Salmon River, Oswego County, NY, 8/21/26

[rustbeltwilds]

I’m planning to head up to the Salmon mid-November to see if I can get into some steelies. Going in blind - does anyone have any general recommendations, anything from flies (I am partial to streamer fishing) to fly line? I’ve never done this before. I have an 8wt with intermediate sink tip which is what I’ll be bringing along, but I have two empty spools that I could (and should, at some point) rig up with floating line and full sinking line. And is my best bet sticking to the fly only section in order to avoid shoulder to shoulder fishing? I checked DSR for the dates I’ll be up there, looks like all day passes are sold out unfortunately.

U don't need the dsr to get steelhead that time of year..there in all stretches by then all the way to the hatchery....lots of spots. I personally like the upper end of sportsmen. But there's a lot of diff areas..don't overthink the gear end. 7 8 weight rod is fine. Floating line. 8ft leader. Your choice of fly. Sparkle eggs. Work quite well. As do mop flies. And trust me steelhead in winter on the salmon ain't shoulder to shoulder...this isn't salmon snagging season lol. These guys don't venture out for legit fishing on cold conditions lol. Just go enjoy make some friends and ask questions and talk to other anglers. Seems like we as a society have lost communication skills and rely too much on our phones to make our decisions. Good luck

 

[C3Addict]

Exactly what rustbelt said. That time of year fish anywhere, no shoulder to shoulder fishing.
Get a map from any of the tackle shops up there. Ball park, 81 hole, Ellis cove, staircase, all good spots.
My son and I are going up for the last week of October. Guys are already catching steelhead now.
Good luck.

 

[800meters]

Thanks fellas, looking forward to this trip!