The Black River in Dexter, New York is a great Salmon fishery that is not all that well know. The majority of the fisherman that come to Upstate New York looking to fish for Salmon stay in the Pulaski area. This makes the Black River out of the way. There are multiple other rivers and streams between Pulaski and Dexter that people will stop and fish never making it all the way to the Black River.
The other problem with the Black River in Dexter, NY is that it is best fished from a boat. There is good public access however the access doesn’t offer the best fishing depending on water conditions. If the water is low there are multiple areas an angler can get into with waders. Use extreme caution when wading on the Black River as there are many drop offs and you could go from waist high water to over your head in one step.
When the water is up fishing from a boat is best. Many will bring their own boats and fish below the bridge. If you know the water you can get above the bridge with a motor boat but there are many large rocks and it is easy to damage a motor in a hurry. A drift boat by far the best way to fish this section of the river. The drift boat allows you to cover a lot of water when fishing plugs. It also allows you get in the best position to drift bait or cast lures into the many different currents. The dam in Dexter, NY has 5 different places that water flows out of it. This creates many different current breaks where the flows of water meet. Anchoring the drift boat in different places and fishing each of them from different angles gives you the biggest advantage when fishing the Black River.
Salmon fishing on the Black River starts in September. If we have a wet summer it will be early September and a dry summer will cause the run to start more towards the end of the month. September is a great time to fish at night for these monster fish. If you are going to fish at night on the Black River at this time of year make sure you stay below the bridge as it is illegal to fish above the bridge at night. The best way to catch Salmon at night is by casting lures such as Hot n Tots or Rapalas from a boat or from shore. There is a public boat launch on the downstream side of the bridge right in Dexter, NY. This boat launch is free to use and offers a place to put a boat in or a place to cast from shore. When the fishing is hot you will see multiple boats anchored and casting lures at night.
During the day there is public access on the up stream side of the bridge. You can park by the Fire Department and walk down the bank right above the bridge. This is a great place for casting lures or for drifting bait under a float. There a multiple rock piles in the area so bottom bouncing is can be tough and you will most likely lose a lot of gear. If you get hung up casting a floating plug you can let the line go slack and it will normally come lose and float back towards the surface. This is also a good place for landing big fish as there is nice slow water along the shore by the bridge making landing the fish easier.
A second public access point is found if you drive past the fire department and across a small bridge. You will see a small parking lot with a concrete wall that many people will be fishing from. This is generally a snagging area. You will see very few people actually fishing here. However if you walk down along the rocks there is a stretch right on the water where you can fish. This area will also be full of snaggers at times. Again another reason why this area is best fished from a drift boat. This area is good for both bottom bouncing and float fishing. Casting floating lures is another good option in this area too. The down stream corner of this access point allows you to fish where 2 currents come together and is normally the most productive area to fish. It can get crowded when the fishing is hot so I recommend getting there early to get a spot.
If you are looking for a new place to fish for Salmon the Black River in Dexter, New York is a great option. There is a good run of Salmon every year and there is good easy to get to public access. It may be a bit of a drive from Pulaski, New York but it will be worth the while. If you would like to fish from a drift boat contact me at www.wayneosguideservice.com to set up a trip.
Wayne-o's Guide Service 
Is the Black River experiencing low fish numbers like the Salmon River?
The Black River saw a large run of salmon this year. They were still catching clean fish last weekend up there. Many are in “zombie” condition but there are still some good ones around.