As predicted by George Bahrakis and Shane Muckey September 11, 2018, there was a steady of movement of fish from the Estuary through the Douglaston Salmon Run. I fished and was able to hook up ten times but could not land any fish. I fished in the midsection of the Douglaston Salmon Run and the section I fished there was fish that were splashing up every 15 minutes. A few Kings but mostly Cohos and there was just no stopping them and getting a drift in front of them. Subsequently, most of the hookups were foul hooked fish. I hooked two kings, but they just ran and broke off. I was able to go to a few different locations above the DSR, and it was quiet in town. There was only 4 anglers that I could see and one was hooked up. There seemed to be consistent a movement of fish from DSR to Ballpark but it was hard to tell how hard they were running. There was not as much fishing pressure so it was hard to see how many anglers were hooked up but there was a fair amount of splashing through the Ball Park.
From September 14-17 all of the reports were stating that there a decent amount of fish in the river with some movement. Subsequently, the fishing was good for early season. The emphasize being that is early season and not the peak of the season. We are still a few weeks out from it being the peak or a full run. Due to the predictions above and the Nano Run and based on fishing reports it may sound to many that we are on a full run but based on fish movement and angler hook up rate we are still in early season. Based on my sources and feedback about river conditions it seems that how you did was dependent on your expectations of the early season vs. peak season. If you are expecting to see fish stacked up, then you will be disappointed. If you are expecting continual movement of fish throughout the day, you will be disappointed.
This early season seems to be a little bit inconsistent. Usually, it would seem like there is a gradual, continual uptick of fishing but the run appears to be inconsistent. It will go from strong fish movement and then as the heat rises then the fish do not move. This is most likely due to the weather.
Over the weekend there were lots of fishing pressure, and there were many hookups but today at 6:30 AM down low at the Staircase there was no movement. I realized when I stepped into the water it was too warm. Usually, during early season when I step into the water you can feel the cold but it is still bearable without breathable waders. I fished Staircase and saw no fish splashing, and then I decided to see how it was up in Altmar. I fished Ellis Cove, and there were two hookups and a just a few fish that I could see. By 10 AM when the sun rose, I had to leave, and it was hot. Had I had more time I would have fished Papermill / Trooper Hole. I received reports from drift boat guides. Trestle was good but it was crowded.
Concerning predictions for this coming week. Based on conversations with knowledgeable sources if the weather continues to be warm the fishing will stay as is but if we get a dip in temperature and some rain, we should get into the full run.
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