Salmon River Fishing Reports - April 2-8 2023

I apologize for the delay in this week's fishing report! It is a busy time of year with dropback Steelhead fishing on the Salmon River and getting the charter boat ready for Spring Brown Trout fishing on Lake Ontario.

Flow Update:

The river had been flowing at 750CFS for a few days with some excellent fishing occurring before Brookfield bumped the water out of the dam to 1500CFS. The fishing on Saturday was very tough with most anglers managing only a few fish at best. Yesterday, the fishing improved as the fish started to adjust to the flows. As we go on through the week, I would anticipate the flow remaining rather high as there is a good amount of rain in the forecast.

USGS Gauge - Pineville Bridge

Weather Update:

The weather for this upcoming week looks rather wet. The three-day rainfall total from Tuesday to Thursday is showing roughly 1.5" of rain, with Wednesday being the super-soaker. On the bright side, temperatures will be in the 50s and 60s for most of the week with a few colder days here and there in the forecast. After Thursday it looks like we will have a good patch of weather without rain. It is shaping up to be a good year for dropback fishing on the Salmon River.

Fishing Update:

During the 750CFS flow, the fishing was very good with a good number of fish ending up in the net each trip out. Saturday, after the water got bumped to 1500CFS, it was very tough with most anglers struggling to get a fish to hand. Sunday was much better with most anglers finding a few fish in the upper stretch of the river. This week is going to be a roll of the dice with the weather and water flow. If the flow remains at 1500CFS the fishing should be consistent with 12mm and 14mm beads doing most of the damage under floats. Pink worms fished under a float are also a good bet in the higher flows. Plug fishing is starting to pick up and is adding great excitement to our drift boat trips. When fishing from the bank in these flows, please exercise extreme caution and fish the slower edges and current seams along the banks. Steelhead this time of year will be focusing on finding those softer current seams.

Salmon River Steelhead - Caught on a Plug

As always, be safe, have fun, and make sure to follow the DEC regulations for the Salmon River. With the river fishing good from top to bottom, make sure to give other anglers adequate space! If you want to get out on a drift boat trip with us, click here to book! Capt Andy