Salmon River Fishing Guides and Conditions, New York

About the Salmon River

The Salmon River is the busiest salmon and steelhead fishery east of the Rockies, and it earns the traffic. Chinook run in from Lake Ontario beginning in late August, coho and Atlantic salmon mix in through the fall, and steelhead follow them and stay all winter and into April. Seventeen miles of river between the Lighthouse Hill Reservoir and the lake at Port Ontario hold the whole show, and much of it is public.

The river reads in sections. The upper fly-fishing-only water at Altmar and the Douglaston Salmon Run at the mouth are the two best-known reaches, one public and one private-access by day fee. Between them, Pineville, the Schoolhouse Pool, Ellis Cove and the Sportsman Pool carry most of the pressure. Guides here run drift boats on the lower river and walk-and-wade trips up top, and a good one is worth every dollar in October, when knowing which pool has fresh fish saves a day.

Flow is controlled. Brookfield Renewable releases from Lighthouse Hill on a published schedule, and the river sits at either the low release near 185 cfs or the high release near 335 cfs for most of the season, with occasional recreational whitewater releases much higher. Steelhead anglers generally prefer the higher number for moving fish and the lower one for sight fishing clear winter water. A rain event on top of a release is what pushes fresh fish in.

Pulaski is the base and it is a fishing town in the plainest sense, with motels, shops and diners that open at four in the morning in October. Book lodging early for the salmon run, dress for lake-effect weather, and expect company.

Access

Lower Reservoir and Altmar: top of the river, the upper fly-fishing-only section.
Pineville Access: state access at the gauge, parking and a long public reach.
Schoolhouse Pool and Sportsman Pool: classic public pools between Altmar and Pineville.
Ellis Cove and Trestle Pool: mid-river state fishing access with parking.
Pulaski town water and Black Hole: public access through the village.
Douglaston Salmon Run: private lower-river access, daily fee, two miles above the lake.
Port Ontario and the Salmon River Estuary: boat access at the mouth.

Seasons

Late August through October: chinook and coho, the heaviest run and the heaviest crowds.
October and November: coho, Atlantic salmon and the first steelhead; the best mixed-bag month.
December through March: winter steelhead, cold and quiet, drift boats and float fishing.
April: spring steelhead and drop-back fish, then the river goes quiet until late summer.