In those bygone times, catches of 10 or more silver bullets a day were routine occurrences for guided anglers. But during the '90s, runs of steelhead declined dramatically for reasons state biologists are not altogether sure of even today.

Stocking reductions, necessary to ease pressure on the lake's forage base, probably had some impact. But it's more likely that recruitment of young steelies fell off as predation on them by king salmon and lake trout increased. In any event, fishing in the Salmon River for steelhead was never as bad as some grumblers claimed, and over the last couple of years, it has definitely gained momentum.

According to a Lake Ontario tributary creel survey conducted by the DEC, Salmon River anglers caught an estimated 20,705 steelhead from early September 2005 through April 2005.

Local guide Randy Jones rates December and April as the best months of the year to fish for Salmon River steelies. April, he notes, gives anglers a crack at actively spawning fish, "drop-backs" that have completed their propagation chores and fresh-run trout that are still en route to their egg-laying spots.

In contrast, December offers up steelies that are either bright as newly minted dimes or just starting to put on their dark winter colors after spending a couple of weeks in deep pools.

At either stage, these pre-New Year's fish feed dependably on drifting salmon eggs and a variety of aquatic nymphs and larvae.

The Salmon River is easily reached by taking Interstate 81 north from Syracuse or south from Watertown to Pulaski off Exit 36. From the highway ramp, turn west to go into the village, or head east on Route 13 toward Pineville and Altmar. Along that highway, you'll see several angler parking areas with maps showing the way to named river pools.

The most consistent December fishing is in Altmar at the Schoolhouse Pool and in the fly-fishing-only section above the Route 48 bridge. All of the pools in the river hold at least a few steelhead at this time of the year.

Contact the Oswego County tourism unit listed above for information about accommodations around Pulaski. For updates on river flows and fishing conditions, it's hard to top the daily hotline report put out by the Douglaston Salmon Run, the pay-to- fish section of the river between Pulaski and Port Ontario. The phone number there is (315) 298-3531. A Douglaston report of fresh-run steelhead on one day signals good fishing upriver the next morning, or the one after that.

BLACK RIVER
Some traveling anglers cross it off their agenda because it flows into the northeast corner of Lake Ontario. But the Black River isn't really as far off the beaten path as a quick glance at the state map might suggest. Located a mere 70 miles north of Syracuse, it flows through the heart of the city of Watertown, just a couple of casts from the state office building that houses the DEC's Region 6 staff.

Several years back, that regional fisheries crew started a trend by imposing a one-steelhead-per-day creel limit on the Black and all other Jefferson County tributaries of Lake Ontario. Today, all of the lake's feeder streams are subject to the one-a-day rule, and as a result of catch-and-release recycling, steelhead catch rates are nudging upward.