Hole. Nope, you have to walk back up to the Meadow Run and pick the path up there. After I signed up on the waiting list for a season pass... I made it to the trailer just in the nick of time.. Can't tell you how parched I was, and I keep those Corona's in there very very very cold.... AHHhhhhhhhhh.... Life is Indeed Good!

As always, mugs away lads!

AK SKim

 

[Shaq]

Every year on the weekend that my wife thinks I should be doing yard work, I go fishing. I go up to the Salmon River to swing flies for some early king salmon fishing.



Reports were slim and the water was even slimmer. We need rain badly. They cancelled the minimum flows for the salmon run and the river was dry.




My friend Alex joined me on the long walk.



we started in the pay area of the Douglaston Salmon Run as it's the first real area the kings will hold and there is some great looking swinging water there.

I like to use traditional speys on this day.



The thought of hooking into something with these beatiful flies keeps my mind busy.



There were very few fish around and I didn't touch any.

About 2 miles into the day my rod was jolted hard and I thought it was on! Turned out to be the most chrome steelhead I have seen and a beautiful fish although it was only 12 inches.










We then hit the top of the water in the afternoon in search of a summer steelhead or an atlantic although they remained elusive as well.



On the up note, somebody has done some excellent looking stream improvement project changing a hard run with stagnant sides into a beautiful S curve with boulders throughout. Very fishy in the low water, It will be interesting to find out what the river wants to do with it in the spring floods.


At the end of the day we had fallfish, small steelies, a smallie and a largemouth.


On the way home, Alex ordered a McDonalds Hamburger with extra pickles, no onions and no ketchup from the drive thru....extra pickles no onions and no ketchup....not sure what to make of that. What he got was a burger with 1 pickle and extra ketchup....that's funny no matter who you are


A great day despite the lack of stronge pulls.

 

[AKSkim]

On the way up to the Salmon River Friday afternoon, I mapped out a route around the bridge construction on Rt. 81 near the PA & NY border. It turned out to be a winding mountain road, speed limit was 45 in most places and it was very lightly traveled route. Little out of the way, little more time (25 minutes) but it beats sitting in traffic with your foot on the brake.

The return home last night followed the same route and was a pleasant drive until I got back onto Rt. 81 and just north of Scranton.... The delay there will be more road construction till next year sometime. Again, there is always a way around it.

So my next trip up there and back I will be jumping of Rt. 81 just south of Scranton and getting back on and off via Rt. 17.

Anyone interested in the routes just PM me (cost of $9.99, plus tax for each highway number listed, roaming charges do apply).

This salmon season with the number of major high way construction stoppages, the high price of gasoline, and to top it all off the low water conditions this early in the season.... may hold a few people back.

Once they start running... expect longer delays on the highway which will just act as a primer for standing in the stream.

 

[AKSkim]

Re: Salmon River Report 2007 Monday, Sept. 3rd

My early morning trip to the Black Hole yesterday reminded me of the good o’l days during a trail drive, the herd was supposed to drift along rather than be driven. The cattle started a little after daybreak after the cowboys had eaten their breakfast and were driven four about five hours or until around 11:00 A.M. when they would stop for dinner.

A herd would take around 10-15 cowboys to control them and keep them moving; this included the trail boss, the wrangler and the cook. Men worked in pairs according to each cowboy’s status determined by his position on the trail drive. The top hands were the "pointers" who rode at the head of the herd and guided them kept their position throughout the drive; next came the swing riders about a third of the way back, and finally at the back of the herd were the poor "drag" riders. Without a doubt probably one of the dustiest jobs ever, as the drive progressed and no one wanted to ride drag.

As I made my way down to the pool I was greeted by a father and couple of sons fishing all alone. As I turned the corner and the riffles came into view the cowboys were all in position on side of the heard. I noticed a lot of movement from the wranglers as they all started shifting back up stream. He must have either been the trail boss or the lead swing rider, for he started barking orders to the poor kid riding the drags to go after that single solitary king salmon that just broke out from the heard and was heading up stream with drag rider in hot pursuit his fly rod at the ready with line coiled in his left hand for that one flick of the wrist to lasso that beast.

As one never ready to settle for just following the herd, I headed up to the Staircase and worked my way down the steps. Didn’t see one bent rod all morning, the main part of the herd is still a ways off grazing off shore.

As always, use to being the trail boss.

AK Skim
Winner of the NEFF Most Prestigious Award<O</O

 

[AKSkim]

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD width="100%" bgColor=#ffffff>Yankee Fly Shop: Salmon River Fishing Report 9-4-07</TD></TR><TR><TD bgColor=#ffffff colSpan=2>
<TABLE width="98%" align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD> Talked with an angler who said he fished the lower river today and he said he saw 8 King Salmon and caught 2. He said one was foul hooked and one was in the choppers. He was using stone flys. Other than that it's been slow. It's Tuesday and not many people around. We do need some rain, that would be good, however if we get the right winds, that will push the Kings in. The Lake Ontario NY Charter boats are getting closer and closer to the mouth of the Salmon River and Kings are being caught in 60-70 feet of water. The action on the lake continues to be good.
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
George O'Brien's report for September4th
Fishing has been slow -we're seeing a dozen to 2 dozen Kings and Cohos each morning! The Fish are staging as I type this report and I'm looking for this fishery to bust wide open any day now! This is the same scenario as 2002 where we saw very low water flows and the fish just kept coming!! The kings and Cohos are handling the low water flows just fine! Water temps are running about 10 degrees COLDER than normal due to the lower flows!

Maybe some rain this weekend...
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

<TABLE class=boxB id=full style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 10px" cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0><TBODY><TR class=taC><TD style="WIDTH: 20%">Wednesday

</TD><TD style="WIDTH: 20%">Thursday

</TD><TD style="WIDTH: 20%">Friday

</TD><TD style="WIDTH: 20%">Saturday

</TD><TD style="WIDTH: 20%">Sunday

</TD></TR><TR class=taC><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ddd 1px solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 2px; PADDING-LEFT: 2px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #ddd 1px solid; PADDING-TOP: 2px">

74° F | 59° F
23° C | 15° C
</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ddd 1px solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 2px; PADDING-LEFT: 2px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #ddd 1px solid; PADDING-TOP: 2px">

87° F | 64° F
31° C | 18° C
</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ddd 1px solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 2px; PADDING-LEFT: 2px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #ddd 1px solid; PADDING-TOP: 2px">

90° F | 67° F
32° C | 19° C
</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ddd 1px solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 2px; PADDING-LEFT: 2px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #ddd 1px solid; PADDING-TOP: 2px">

83° F | 65° F
28° C | 18° C
</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ddd 1px solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 2px; PADDING-LEFT: 2px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #ddd 1px solid; PADDING-TOP: 2px">

76° F | 60° F
24° C | 16° C
</TD></TR><TR class=taC style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top"><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ddd 1px solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 2px; PADDING-LEFT: 2px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #ddd 1px solid; PADDING-TOP: 2px">T-storms 30% chance of precipitation
</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ddd 1px solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 2px; PADDING-LEFT: 2px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #ddd 1px solid; PADDING-TOP: 2px">Partly Cloudy </TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ddd 1px solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 2px; PADDING-LEFT: 2px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #ddd 1px solid; PADDING-TOP: 2px">Partly Cloudy </TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ddd 1px solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 2px; PADDING-LEFT: 2px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #ddd 1px solid; PADDING-TOP: 2px">T-storms 60% chance of precipitation
</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ddd 1px solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 2px; PADDING-LEFT: 2px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #ddd 1px solid; PADDING-TOP: 2px">Rain Showers 60% chance of precipitation
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>