Trips
Starting early September the king salmon fishery around the eastern end of Lake Ontario is one of the best times to target large kings before they hit the river and all the crowds. This time of year king salmon are very aggressive and will hit almost anything that resembles a baitfish. These salmon are congregating around the mouths of the creeks and rivers of their origin. They are staging here before they start the upward journey to their spawning grounds. Depending how high or low these tributary streams are at this time will influence when the salmon move up them. If it’s a high water year, they will move up faster and the fishing will dry up. If the water is low, the fish will stay out in the lake longer, giving us more time to fish them. We target these staging fish in the lake with drift boats. During the day we troll spoons, flies, j-plugs and anything else that may attract one of these magnificent Great Lakes salmon to strike.
As the sun gets low and the bite picks up, we switch to our night gear and night troll spoons and stick baits. We start our night trips just before sundown. This gives us the best chance to get in on the early night bite that can be explosive. It also gives us a chance to see jumping salmon everywhere and some of the best sunsets in the world. From here we troll well into the night chasing schools of aggressive kings. We end our trip around one in the morning, giving you a great opportunity to see some of the clearest skies and amazing shooting star shows. The night trolling can be extremely productive and as fun as salmon fishing gets. These fresh water monsters never sleep, nor do we when the bite is on. This fishing lasts until the majority of the salmon push up the river toward their final destination.
Depending on water temperature and levels, this mass movement of fish occurs sometime in late September or early October. Once the majority of the run hit the river, we take the drift boats up stream and back troll plugs or cast flies to attempt to get these powerful fish to strike. Some days can be a bit slow, but as the river temps start to fall, the fish start to move and get into their spawning areas. Then their true aggression turns on and some epic fishing (hooking, catching) can happen. Because these fish are so big and powerful, it is not uncommon to lose up to ninety percent if you are fishing from the bank. Because we use drift boats to chase and move these mighty river warriors, we have a better landing percentage than the bank angler.
Come join me and my team of experienced drift boat captains and bank guides to fulfill your fishing dreams on the Salmon River in Pulaski, New York. You can expect to get the very best when you book with Driftwater Fishing. Please remember that dates fill up fast, so book your trip a few months in advance. Check my fishing calendar for available dates then give me a call to schedule a memory that will last a lifetime.
If you have any questions or are interested in booking a trip, please give me a call at 315-529-4204 or email me at cmledden@gmail.com. I will be happy to help any way I can. Thank you for choosing DriftWater Fishing where Safety, Service, and Integrity are the driving forces to our shared success.
Keep Fishing!