Welcome Back to Your Salmon River Pulaski NY Fishing Report

[Randy Jones]

Welcome Back to Your Salmon River Pulaski NY Fishing Report
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Steelhead fishing on the Salmon River Pulaski NY has been REEEL GOOD all season for my guest's and others. Steelhead are top to bottom of the Salmon River NY. Bright fresh Steelhead transitioning up the Salmon River in Pulaski NY were noticed off the drift boat last week.
As usual, steelhead anglers are finding the fishing either slow, tuff, challenging, ok, not bad, good, pretty good to AMAZING, as usual! We have old'r and fresher steelhead from the top to the bottom of the Salmon River.
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Last guide trip Ed and Jeff enjoyed some great steelhead fishing action. We pretty much fished in solitude, (please see below Winter Solitude article) except for a bunchof steelhead that kept us company. We played with approx. 8-9 steelhead thru out the day.
This was there first time fishing here for steelhead on the Salmon River NY. I think they'll be back.
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On 1/13 - 1,800 cfs
We have some more above average temps and rain in the forecast so I wouldn't be surprised if we have this flow for awhile longer? Where's that crystal ball of mine?
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I wanted a spot that had a presence of steelhead,was easy to fish, safe and would normally have no other anglerspresent. This was their first time fishing the Salmon River.
I put Jeff in a spot where their weren't any trees or bush's on the fair bank that he might accidentally cast into. Wouldn't you know it, he found every tree and bush to cast into, that I didn't even know existed? (I have a few more gray hairs after that trip)
I eventually, humorously, had to give him a"Time Out".
Lot's of steelhead were played with and a few nice ones coming to net. Pictures taken, all fish released foryour future fishing pleasure. Another rewarding day of many.
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Complementary Guide Spinning Rod Tip for Today:
Use athletic tape to stop cold hands on spinning reel - rods. A lil guide trick I use during the Winter time is to wrap athletic tape around the cold metal reel seat on my spinning rods. Some anglers actually take a hand warmer and wrap it under this athletic tape for warmer hands during the Winter's Steelhead fishing.
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Todays Humorous FISH TAILS
(Photo)
John told me a funny story about his wife and a 15 lb. Steelhead in April. It takes place in an area I hadguided them the day before that was loaded with fish and no anglers.Turns out that as John rushed for the net, he ripped a big hole inhis waders and cold water rushed in. When he dove for the fish withthe net, he fell in. When he tried to net the fish for the third time, he smashed his watch to pieces on a rock. Fish was netted, picture wastaken and fish was released. I'm sure Johns wife was very appreciative of his efforts.
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Monster Brown:
At one point during the day Bill said, Hey Randy, come here quick. I see a BIG Brown Trout. I walked over and peered into the crystal clear water and looked at what Bill was excitedly pointing at. Look at the size of that one, Bill commented. I said, Hmmmm, Bill I dont see it. Right there, right off the tip of my rod, dont you see it? It's a monster Brown, could be a new world record! As Bill was pointing at it with his rod I noticed his hands were trembling with the excitement at the possibility of bragging rights to his fishing buddies for years to come if he was able to catch it.

I said, O, now I see it, yes, that is one of the largest Browns I have ever seen! That could be a real nice wall hanger. Bragging rights for years. Boy, wont your fishing buddies be jealous!

Both Chris and I started to snicker becausewhat Bill was pointing at was a very dead and very severely decaying King Salmon just laying happily on the bottom of the pool. We both egged him on and suggested he make a cast for it, but shortly there after we explained to him what he was really seeing. His face turned a little red and we all laughed. Of course we were laughing with him and not at him. How long you been fishing this river Bill? Had your eye's checked lately Bill? - yukyuk
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Countless people havebeen guided by me and most have gone on to live normal lives.
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Be careful out there or YOU couldbe the next "Fish Tale". (The above fish tales were written and told with a smile and in fun)
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This weeks Mail Bag:
Randy, Good morning, just another steelhead enthusiast from New Jersey who enjoys reading your articles. My brothers and I fished the Salmon River last week and between the threeof us we landed 28 Steelhead and proud to say released 28 SteelheadTrout. We consider ourselves avid fishermen with Steelhead fishingbeing our favorite type of fishing. Given your expertise, can you pleasetake a look at the enclosed photos and let me know what you feel thefish may weigh? Thanking you in advance, Robert
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((Pictures were unfortunately not posted herefor all of you to enjoy. No time to photo-edit as the photographer displayed this popular location plainly in photo. Dont want to advertise YOUR favorite spot on here.)) Such a nice guy-guide!
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Hey Rob, Congrat's!! I'd guess both over 12 lb's. That female is a fatty! You know the ol'guide say'n,you lie and Ill swear to it!! Best Fish's, Randy
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Randy, Thanks for the quick reply. We were given something special last weekend. Saturday, I landed 3 and must have had a dozen other hook ups. The difference was Sunday whenI landed 10 and still had another 10 or so hook ups. I can?t putinto words the zone I was in and the euphoria that filled by body.
I?m still trying to put things into perspective. I?m thinking between the warm weather, changing of the barometric pressure and the fact that the Steelhead are still making there way into the river made for an unforgettable weekend. I?ve been fishing the Salmon River for 25 years now and between the Steelhead, Salmon, Pike and Smallmouth, this was by far the absolute best. I?m heading up again this weekend for another go. Take care, Robert
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[Randy Jones]

From the Archives - Drift Fishing w/ Fly or Spin Rods Part 1
Author: Randy Jones
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There are numerous ways to present a fly/bait with a fly/spin rod for steelies. This is one of the more popular methods used in the Great Lakes region. Some well known fishing authors have written about it. My friend Tom Rosenbauer mentions it in his Orvis fly fishing technique book.
Deep nymphing, dead drifting, drift fishing, high sticking,chuck and duck. These are all terms I've heard, used to describethe same method. Anytime you can make it easier for any speciesof fish to feed anywhere in the world you will increase the odds ofhooking up. That's why this presentation technique is so popular, especially during the winter months. It gets your fly/bait/etc.. into the strike zone faster and keep's it there longer than almostany other presentational technique - tool. (Useing floats is anothervery productive method) It works in every condition you will everfind on a river. (High-low water, cold-warm water, any species, clear-offcolor water, fast-slow moving water, close in far out, no room for a backcast, crowded conditions, etc…)
You only want to lightly tap your weight on top of the rocks (3 light ticks is sufficient). Giving your rod tip a slight 1-2 in. twitch when feeling a slight pause, stop or hesitation. Many times the fish do not slam your egg or fly but instead mouth it before spitting it out. This feel's like a pause or hesitation while you are on your drift. In my opinion, it is critical to concentrate on detecting the pause or hesitation that happens when a fish lightly pick's up your bait or fly. Pre-setting the hook immediately before it has a chance to spit it is critical while you are checking to see if it is a rock or fish. Ifyou slightly twitch the tip of the rod (1-2 inch's) on the pause, then you are pre-setting correctly. If it's a rock, you have just gotten over it, and kept your fly/bait on the bottom. If you fully set, then a lot of the time you have moved you weight and fly/bait so far of the bottom, that your drift is over. If its a fish (or snag) then your line will not move and stop which means you should immediately fully set the hook. I pre-set the hook with a twitch, then set, if line remains still. This happens in a blink of an eye.
The first lesson I was ever taught when fishing for steelhead or salmon using this technique is if you pre- set on the pauseor hesitation, and pull up a leaf, then you are detecting the slightpause or hesitation correctly. If you wait every time for your lineto stop before you set, then you are missing fish. I always tell myclients- when in doubt, pre-set the hook, and if the line doesn't move,PLEASE (politely) set it!
Not a day goes by when you can watch other anglers fishing and see there line pause with no reaction by them. Or watch the linestop dead for 3-4 seconds with no reaction. The reaction to the takehas to be immediate or fly/bait can be spit out. Many fish arelost and simply never hooked up because many, many anglers are all waiting for that BIG BANG of Fish On!
A blind man can easily detect the take when the fish slams it, but it's the 10% of anglers that catch 90% of the fish that are concentrating mostly on the pauses and hesitations, in my opinion.
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Here are several ways to help you detect subtle takes. (Pauses and hesitations)
1. Watching the line in the water as it moves down stream on the drift. You will normally always see it, before you feel it.
2. Feeling with your rod hand on cork.
3. Lightly touching your rod hand index finger to line. This will only work proficiently if the line is coming straight off the reel to your first rod guide. If your in the habit of making those lil trout loops (what I call them) after you've cast, then it does not work.
4. Holding the line in your other hand. The line should be held in your fingertips for greatest sensitivity.
5. There are some seasoned Steelhead angler's who don't watch their line in the water on the drift. Instead they look at their rod tip through the entire drift. Letting theslight movement of the tip tell them what is going on underneath the surface.
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Proper Weighting:
I sometimes change my weight 2-3 times without moving from the same spot. I work the water close, then farther out. Weighting is critical to helping you detect the takes. Thekey is to lightly tap the bottom, not dredge the bottom. Too muchweight and detecting subtle takes is impossible. Most anglers useto much weight.
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This technique also works in your local streams and river's for trout during high water conditions. Also in the deeper, faster sections were traditional fly lines will not allow you to get down to the bigger fish.
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Basically, telling the difference between tapping a rock and a subtle take is one of the most difficult skills to acquire, when fishing in this manner. Most anglers are all waiting for the big BANG. Thereby missing 50% of actual takes. If you think about it, doesn't a pause or hesitation always precede a complete stop? When a fish takes and spits your fly, bait it can happen in a split second. By concentrating on your line movement, correct weighting, depth of drift, contact with the bottom, pauses and the hesitations. You will be on your way too becoming a part of the 10% that catch's 90% of the fish.
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Besides all the other pieces of the puzzle we have covered and will cover, hopefully these tips will help you all to be more in tune with your drift fishing.
Happy hook'n,
Randy Jones
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Would you believe my client skipped out on paying me for todays guided trip? The nerve of some people!
I took this photo of him with a nice steelhead, turned around for a second, looked back, and he was gone!
(Photo - Hot chick in a bikini)
Ooooppsss! Wrong picture!
(Photo)
I wonder what hap'n'd to him?
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The above and a hole lot more coming to your virtual fishing computer screen this season, complements of Salmon River NY Guide - Randy Jones, so please stop back
If anyone has comments good or bad, questions or suggestions on future posts or what you want to see on this site, please let me know!
I hope you've enjoyed this weeks update, save me a rock.
(Photo)
Author Randy Jones

[bababooey]

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Would you believe my client skipped out on paying me for todays guided trip? The nerve of some people!
I took this photo of him with a nice steelhead, turned around for a second, looked back, and he was gone!
(Photo - Hot chick in a bikini)
Ooooppsss! Wrong picture!
(Photo)
I wonder what hap'n'd to him?

Hey Randy Jones something must be wrong with my computer I can't see the bikini chick could you please repost it? Thanks!

[Randy Jones]

Sure,
(For all Photo's, Please visit my Profile to Fishing Report link)
or
Just visit here, several nice hot chicks in bikinis w/ some fishing related.
http://www.yankeeangler.com/FishingReport.html