Steelhead and Salmon on the Fly

This past weekend I fished the Salmon River in Altmar, NY (west of Pulaski) with my brother Doug and his friend John. We again stayed at the Tinker Tavern Lodge with guide Scott Glazier. Scott is a full time resident of Altmar and year round guide who has been featured in episodes of OTW, so he has the detailed local knowledge to put you on the fish. I really enjoy fishing with him and highly recommend his service. This was my first trip to target big salmon, as Scott had recommended late October as the salmon are still in the upper sections of the river, and a large population of fresh steelies would be working their way up as well. I made the 5 hour drive up Thursday evening, fished on my own Friday, and managing to hook into some salmon and do a bit of exploring. Fish were stacked in several locations. My knowledge of both the area and fishing methods is still pretty basic, so I quickly found myself running out of what the fish were hitting on, and carrying lots of useless gear. Oh well. The next morning we were all on the water at 4:45am to get to our first location. Fishing doesn't begin until dawn. After a short drift we reached our spot. One advantage of drift fishing is getting to spots ahead of walk-ins. We were ready when dawn broke, and so were the fish. Doug and John landed their first salmon, while I lost my first few hookups. Steelhead were mixed in among the spawning salmon, and I ripped my egg out of ones mouth. I cast back and line shout out through my fingers. As I came tight, a big chrome steelhead exploded. I rarely fly fish, and to say I'm a novice is pretty accurate. Now I'm hooked up with the ultimate freshwater target. To say I was pumped to land this fish was an understatement. Over thus course of the day I managed to hook and lose numerous fish, proving the "on and gone" is no myth. I'd definitely have to put my fist steelhead on a fly rod right up there with my first tarpon and marlin.