Captain's Log

Coldsteel Archived Fishing Report

Dates: 04/01/05 TO 04/20/05

Fishing Report 4/20/05

After fishing with us for steelies on the river, Brooks B. from Cape Vincent, NY wanted to give the lakeshore a try. With the Oswego river running high all spring, we have had nice stained water along the nearby shoreline to provide good fishing conditions. The normal suspects(smithwicks,rapalas,thunder-
sticks)have provided the action. Black/silver, black/gold & some orange mixed in have been best. If you have riggers add in a few spoons.
Brooks with one of many nice Browns caught in 6-10 ft of water(left)
Sometimes its hard to keep the smallmouth off when catching spring browns
Despite what some unlucky fisherman have run into, Ontario can be very calm!!

Fishing Report 4/18/05

As of midnight tonight the Salmon river will drop to 285 cfs. With these lower flows and extremely warm & sunny days. Water temps will be rising through the 50's causing most of the dropback steelhead to leave the river. Right now there are steelies spread throughout the river. Anyone wanting to catch a couple better try now!! With these conditions the action may not last much longer.

Salmon river area web links

Waterline-
http://www.h2oline.com/365123.asp

USGS water level Salmon river at Pineville-
http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?04250200

USGS water level Oswego river at lock 7-
http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?04249000

USGS water level N. Sandy creek at Adams-
http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?04250750

I had Capt. Troy from High Adventure working with me today with the Armitage crew from New England. Being crowded on the river we headed for the Oswego harbor area and had a steady pick. The variety so far this spring has been impressive with Browns, Rainbows & Coho's. Smithwicks, Thundersticks & Rapala's have all worked. Black/silver & black/silver/orange belly have been our best colors. Working in 5 to 25 feet of water.
The morning started with this huge brown!!!
Continued with this super fighting Rainbow
And continued with a run of Coho's like this one below.

Mike Schetter from Fishkill, NY with a nice Brown FISHING REPORT 4/16/05 Mike Schetter with a pretty Rainbow

With the water levels on the Salmon river getting very low we headed for the Oswego harbor lakeshore and found quite a variety of fish. Trolling stickbaits from the driftboat in 5 to 20 feet of water produced trout & salmon. Early results are making it look like its going to be a banner lake season. We are already seeing a variety of species & very good size for April. Brown trout & Coho salmon look especially good! CALL Today to lock in a few prime fishing days aboard "Cold Steel" this summer!!!
Mike & Martin from NH with a couple of nice Browns(left)
John & Brenda from PA with a gorgeous Atlantic(bottom left)
And a nice pair of Browns while fishing with Capt. Andy.

Mitch Kline of Binghampton, NY brought his son & father in law along with him for a April 9th float trip on the Salmon river. After a brief frosty morning we had a perfect weather day with light winds, bright sun, and rising temps. We timed our run just right getting between the weekend crowds & having many holes to ourselves. We had a steady pick along the way, all steelies with about a 50% landing percentage.
Water levels are near perfect with good color.

Left:The whole family with a nice hen landed in our first hole.
Bottom Left:Grandfather & grandson with a bigger fish.
Below:Father & Son with a nicely colored male

FISHING REPORT 4/1/05 to 4/8/05

We are going through our normal spring cycle on the salmon river. Fishing died off at the end of March as fished moved into the hatchery & gravel areas to spawn and became more wary and alert as water temps warm. Next we had our spring melt & rains. With less snow than norm, heavy rains only swelled the river to 3200 cfs. Very high but we've seen higher!! Each day the levels have receded, going to a perfect 750cfs at midnight of 4/8
The hatchery has completed their egg take and now allot of hungry aggresive steelies will be making their way back to the lake over the next few weeks.
Brooks Bragdon of Cape Vincent NY with a nice steelie.

A combination of plug & egg sac fishing provided action during the high water period. Although it can be tough from shore. With the driftboat you can still find some nice holding & spawning areas to catch the "big one" under very high water conditions. Look for sufficient breaks in the current near river bends, points, & Island areas. Smaller diversions can also hold fish looking to spawn or avoid strong currents.

Brooks landed this nice fish after a great big water fight!

Be prepared!! These anglers making their first trip to the area didn't have the proper gear during a rain/snow/windswept first morning. Luckily with very light traffic on the river, we were able to take a break, dry off and re-gear. Which led to a much more comfortable and succesful trip. Nowadays there are many economical choices of gear that will keep you warm & dry on the water.

John De St. Croix of Rockland, MA with a beautiful male steelhead

Father Rod Gilpatrick tries to show the boys how its done, capturing this hen while fishing friend Brad looks on.

Now that my 1st mate on the lake Capt. Andy Bliss has been running allot of his own river trips(Chasin Tail Adventures) we will be using mine as well as his reports to keep you updated. This works well since I fish the Salmon river more and he fishes the Oswego river more. Also works well because as a bachelor(hope his girlfriend doesn't read this!) he fishes at times when I am tied up with family or other business matters.

Kevin and Travis from PA with a big male steelie from the Oswego river. A combo of egg sacs under floats, traditional drift fishing(bottom bouncing) and plugs have all produced fish. Colors have varied under very changeable March conditions.

After making a trip to the tackle shop for better all weather gear. A warmer, drier & happier angler displays a nice hen steelie in full spwning colors. This fish hit a Luhr Jensen Hot shot trolled on a near shore seam under very high water conditions. Bill Carpenter from Marshfield, MA with a nice hen Steelie Notice the gear change from pic 1 to pic 2!!
	As we head into the April 9-10 weekend, fishing seems ready to break wide open. Water levels are dropping to perfect medium conditions, water temps are on the rise and the river should have good #'s of spawning and post spawn fish available to cast at. The Gilpatrick boys from Cornish Maine with a pretty steelie

Todd & Roger landed this nice Oswego hen with Chasin Tail Ad. after a great fight.

Andy and I took a road trip because none of you guys wanted to fish! We started near the west end of the lake and worked our way back. We found 1/2 the area streams fishable and the other 1/2 still locked up with ice. Fish were present in most spots but scattered around, not concentrated. Looks like warmer temps and rain towards the end of the week so things should really start to break open. The Salmon river is running low. Latest report is 285cfs until Friday,18th at midnight. Other smaller streams are ready to rise & break open with the next thaw.

Andy landed this nice hen using a float & pink sac on a nice stream we had all to ourselves.

Between Andy & I we still have some prime days left open this spring. Not to mention some great spring Brown trout dates on the lake. Give us a call, before its to late. Tom

315-298-2500 home
315-391-8079 water

The Salmon river is starting 05', like it ended 04'. With good flows, warmer than normal temps, and decent Steelhead fishing. Obviously we are going to get some bitter cold days, but for anglers that follow the weather and plan their trips accordingly, they will see some good action! Fluctuating flows have moved alot of fish into the upper river (schoolhouse pool etc.)as well as spreading fresh fish throughout the river.

One of the Bulow brothers with a nice Male Steelhead, which fell victim to a pink egg sac.

bulow10.jpg (48440 bytes)

Fisherman have been able to take fish on an assortment of eggs, flies and plugs. Anglers should be aware though, this is not fall or spring fishing. Just because you have made 20 minutes of good drifts through a hole with no hits, does not mean there are no fish. With water temps in the low 30's, fish will turn on & off through the day. Fisherman must work on their best presentations, as well as their patience.

Jeff Klein from NJ with this gorgeous Salmon river Steelhead. With waters running high Jeff had an awesome 20 minute fight!! If your looking for a big fight, Call us today ~315-298-2500~