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Winter's Great for Fishing Steelhead Trout

Although steelhead trout are always in season, the winter months provide anglers with the best opportunity to catch them in Oswego County’s Salmon River.

Also known as rainbow trout and, more casually, as “chromers,” steelheads may be found in other Lake Ontario tributaries, including Little Salmon River, Oswego River, Genesee River, Black River, Niagara River, Oak Orchard Creek, Sandy Creek and Eighteen Mile Creek, among others.

As with any species, the key to effectively fishing for steelheads is knowing where they’ll be in the greatest numbers.

In November, steelheads follow the salmon migration in the lower and mid-river areas of the Salmon River so they can eat the salmon eggs. By midwinter, the steelheads have migrated to the upper end of the river, near Altmar.

The fish instinctively return here because the Salmon River Hatchery in Altmar is where New York State Department of Environmental Conservation raises and releases steelheads (usually once they are eight to nine inches in length). Steelheads represent just one of scores of species the DEC releases into the wild to bolster fish population and encourage fishing. The hatchery celebrated its 14th anniversary in 2009.

By spring, most of the steelheads have moved to the spawning beds in the river and tributary streams. In late April and May, the steelheads have moved into the big pools in the river for feeding.

Once you know where to go when, you need an effective strategy.

Theron “Skeet” Scoville and his wife, Bonnie, run Skeeter’s Guide Service. A veteran angler, Skeet leads excursions in fly fishing, spin fishing and drift boat trips for salmon, steelhead and brown trout in all Lake Ontario tributaries.

He advises clients to use float rods “because this is the simplest, easiest way to catch steelhead fall, winter and spring.

“The loss of terminal tackle is greatly decreased because of less hang ups and more success.  Using float techniques with egg sacs, beads, and flies greatly increases novice anglers’ chances of success.”

How to Get More Information

To contact Skeeter’s Guide Service, call (315) 298-2657. To contact any Department of Environmental Conservationism hatchery, call 315-298-5051. In most cases, if you are older than 16, you will need a fishing license to enjoy the sport in New York. License fees range from $5 to $78, depending upon an individual’s status and the time length that the license is valid, from a seven-day permit to a lifetime license. For more information, visit http://www.dec.ny.gov/permits/6091.html.

Steelhead

Steelhead trout facts from the Department of Environmental Conservation:

• Size: 8-20” long in Inland waters; 20-34” long in Great Lakes; up to 25 lbs. (Note: some record-holding steelhead have weighed as much as 30 pounds or more.)

• Color: silvery to olive or blue/green above with numerous black spots on head, sides, dorsal fin, adipose fin and tail, but may have pink-red along the side.

• Reproduction: female builds nest on gravelly areas of clear, cold streams

• Diet: small rainbows mainly eat insects. Large rainbows eat fish such as minnows, smelt and alewives.

• Additional comments: Prized sport fish, well-known for its leaping and fighting abilities when hooked. Introduced from the Pacific Coast. Sea-run (or lake-run) variety are called steelhead. Steelhead are present only in Great Lakes, Lake Champlain and their tributaries.