bluecordfishermen 
First Crack at Salmon Fishing
This trip was an effort to scope out the river and how to fish for salmon during the Fall run. It was worth the 50 mile drive to Pulaski NY. Salmon fishing here is more of an event than simply going fishing. Its like a tailgate party at the river.
STEP #1: Where To Go
Below is a map from the NY DEC that shows where the public is permitted to fish.
STEP #2:
The first goal was to see if I could use 8 wt fly line on a 6 wt fly rod so that I could cast big Salmon streamers. The 6 wt line failed to work when I tried earlier this week on Remington Lake. I really did not want to buy a 8 wt fly rod so I spent 40 bucks on basic 8 wt floating line. I worked beyond my expectations. I was casting big streamers as far as any fly on my 6 wt line. Note the streamer in the middle has a normal bass hook as compared to the salmon hooks.
The initial stop was Dick’s. They had no fly line and a very meager selection of fly rods and none were 8 wt. Dick’s was a waste of time. COVID continues to keep NY state businesses a ghost of what they were.
STEP #3:
The next stop was Fat Nancy’s Tackle Shop. This place makes Bass Pro shop look like a basic big box store. Located in Pulaski NY at the intersection of I-81 and Hwy 13 Fat Nancy’s, has a great selection of everything for fishing either Lake Ontario or the Salmon River. The selection range of gear goes from basic to high end $850 dollar rods and waders. I picked up 8 wt Rio fly line for a fair price considering they have almost a monopoly north of Syracuse NY. Being cocky, I also picked up a filet knife hoping to have salmon for dinner. They have a great selection of T-Shirts. https://fatnancystackle.com/ The standing joke is don’t ask the female workers if they are Fat Nancy.
My first rookie mistake was you do not need special tackle. A sturdy Spin casting rod, hook and split shot with salmon eggs is all you really need. 10-15 lb test line is good enough. The salmon have good eye sight and will notice larger test line. Tip #2: Salmon are moving on the bottom so either sight fish in shallow water or use split shot to get deep in pools or channels.
No problem since I now have a fly rod that can cast monster streamers.
The Highway 2A bridge over the Salmon River gave a hint of the conditions. The river was filled with fishermen. One fisherman remarked, there were more fishermen than fish. The bulk of the run is still ahead (note the date) waiting for a drop in the water temperature.
The Salmon River is perfect for wading. Obviously, YOU NEED TO BE CAREFUL. There are strong currents and all the rocks are slick. I put in at Pineville Public access away from the big crowds near intersection of hwy 48 and 13. As the run moves into prime fishing in the coming weeks, the Pineville Bridge parking lot will be full.
This recon was successful but nothing was caught. I actually saw one moving up river at a high rate of speed beyond my casting range. At the parking area, I saw three fisherman dragging three huge salmon. There are lots of You Tube videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxWyTIV1Os4
STEP #4: Talk to the guys along the River
A couple of guys offered pointers. One guy crammed 10 years of salmon fishing into ten minutes. At dusk, I watched an older gentlemen who had a string of two big fish behind him. I learned a lot by watching but the river was too loud to talk. He really wanted to see pods of salmon swim by. He stated the water was too warm, but still hoped to watch the pods move at dusk based on his decades of experience. I could sense that he was soaking it all in knowing he only had a couple of more runs left.
Around 6:30 pm, I did hear some commotion behind me by a 100 yards +/- and there was a guy skinny dipping. Close enough to tell it was not the female form, but he did scream in a high pitch when he jumped in. My guess is he lost a bet.
Big Fish, Coolers of Beer, Cigars, the smell of Charcoal: Almost like a tailgate party or deer camp.
STEP #5: Go back and try again next weekend.
