Salmon River, Pulaski, NY - 11-15 Oct 07 (Days 4 & 5)

Started by Al, October 21, 2007, 10:54:51 AM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Al

Salmon River, Pulaski, NY - 11-15 Oct 07 (Days 4 & 5)

Day 4 - Douglaston Salmon Run

Up to now we had not done very well. We had a few hook ups and even caught some fish but we were in no way doing what we had done in years past. Obviously a lot of the blame could be attributed to abnormally warm weather and very low water. The charter boat captains were reporting lots of fish milling around at the mouth of the river but not many entering the river for their annual spawning run. We also noticed that even though the number of fishermen were down for the same reasons, the few fish that did make up to where we had been fishing were really spooked. They would speed away at the slightest splash of a sinker or shadow of a flyline. We needed to rethink our strategy.

We decided to bite the bullet and fork over $30 each to fish a privately held 2 1/2 mile section at the mouth of the river called Douglaston Salmon Run. This private fee-access area is limited to the first 350 anglers daily and can be brutally competitive when all 350 slots are sold out. Luckily for us, the low numbers of returning fish also meant a low number of anglers. We paid our fees shortly after they opened at 6am and headed down a well maintained path to the lower end of the run. Once we arrived streamside we could see the headlamps of dozens of others who had been ahead of us. Having been there before, we skirted the crowd and proceeded further downstream to an area that had been good to us in the past. The big difference this year was that we could cross the river with ease. In years past you had to pick your spots and on some years crossing is not even an option.
Guests are not allowed to view images in posts, please Register or Login


Our thinking today was that we would get first shot at fresh fish as they entered the river. We were right - everyone was soon yelling "Fish On". Unfortunately only one of the other guys brought a camera so photos are limited. I do recall that all four of us were hooked up at one time and I had to beach my first fish without any assistance - that is a feat in itself. Always the danger of putting to much pressure on them and either breaking them off or worse yet breaking your rod (Been there, done that on both accounts). Here is my first fish of the day - he was a little bigger then the Smith River Browns that I usually hold in one hand while taking a photo with the other.
Guests are not allowed to view images in posts, please Register or Login


Jim caught a nice one close to me which warranted a photo. Opps, that was not the photo I thought I had taken. Some of us take a thermos of coffee with us, others take a bottle of water. Jim has a taste for warm beer. He says it beats coffee or water as long as it is premium beer. Great guy and wonderful fishing companion. He not only carried all his empties out, he also policed up every coffee cup, water bottle, cigarette package, etc that we came across. He was a one man river clean up committee. 
Guests are not allowed to view images in posts, please Register or Login


The highlight of my day was this very respectable Steelhead. It fell prey to a Woolyworm with a small split shot about 3 feet up on a long leader. What a fight. Lots of jumps and surging runs. Probably would not have landed it if Jim had not been there to assist once I got it up in shallow water.
Guests are not allowed to view images in posts, please Register or Login



Steve, our group leader and long time Salmon River fisherman moved a little further downstream and found a Steelhead which made mine look like a little chub.
Guests are not allowed to view images in posts, please Register or Login


Here is another nice fish caught by yours truly. This one a Chinook, aka King Salmon. They often make a couple quick jumps soon after hook up and then just bulldog it out till the end. If you have them fair hooked in the mouth and they don't make it to a downstream current it is only a matter of time and a lot of hard work before you land them.
Guests are not allowed to view images in posts, please Register or Login


Shot of the day was taken when John lost his footing and submerged himself in less then foot deep water. The only thing injured was John's pride. The Salmon River flows over a bed of very slick polished rocks. Most fishermen wear cleats, korkers or studded soles to help maintain a grip.
Guests are not allowed to view images in posts, please Register or Login



Day Five - 2/3 Day of fishing / Heading home.

What to do on our last day? It was a problem because we had to be out of the room by 10:30am but our flight home was not until 7pm. We decided to pack the night before, go fishing and change clothes on the way to the airport. Steve and John wanted to fish at Douglaston Salmon Run while Jim and I were in favor of trying the "Vermont Hole" and other spots close to the Portly Angler. This would allow us to use the PA lounge and bathroom facilities to change clothes and repack our gear. Steve and John were hardcore and said the Douglaston parking lot with Port-A-John was good enough for them. We had two rental cars so off we went in separate directions.

When Jim and I arrived at the "Vermont Hole" just before dawn, we could hear and see numerous fish splashing up through a shallow riffle. We also observed that we were the only fishermen in sight (Monday morning - many folks were at work). Things were looking good!

We both had immediate hook ups. Mine was foul hooked and soon broke off. Jim's was fair hooked and was eventually beached after a hard fight which included Jim following it down through a long section of fast water - this follow technique is seldom practical if there are lots of other fishermen close by.
Guests are not allowed to view images in posts, please Register or Login


The run coming through the "Vermont Hole" petered out almost as soon as it started. We waited around until 9am, then decided that because this was Jim's first time on the Salmon River we would  do a little exploring. Our first stop was at the extreme upstream end of the legal salmon fishing area called "The Upper Fly Zone".  This is a catch and release, traditional fly fishing gear only area. There were quite a few fishermen already there but due to the low water we were able to cross the river in a previously un-crossable area and find some solitude. I caught a small steelhead and Jim had a quick hook up and just as quick long distance release.  We decided to explore some more.

Our next stop was another "secret spot" which our group has affectionately dubbed "Steve's Hole". This spot works best if you are the first ones there. It was almost noon by the time we arrived but because it was a work day, there were not many others on the river. (Many is a relative term when salmon fishing - in this case there were only 5-6 other fishermen and they were pretty well spread out).

Jim soon spotted a small pod of fish under a low hanging bush. It looked like they were attempting to fan out a spawning nest and not attempt to work their way any further upstream . I shamed him into giving up his spot by telling him that they were a "spawning pair" and it did not seem right to interfere with their doing their thing, especially as they only get to do it once before they die. (Pacific salmon only make one spawning run and then die - Atlantic salmon do survive to return to the sea)  I was joking but he thought I was serious. He decided this would be a good time to drink his last remaining warm beer. I quickly stepped into the spot he had just vacated and the fight was on.
Guests are not allowed to view images in posts, please Register or Login


We went round and round for several minutes then just as I was gaining the upper hand the fish pulled loose.  I lost my balance and took a quick bath in about 18 inches of water. Of course by this time Jim had drained his beer and was now recording the whole thing with his digital camera. Serves me right for stealing his fish! >:D
Guests are not allowed to view images in posts, please Register or Login


We remained at "Steve's Hole" until it was time to head for the Portly Angler to change our clothes and rearrange our gear. Jim caught a small Steelhead and we both lost a couple more fish. On the way out we ask another angler to snap a photo of two tired but very happy fishermen.
Guests are not allowed to view images in posts, please Register or Login


We linked up with Steve and John at the Syracuse Airport. They reported they had a very good day at Douglaston Salmon Run. Lots of fresh fish coming in to include a good number of Steelhead. Steve, who is a very good fisherman said he brought ten Steelhead to the bank that morning. Neither of them had a camera so we will just have to take their word for it. The flight home was on time and uneventful.

Despite starting off with us wondering if we would ever get there and then finding that the river was at an all time low it ended up being a very good trip. In hindsight, as soon as we learned the river was low and the numbers of fish not up to norm, we should have dug into our wallets and paid the daily $30 rod fee for the privilege of fishing for fresh fish at the Douglaston Salmon Run. I wouldn't advise doing this on the weekends because it can be pretty brutal down there, but if you can time your trip to Monday through Friday it would certainly be an attractive option.

The End!!!

brownhunter

Great writing!!! Glad you had a great time and hopefully next year the water levels and temps will be back to normal.
"Why, he wondered, did rich people call it sushi while poor people called it bait?"   -- Same Kind of Different as Me

troutphisher

Excellent report Al!
Pretty good stuff and great pictures!

Thanks!
TP
The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane.

walt

I enjoyed your reports very much Al.... thanks for sharing....

Walt
"All things of grace and beauty such that one holds them to one's heart have a common provenance in pain."
— Cormac McCarthy

flatlander

Al,
Just got caught up with all your posts on the trip.  Good stuff and great pics.