People often say, “Size doesn’t matter,” and the Salmon River is here to show that they’re right. It’s only 44 miles long, from the Tug Hill mountains to Lake Ontario, so at first glance it might not seem very big. But, to borrow a phrase, don’t judge a book by its cover! Fishing in the Salmon River is amazing, and we’re going to tell you why.
It should come as no surprise that the angling action here is top-notch. First of all, the river is named after one of the world’s primary game fish. You can fish for a variety of species here. Also, it flows into one of the Great Lakes, which are some of the best places in the world to fish in fresh water.
In this guide, we’ll show you exactly what Salmon River fishing entails. We’ll talk about the best places to fish, the best times to fish, and some rules and regulations. We won’t just talk about the river’s namesake species. So without further ado, let’s jump in.
The Salmon River in New York is one of the best places in the United States to catch salmon. This majestic river located in Oswego County is home to large populations of Chinook, Coho Atlantic salmon and steelhead that make annual spawning runs each year. For anglers looking to catch hard fighting salmon on spinning casting or fly gear, the Salmon River offers world-class fishing.
In this complete guide. we will cover everything you need to know about salmon fishing in the Salmon River including
- The best times of year to catch salmon
- Salmon species and runs
- Tackle and gear
- Fishing methods and techniques
- Productive salmon fishing spots
- Salmon fishing regulations
Plus plenty of tips from experienced local anglers and fishing guides to help you hook more salmon
So let’s get started!
When Is The Best Time To Catch Salmon In The Salmon River?
Salmon enter the Salmon River from Lake Ontario throughout the year, but the peak seasons are spring and fall when the major runs occur:
Fall Salmon Runs: The fall run starts in late August with small numbers of Chinook and Coho salmon entering the river. The run peaks in late September into October when large schools of salmon migrate upriver to spawn. This is the most popular time to catch salmon as their numbers are highest.
Spring salmon runs: Steelhead and some late-run brown trout start to come into the Salmon River in April and keep coming until May. This makes for great fishing.
While fall offers the best salmon fishing, you can potentially catch salmon in the river throughout the year by targeting smaller runs of Atlantic and Skamania salmon that enter the river in the summer months.
Salmon Species In The Salmon River
There are five main salmonid species that run the Salmon River:
Chinook Salmon
- Fall Run: September to November
- Average Size: 10-25 lbs
- New York State Record: 47 lbs
Chinook, also known as king salmon, are the most pursued salmon species here since they have the largest fall spawning run.
Coho Salmon
- Fall Run: Mid-August to December
- Average Size: 8-12 lbs
- New York State Record: 33 lbs
Smaller than kings but great fighters and very aggressive takers of lures and flies.
Atlantic Salmon
- Summer/Fall Runs: June to October
- Average Size: 10-20 lbs
An incidental catch for anglers but a special prize. Populations are much smaller than Pacific salmon.
Steelhead
- Fall/Spring Runs: October to May
- Average Size: 6-12 lbs
Abundant and acrobatic fighters that chase lures and flies voraciously. Provide great fall fishing and the best action in spring.
Brown Trout
- Fall Run: September to December
- Average Size: 5-10 lbs
River lake-runs that provide bonus action in fall when they migrate into the river to spawn.
Salmon Fishing Tackle And Gear
The Salmon River holds large salmon that require heavier gear than your typical trout setups. Here are some guidelines for salmon fishing tackle:
Rods: 8-9ft medium-heavy power, fast action rods rated for 10-20lb test line. For steelhead, lighter 7-8ft medium power rods can be used.
Reels: Quality reels with smooth, powerful drags in the size 3000-5000 range. Use a gear ratio of 6.2:1 or higher for lure fishing.
Line: 10-20lb test braided line or monofilament. For fly fishing, integrated sink tip lines make good salmon/steelhead lines.
Baits/Lures: Spinners, spoons, plugs/crankbaits, egg sacs, woolly buggers and streamers all produce salmon. Match lure sizes to water clarity.
Hooks: Single hooks only. No treble hooks allowed during fall salmon runs. Use stout hooks – 2/0 to 5/0 for lures.
Nets: Long-handled nets with a hoop of at least 20 inches make landing salmon much easier.
Waders/Boots: Bring waders and cleated, felt-soled boots for walking slippery stream bottoms. Chest waders with boots built in are ideal.
Fishing Methods And Techniques
There are several effective techniques for hooking into Salmon River salmon:
Casting Lures: Casting spinners, spoons, plugs allows covering water to find aggressive salmon. Target fish holding spots and current seams.
Drift Fishing: Use a float/bobber to drift egg sacs, beads, flies/nymphs through salmon lies. Very effective for indolent fish.
Backtrolling: Slowly backtroll diving plugs against the current using your trolling motor. Allows keeping baits in strike zones.
Fly Fishing: Swing streamers, nymphs and eggs on sink tips to entice reaction strikes from salmon. Use spey rods for better casting.
Still Fishing: Rig up egg sac/bead rigs cast into buckets or pools and let sit. Salmon will pick them up on the hang.
Jigging: Vertical jigging spoons, blades or jigs can be deadly when salmon are holding in holes. Aggressively pop lures off bottom.
Mix up techniques until you find what’s working to put salmon in the net!
Top Salmon Fishing Spots In The Salmon River
The Salmon River is a large river with many access points and diverse fishing spots. When targeting salmon, focus efforts on these productive stretches:
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Pineville Pool: Holds salmon migrating past the town of Pulaski with pocket water, long pools and several islands. Great holding water and spawning lies. Public access along Route 13.
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Longbridge Pool: Big bends and buckets below Salmon River Falls hold salmon. Public fishing easements along County Route 22 provide access.
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Douglaston Salmon Run: Considered the premier water on the river. 5 miles of access to the best holes and runs, but use comes with a price tag.
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Trestle Pool: Fast flowing straightway with nice bank access. Look for salmon holding behind large mid-stream boulders.
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Compactor Pool: A large deeper stretch that produces kings throughout the season. Public fishing rights easements provide good bank access.
There are also a number of smaller pools, riffles and runs that can produce salmon scattered throughout the river.
Salmon Fishing Regulations
When salmon fishing the Salmon River, be sure to follow these rules and regulations:
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A valid New York State fishing license and Inland Trout stamp are required to fish the river.
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Single point, barbless hooks only. No treble hooks are allowed.
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Night fishing is prohibited between 2 hours after sunset to 1 hour before sunrise.
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There is a daily limit of 3 salmon or trout combined with a possession limit of 6.
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Minimum size limits – Coho salmon: 25 inches – Chinook salmon: 30 inches.
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Use of nets is prohibited except landing nets up to 30 inches.
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Be aware of sections only accessible to fly fishing and designated as catch and release.
Know the regulations to avoid fines and keep your Salmon River fishing privileges.
Tips For Salmon Fishing Success
To maximize your chances at hooking salmon on your Salmon River trip, keep these tips from experienced anglers in mind:
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Fish early and late around dawn and dusk when salmon are most active.
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Target staging areas like river mouths and pools early in the season. Salmon run hardest in riffles and rapids when spawning.
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Pay close attention to water flow. Salmon activity spikes with increases in flow.
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Set up in drifts and runs where salmon have to stop and rest. They are more apt to strike when holding.
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Make repeated drifts through productive lies. Persistence pays off for salmon.
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Try lots of different lures and flies. Switch up until you find what triggers strikes.
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Use brighter lures and larger profiles in off color water. Pick natural colors in clear water.
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Beef up your gear. Salmon put up bruising fights – don’t be under-gunned.
Apply the tips above to experience amazing salmon fishing on one of the country’s premiere salmon rivers!
When to Go Fishing in the Salmon River
As you may have already guessed, there’s never a bad time to fish the Salmon River. With so many of the world’s best freshwater fish, you’ll be in for a treat whenever you go. That being said, not all of the fish are here at the same time. You can read the most recent Salmon River fishing reports here to find out what’s biting right now.
| Species | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlantic Salmon | Weak | Weak | Weak | Weak | Fair | Good | Great | Great | Great | Great | Good | Fair |
| Brown Trout | Weak | Fair | Fair | Good | Great | Great | Great | Great | Good | Great | Good | Fair |
| Chinook Salmon | Weak | Weak | Weak | Weak | Weak | Good | Good | Great | Great | Great | Good | Weak |
| Coho Salmon | Weak | Weak | Weak | Fair | Good | Great | Fair | Weak | Good | Great | Good | Fair |
| Smallmouth Bass | Weak | Weak | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Great | Great | Great | Good | Weak | Weak |
| Steelhead | Fair | Weak | Weak | Weak | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Great | Great | Good |
As you see above, Salmon show up in spring, summer, and fall. But what the table doesn’t show is just quite how good fall fishing is. Some 50% of the river’s fishing activity takes place during the Chinook fall run. Considering it only lasts about two months, the picture is pretty clear. If you don’t go on a charter or fish from private land, you’ll have to fight for space to cast your line with hundreds of other fishermen.
Atlantic salmon spawn a little earlier in the summer, as we already said. This means you can enjoy the sun for longer. At this time, you’ll also find Bass and even some Skamania Steelhead who’ve stayed after their spring run. Steelhead are the only fish that can be caught from fall to winter, unless you can find a frozen lake nearby and drill a hole for Bass, Walleye, and other fish.
What fish can I catch in the Salmon River?
We said no prizes for guessing what you can catch in this body of water. But Salmon is not all that’s on offer. True, it definitely tops the charts here, and we’ll tell you exactly why in a little bit. But there are also plenty of other prized freshwater species biting, depending on when you come. From Steelhead and Trout to a range of Bass, here are the stars of the show.
There’s no point beating around the bush. The name of this river comes from a type of fish, and that fish is what makes it great for fishing. There are three species of salmon that live in these waters all year, so there’s a good chance that you’ll catch one.
If you want to catch Chinook, Coho, and Atlantic Salmon, you should spend the whole day on the water. All three are strong fighters, but only the Atlantic variety are native to these parts. These creatures aren’t very big, but Cohos are. The largest one ever caught in the Salmon River weighed 33 pounds and 4 ounces.
The real superstars, however, are Chinook (also known as “King”) Salmon. Bring some heavier gear to have a shot at landing one of these brutes. In 1992, the Salmon River caught the biggest King ever caught in the Great Lakes area. That’s all you need to know.
If you’re worried about missing out on Salmon season, fear not. Salmon River Steelhead fishing is a close second to the number one spot. Right after the salmon spawn and leave the river, a lot of steelhead show up, giving you some of the best action you could ever imagine. Some fish, like Steelhead, wait for Salmon to leave so they can eat their eggs. The good news is that egg sacks make great bait for these fish, which gives you a big edge when you’re trying to catch them.
And just like Salmon, there are multiple kinds of Steelhead that call these waters home. Skamania Steelhead come by after the spring spawning season, and stay for a couple of months through summer. Then, when the salmon lay their eggs in the fall, the Washington Steelhead move in right away and spend the winter in the Salmon River. The best action is at the start of the season when these fish are hungry. But with a bit of luck, you’ll get a Steelhead to bite whenever you come.
Unlike Salmon, there’s just one member of the Trout family living in this river. And yes, Steelhead are technically Trout, but let’s not worry about that for now. They live in 12 miles of state-run, high-quality water, which is also where the best Salmon fishing is. They eat salmon eggs, so they have the same seasonal patterns as steelhead. They also have two big runs that anglers love to catch.
If you want to catch Brownies, just use bait that works for Steelhead. You can also try plastic baits and nightcrawlers. If going out on a boat, start with flatliners and spoons at the start of the season. As the season goes on, switch up to spoons and downriggers. Of course, fly fishing is also possible, so these are real all-round fish.
As if that wasn’t enough, there are even more of the most sought-after freshwater fish available. If you go to the Salmon River at the right time, the lakes and reservoirs are full of smallmouth bass. And if you’re lucky, their cousins, the Largemouth Bass, which is the most popular freshwater game fish in the country, might also show up. And that’s before you head out into Lake Ontario, where these creatures are plentiful!.
Even though we don’t need to say this, these fish are great to catch before or after the salmon season. You can even fish for them through the ice in the middle of winter! However, summer is when they’re most active, but more on that in a bit. As you might expect, they like to fight hard, even though they don’t get very big. Light tackle anglers, get ready for some thrills!
Salmon River Fishing Basics | beginners guide to the salmon river in Pulaski NY
FAQ
How to catch salmon in the Salmon River in NY?
What is the best bait for salmon in the river?
How to catch salmon in a river for beginners?
What is the best rod for the Salmon River in NY?
Where to fish for salmon in New York?
The Salmon River in New York is the most renowned salmon fishing hotspot in the Eastern United States. The river is famous among anglers who visit to fish for the big Coho and King Salmon, which run the river annually.
How do you catch salmon on the Salmon River?
Fly fishing is another excellent method for catching salmon on the Salmon River. Fly fishing for salmon is quite effective because all salmon species find flies hard to pass up, and flies are less intrusive than other baits, so even the weary and spooked salmon might hit a well-presented fly.
What is the most common species of salmon in New York?
Chinook Salmon, also known as King Salmon, is the most common salmon species in this river. This is primarily thanks to the intensive stocking efforts by the New York Department of Environmental Conservation, which stocks the river with 300,000 Chinook Salmon yearly.
How to catch salmon in Pulaski?
Float fishing is yet another excellent method you can use to catch salmon in the river. When Salmon fishing in Pulaski, you will see a lot of anglers with long 12 to 15-foot float rods. With float fishing, you are simply dead-drifting your bait or flies below a float. For the best float fishing experience, you need to use the right equipment.