“What an odd weekend this has been. The water level was dropped to 185 cfs just before the weekend started which lead to one this. A lot of fish with no where to go.
The deeper pools throughout the lower parts of the river were packed with fish and people. The majority of folks we spoke with who had been fishing faster water said very few fish were moving and for the most part they did not have much luck except in areas directly above the deep holes.
Multiple hookups throughout the entire day Friday, Saturday, and starting already this morning from the town pool. This makes sense. These are big fish with a long journey ahead of them. The migration patterns of the fish is in one direction only. Upstream. They will continue upstream no matter what. However, we all know they prefer cooler water and with the water so low after the first hour or so of light they will drop back to the closest pool for the day to rest up for the day to resume the migration at night when the temperature drops.
This has resulted in some worry among those who are not as familiar with the fishery so lets just put this one to rest right now…the fish are NOT dropping back to the lake. When you see pods of fish swimming as fast as they can downstream they’re just heading to the nearest pool, not the lake. We promise.
Bad news about that is if they fish are all confined to one area, so will the fishermen. As Ron used to say, “You can fish all day in an empty bathtub you’re not going to catch anything.” We have to go where the fish are. If they’re in the pools, we need to go to the pools. Black Hole, Town Pool, 81 Hole, Sportsman’s Hole, Trestle Pool…odds are these are all places that are holding fish. With that comes higher concentrations of people which I know none of us like, but it’s part of the Salmon River fishing game we’re all crazy enough to play.
Don’t get discouraged! Luckily there is a silver lining to all of this. We are still getting reports from the lake and estuary of good numbers of fish that have not entered the river. The water won’t stay low forever. In a couple weeks when we start to get a little rain, they raise the water back up, or the temperature drops, the fish will move in. It’s a late season this year which means the fish will run, just a few weeks past what we usually anticipate. As long as the numbers are there the fish will follow when the conditions improve. No guarantees, but from what we’ve been seeing, mid October into November should be prime time for fishing on the river. Keep checking in with us for updates. Lets cross our fingers and see what we get!”
This report is from Salmon River Sport Shop. Home Of the Original Salmon Hotline. You shop at Salmon River Sport Shop at
4826 Salina St.
Pulaski, NY 13142
(315) 298-4343
Open 7 days – 5am-9pm
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