Four Seasons of Steelhead
Lake Ontario’s most famous fly-fishing tributary—the Salmon River—has been described simply using the movie title The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. In large part, the “bad and the ugly” describes crowds and unsportsmanlike conduct, most notoriously during the height of the salmon season. The worst offense—snagging— was banned in the mid-1990s and is mostly a thing of the past. The “good” is as good as it’s always been, maybe even better due to the addition of summer-run Skamania steelhead and Atlantic salmon, which makes the Salmon a complete year-round fishery. With 12 months of the year to chase steelhead, Atlantics, and migrating brown trout, it’s easy to avoid the “ugly” Chinook salmon season of mid-September through October, and focus on the quieter winter and summer seasons to find sublime fishing on the beautiful riffles and pools of the Salmon River.
Winter
Every year around mid-October two great migrations take place. The first is the migration of fall/winter steelhead silently making their way up the Salmon River, as well as most other Lake Ontario tributaries, in search of salmon eggs left behind by thousands of spawning Chinook and coho salmon.
The second migration is not so silent. This is the fall/winter migration of fair-weather anglers as they hurriedly toss their rods, reels, and other fishing gear in the closet and noisily make their way to the kitchen in search of leftover turkey, beer, pretzels, and whatever else they can find to eat, as they get ready to take their places in front of the TV to spend the long cold days of winter. Luckily for the rest of us, these guys think the good fishing is over until spring, and they miss out on some of the best steelhead fishing Lake Ontario tributaries have to offer. If you want to heat up your winter and avoid most of the typical Salmon River crowds, winter steelheading is a great way to do it.
There is something special about cold air on your face, and the intense solitude of fishing during a gentle snow. And few things equal the enjoyment of sharing a hot cup of coffee or a nip from a flask, and the camaraderie of your fishing partners on a winter day. Catching a steelhead under these circumstances is icing on the cake.
By mid-November the crowds of salmon season are long gone, but some of the best fishing is yet to come. No one knows why, but many of the biggest steelhead of the year (15 to 20 pounds and larger) return to the Salmon under the cover of winter. Perhaps because of the relative lack of fishing pressure, these big fish are more aggressive than their earlier and later counterparts.
Of course, winter steelheading presents its own challenges. Avoiding hypothermia is one of them. There’s also water freezing on your guides, and tying knots in 20-degree weather with a strong wind blowing lake-effect snow up the river. But with a potential 15-pound silver bullet on your next cast, it’s all worth it, which is why hardcore winter anglers are affectionately referred to as “the frozen chosen.”
Decades ago, cold weather was an almost insurmountable obstacle. But with wicking base layers, fleece and other lightweight insulation, and a proper understanding of layered clothing, winter fishing can be quite comfortable. Chemical heating packets for your feet, hands, and inside your jackets can keep you warm all day for just a few dollars.
It still won’t be warm and fuzzy, but definitely tolerable instead of impossible or unthinkable.
Spring
For steelhead anglers who have suffered through the brutal conditions of winter fishing in northern New York, spring can’t come too early. April and May offer some of the North Country’s best steelhead opportunities.
Steelhead are spring spawners. Their spawning urge, combined with rising water levels brought on by melting snow and spring rain, send these giant trout on their largest upstream migration of the year. There, they will join their comrades who migrated up the tributaries the previous fall and winter.
This extra water makes it possible for steelhead to venture into places they normally wouldn’t be able to go, and warmer water temperatures can make the fish move aggressively toward the fly.
Summer
Ah, summer. Another time of the year when almost no one is thinking about steelhead fishing—but should be. Although the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) introduced Skamania-strain summer steelhead into the Salmon River in the 1990s, the chance of catching a summer steelhead was almost nil due to the normally low water levels during June, July, and August. That all changed when Niagara Mohawk (NIMO), the power company that produces hydroelectric power on the Salmon River and ultimately controls the water flow, had to reapply for a permit from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).
To make a long story (and battle) short, in order to obtain the FERC permit, NIMO had to agree to minimum water flows January through April, 285 cubic feet per second (cfs); May through August, 185 cfs, and September through December, 335 cfs. NIMO also had to agree to five high-water events (750 cfs) each summer (for scheduled release dates in 2011 see www.h2oline.com/365123.asp).
These minimum flow rates and high-water events benefit the Salmon River fishery (and anglers) in two primary ways. First, the minimum summer flow of 185 cfs is adequate to allow energetic Skamania to slowly work their way up the river, and they help improve the survival rates of river-spawned salmon and steelhead fry.
Also, the high-water events encourage summer-run steelies to leave the lake, and then shoot up the river with ease. For the 2011 through 2013 seasons, each high-water event is scheduled for two days. Any self-respecting steelhead can run the length of the river in that time, which helps spread the fish evenly along the 13 miles of fishable water. As the high water recedes to the minimum 185 cfs, the fish tend to drop back to the closest large deep pools. Planning a summer trip to coincide with high water and/or the days afterward greatly increases your chances of finding these magnificent fish.
As proof of just how well the fish can move upstream, Fran Verdoliva, DEC special programs coordinator, took me to the river a few days after an early July high-water event. From a high bank overlooking the Church Pool, in the lower fly-fishing-only area, we could see the first fresh arrivals of the year—several dozen 10- to 15-pound steelhead and about a dozen Atlantic salmon staged from the middle of the pool to the tail.
Copyright © 2012 Intermedia Outdoors
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