Dam coming down

Dear Mike,

I recall reading years ago that the fish commonly referred to as Susquehanna Salmon were actually walleye that were moving to spawn. I do know that walleye will move a long way in a river to find suitable spawning areas. When I lived in Broome County NY an angler caught a walleye in early May that was tagged in PA the previous Fall. The fish was originally tagged near Berwick, and it was caught in Johnson City NY. That's about 75 miles miles!

Regards,

Tim Murphy 🙂
Correct! The neighbor who always took me fishing in the Conowingo pool of the Susquehanna when I was a kid and teen referred the walleye as Susquehanna salmon or just salmon. There was even a lure sold in tackle shops in Berks and/or Lancaster Co that hung on one of those display cardboard cards that advertised itself as being for salmon, but the image drawn on the display card was clearly a walleye.
 
Salmon are not native to, nor are they stocked or established in, the Beaverkill River. The Beaverkill River in New York's Catskill Mountains is world-famous strictly as a trout fishery and is widely celebrated as the birthplace of American fly fishing.

If you are looking for salmon in this general region, or if you heard a rumor about salmon on the Beaverkill, the context below clarifies what you might actually be looking for.

Potential Mix-Ups & Nearby Salmon Options
    • The Neversink River Exception: If you heard about catching salmon in the Catskills, it is likely a reference to the nearby Neversink Reservoir and the Neversink River directly above it. The New York DEC stocks landlocked Atlantic Salmon there, and they run up the river during the autumn spawning season. Because landlocked salmon look incredibly similar to brown trout, anglers sometimes confuse the two species
  • The NY Salmon River: New York's most famous salmon fishery is the Salmon River in Pulaski, NY (near Lake Ontario). This river features massive annual runs of Chinook, Coho, and Atlantic salmon. It features a tributary named Beaverdam Brook, which is frequently confused with the Beaverkill River by traveling anglers.
per the google
Tom, the salmon were documented at least once in the Beaverkill. One sighting was at Cook Falls probably a 100 years ago. These are strays documented in Ed Van Putts book the The Beaverkill and / or Trout Fishing in the Catskills. Of course there no no Atlantic in the Beaverkill today.
 
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