Another BIG'OL King Salmon caught on the Salmon River NY. These fish are BIG and hard to hold up for a picture! Ye-Haa!! Fish on, Baby!!

What encourages the fish to decide to enter the river? - Clues on how to forecast or possibly predict your best fishing in the lower end.

-

Mother Natures Signature Clues:

Wind direction - Very Strong Wind out of the West - This can push the water in and make it a lil deeper, causing the fish to feel more comfortable and enter the River.

Lake turning over

Low light, morning and evening's and stormy weather (cloudy, rainy, a very very small or nonexistent moon over night and early morning)

Higher water levels - natural rain and snow run-off. If natural run off causes the river to just rise 50-100 cfs, that might be all that it would take.

-

Man made Incentives to Enter and Run:

Those "Dam People" (yukyuk) releasing more water. Dam water releases normally coinciding with Mother Nature or following her.

-

Fish's Biological Clock - tick tick

As the days grow short'r, it helps!

Bottom Line - They will run when they are darn good and ready

-

Example - (FYI - sometimes none of the above-below happens and just like this August, we had some fish enter the river and run it)

waterdata.usgs.gov/ny/nwis/uv/?site_no=04250200

410 cfs at "live" Pineville before the rain to 470 cfs "live" Pineville after the rain. Thats a 60 cfs rise in the water level at Pineville caused by run-off.

Then, figure more water entering the river further down thru run-off and Trout Brook, which would bring the water level up even more. Probably over 100 cfs.

Then figure this into the equation - West wind around 20 mph.

Soooo, combine the wind direction and higher water flow and suzzam!!! major run or good run entering the lower end.

Now, stick with me...... lets also add into the above the fishes biological clock that is ticking daily, suggesting that they make there run into and up the river.

Next step is "low light". there are 2 low light periods everyday. Now add in an overcast, drizzly, rainy day and sometimes they will run all day.

-

If you get a combination of a couple, few or all of the above, usually (not always) it will mean a nice fresh run entering the lower end. Sometimes you roll the dice in the lower end and its just like a "Box of Chocolates".

I sincerely hope this helps you a lil more in understanding what encourages them to "first" enter the river and help you to catch a BUNCH of fish!!.

-

-

There's no Nookie like Chinookie

Done