Salmon steelhead meet and greet oct 3,4,5

[Dave B.]

Are you planning to spin or fly Mike?
That aside, sadly I won't be making it to the BBQ so I'll be missing out on the great food, company and BS'ing. I'm not coming up until early Sun morning to stay the week. With any luck I may be able to meet up with a few of you guys on the water Sun AM.

[Mikeps326]

I will be spin fishing

[Mikey topaz]

Mike, biggest thing up there is you wanna fish light fluro leaders these fish see alot of crap thrown at them and are very line shy fish 8 an 10 for the salmon it may sound crazy but watch the locals and so called guides fishin 40 lb braid youll be amazed, also throw a fly sucker spawn sack anything!!!! Theres steelies and browns pushin through too dont throw a piece of sponge thats just silly! Remneber to have a good drift rod tip up follow the swing remeber these fish hold tight to the bottom so you wanna be on it not too much weight not to less find that happy medium where your drifting and you feel bottom evrey now and then if your not loosin weight and flys etc your not gonna catch em good luck man also line wise as a main line id go with like gamma 15 breaks at like thirty cast nice for ya!

[bigboy5522]

Also a long rod is best like 9 or 10ft to protect those light leaders

Originally Posted by kmaty

Friend of mine is up right now hlanded 3 since dinner time he ssaid theres a bunch of fish around very spread out tho he said he picked at a dz just first of many trickles of the run! He fishes bottom streches of dsr....5oobuck for a season! Sickness! Il fish with the peeps b4 i pay that lol

$500 for a season pass (if that's what it is) or $50 for a day isn't cheap but the DSR gets it so that should tell you something. If you can afford it, it's worth fishing good water with fresh fish and less people in my opinion. If you've experienced the up river conditions during the salmon run, you know what I mean. Calling it a circus is an injustice to circuses. Don't mean to take away from this positive thread but what takes place on the beautiful Salmon River during the fall salmon run is nothing short of tragic!. It's a classic case of a few ruining it for the majority, although a few in this case is actually many. You'll never witness more fish being snagged and lack of sportsmanship in your life. Amazing how such a great fishery brings out the absolute worst in so many. It's bad enough to snag salmon, which is essentially impossible not to do, but when morons start snagging trophy browns and steel head, throw them on their stringers and drag them on the ground to their cars, no thank you. Absolutely pathetic behavior to witness. Make sure you have the DEC hotline number in your cell phone, you'll need it.

Like many on this board, I once enjoyed and looked forward to the salmon run. Unfortunately the carnage that takes place completely changed my views about that fishery. Truthfully it's no way for a great resource to be treated....truly pathetic. You'll know what I mean when you witness it. Having said that, the time to fish the river is when the leaves fall, the weather turns considerably colder and the idiots leave Pulaski. Early to mid November usually is that time frame which coincides with many more steel entering the river. You should start seeing the crowds diminish, especially after the Columbus Day weekend. If you value life, stay away from the river during Columbus Day. The steel head fishing on the Salmon River is world class and in my opinion second to none. There are years when you can say the same about the brown trout fishery. If you take time to learn the river and learn the techniques, you'll be rewarded with more fish of a lifetime than you could ever imagine. Truly trophy class fish. If you want to get rid of the crowds and have the gear, the Upper and Lower Fly Zones are as good as it gets. All C&R but you won't have to deal with the morons fishing with salt water surf rods spooled with 60 lb braid. a size 8/0 hook and a piece of sponge! Like I said, tragic to see a trophy 30 lb salmon, 10 lb brown or 15 lb steel head snagged in the ass, dragged up on the river bank, thrown on a stringer and dragged a half mile back to the car on asphalt!

Sorry to be a wet rag about the salmon run but wanted to forewarn anyone making the long drive up. As I initially said, if you can afford the DSR fee to get away from the carnage that takes place mid to upper river during the salmon run, I would highly recommend it if for no other reason than piece of mind.

Dakota

[bulletbob]

I only live a few hours away from Pulaski, but NEVER go..
I wish my experiences were as pleasant as MikeyT's, but they have been the opposite..
The terrible sporstmanship, lifting, ultra foul language, rudeness I have witnessed, is set like a stone in my mind.. You could never bring a young son or daughter unless you don't mind him hearing a barrage of filthy language every time a fish is dropped... After those salmon become stream acclimated, they often stop hitting, and many guys using really good polarized glasses spot fish and actually drift the hook close to or right into the open mouth of the fish facing upstream , and lift them.. Its an art, and some guys are incredible at it, but those fish are STILL being snagged, just like decades ago.. Only difference is its more refined using sight and a delicate touch instead of a weighted treble.. I dunno, its not for me.. I prefer the solitude of the Finger Lakes and susquehanna river over the Pulaski circus.

To be fair, I DON'T know the secluded spots that some guys do, so I could have just been in the wrong places..
Also, things may be different these days Perhaps the hostility and rudeness is a thing of the past.. When I stopped going it was pretty bad, and I was disgusted. bob

[bassnblues]

I'm planning on going up that weekend. I probaly won't be able to fish with you guys because I'm disabled so places I can fish are limited. But, maybe I can stop by and say hey when you're coming or going to the river.

I've never been up there for Salmon but I used to go for Steelhead when I was able to get around better. I've heard about the salmon circus and have always avoided it but I'll give it a shot and see how it is.

BTW, what are some good lures for salmon? I was thinking of bringing some big spinners and getting some crazy eggs.

I have a lighter steelhead rod but I was thinking of getting something beefier for salmon especially since I can't chase. I'm looking at this TRIUMPH TRS86HF2.

[Mikey topaz]

Sad to say but these stories are unfortunatley true, personally me and evreyone i fish with up there have all witnessed ridiculous behavior.... I try to stay away from crowed stretches of the river and do my own thing, and for the group of guys i go with evrey year were after the steel and browns nothing like a fresh chromey thats been in the river for a day or two and these fish will take flys and live in the river all year long. But as for the meet and greet goes if youd like to learn how to fish for these fish the right way then come on up!

[Mikey topaz]

Also for the meet and greet big fish pool id like to mention this entry fee is gonna be. 20$ largest steelie or brown takes the pool id like to try to keep it a catch and release contest simple pic of the fish tapped out and weight on a boga or digital scale , these fish are truly trophy fish and deserve to live

[gwl2oneida]

I look at our meet&greets as social gatherings with a lil fishing mixed in. Hoping to see some new faces.