That’s pretty much it right there. Could anyone give me some good ideas of the closest place and a good time to go? I’ve wanted to find a place near (within weekend driving range) me for a while now. I know there are some spots in northern New York, but that’s about the extent of my knowledge.
Today’s NY Times really lit the fire under my tail (today’s paper has Fly Fishermen right on the front page!, with an article about the Penobscot River and salmon fishing).
I was up in Seattle last weekend and you could see hundreds of silvers and kings circling and jumping at Ballard locks. Even managed to catch a fair number of coho up in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Trolling flies so it does not really count but fun alway. It is coho time in the NW. Far from you but airplanes do fly there (and the coffee is good).
Andrew, I know EXACTLY how you feel! One of the rods I ended up with out of “The Great 'Boo Buy” was a 7wt Rapidian. I’ve now got a Pflueger 1495 to go with it, and one of the people involved in the 'boo buy sent me a box of steelhead flies. So, I’m afraid I’m gonna have to chase some steelies this winter instead of work on my rods. DANGIT! :evil:
Regards,
Joe Martin
Salem, OR
P.S. The guy who sold me the rods now has 3(!!!) more piles of rods about the same size as the last one!
GBurgFisher, I live in Western New York and there a number of places you could chase the kings and coho’s around.
Lower Niagara River-Run is under way. They start moving in around mid August
18 Mile Creek (Burt Dam)- Combat fishing at it’s finest! There isn’t a lot of fishable water, but it gets a huge run of fish. There’s quite a few in there now.
Oak Orchard Creek (Waterport)-Just East of Burt Dam. Basically, the same deal as Burt, but with a little more water to fish
Genesee River (Seth Green Park)-Right in the heart of Downtown Rochester. The areas not too nice, but it gets huge runs of fish.
Salmon River-Excellent river! Descent numbers of fish in there now, mostly coho’s, some kings, browns and steelhead.
The salmon runs up here usually peak around the middle of October (a little earlier on the Niagara and the Salmon). Be prepared to fish with thousands of your closest friends.
The Merrimac River in New Hampshire has stocked Atlantic salmon that are running now. Early October is a very good time to fly fish for the salmon that are averaging around 8-10 Lbs. The river is low and wading is possible. Click on the New Hampshire web site for more info. www.nhfishandgame.com
How about the St. Marguerite river in Quebec. As FCCH all about it or read his articles. It is beautiful, under utilized and has unstocked Atlantic Salmon. I think you have to wait until next year, but check with him. Its about 5 hours from Derby VT, maybe 6 from Montreal. To get there travel up the west side of the St. Lawrence river about 3 hours north of Quebec City.
I know what you mean about Salmon. I just returned from my first experience this past weekend. I fished the Salmon river in Pulaski NY,and hooked up about 6 times and landed 1 nice Coho. I have fished the Salmon river several times for Steelhead but this was my first trip for Salmon.
The ride to Pulaski is very easy. I live outside of Philadelphia and it is a 4 hour ride all on main highway. I think for you it would be about 6 hours. Worth the ride. Take a look at this web site he is a friend of mine and will be giving a presentation at our TU chapter meeting in a few months. www.riverruntroutfitters.com he knows the area and will put you on some good fishing.
Feel free to email me for more information.
Good luck, but be careful the Salmon River is addicting.
This is all awesome advise, thank you all very much. I certainly feel like this is a very do-able goal, now to just find a free weekend…
Joe, Three more batches!!! Wanna play again? Ha ha, just kidding. I better get some of the ones I already bough finished before I go out and buy more. Who the heck is this guy though getting three more piles like that. Actually I think I met him when I was younger, was his name Santa Claus?
If you are thinking of a fishing vacation you might consider Newfoundland-Labrador where we have 200 or so licensed Atlantic salmon rivers-all public waters and all wild fish(not counting the occasional fish farm escapee that shows up every so often)…Frank
Yeah, there’s no f*&$#!g way I’m gonna do another 'boo buy like that again. Just a lot more trouble than it’s worth. This last lot of rods he got from another “collector” who had sold off all the good ones (Leonards, Heddons, Grangers, etc…), and was left with a pile of rods in his garage that his wife didn’t approve of. I’m heading up there tomorrow to help Tony (the guy that sold me the rods)go through them (none of these rods are seperated, just a whole bunch of parts), in exchange for a rod (or 2).
Best of luck in your Salmon fishing. Just don’t forget about those trout when the weather warms up again
The drive to the Rochester area is a tad under 6 hrs for you, just take 15 all the way. 15 becomes I-390, and it’s a pretty drive at this time of year. Once in Rochester there are too many places to list. Take at least a 7WT, maybe 8 or 9WT for bigger waters like the Genesee. Everything up there has fish in it right now, especially after all the rain they got yesterday.
Seriously, you could leave today and be fishing tomorrow morning!!!
For the kings, rods in the 8-10wt., will work. It mainly depends on the size water your fishing. As far as lengths, 9-10’ are the weapons of choice. Personally, I like the 10 footers and speys.
Marty, I think the Genny’s gonna be shot for a while. We got over an inch in most places…and the Catt’s blown…again.
The Genesee is indeed blown up quite a bit. It’s come up 7’ in just over 24 hours. When it gets muddy it typically takes a couple weeks at least to settle down. At this point I’d recommend the Salmon River between Douglaston and Altmar. Some will tell you it’s a zoo there but those are lazy people with little knowledge of the river. Even at the absolute busiest time of the season (October), there are plenty of spots to get away from the crowds. You just need to be willing to do some walking.
A couple good pushes of Coho came in this week and these guys come to the fly rather nicely. A decent push of Chinooks came in as well. They will take a fly but not nearly as readily as the Coho will. Steelhead are just starting to come in as well [which technically is a Salmon :)].
Loren Williams is a good friend of mine and a guide up there but he’s already booked for the whole season. However you should check out his website for some great information (http://www.flyguysoutfitting.com/tips.html). Loren is a class act that does not “floss” or line fish like many of the other guides up there.
There are some other tribs in that area that get fish and plenty more as you head west.
If I were you I’d load up the car with the 7 - 10WT rods, plenty of flies and head to the Salmon River. I you hold out another month or so you should consider heading to the Niagara River. It’s one of our best kept secrets. Yes, plenty have heard of the river but few outsiders know just how flat out amazing the fishing can be all fall and winter long. Sinking lines and flies like double bunnies and Zonkers will put you into fish ALL day long. It’s a great mix of Coho, Steelhead, Brown Trout, Lake Trout and the odd Smallmouth Bass and Musky. We have had days on this river (near ArtPark by Lewiston) that you simply had to see to believe. Imagine swinging attractor flies with 20 - 30+ fish days keeping in mind that you have shots and Steelhead in the high teens to low 20’s, Brown Trout in the Tierra Del Fuego size range and Lake Trout exceeding 20 pounds.
Yup, it’s that good here in Western NY. Now you know why I live here : )
Here is what a Genesee River late Sept. Steelhead looke like : ) and this is a little one
Just got back from the Penobscot where I was lucky to witness the first legal Salmon caught in the US since 1999. Awsom !! I’m going back next year.
But – fall fishing on the Penobscot is a hard proposition at best. The fish have been in the river all summer and have lost much of the aggression found in fresh run salmon. Over 1,000 salmon have gone up the ladder and are now in hatcheries or protected water. After 2 weeks of open season the tally is still one fish caught. This is a seriously big river but fortunately there are good salmon pools along the banks.
There is a big push for a spring season, and it seems likely they will open one in a few years.
There is an excellent chance for a fall season next year, I’m already making plans.
AgMD
Colston Newton? What are you refering to the fact that salmon dont bite?
YOu are wrong they do, but you cant catch salmon in shoulder to shoulder rivers. To get a salmon to bight you must get away from the spooked fish, ok some salmon bight more then others but a Coho with no presure will attack flies.
While I appreciate the historical and cultural significance of the terms “taken” or “killed”, in the case of the Penobscot salmon they are “caught”. This an experimental season of a fishery which we hope is on the rebound. The special regulations for this season requires C&R, one fish /day and you are done for the day, and the fish are not even to be taken out of the water. Overly cautious? perhaps , but I have to respect the greater objective.
So for the time being at least, salmon in the US are not taken and certainly not killed.
AgMD
PaGuy: Not referring to any sort of biting, just the traditional way of referring to the capture of Atlantic salmon. (While “kill” might mean keeping them, “take” doesn’t have any such implications except, apparently, in Connecticut.)
