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PAST REPORTS 2006

 

12/25/06

MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Despite high water levels, steelhead fishing on the Salmon River remains good. The Salmon River is running at 1800cfs plus a good amount of runoff. I would expect the water levels to remain up for the better part of this week. Yesterday we floated the upper river and had alot of action. There's plenty of fresh silver steelheads to play around with. Egg sacks and floats did all the damage. On Saturday I had the pleasure of taking the webmaster down through the lower Salmon River. She was on steelhead in almost every spot. Again drifting floats did the trick.We hope everyone has a safe and Merry Christmas!
Salmon River Guide

 

12/22/06

Steelhead fishing has been improving the last few days. Drifting egg sacs under floats has been producing the best results. Water levels have been up and down alot lately.
Here is the latest flowcast:
Until 9:00 PM Sun DEC 24, 1,000 CFS
From 9:00 PM Sun, until 9:00 PM Mon, 500 CFS
From 9:00 PM Mon, until 11:59 PM, Fri DEC 29, 335 CFS
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Salmon River Guide

 

12/18/06

Steelhead fishing on the Salmon River has been slow. We have been getting into 5-7 fish a trip landing 2-4. Some big steelheads have been coming to the net. Egg sacks under floats and back trolling lures has been working well lately. Water levels are up once again at 1800cfs.
Temperatures have been mild lately but most of the runoff is from melting snow which keeps the water temperatures low. We have plenty of winter and spring dates available give us a call.
Happy Holidays!

 

12/9/06

Cold weather has put a damper on steelhead action on the Salmon River. Frequent fluctuations to water levels have not helped out either. Two day ago they were running 1800cfs at the dam, today they dropped it to 335cfs. The fishing has not been bad but nowhere near as good as last week. Conditions should be improving over the next week. Warmer weather is in the forecast and that means melting snow. I would guess the water level will not be down long. Give us a call for winter/spring steelhead trips aboard my 19 foot heated drift boat. Looking for a special gift for friend or loved one? Hook them up with a Salmon River drift boat trip or Lake Ontario charter. We offer fishing excursions all year round for steelhead(fall-winter-spring), salmon(summer-fall), bass/walleye(spring -summer).
Thanks,
Happy Holidays

 

11/27/06

Steelhead fishing has been excellent. The mid to upper Salmon River has been producing best for myself but I have heard good reports from down lower as well. Casting or center pinning egg sacks under floats has been the hot ticket to some unreal action. The water levels have been dropping the last few days making it much easier to fish. The river is running at 750cfs for the next few days.
The water is going down to 350 cfs tonight - 11/27/06.
We just got a cancellation for December 1st- plenty of availability in December as well.
Salmon River Guide

 

11/20/06

The Salmon River is producing consistently good catches of steelheads. There are steelhead throughout the entire river. We have been hitting fish back trolling lures and float fishing egg sacks. The water flow is still up -1800cfs and will remain up thru Nov 25th at least. The smaller creeks are fishing well for brown trout and rainbows. Oswego and Black Rivers are running very high but the trout are there are biting well. We have plenty of openings starting in December-
Right now I have November 22, 28 & 29 open. If I am filled for a date you may want, we have quality drift boat guides that will put you into fish. Give a call and get in on the action!
Salmon River Guide

11/11/06

Steelhead fishing on the Salmon River has been pretty good this past week. Floats and egg sacks have been producing the best for us lately. Moving along from spot to spot quickly has helped us locate fish. Plenty of fresh steelheads have been moving through daily. There has been plenty of fish through most of the Salmon River. I have been floating the lower end for the most part and finding plenty of receptive fish. We have also had the good fortune to tangle with several bruisers recently.
Plenty of open dates for December, it's shaping up to be an excellent month.
Salmon River Guide

 

11/2/06

Steelhead action has been pretty good the last few trips. The high water (1800cfs) has brought in a decent amount of fresh chromers. We have been hitting steelhead from one end of the Salmon River to the other. Plugging and casting egg sacks has been the most produtive. The water line schedule says 1800cfs thru the weekend. We have the best drift boat rates for winter steelhead fishing. Our heated drift boat is XL for your comfort and safety.
Salmon River Guide

4/25/06

Plenty of steelheads still dropping slowly out of the Salmon River. Steady action is the best way to describe the fishing. Best reports lately have been comin from the lower end of the Salmon River. The fly zones have been doing well also, so I'd say there's still plenty of steelheads to come back down. Alot fewer fishermen the last few days which of course has helped our results. We should continue to have good fishing for 2-3 weeks at least. Water levels are low 285 cfs. Walleye season opens May 6 - get your date scheduled NOW! We offer walleye trips all summer from Black River to Oswego Harbor to Oneida Lake. May is also a prime brown trout month. We often catch big brown trout while night walleye fishing.

4/20/06

Steelhead fishing on the Salmon River has been pretty good lately. Water levels are very low 285cfs making for a really bumpy ride. It has been well worth it though. We've been doing best float fishing sacks and worms in the faster water at the heads of the biggger holes. Alot of drift boats and bank anglers around. With the great sunny weather, low water and loads of fishing pressure getting out in the the early am has been a must. I still have the April 28, 30 & May 1, 2, 3, 4 left for steelhead season. I will be shifting gears and doing night walleye / brown trout trips for the rest of spring. I still have alot of openings for night fishing but if I'm booked we use only quality full time guides. Give us a call & we can arrange all the details for you.

4/17/06

Steelhead fishing on the Salmon River has been pretty good lately. Water levels are very low 285cfs making for a really bumpy ride. It has been well worth it though. We've been doing best float fishing sacks and worms in the faster water at the heads of the biggger holes. Alot of drift boats and bank anglers around. With the great sunny weather, low water and loads of fishing pressure getting out in the the early am has been a must. I still have the April 28, 30 & May 1, 2, 3, 4 left for steelhead season. I will be shifting gears and doing night walleye / brown trout trips for the rest of spring. I still have alot of openings for night fishing but if I'm booked we use only quality full time guides. Give us a call & we can arrange all the details for you.

4/12/06

We had a good day steelhead fishing today. The Salmon River offered us plenty of action from start to finish. A whole lot better then yesterday- let's say it was SLOW!!! The plugs were working early and the eeg sacks and bobbers came on later. Water levels are ideal about 750cfs at the dam. It's scheduled to drop over the weekend - It's looking like rain so it may be subject to change.

Until 8:00 PM Fri APR 14, 750 CFS
From 8:00 PM Fri, until 8:00 PM Mon, 500 CFS
From 8:00 PM Mon, until MIDNIGHT, Fri APR 21, 285 CFS

4/4/06

Water levels are back up-
Until 11:59 PM Fri APR 07, 1,500 CFS
Steelhead fishing on the Salmon River has been pretty decent lately.
Egg sacs or worms under floats have been working best.
Steelheads are in full spawn mode right now. There are still a few fresh- pre spawn fish running along with some post spwan fish dropping back down the river. What a great time of the year for steelhead fishing. You could say April is prime time. My calender is filling in but i do have some dates open- April 6,10,15,16,17,24,25,28,30 & May (steelhead)1-4,7,(walleye)-16,22,23,24,26-28,30,31.
If you'd like any dates i'm booked I have my brother and several other guides whom I use. They are ALL full time fishing guides and will work hard to produce good results for you.
Thanks a bunch!

3/31/06

Well I can't complain. It's been a good last week of March steelhead fishing on the Salmon River. It hasn't been great but we've had enough action to keep us happy. Water levels are going up tonight to 750cfs and will remain there till next Friday- unless we get alot of rain. This should improve things even more. We've been catching fresh, post spawn & spawning steelhead lately. The hatchery has already taken there eggs for the year so we'll be seeing more and more dropbacks coming down the river. We have date open for April & May steelheading and Spring walleye fishing.

3/23/06

Steelhead fishing on the Salmon River remains spotty at best. We put together a decent weekend of fishing but it wasn't easy. Steelheads and brown trout hit hot shots back trolled off the drift boat. A few nice brown trout were mixed in here and there. Covering alot of water really made the difference in finding fish. Since Monday it's been tougher yet to find the steelheads. Casting sacks under floats has produced some fish as the plugging seemed to go cold on us. Water levels are dropping fast -1100cfs today from 1800cfs yesterday. It's going down even more by tomorrow-700cfs and down futher for the weekend -285cfs- I'm sure with snow melt and rain coming it shouldn't be to long before it rises again. The weather has been tough- wind and cold temps have made it less then pleasant. It's looking alot better for the next few weeks- let's hope so.

3/15/06

Steelhead fishing on the Salmon River continues to be so-so. It's been good some days and not so others. A lot of pressure has made it especially tough on the weekends. We have been getting some really fresh chrome, along with dark spawning and post spawn fish. The water levels are HIGH 1800 cfs at the dam with run off over 2300 at Pineville. The weather has been like the fishing- good one day not so great the next. It's looks to be crummy for another week before it gives us a break. Oswego is back up to over 13000. It has been producing some brown trout and few steelheads around lock 7. The smaller tribs have been slow for the most part- from what I've heard. We have plenty of dates available for April/May steelhead trips and May/June walleye trips. I have March 21,23,28,30 left for this month. We have several really good guides we use for referrals if you need to book a trip on a date I'm already booked for. Please feel free to call. Thanks! Good luck!

3/7/06

Reports have been mixed lately- some doing OK, some well and others poorly. The last few trips we've been in the later category. The weather is improving and water levels should be increasing soon. Right now it's at 500cfs and expected to there until at least Friday the 10th. The lower & upper river have been fairly productive most days. Mid river seems to be the slow area. Oswego has been producing decently but water levels have been erratic. Thanks for checking us out!

2/28/06

Despite brutal weather steelhead fishing on the Salmon River remains productive. In between white-outs and heavy winds we have managed to tangle with some of the biggest fish of the season. Water levels are at 750cfs which is great for drift boating or shore anglers. Lately mid river has been our target area - launching at Pineville and pulling out at the Ball Park in Pulaski. Some steelheads have been colored up as well as a few fresh silver bullets. Most action has been on egg sacks under float or bottom bouncing. Good reports have been coming in form all over the river. It's been the best season in a few years, it looks like the 1 fish limit has been working well. I have plenty of dates open in March and April for spring steelhead trips. I also offer brown trout trips in in April, trolling the lake shore for ravenous bulging brown trout. May is filling up fast for night walleye / brown trout fishing so you better call asap to get in on the action. June is another good month for the night walleye fishing on Oneida as well as Lake Ontario. Oneida is great for eating size fish, while Lake Ontario is known for its trophies.

2/20/06

The weather has improved a little the last few days as did steelhead fishing. Yesterday we floated mid river and had plenty of action. The fresh egg sacs under floats did most the damage but we did bang a bruiser on a plug- in the only spot we plugged. That fish spanked us all over the hole but in the end we won. Today was Ok but we had a tough time getting the hammer down on some of the takes. The hits just seemed lighter for the most part. Half the steelheads were fresh chromers and the rest were colored up fish getting ready to rip some gravel. The weather is going to give us a brief reprieve for the next few days then cold temperatures will return for the weekend. A lot of ice is building up along the edges. Slush has been a factor in the morning down lower in the river.
Water level-
Until 11:59 PM Fri FEB 24, 1,000 CFS

2/18/06

Wow!! What a difference a day makes. Yesterday bitter cold temperatures blew back in with force. This has been one heck of a strange winter, one we won't soon forget. Yesterday we had a tough go of it. Extremely strong winds really kicked our butts. It was the first trip in quite some time that we came away blanked. The fish really had a change in attitude from earlier in the week. They gave us a few chances but in the end the steelheads won. Well today was another day. The weather was pretty rough again with temps in the low teens and fairly strong winds to add to the misery. But even with the odds stacked against us we still managed to get lucky a few times. Bobbers and bottom bouncing fresh steelie egg sacs did the trick. Good old lake effect snows are coming in for the next few days. By mid week a slight warm up is forecasted. Water levels have been holding at 1000cfs, more then likely will remain that way for awhile. Keep checking for more updates, I'll be out for the next week or so. It's been a really decent winter, I'd say steelhead numbers are up from the last few years. That should make for excellent spring spawning and drop back fishing. Use caution while fishing, with these extreme conditions it only take one slip to mess up your day. Ice along the edges will make it tough going.
Thanks for checking us out. Also thanks to all whom I've had the pleasure of fishing with.
GOOD LUCK!

2/14/06

Steelhead fishing on the Salmon River has been pretty good lately. There's been fish throughout the entire river. Today we floated from the Ball Park to the Black hole and did well. Most fish were caught on fresh steelhead egg sacks fished under floats and bouncing them on bottom. One fish did get out smarted by a hot shot. Yesterday our target area was Pineville to the Ball Park. Back trolling plugs produced a few as did the egg sacks. The steelheads put a beating on us with more lost then landed but it was still a enjoyable day for the crummy weather we had. Weather wise it has been really wacky in upstate Ny. When can you remember NYC with more snow then Pulaski?? It is forecasted to be mild the next few days but not for long. By Saturday the temperature will be dropping to single digits. Water levels have been GREAT- holding at 1000cfs + run off.

2/9/06

Cold temperatures and snow have come back full force this week. It looks like they are going to be here for a while. Water levels on the Salmon River have receded to 1000cfs which is a perfect flow for drift boaters. With the slush & ice factor we've been forced to start on the upper river lately. By midday it's pretty well cleared off down low. Today we had decent action mostly on floats and egg sacks. The upper river has plenty of colored up steelheads to play with and a few post spawn brown trout. Mid river down we found some fresh silver bullets moving through. Those chrome puppies are hard to hold on to. It seems whenever we latch into one we've had to pull anchor and chase them down. Plenty of spunk and current to challenge us. That's what it's all about! Die hard anglers pushing the limits of there tackle and there abilities to pursue mighty all powerful steelheads. Be careful wading the edges, ice is making it dangerous. Corkers and a wading staff are highly recommended. Fishing with a partner is always a good idea. Thanks to all for checking us out and GOOD LUCK.

2/9/06

Cold temperatures and snow have come back full force this week. It looks like they are going to be here for a while. Water levels on the Salmon River have receded to 1000cfs which is a perfect flow for drift boaters. With the slush & ice factor we've been forced to start on the upper river lately. By midday it's pretty well cleared off down low. Today we had decent action mostly on floats and egg sacks. The upper river has plenty of colored up steelheads to play with and a few post spawn brown trout. Mid river down we found some fresh silver bullets moving through. Those chrome puppies are hard to hold on to. It seems whenever we latch into one we've had to pull anchor and chase them down. Plenty of spunk and current to challenge us. That's what it's all about! Die hard anglers pushing the limits of there tackle and there abilities to pursue mighty all powerful steelheads. Be careful wading the edges, ice is making it dangerous. Corkers and a wading staff are highly recommended. Fishing with a partner is always a good idea. Thanks to all for checking us out and GOOD LUCK.

 

Please feel free to give me a call for an honest fishing report or more info on how to book a trip.
Shane Thomas

(315) 298-4530

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