OSWEGO COUNTY – Despite a slow start brought on by warm September weather, the 2021 salmon fishing season on Lake Ontario and the Salmon River drew huge crowds of anglers.
The annual tradition has seen a boost in participation, along with many other forms of outdoor recreation, due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Anglers from many states visited the Pulaski-Altmar area in search of large fish and for many, an opportunity to spend time outdoors enjoying the autumn weather.
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, resident Josh Vancena first visited the Salmon River in the fall of 2020, and could not wait to return for another attempt to land a giant Salmonid this year.
“We did not do so well on our first couple of days, but after meeting a guide our luck improved,” Vancena said.
Several trips on the river with the same guide led to a friendship, and a tradition of fishing together was established.
“It’s only about a four and a half hour drive up, so I’m here almost every weekend, and come Steelhead season in the Winter, I will be here as much as possible,” Vancena said.
Utilizing a guide sped up the learning process for Vancena.
“In my opinion, fishing with a guide is a really good way to go, especially up here on a river like this,” he said.
For those patiently waiting for cooler weather to bring the fish in from the Lake and up the river, the first impulses of cool air to visit the North Country could not have come soon enough. Changing weather patterns have caused a delay in the arrival of the temperature sensitive creatures for several of the last few years.
The fish spend the winter deep in Lake Ontario, where the water temperature is consistently cold but does not freeze. Only when the waters of the local tributaries reach a similar temperature that the fish can tolerate do they move inland in an attempt to reach the place of their birth. Once there they will spawn, creating the next generation, and then die.
Many anglers make the most of their time on the river, camping out and preparing meals on the banks of the flowing stream.
Pete from Pennsylvania took a break after an early morning of fly casting, cooking up brunch on the tailgate of his well traveled truck.
“I’ve been coming up here to fish for over twenty years,” Pete said, “I try to come up at least two times a year.”
The atmosphere here is what Pete comes for, days listening to the rushing water and feeling the cool breeze blowing in from the big lake.
“You never know if the fish are going to be here when you head up, but I take a week of vacation, and I spend the whole week regardless,” he said.
The passion these anglers feel is a deeply felt emotion, tied to many of the unpredictable aspects of nature and weather, and the basic human need to spend time on the water.
“I just love to fish,’ Pete said.
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