MyFishFinder Forum
MFF US Northeast => New York => Topic started by: Salmon Egg on Feb 13, 2021, 08:18 PM
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Have any of you guys been out fishing for steelhead? I want to try for them this year. Are they biting now or is it too cold? Thanks
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Never to cold for steelheads.. ;)
They have been doing fine on the SR.
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Never to cold for steelheads.. ;)
They have been doing fine on the SR.
Yup, but locally the creeks are all frozen up pretty good.
However, Jeff and I have a trip scheduled with Matt of UnReel Fishing in the lower Niagara next Saturday.
https://www.facebook.com/UnreelFishingNY (https://www.facebook.com/UnreelFishingNY)
That's a FB link of his site.
You can scroll thru it and see some past and present photos of Jeff and I in there along with tons of others.
Matt's a freind of Jeff's and he always works hard for his clients.
We always do well with him wqhen we go out.
I'm looking forward to fishing with my son for sure, but not to the cold.
Would rather be fishing for wsnook or tarpon right now in south Florida.
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Good info, thanks guys
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With this info I think I’m going to skip work on Friday and fish the Oswego River on Friday and Saturday. It will be my first attempt at steelhead fishing.
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Okay, I’m putting my plans together. A buddy is going to join me. It’m a 4.5 hour drive from home. I am planning to fish floats with spawn sacks and/or jigs. Any pointers?
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The Oswego is a difficult river to fish from the bank in any weather, but especially so in winter. Absolutely wear a life preserver vest if you go there and be extremely cautious when wading. Cleats are a must!!!! Can't say I recommend it for a first timer. You can fish from the wall with a slip float, but you'll need a net with a 10 foot handle to land any fish.
I would suggest that you go to the upper portion of the Salmon river. Much smaller water, with very good bank fishing access. Be sure to wear some sort of cleats. A 'baptism' at this time of year will probably cut your day short and could be life threatening. If you don't have them, you can rent them from All seasons or Whitakers. Concentrate your efforts above the bridge at Pineville. Work the water which is 3 to to 6 feet deep which is moving at a speed like your normal walking pace. Some of this type of water may be very close to the bank, so don't just immediately wade right in. Look for seams moving at this pace adjacent to faster moving water. These seams are money!
I don't post a lot, but have 16 years of experience on both of these rivers. Good luck, wherever you go, and be safe! -Paul
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Thanks, Paul. I really appreciate the suggestions. I think I may take your advice and hit the Salmon River on Saturday. My friend who wants to go is almost 70 and doesn’t own waders. I was thinking Oswego because some people suggested we could fish from the wall. I have a net with an 8’ handle but couldn’t find anything longer. I am hoping I can find something at a store up there.
Based on your suggestion and the forecast, I am thinking of trying the Oswego River on Friday and heading to Pulaski on Saturday morning. The winds are supposed to be between 15 and 20 mph and temps in the mid-20s. That sounds like good weather to have some woods to break the wind.
If it was just me, I’d wait a couple weeks but my buddy is eager to get out of the house. He’ll probably regret that in about 15 minutes.
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Paul,
That’s one of the most generous posts I’ve ever seen on this site or IceShanty. Thank you for providing accurate, considerate information......in my humble opinion ( I still type it out)
Bob
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Paul,
That’s one of the most generous posts I’ve ever seen on this site or IceShanty. Thank you for providing accurate, considerate information......in my humble opinion ( I still type it out)
Bob
I agree. If there is anything I can help you with fishing or hunting in PA, let me know b
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Thank you for the offer!
How did your steelhead debut fishing trip go? -Paul
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On advice of a local, we pushed it back 2 weeks. The weather was looking rough. We are heading up Friday, March 5 rain or shine.
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if you fish oswego i use my center pin on the high wall simply walk down stream to the stairs walk down and net your fish ... follow the leader law and set your shot accordingly if the snow is down start your drift at the gazebo walk yur drift down to the stairs
start at 12foot hook to boober if ya see a miserable old fart with a bass pro shop hat and a compass pinned to his jacket say hello
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if you fish oswego i use my center pin on the high wall simply walk down stream to the stairs walk down and net your fish ... follow the leader law and set your shot accordingly if the snow is down start your drift at the gazebo walk yur drift down to the stairs
start at 12foot hook to boober if ya see a miserable old fart with a bass pro shop hat and a compass pinned to his jacket say hello
Thanks Trapper. I do have a centerpin setup but I have never used it. I’ll give it a try. We’re planning to arrive around noon on Friday. I’ll be in a silver Tacoma and probably wearing tan Carhartt pants, a wool hat and glasses with a shorter guy with a full head of gray hair. Maybe I’ll see you out there. We are not experienced but I bought all of the gear that people suggested (have a net now too) and I’m looking forward to trying it.
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Okay, we are ready to go. We are shooting to leave for Pulaski, NY around 6:00 a.m. tomorrow morning. We will be coming from the world-famous “Delco” and it’s about a 4.5 hour drive. It looks like it is going to be cold and really windy. Those will probably be brutal fishing conditions but I already pushed it back once. It is time to soldier on. Maybe I’ll see a couple of you guys out there. I’ll post reports.
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Good luck. My old fishing buddy always used to say "You can't catch 'em if you're not there."
With that said, I'm waiting till next week :laugh:
Mid 50's on Wednesday.
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I am with you Bartman. I will wait till next week. But I am only 1.5 hrs. away.
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We just finished fishing under the bridge as suggested. No fish so far. I think the temps probably have them acting sluggish but that’s really just a guess. We are going to look for access to a deeper pool.
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Schoolhouse pool will be holding a ton of fish. Always is. There was a major habitat improvement project done there recently. Lot's of deep water there. CHECK IT OUT! The wire Hole, just below it is perfect for bobber fishing.
There is a lot of good water between there and Pineville. Hemlock, about 1/2 mile below the Trestle pool is one of my favorites. A bit of a walk, but a great pool.
I'm sure there are fish digging redds in the gravel spawning and getting ready to spawn. That will be in fast, fairly shallow water. The Males will stage downstream from the females 10-15'. Leave the ladies alone. The males are fair game, though.
Good luck! -Paul
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Thanks Paul. We tried a couple other access points but didn’t find anything that we liked as much as the first spot. We did see a nice pool but it was just above the bridge in the fly fishing section. We aren’t fly fishing though. I hadn’t seen your post or we would have checked out those spots. We are planning to try the Oswego River in the morning but maybe we should try the SR again. No fish but a fun trip so far. It’s a cool area.
(https://i.postimg.cc/cgc9dDt2/25-DBE32-D-8-AC5-4755-9-BD3-4152825-A0-FA0.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/cgc9dDt2)
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I just looked up schoolhouse pool. I actually parked at the lot there and walked around. I saw strong current and didn’t see any noticeable pools with my untrained eye. I probably waked right past it.
In that lot there was a young, female conservation officer. She suggested Black Hole but we weren’t able to find an access point except through a pay-to-fish place.
(https://i.postimg.cc/LY0Pkfch/F11-A8-E87-271-B-4-F2-F-8-AFA-7-C5-ABBF577-C2.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/LY0Pkfch)
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The area I'm referring to is about 1/4 mile downstream from the Altmar bridge. The schoolhouse was what is now the Tailwater lodge. Best access is from the shore opposite the lodge by walking thru the field by the power lines. There's a parking lot for about a dozen cars there. At the end of the path, turn left to Schoolhouse pool, or turn Right to the wire hole. Both good areas which will also have a lot of fishermen, But there is room for quite a few. You should be able to find some space among them. Watch closely and learn. -Paul
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Thanks, Paul. We ended up trying under the bridge again. My buddy had given up and was just watching me so I felt bad having him walk to other holes. I did get to see another guy catch a Steelhead. None of the other guys there caught any while I was there. We also tried a couple hours at the Oswego River but didn’t catch any. The ice on my line kept messing up my slip bobber so I was having a hard time getting my bait deep. No one else was around so maybe they knew something we didn’t.
Despite not catching anything, it was a fun trip. I really liked the area. I am eager to go again. Thanks for all of the pointers.
(https://i.postimg.cc/ns8Q7Jdr/F748929-E-86-A5-440-D-BD2-D-00971-C12-DB07.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/ns8Q7Jdr)
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Hey salmon egg, don't feel bad. I went up this week and I am a regular up there. Usually once a week.
I was only able to land one small steely this time. It has been a slow season for me. We did real well this fall and early winter. But the low water we had all winter has the fishing for me off a bit.
Can only hope it gets better this spring.
If you venture up this way again, give a shout out to me and I will meet you up there and try to show you around.
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Salmon egg,
That there is a very kind offer from a man who has a lot of experience on the Salmon River. Take him up on it. You will likely learn more in a day or two than you would in a couple seasons on your own. -Paul
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Mr Young chances are we have crossed paths up there before. If you ever see an old man with a white moustache stop and say hello.
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Hey salmon egg, don't feel bad. I went up this week and I am a regular up there. Usually once a week.
I was only able to land one small steely this time. It has been a slow season for me. We did real well this fall and early winter. But the low water we had all winter has the fishing for me off a bit.
Can only hope it gets better this spring.
If you venture up this way again, give a shout out to me and I will meet you up there and try to show you around.
Thank you. Sounds awesome. I’ll have to find a time to get back up there. Thanks!
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There will be some fantastic fishing to be had in April, and possibly into May. Don't miss it! -Paul
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Thanks. I might take a trip up again this weekend or next. It looks like this weekend is going to be nice. Next weekend looks like rain is expected but I did read that that sometimes draws fresh fish into the rivers. Rain may also make for less crowding. I can handle bad weather so I am on the fence about waiting. I don’t think I can swing both.
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Okay, I’m locked in. I’ll be up next weekend.
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Did you check your PM's
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I have a chance to fish the pulaski area on Thursday and I was wondering if anyone who fly fishes would want to meet up, I'm kinda new to fly fishing and I'm trying to up my game, could really use a few pointers
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Stoneflies and pink worms. I use a spinning rod and bottom bounce the afore mentioned baits. You could also use egg patterns as they are starting to spawn.
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Sure hope Salmon egg checked the reports before coming up this weekend. Water is way up.
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I’m on my way now. Unfishable?
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The river is running over 3300 at Pineville. There will be no wading.
Maybe Oswego will be fishable.
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Well, I just pulled out of Pulaski and I’m headed back to Delco.
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I just got back home. Leaving had nothing to do with water level. After driving to 4.5 hours to Pulaski, I stopped for gas. Then I realized that I had left my wallet at home (idiot!). I tried to have my wife wire me money but the Pharmacy in town wouldn’t allow me to receive a wire without my driver’s license. I was able to activate Apple Pay on my phone and use that to refuel. Then I headed home since I had no money. 9+ hours of driving for nothing. Oh well.
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that stinks SALMON EGG
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that stinks SALMON EGG
Haha, yeah. I got the same number of bites as my last trip.
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That does stink. At least you were able to fill up. Would make a good thread: "What have you forgot/lost on a fishing trip?" I took the family camping once and after a 4 hour drive to the campsite, found that I had left the tent poles home. My sons still bring that episode up now and then.
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At 5580cfs this am , you would not have been fishing the salmon river anyhow.
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Yeah, I would have tried some others. I may not have caught anything anyway but if would have been fun to try.
I grew up with a really bad case of ADHD and even as an adult, I have plenty of these moments. This wasn’t my worst trip. A couple years ago I had to sleep a couple nights in the woods after my truck skidded on ice and into a snowy ditch. It was in the teens at night and I was miles up a seasonal road with no one around. I made the most of it and had a decent time other than the $2,000 it cost to get my truck pulled out. That’s just one other example.
Compared to some of my past mishaps, this one was just a minor inconvenience. Unfortunately, I’m not seeing any available time to make it back up in the next month so I’m probably done until maybe December. Thanks for all the suggestions and tips. If anyone needs a hand with anything in PA, let me know.
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Sorry egg didn’t catch your post in time , if I did I would have told you to stay put as I only live 5-10 min from the river , and the forecast was big rain and wind and it was wild
If you have FB Shane Muckey post weather most of the time , I’m no FBr
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Thanks. I’ll check it out.
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Just got a report that the sr went to 2200 , heading up there tomorrow, should be interesting
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it was just at 2960 but you can check yourself and it updates all day long
https://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?04250200 (https://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?04250200)
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If you are in the pulaski area look for a guy in green boots anda camo hat and backpack, stop and say hello ;D
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thats half the population of pulaski :rotflol: good luck man be safe
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Good luck. Post a report. I have had no luck so I live vicariously.
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Leaving now, no fish, but i found a few split shot and a dime
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oh you found my dime ty
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Some of the split shot are probably yours too, I'll return them to you, if you would like ;D :o