The Salmon River in New York is truly a unique fishing destination that attracts thousands of anglers from across the country each fall. Dave Keane, of Walkersville, understands why.
“You would have to travel to Alaska to experience this kind of fishing,” he said. “Where else can you watch trophy-size fish shoot by your feet as you are casting in the river?”
No doubt the salmon run is an impressive sight that can be experienced in less than a half-day drive from Maryland. A successful trip is more than just catching a salmon.
“Pulaski, New York, is a fishing town, and to experience a place just full of anglers and fishing shops is all part of the fun,” said Keane. The influx of anglers during the salmon season provides an economic boost to an otherwise commercially depressed part of New York State.
My son Nathaniel and I joined Keane, his 15 year-old son, Evan, and several other fly fishermen who all drove from Maryland to fish the Salmon River, a tributary on the east end of Lake Ontario, for a chance to land a salmon on a fly rod.
In June, we purchased fishing passes for the Douglaston Salmon Run, a privately owned section of the Salmon River. The DSR requires the purchase of a daily rod fee of $75 or $95 during the prime salmon dates in September and October. Passes sell out months in advance, and we were fortunate to get passes for the third weekend in September.
Douglaston Salmon Run
To some, it may seem odd that anglers would pay high rod fees when the Salmon River has over a dozen miles of public water. The simple answer has to be the location of choice. The DSR property encompasses approximately the first two miles upstream of the river estuary. That means the fish must travel through the DSR as they migrate upstream. The fish are fresh from the lake and more aggressive to the angler’s offerings.
There is more to the DSR’s popularity than location. I believe the Douglaston Salmon Run is the best of everything that the Salmon River has to offer. The DSR is managed for quality angling. Employees walk the river, checking for compliance to their fishing code of ethics. No snagging regulations are strictly enforced. All trout and Atlantic salmon are not included in the daily limit of three salmon, kings or Cohos. This section of the river also has crowd control, as only a limited number of anglers can enter each day. A quality experience is assured, while fishing can get quite hectic at crowded upstream public sections.
Preparing for the salmon
I started checking the daily fishing report on the DSR website in late August. The salmon run started early in September with the annual whitewater release from the Redfield Reservoir over the Labor Day weekend. The increased flows brought in good numbers of fish initially, but then the numbers began to dwindle as the date of our trip approached.
I began restocking my salmon fly arsenal with green and orange Estaz Egg flies in sizes 4 and 6. I retied new leaders. I build my leaders with Maximum Ultra Green leader material. To start, I tie the butt section (connected to the fly line) with 12 inches of Amnesia (30 pound — green) to 12 inches of Amnesia (25 pound — red) for a strike indicator. I then add 6 feet of 20-pound Maxima to a barrel swivel. Next, I add 36- to 40-inches of 10-pound tippet, a tag end of the barrel swivel for lead split shot, making sure to put an overhand knot on the tag end to prevent splits from sliding off. Note that you cannot buy lead split shot in New York, so bring a supply from home.
On the water
Dave Keane and Evan arrived early and fished together on Friday, a day before the rest of our crew arrived. It was a slow day, but Dave managed to bring a monster Chinook to the net before the day ended.
“I was not having much luck all day,” Dave Keane said. “I was just working runs and holes by drifting my fly through the pockets when I felt a bump.
“I tightened the line expecting to feel the bottom of the river when my line began to move! I yelled for Evan to get the net, who followed me downstream where I managed to eventually bring the beast towards the shore. Fortunately, Evan was ready and did a great job netting the salmon.”
The rest of our group arrived late Friday to fish the rest of the weekend. Fortunately, Saturday by most accounts was a decent day on the DSR. The weather was mostly overcast with on-and-off sunshine in the afternoon. The air temperature was only 72 degrees but muggy, making for a sweaty day wearing chest waders. The fish came up in spurts, providing just enough action to keep us occupied. Some nice salmon were landed by our group that, in addition to the Keanes, included me, Nathaniel Neuland, Bill Kulp, Bill Best and Mike Kalmar.
Sunday was cooler, less humid but bright and sunny. I wet waded and was glad I did, as the day warmed-up. The water temperature was 65-68 degrees. I got lucky landing several salmon by the end of the day but it was a difficult day for most.
After the trip, I talked to Dave Keane, who is looking forward to a return trip with Evan.
“We had a great time, even though Evan has yet to land his first salmon,” Dave said. “Salmon fishing is challenging, but that just makes us eager to keep at it.”
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