Salmon River Update 19 November 2015

Just a year ago, parts of New York were covered in snow in amounts from two to seven feet, limiting anglers any opportunity of hitting our favorite streams for our beloved Steelhead or Trophy Lake Run Brown Trout. Well, it is November again and the holidays are just around the corner. The nights are getting colder, most dropping below freezing. This year, we have been blessed with little snow and “just okay” fishing conditions for some. For others, they have had some of their best days ever this year. It has been a season of hit or miss. Being in the right spot with the right choice of fly has been the key to success.

Fishing this week has still been slow to moderate throughout the river system as a whole. The Douglaston Salmon Run has been reporting few hook ups with Steelhead and the occasional Brown Trout. Most fish have been caught in the morning near the major pools. Other parts of the river are still crowded with many anglers. Activity in holes below the Altmar Bridge have been sporadic, one day hot, the next day cold. An hour to sunset, we have seen pods of Steelhead enter the schoolhouse pool to hold for the night. Fishing upstream has been moderate to great in most of the major pools in the Lower and Upper Fly. Drift Boat Captains continue to report hookups with Steelhead from the Altmar through Pineville to the 2A Bridge.

Since the last controlled release, the Salmon River has been flowing at a steady discharge of 400-500 CFS (cubic feet per second) in Pineville. With the recent rain we have received over the last week, the river discharge has increased to 900 CFS. With the recent push of water, we have not seen any major pushes of fish. A trickle of fish was reported all week at the DSR and today’s rise in water level had no significant increase in fish. Stay closely tuned to all your favorite friends and guides on the water. We may see an increase over the next few days.