Fly and Gear ordering and delivery: We can get flies to you within two to three business days from the time you place your order via Priority Mail. If you provide a budget for flies, we will select them to match the budget and get them to you on time for your trip. Please see the bottom of this column for ordering options.
We also have custom Perfect Fly selections in 3 different price ranges for this stream that come with or without fly boxes. They make excellent gifts. Click Here To Order or Call us at 800 594 4726 or email us at sales@perfectflystore.com.
Type of Stream
Tailwater
Species
Brown Trout
Coho Salmon
Chinook Salmon (Kng Salmon)
Steelhead
Atlantic Salmon
Skamania Steelhead
Size
Large
Location
North Central New York State on
Lake Ontario
Nearest Towns
Pulaski
Season
Varies – see adjacent article
Access:
Good
Non-Resident License
State of New York
Recommended Tackle & Gear
For Steelhead and Salmon
Fly Line:
7, 8 , 9 or 10 weight for appropriate typerod, sinking, sinking tip and floating
Leaders:
10#, 12# in 9 to 15 feet lengths
Tippets:
10# and 12#
Best Fly Rods:
Perfect Fly 7, 8, 9 and 10 ft. single hand rods
Fly Reels:
For 7 to 10 weight lines
Fly Floatants and Misc Items:
KISS Strike Indicators, Lanyards, etc.
Tools & Accessories:
Nippers, forceps, retractors, etc.
Fly and Gear ordering and delivery:
Email us at (sales@perfectflystore.com) with the dates you will be fishing and we will send you a list of our fly recommendations. We can get flies and gear to you within two to three business days from the time you place your order via Priority Mail. If you provide a budget for flies, we will select them to match the budget and get them to you on time for your trip. Your can also call us at 800-594-4726 and we will help you decide what flies and gear to use. All orders are shipped free in the U.S. If under a $100 order requiring Priority mail is a charge of only $8.10. Orders over a $100 are shipped free via Priority Mail.
Copyright 2013 James Marsh
Salmon River New York- Fishing Report – April 24, 2024
The stream is still flowing near a normal level. We didn’t receive any catch reports this past week.
Stream Conditions: Rate: 647 cfs
Height: 6.18 ft
Afternoon Water Temperature: 48
Clarity: clear
USGS Real-Time Stream Flow Data At Pineville NY
Weather:
Steelhead Flies: Egg flies: Estaz Egg flies, dark and light shade
Veiled Beadhead Crystal Egg Fly
Steelhead nymphs: Giant Black Stonefly nymphs https://perfectflystore.com/product-category/flies/perfect-generic-steelhead-salmon-flies/great-lakes-steelhead/spey-flies/
Comets – dark and light shades Cinnamon Caddis
Green sedges
Streamers: Egg Sucking leeches, dark and light shades
Flesh fly
Buggers, dark and light shades
Spey Flies: Hot Flash Spey
Red and Yellow Spey
Silver Ribbed Peacock Spey
Perfect Fly Great Lake Salmon Flies
Fly Fishing On the Salmon River In New York: The Salmon River is the most popular Salmon and Steelhead river in the Eastern United States. The river flows from the lower reservoir through the City of Pulaski into Lake Ontario near Selkirk State Park in the Finger Lakes area of New York. It’s a tailwater that operates to produce electrical power and the discharge rates and water levels can change (the water flows are posted on the Internet and generally change at 9 PM) within a short time. Anglers from all over the Eastern United States visit this stream for one reason. They want to catch one of the 30 pound salmon or 20 pound steelhead that move into this river. As if that were not enough, huge size brown trout move into the river from Lake Ontario. Atlantic Salmon and Lake Trout are also occasionally caught.Depending upon water flows and temperatures, late August is generally the start of the fall run of King salmon. This enormous run of fish lasts till late October when the steelhead start their annual jaunt (water levels and other factors dictate when these fish begin and end their run). The King Salmon (also known as Chinook Salmon) are large, averaging twenty to thirty pounds. Fish to forty plus pounds have been caught. The river flows out of the Salmon River Reservoir. Pulaski is known for its close proximity to the Salmon River. There’s approximately twelve miles of river that’s fishable with well identified holes and pools. Although some areas are more likely to hold more fish than others, these are migrating fish and they can be found anywhere.There are two fly fishing only areas. The first one is the Lower Fly Zone located between a marked boundary at Beaverdam Brook downstream to the County Route 52 Bridge in Altmar. The other Upper Fly Zone is located just downstream from the Light House Hill Reservoir tailrace to above the upstream side of the Salmon River Fish Hatchery. These areas have special regulations.The Lower Fly zone is open from September 15 through May 15. The Upper Fly Zone is open to angling from April 1 to November 30. These dates are subject to change, so be certain to check the current regulations.Late August is generally considered the start of the fall run of King salmon but it depends on water levels and temperature. This big time run of big fish lasts till late October when the steelhead run begins. Again, the water level is the main factor that determines this. The Chinook Salmon, known as King Salmon, are big fish, averaging twenty to thirty pounds. It isn’t uncommon for fish weighing up to forty pounds to be caught.During the salmon run, most fishermen (I refuse to call them anglers) use spinning gear. These big fish are in the river to spawn, not to eat. They strike purely out of aggression. The longer they remain in the river, the less aggressive they become. Although some still attempt to snag these fish, snagging has been outlawed. The thing you want to also take into account is the sheer numbers of anglers during the salmon run. Anglers usually line the banks uncomfortably next to one another during the salmon season. Steelhead are the main feature and the reason most fly anglers come to the Salmon River. These fish probably average about eight to ten pounds but it isn’t uncommon to see much larger ones caught. They are usually in the Salmon River from late September to May of the following year. There’s also a summer run of steelhead. These steelhead are called Skamania. They are in the river during the Summer months but only providing the water is suitable for them.The fall run Steelhead are aggressive fish. They feed on the plentiful salmon eggs from October to November. Winter Steelhead fishing begins in December and can be very productive if you can tolerate the cold weather. Real cold water can make the fish activity slow down to a crawl and catching the steelhead becomes more difficult. Steelhead are in the river through April. Fishing can be good after the water warms up a little. At this time of year, the steelhead are focused on spawning, not eating. The fish will start moving back out of the river in late April. Anglers fish for these steelhead they call drop back during late April and May. They will feed at this time of the year.Coho Salmon, called Silver Salmon, are also in the Salmon River from about September through December. They are easier to catch than the Kings because they are much more aggressive. They will take flies readily. Pound for pound, they fight better than the Kings and provide a better sport on the fly than the Kings. Lake-run brown trout are usually in the river along with the Steelhead. The best time for brown trout late September through early December. These lake-run browns usually average from five to eight pounds but larger ones aren’t uncommon. Although most of the property adjoining the river is privately owned, access is still very good along the entire length with well worn paths on both sides of the stream in most cases. As you may expect, this river can become crowded at times during Salmon season. As you can see in some of the images, at times the river can be practically lined with anglers. Because of that, there are some specialized techniques used in order for everyone to be able to fish effectively without bothering the other anglers. These are discussed in our fishing guide section.
Fly Fishing Guide to the Salmon River: Steelhead can be caught throughout the winter holding in the deeper pools of the river.The King Salmon are in the river to spawn. Eating is not on their minds. Even so, they are very territorial and will strike flies purely out of aggression. The best time to catch them is when they first arrive in late August and early September. After they have seen a few flies, they become much less likely to take one. These are very large fish, averaging between twenty and thirty pounds. They remain in the river until early October.The steelhead trout are what most anglers (key word here is “anglers” – those that come for the salmon are a whole different breed better known as Snaggers) visit the Salmon River to fish for. They average from about 8 to 10 pounds but they have been caught over 20 pounds. These fish can be in the Salmon River anytime from late September until May of the following year. They are very aggressive and in the river to feed on the salmon eggs during late October and November. These fish can also be caught during December, January and February but the weather is usually very cold with deep snow along the banks. The lower part of the river is usually closed because of ice. These winter fish are not nearly as aggressive. They can be almost lethargic in the cold water during the winter months. It is best to fish the slow moving parts of the stream in the deeper pools and holes during the cold water. The fish want fight the current because they can actually spend more energy than they can find food to replace.The steelhead can move up into some of the small feeding or tributary streams to spawn in March but they mainly spawn in the river. They can still be caught during March and April and they can be just as aggressive as they are in the Autumn season They are feeding to add weight after spawning, before they return to the lake. From late May to early April, the steelhead move back into Lake Ontario. At this time, after the spawn, they again become very active. They can be caught on a number of different type of flies. There’s also the Coho Salmon, called the Silver Salmon by most anglers. These fish can be found in the Salmon River during the fall months from September to December (On this particular day this was written, it was reported that there were thousands of them in the hatchery). They are very aggressive and will take most flies much more so than the King Salmon. The Coho Salmon are not one of the prime reasons the Salmon River is a destination stream, but they do provide plenty of action. They fight hard and often jump similar to steelhead. The brown trout can be in the river at the same time the steelhead are there. These are very large brown trout, averaging from four to eight pounds. They are caught over fifteen pounds. The best season for them is probably from near the end of September until early December. Remember, the special regulation areas have some special requirements. For example, the gap in hooks cannot exceed a half of an inch. The maximum length of the leader is 15 feet. You can use weighted flies but the maximum length between the fly and any additional weight placed on the leader is 4 feet. You can only use one hook. There are several very good access points along the river. There are designated areas as well as plenty of places you can just pull off the road to park and fish, as well as State maintained parking areas at all the major holes and pools. There are several roads that provide access including routes 2, 11, 13, and 81. There are other miscellaneous roads that lead to the river. You will need to purchase a permit to fish the Douglaston Salmon Run. A daily pass is $30. It borders the mouth of the river for the first two and a half miles and offers a chance at fish that are fresh in from lake Ontario.
Seasons: The seasons depend on the section of the river being fished and the particular species of fish you are pursuing. Salmon River has only three small tributaries leading into to Beaver Creek, Orwell Creek, Trout Brook all will hold fish during the season. When the Salmon River is blown out 2,000+ cfs, these streams will provide some good fishing. If they are blown out, then there are a number of other rivers in the area that will be fishing well. Once the salmon and steelhead are in it is a MONO river meaning they are spread out throughout the entire river. The holding and spawning spots are well know and are pounded on a regular daily basis.
Spring: After they have spawned, the steelhead fishing becomes very active again when the water temperatures begin to rise and the flows increase just before they move back into the lake from up to the end of late May to early July and fishing can be excellent.
Summer: There are some runs of Skamania steelhead in July. There’s also a small run of brown trout. In August, off and on runs of Coho and Chinook (King Salmon) salmon start occurring. Atlantic Salmon can be fore on the river at this time.
Fall: You will find the best runs of Coho and Chinook salmon takes place in late August and early September and continuing on into October. There are also some brown trout that move into the river at this time. The best time for fly fishing the Salmon River for steelhead is during the month of November.