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Posts Tagged ‘Oswego County fishing’

Tying Flies

Posted in Other, tagged , , on June 5, 2013| Leave a Comment »

I started fly fishing at 9 years old. Teaching myself by watching videos and reading L.L. Bean’s fly fishing hand book. I am not sure exactly when I started tying flies but I know it wasn’t long after. I was probably around 11 or 12 when I got my first fly tying kit. Even at a young age I knew flies where expensive and I would save money tying my own, or at least I thought.

Tying flies to save money is one the biggest myths in fly fishing. There are only 2 ways to tie flies and save money. The first is if you tie 3 dozen flies a day every day every year. Of course you would never need that many flies and could sell some to make up for all the materials and tools you have bought.

The other way you could tie and save money would be to never upgrade from the original fly tying kit you buy. If you don’t buy a $200 plus vise, $150 worth of new tools you “need”, $500 worth of different colors and sizes of hackle, $1500 worth of other feathers and furs, and don’t forget $200 worth of fly boxes for all the flies you are going to tie ahead of time.

We all know the only people who put money in their pockets by tying flies are commercial tiers. The reason we tie flies is because it is fun and there is nothing better than catching fish on flies that we have tied ourselves.  Sometimes when we see flies in the fly shop for $2.49 each we trick ourselves into  thinking we are saving money too.

As a guide I find that my guests enjoy the fact that I tie most of my own flies. They like the idea of catching fish on flies I have tied. Many of my guests who are also fly tiers like to bring flies for me try or to fish with on their trip.  I enjoy both.  I really enjoy emailing guests with pictures of fish I have caught on flies they tie for me.

Tying flies also gives the non steelhead fisherman something to do in the winter. Those of us in the Salmon River, New York area know that there is no off season here. We fish 12 months a year in New York.  A tough week during prime Salmon season on the Salmon River often means tying flies though the middle of the night between trips. The last thing you want is to run out of flies.

If you are thinking of getting into fly tying I highly recommend it. It is a great feeling catching fish on flies you have tied. It is also a great way to pass the time when you can’t get out on the water.

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Salmon River 3/28/13

Posted in Reports, tagged , , , , on March 28, 2013| Leave a Comment »

My friend Andy had today off and asked me to take him down the river for a few hours today. We decided to meet for breakfast at 7 as he didn’t want to get up as early as I wanted him to. At about 8 we put the boat in the water in Pineville with plans of taking out at route 2A.

We both had stuff to do in the afternoon so the plan was to plug fish mostly and float fish a couple spots. We hooked one very nice steelhead fishing with a jointed Rapala while back trolling. Unfortunately the fish rolled right at the boat and the hook came out.

We talked to a couple guides during our float and everyone seemed to be saying the same thing. The fishing was better than it has been on the Salmon River but still a bit slow. We did see one boat land a very nice steelhead while fishing with a float.

I think if we had more time and had fished harder we would have caught a few. The river is very crowded right now and if you are going to fish from shore get there early to get the spot you want. After we took the boat out I drove up through Altmar and it almost looked like salmon season. I counted 8 boats still on the river from Pineville to Altmar and that was just what I could see from the road. Good luck and see you on the water.

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Oswego County Ice Reports 12/30/12

Posted in Reports, tagged , , on December 30, 2012| Leave a Comment »

There is no true safe ice for me to report at this time. I have heard that Mile Arm Bay on Black Lake has 5 inches of ice but can not confirm it. I believe there to be 3 to 4 inches on Lake View but there is snow and slush on top of it. I would stick to river fishing for Steelhead at this time and wait for good ice. Remember its better to wait a week and stay on top. The Salmon River and the Oswego River have been fishing very well. There have been some very nice steelhead and brown trout caught from both of them recently.

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Oswego River Brown Trout 12/19/12

Posted in Reports, tagged , , , , on December 20, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Fished the Oswego RIver for about 4 hours. Caught 2 nice Brown Trout both while trolling yellow hotshots behind my drift boat. ImageImageImage

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Small Water Salmon Fishing

Posted in Tips and Tricks, tagged , , , , , , on December 5, 2012| Leave a Comment »

October is time to target monster Salmon in the small waters of Oswego and Jefferson counties. There are many great streams in the area that support large runs of these amazing fish.
Fishing these waters requires a change in approach and gear from fishing the larger waters of the area.

First the change in gear that will need to be made. Many people fish heavy line and weight when Salmon fishing on the Salmon, Oswego, or Black river. This is unnecessary on the big rivers and will not work on the small waters. These streams are often shallow and clear. The Salmon will see the heavy line and shy away from it almost every time. I recommend fishing no heavier than 12 pound test main line and using a 10 pound leader. If the water is very clear I will fish as light as 8 pound. As far as the weight goes only use just enough to tick bottom. The streams being much shallower and to much weight will cause you to snag bottom often.

I also like a rod that is more of a Steelhead rod than a Salmon Rod. Actually something in between is best. You want to make sure that you will be able to cast the light weight and line whatever distance is needed. That is why I prefer a 9 to 11 foot rod. This allows you to cast when needed or at times just drop the bait in front of the fish or in the top of the hole.

When it comes to your approach much more stealth is in order. It is best not to wear bright colored clothing so that the fish will not see you. When you walk up to the stream make sure to walk slow and watch for fish moving in the water. Polarized Sunglasses are a must for small water Salmon fishing.  If you do spook fish watch where they go and give them time to rest. Chasing after them will do no good as they are not going to be willing to hit right after spooking from a hole.

I am often asked where is the best place for small water Salmon fishing. This changes constantly based on the rainfall. These waters are not damn controlled  and therefore require rain to bring the water levels up. One of my favorites is the Little Salmon River in Mexico, New York. This stream has no public access however there is a section in the town of Mexico where you can get permission with a donation. As of last year it was $50 for a year long pass.

Grindstone creek is another that provides great fishing and unlike the Little Salmon River it has a lot of public access. There is access at Selkirk State Park where the creek empties into Lake Ontario. This is a great place to cast spoons into the lake before the Salmon start to run or when they first start entering the river. From there if you travel upstream on County Route 28 you will find 2 more public access points. There is also public access off Krebbs Road and County Route 41A.  This stream is well known and does see fisherman but not nearly as many as the Sandy Creeks.

Little Sandy Creek, South Sandy Creek, and North Sandy Creek are all great Salmon fishing streams.  As you travel Route 3 north out of Port Ontario you will cross all 3. Little Sandy has access of Norton road. This is a very small stream as far as width goes but it can hold impressive numbers of fish when the water is right. Down stream from the parking lot you will find deeper holes on bends in the stream.

South Sandy Creek has access along Route 3 and along South Landing Road. At the parking lot along Route 3 you will find a very slow moving and deep river. This is a good place for casting lures or fishing with a float and large egg sacs. Along South Landing road you will find more of what you would expect in a Salmon stream, shallower fast moving water with deep holes.

North Sandy Creek is my favorite to fish and there is a nice parking lot where Route 3 crosses the stream. This area is often heavily fished and is best to be avoided on the weekends. There is a great hole right above the bridge that is very deep and will almost always be holding fish.

There are many other small streams and creeks that see an annual run of Salmon each fall. I can’t list them all as I am a guide and must keep a few secrets.

salmon

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