Salmon River Fish Counts?

[ReelPower]

I have not found an on-line source for 2014 return numbers on the Salmon River. I am very curious given the summer King fishery. Anyone up there have some local info? It's difficult to gauge from Cleveland.

Thanks!

[Tim Bromund]

From what I hear, pretty dismal.

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[DaveF]

I don't know, but I was at the hatchery yesterday, and the raceways were loaded with fish.

[King Davy]

Yes was there this weekend, walked the property, holding ponds loaded past capacity, so much so the fish are pushing each other back out. Beaver Dam brook is also full of spawning fish. On Sat with some cool weather and good rain, well over a 1000 fish pushed up through the DSR.

 

Stopped at the Genny yesterday.....lots of fish and fishermen in the upper river, lots of fish being dragged out.

 

The observation of the River Stewards working the river is that the fish seem to be holding only in the deeper spots of the river and especially the esturary. Clearly the fish have been moving up river with 1000's at the hatchery ...most likely under the cover of darkness. I get a kick out of the reports on some of the tribs sites...about poor fishing...."only hooked 15 today very slow fishing....HUH?

[justtracytrolling]

Only hooked 15! They should try walleye fishing if thats slow!!!!!!!!!!!

[Tim Bromund]

Well, when you're used to dragging 45 a day in sideways...

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[Gill-T]

Yes was there this weekend, walked the property, holding ponds loaded past capacity, so much so the fish are pushing each other back out. Beaver Dam brook is also full of spawning fish. On Sat with some cool weather and good rain, well over a 1000 fish pushed up through the DSR.

 

 

 

THANK GOD!

[Steelman]

Most all those salmon in the hatchery had to all come in friday night and into saturday.  I gave a tour friday and only one holding tank had salmon in it and it wasnt stuffed and the gate was locked on it, all the other tanks were completely void of fish.  Few fish in the brook and a few in the ladder but nothing to write home about.  The group I took spent a good half hour to get a picture of a salmon jumping the upper ladder gate.  The lower ladders maybe had a dozen salmon total in them. 

[ReelPower]

Well that's good news for the stocking program...is the hatchery count a good indicator of the total return numbers? Seems like you could fill a room but not the building if my metaphor isn''t in left field at this hour.

[GAMBLER]

I would be willing to bet the fish in the holding ponds are mostly stockers and not wild fish. 

[King Davy]

I was there Sat evening.....when the ladder gets full..they open up the gates and have holding ponds to give the fish more room, and not keep ramming each other to death. Two holding ponds were chalked full of fish...ladder was full of fish, and Beaver dam brook had lots of fish. DSR had a big run.....according to some guides that fished it Sat. they felt that up to 4,000 fish ran that day.....With the gauntlet of anglers all the way to the hatchery...those fish will stop and start several times.

 

DEC with the number of fish that are sitting waiting to be spawned doesn't seem concerned they won't get their target of eggs. Talked to some anglers yesterday that said another big slug of fish is resting in the esturary ...and some guides who are fishing the mouth all night said there apperars to be plenty of fish out front in the lake. Two weeks ago fishing the Genny three different days, I had salmon boiling and rolling for four hours each day going past me. Seemed to me the slug of fish moving up there was the usual number of suspects.

 

We all have opinions on where are they?, or ARE they even alive. Are we missing year classes etc.

 

Just got back from LI sound, Linds and I fly fishing for False Albacore tuna off a boat. We were there last year same time...from Cape Cod to Montauk....not a single Tuna..not one. Everybody scratching their heads...did they all perish? where did they go....this is the time they show up every year...., I mean we are talking about a huge piece of water that has had these fish migrate in for the past 20 years like clock work.

 

Last Thursday....for six straight hours we were into Blitzing fish...birds diving bait and fish poking their heads up  everywhere. Put several over the side, till we couldn't lift our arms anymore. Fish like it or not are on their own time line.  Most years it works out...but when 10 million fish didn't show up last year...while the guides were hurting, they didn't panic....they've seen this before....maybe only once or twice in the past 20 years...but they knew this kind of thing can happen. This year from the Cape to Montauk Point  they are all busy taking fishermen out....nothing they could do to control these fish showing up when they needed them there. 

[RUNNIN REBEL]

I am glad to here the numbers of kings showing up in time for egg collections starting next week, I would have loved to still see the 500,000 K  eggs we are expecting from Canadien eggs this year as a contingency plan.

Edited October 7, 2014 by RUNNIN REBEL

[King Davy]

It looks like they are going to be all right. What really needs to happen is the water to cool down so they can get started. Water was still 61 degrees yesterday.

[Tim Bromund]

I would be willing to bet the fish in the holding ponds are mostly stockers and not wild fish. 

Brian,

 

They traditionally get very few to any wild fish returning to the hatchery, they are imprinted on other parts of the system instead of beaverdam brook.

[edwardvh1]

I was at hatchery on Monday around noon. I saw about 19 raceways off the lift and 2 were full of salmon. There were fish coming in off the ladder. I don't know how good or bad that is.

[UPSTATE]

I talked with 6 different gentlemen all who said DSR was dead last Saturday. I don't know, I wasn't there. None of them hooked a fish and all said that was the norm. Interesting how the reports vary.

 

Oh course there are a lot of fish in the river, but I have not heard of, or seen, the big pods that cause the action people are more accustomed to. (yet)

[TyeeTanic]

I am glad to here the numbers of kings showing up in time for egg collections starting next week, I would have loved to still see the 500,000 K  eggs we are expecting from Canadien eggs this year as a contingency plan.

 

From what I hear they are still sending 500,000 eggs your way.  Did you hear differently?

[Steelman]

I talked with 6 different gentlemen all who said DSR was dead last Saturday. I don't know, I wasn't there. None of them hooked a fish and all said that was the norm. Interesting how the reports vary.

 

Oh course there are a lot of fish in the river, but I have not heard of, or seen, the big pods that cause the action people are more accustomed to. (yet)

This baffles me as well.  I live right here on the river, have my whole life and see these divers reports every year.  Some of it I would say is they just hit a hole at the right time, found a deep hole holding fish while other areas of the river is void of them.  Its just the way it is, a group of fish run the river together and your in them or not, until later in the season there is run after run and river is great fishing from one end to the other.  Then there are the people who rely on the salmon run for there annual income, I would not be saying the fishing sucks if I was in there shoes. With the number of fish that were at the hatchery this past weekend is quite pathetic for this time of the year, Friday one holding tank had salmon in it, Saturday it was said two were full to capacity and then the monday report on here saying only two were full still is small potatoes, and to my knowledge they have not processed a single salmon up to that point.  Friday there was one employee on the grounds that we seen, I wanted to ask if they had a percentage idea on how many of the fish they had in holding were steelhead as well.  There has been quite a few caught already and today as I understand it the Brown Trout are doing fairly well right now too.   

[ray koziatek]

the 7th was worst i have seen it 35 years of fishing there for the first week of oct. 99% male kings all in the 7 to 15 lb range...no cohos I never even hooked up but it was a pretty day to relax with old friends... I was at Sam's Club yesterday..for the money I spent on gas i could buy 4 beautiful fillets ocean raised fish from norway

[Gill-T]

The ELOTSA meeting at the hatchery on the 15th should be interesting.

[edwardvh1]

I guess its not really how many fish return but the number of eggs and milt needed to achieve this years magic number of smolts. If it was really bad you would think the word would  go out to bring fish to the hatchery?

Edited October 9, 2014 by edwardvh1

[King Davy]

Well and that's the key. Edwardvh1. The salmon river has seen years they probably have had 50K salmon enter the river, both wild and stocked adults, and they are all through the river course. Typically they can get their eggs and milt from a few hundred fish. Of course you always want to have extras, for any eye up issues. But they don't spawn 1000's of fish to get 3 Million eggs.

 

From my friends who work at the hatchery, they seem to have enough fish on the property to achieve that egg take. But you never know for sure until you start the process. We heard the other night in the DEC/Stakeholders meeting DEC is working to procure 500K eggs from the Credit River egg take.

 

This appears to be an off year....but I remember years where we had fresh salmon running right up till Christmas. The fish....and Mother Nature are holding the cards,......and actually they always do.

[floatfisher]

 

The fish....and Mother Nature are holding the cards,......and actually they always do.

 

 

Well said!

[baitrigger]

No wonder the state doesnt care about the lifting of salmon. It doesnt really matter in the big picture. Give the dec guys some credit, this is a world class fishery. Even in this down year, its not goin anywhere. Pick up your litter and if your over 21 years old figure out how to drift sacks.

[GAMBLER]

No wonder the state doesnt care about the lifting of salmon. It doesnt really matter in the big picture. Give the dec guys some credit, this is a world class fishery. Even in this down year, its not goin anywhere. Pick up your litter and if your over 21 years old figure out how to drift sacks.

Seeing that it is one of a handful of salmon fisheries in this country they should care a lot more. Salmon fishing on the west coast is hurting big time. Some areas, king fishing was shut down due to bad numbers. In the future, the Great Lakes salmon fishery might become the best in North America. It might be time to give the fishery a little TLC.