What month is it? It seems like Salmon Season in October. This was the consensus over the weekend with the spring like temperatures and shoulder-to-shoulder angling on the Salmon River NY in the upper section of the river. It seemed like everyone and their brother was out fishing, both bank anglers and drift boat guides. It was that packed and it's no
exaggeration. From the Lower Fly Fishing Only section to about the Trestle Pool, there were anglers all over. Most were goofballs that didn't have a clue and all they wanted to do was snag the steelhead that were basically sitting onto of each other. The Salmon River is absolutely "LOADED" with steelhead and the highest concentration of them is in the upper section of the river. Don't get me wrong, there are steelhead all over the river from the lower end (Douglaston Salmon Run) to the top (Lower Fly Zone, aka LFZ) in Altmar, New York. One of our shop customers reported that while he was fishing in the upper section of the Salmon River with a bunch of his fishing buddies, there was this one goofball angler that was nut deep in water and was standing directly atop a certain pool with his bait casting rod-n-reel. He drifted his line out with his float and a red piece of sponge. It didn't take long for "So-n-So" and his buddies to let him have it with their words of fishing etiquette. Shortly after words were exchanged the goofball moved. His ignorance was messing up the entire pool and this made other anglers very angry. He said that out of 100%, only 15% new what they were doing and were doing it the "right way", and 85% were not....they didn't have a clue and/or were snagging. Another example of poor fishing etiquette happened to one of our drift boat guides. He said that while he pulled over to fish a certain pool, the "LMNOP" hole, another well known drift boat guide came through and purposely rowed his oars through the hole that he was going to fish. Now that's just down right bad river/fishing etiquette and to be honest, it happens all the time on the Salmon River NY with certain drift boat guides. This drift boat guide had the opportunity to go around but chose not to. I would love to be on the Salmon River video taping these actions and post them on You Tube. One of these days I just might and then maybe these anglers and drift boat guides will think twice about how they act as one never knows who's watching! You can count on our local DEC officers though. They're ALWAYS watching and you'll never know when they'll be fishing or drifting right next to you. All in all it was a great weekend with lots of fishing AND catching going on. It's nice to see crowds and the continued support in our Oswego County NY where trophies are caught and memories are made.
If you're in the market for an experienced, well behaved (courteous), and patient fishing guide, please call me, Dawn Rucando at
305-664-9988 and I'll set you up with one of our full time Salmon River NY Drift Boat Guides. He will teach you the
right way, not the
snagging way, on how to present, hook, and successfully land your steelhead, rainbow, or brown trout. Even though I'm in the Florida Keys for the winter months, I can still make things happen within 24 hours. I can set you up with lodging and also a guide. If you're in the market for a new set up, I can even open my shop to accommodate you, it's no trouble at all.
Please read your NYS Fishing Regulations Booklet and know the laws. One steelhead per angler and the minimum length is 21 inches. These are just a couple of the important rules and regulations. It's up to you to be a responsible angler and know the rest. Last but not least, in cold weather which is considered to be below freezing (32 degrees), DO NOT TAKE YOUR FISH OUT OF THE WATER unless you plan on keeping it. Doing this will KILL your fish because it's eyes will instantly freeze and also it's gills. Sure, if you put it back in the water and it swims away, it will eventually die. This is something that most anglers do not know and it's very important because it's one thing to kill a fish to eat or mount and it's another to kill a fish without purpose. It is your legal right to keep one steelhead trout or one rainbow trout.
"hey dawn, things are well. yea i've been fishing quite a bit, fishings been good. couple great days, couple more humble days but thats winter steelhead fishing. hows everybody? i havent taken too many pictures lately. alot of the times i've been fishing its been pretty cold below freezing i dont want to take the fish out of the water if i dont have to, D.J."
