Photo by Dick Swan

By J. Michael Kelly

Compared to steelheaders, ice-fishermen are sissies. Think about it. Dedicated hardwater specialists do their thing during the coldest weeks and months of the year, but they take shelter in tents or space-heated huts, warming their fingers and toes between bites with insulated mittens and boots.

Steelhead fanatics, on the other hand, wade up to their waists in frigid, slush-filled currents, balancing precariously on algae-slick boulders as they work their way through promising pools. To facilitate knot tying, they wear fingerless gloves, or no gloves at all, and invariably soak their fingers to red-tipped numbness within minutes after the day's first cast.

Ice-anglers pride themselves on their ability to catch buckets full of perch, crappies or bluegills, while most steelheaders would be thrilled to stringer one fish a day - and most turn that one trout loose after a hard-fought battle on hook and line.

In fact, one steelie per day has been the legal creel limit on New York's Lake Ontario tributaries since Oct. 1. Previously, the one-steelhead rule applied only to feeder streams in Jefferson County, while anglers in other counties bordering the big lake were allowed to creel up to three steelhead per day.

"Going to one fish per day will spread the resource among more anglers," said Dan Bishop, the Department of Environmental Conservation's Region 7 fisheries manager.

Bishop said the change was adopted after state officials surveyed steelhead anglers on the subject. Approximately three-fourths of respondents wanted either a one-fish limit or no-kill rules for Ontario tributaries.

The new regulation does not apply to streams flowing into Lake Erie, or to the rainbow trout spawning streams that feed the Finger Lakes. In those waters, the limit remains at three trout or salmon per day.

Steelheaders blessed with deep reservoirs of patience and multiple layers of warm clothing should have good fishing this month on many of the following New York waters.

Born as a tiny brook trout stream in the Tug Hill Plateau region, the Black is deep and wide enough to accommodate a flotilla of trolling vessels by the time it empties into Lake Ontario west of Dexter. From the river mouth, steelhead can swim through a fish ladder at the Dexter dam and continue upstream for about seven miles to the impassable Glen Park Dam in the city of Watertown. About 75,000 juvenile steelhead are stocked annually in the Black River or nearby waters of Lake Ontario.

The dam in Watertown is at the head of a long, deep pool that can hold good numbers of steelhead at times. However, many anglers like the choppy water at the Van Duzee Street public access. Another fishy spot, particularly during run-off periods, is the pool below the Dexter fish ladder.

DEC Region 6 biologists, who can be reached at the agency's Watertown office by calling (315) 785-2261, say steelhead of 5 to 8 pounds are the norm in the Black River, although much larger specimens are sometimes landed.

When fishing the Black River, be mindful that wading opportunities are extremely limited due to swift currents and a slippery bottom. Because the river is used for hydroelectric power generation, it may also be subject to unexpected flow increases. While the rising water can limit angler mobility, it also keeps the lower river free of ice floes most of the time.

The 1000 Islands International Tourism Council, at (800) 847-5263, can point visitors toward motels or other accommodations in Jefferson County.

Bishop said fishermen caught an estimated 1,960 steelhead in the river between Columbus Day and the last weekend of November, or about one per 19 hours of angling effort. That's actually pretty good fishing! Surveys started in 1997 show that fall catch rates on the river have ranged from a high of one steelie every 17 hours to just one per 29 hours of fishing time. Surprisingly, the survey usually ends just as the fishing is starting to heat up, which would certainly reduce those hours-per-fish estimates.

Most local experts agree that prime time for steelhead action on the Salmon River is between Thanksgiving and Christmas. That's when the big rainbows that have migrated up-river on the heels of the Pacific salmon run start to settle down for the winter in the river's deep pools.

Because the Salmon River is used to generate hydroelectric power, it has good flows of water all winter and does not freeze over except during periods of extremely cold temperatures. Last winter was colder than usual, yet even on the worst days anglers could find ample open water.

The river winds west through central Oswego County and is bordered most of the way by Route 13. From the village of Altmar downstream through Pulaski to the river's mouth at Port Ontario, there are about 12 miles of public fishing access along both banks. Within that area, many of the larger pools are clearly identified with roadside signs and are connected to paved parking areas via well-trod paths.

In December, some of the more productive spots include the long flat below the Pineville bridge, the Trestle Hole (downstream from the village of Altmar off Route 13), the Schoolhouse Hole in Altmar, and the lower fly-fishing-only area, which is immediately upstream from the Route 48 bridge in Altmar.

Also worth fishing is the controversial Douglaston Run, the pay-to-fish stretch off Lake Street in Pulaski. Expect to pay about $20 per day at Douglaston.

Maps of the river are available in most tackle shops in Pulaski and Altmar. The DEC's Region 7 fishing hotline, (607) 753-1551, usually includes a current report on Salmon River action.

For brochures on lodging, guide service and other amenities in the vicinity of the river, call the Oswego County tourism office at (315) 349-8322.

The bulk of the catch was made by drift boat anglers, who were able to skim over the raging currents to reach trout holding in mid-river. There were many days during December and January when the river was simply too deep and swift to be fished from the bank. That was a shame, for in a typical year, the lower Oswego is a friendly, accessible place for neophyte steelheaders.

About a mile of the Oswego, from the river mouth upstream to the impassable Varick hydroelectric dam, is available to spawning salmon and trout from Lake Ontario. Most of that water can be fished, at least on the west bank, from the city of Oswego's Linear Park. The park sidewalk is separated from the river by a wrought-iron fence, which serves as a safety barrier and a convenient rod rest. Below the sidewalk, it's about a 6-foot drop to the water, and anglers who arrive at the river without an extra-long net will be looking around for better-equipped friends when they tie into a big one.

On average, about 20,000 yearling steelhead are stocked in the Oswego annually. In the last few years, returns of adults have increased as a result of a stocking program run on a cooperative basis between the Region 7 DEC office and Lake Ontario charter captains. Instead of taking yearling steelies from the Altmar hatchery directly to the river, the little ones are held for about two weeks in net pens in Oswego harbor. The practice acclimates the fish to their natural surroundings and increases the odds that they'll survive and return to the river to spawn as adults.

The steelhead section of the Oswego River flows through the city of the same name, which is north of Syracuse via routes 481 and 57. Turn left on Route 104, which crosses the river. One particularly good shore- fishing spot is behind the post office on Route 48, which parallels the west bank.

The DEC's Region 7 office in Cortland regularly includes Oswego River information on its weekly fishing hotline at (607) 753-1551. For a roster of motels or a list of area fishing guides, contact the Oswego County tourism office at the number listed above.