Do salmon run out of LO into the St. Lawrence?

[PaulADK 100]

I have always wondered if any salmon run down the St. Lawrence. If I remember my geography, they can't run upstream because of the falls. What if anything keeps them from working their way downstream?

[rustyrat]

Are you talking about sea run atlantics? If you are, there are a few rivers on the north side that still get runs but they don't come down to LO. I also know of a small river off the St larry that gets a few kings from the lake.

RR

[PaulADK 100]

Specifically, I was wondering if the Pacific Salmon ever work their way down the St. Lawrence far enough to eventually get into the Atlantic - if not, what keeps them from doing so? I know they run hundreds of miles up rivers to spawn in Alaska and Northern Canada.

[Big Dave]

A friend caught a coho casting for pike in the 1000 islands a couple of years ago. Had quite a time with it with the reel he was using

[ray koziatek]

Sounds like a good airboarding project then well know!!

[Fishtails]

Specifically, I was wondering if the Pacific Salmon ever work their way down the St. Lawrence far enough to eventually get into the Atlantic - if not, what keeps them from doing so?

Chinook do not run the St. Lawrence. Partly because they are not stocked in any of the tribs. Pheromones in the water guide salmon, allowing them to find their birth streams.

As far as younger kings entering the St Lawrence In the summer months, I'd guess water temp. plays a big role in that not happening. The river has no thermocline, so during the summer months the water temp would be to warm for a Chinook. I'm no biologist....so that's just my guess but I certainly have spent many days fishing on the St Lawrence river.

[fishnutz]

I spent 6 yrs up in st lawrence county went to school at canton and potsdam... Father lives in Massena. The oswa can't spell it river gets catchable numbers okf kings. They get in the tale outs of the powehouse in ogdensburgh. Also caught kings in the raquett river in massena. That's a long way from lake o. Some I caught prob went a lot father.

[LongLine]

It's logical that some may go that way if you figure that young fish swim down stream following the current. There is quite a CCW current that end of the lake & up thru the St Lawrence. Our Kings are desendents of the west coast fish which are know to swim 1000's of miles in their lifetimes. On the other hand, the depths of Big-O are colder than the St. Lawrence.

I'd imagine the big thing keeping them in Big-O is the food supply. (something about "don't leave food to find food")

Tom B.

(LongLine)

[rustyrat]

Yep, I've seen them in Massena. I know the now retired DEC officer up there and he told me about them and showed me. So yes they do run down the SL to an extent.

RR

[Fishtails]

I had a cottage on The St. Lawrence for 8 years and never heard that one. Wish I would have, I'd like to have checked it out.

I was told by a neighbor that several years before I lived there a lake trout showed up in our cove and was swimming around the docks....that doesn't make sense either cause our cove was 4ft deep and very warm, especially by lake trout standards. We were also 40 miles down stream from the lake.....go figure????? The more I learn, the less I seem to know