“I look forward to spending some time on the water with you.”

Steelhead and Salmon

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When to go?

Steelhead and Salmon are probably the most powerful and spectacular fish that swim in upstate New York’s fresh water rivers.

Salmon season starts in early September and ends at the end of October

Steelhead fishing begins in November and ends between April and May.

FISHING METHODS FOR TROUT AND SALMON

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Float Fishing

Float fishing is an extremely productive and exciting method used for salmon and steelhead. We primarily float fish because of its effectiveness. We will spend more time fishing in the strike zone and less time snagging bottom and that makes the fishing much more exciting.

The float serves two main purposes: Suspending your bait in the water at a desired depth and it helps indicate a strike. If you want a shot of adrenaline, watch the float disappear right before your eyes…fish on!

Plug Fishing

Another tactic we use for both salmon and steelhead is plug fishing from the drift boat. This allows us to cover lots of water and test out different colors to see what is going to work for that particular time of day. There is nothing quite like watching a salmon or steelhead hit a plug. The majority of the time it will look and feel like the fish are trying to rip the rod right out of the boat!

One of the largest misconceptions is that salmon do not bite lures or baits when they enter the rivers! It might be true that they are not necessarily feeding at this time but they will bite lures and bait out of aggression. We only target biting fish when they enter the river and the techniques used are far different than snagging them. Let me prove to you that targeting biting fish instead of snagging is so much more fun and exciting than foul hooking these amazing fish.

 

THE BOAT

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The Drift Boat

For steelhead and salmon we will be fishing from a 2012 Willie 16x54 drift boat. Drift boats are perfect for float fishing and plug fishing. A drift boat is extremely maneuverable, roomy and allows anglers to easily stand while fishing. Its’ ability to handle moderate whitewater gives us great flexibility into areas of the waters that others can’t get to!