Category: Fishing

Fall/Fishing/hunting

Browns Campground-Altmar, NY

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Browns Campground

This past weekend, the Chronicles crew ventured west to Pulaski, NY eager to get a fat Chinnok on the line on the Oswego and Salmon river. Fishing was tough, we only hooked up a few times and were not able to cross the deep parts of the Oswego river to our hot spot by the dam. The water levels were high and extremely dangerous. The salmon river was chalk full of people, but we were able to land a few fresh Chinook salmon.

The Green Lake Chronicles Crew has been making this annual trip since October 2010. We pitch our tents at Brown’s Campground located in Altmar, NY right off route 13. Browns campground is owned by Sonja Brown and operated by Pete and Monica Garner. Monica is Sonja’s daughter and has grown up watching thousands of fishermen/women enjoy the Salmon river bounty. We always arrive late, find a vacant tent site and set up shop. Even at 2AM, the campground is full of excited fishermen/women prepping their equipment for the morning outing. The scenery is amazing, located nearly on the Salmon river and the stars are as bright as LED light-bulbs. The owners are extremely welcoming and unbelievably gracious. They have a main office with a tackle shop, RV electric hook up, salmon cleaning station and bathhouse (showers and toilets included). Pricing is extremely reasonable, being dependent on length of stay, amount of people in your party and choice of camper unit or tent.  What differentiates this campground from it’s competitors, is the private access to the nostalgic salmon river and the hospitable staff. Hands down some of the best people I have ever met. Campers are able to walk a short distance from their tent/camper to the lush salmon fishing grounds with their private access point. Browns also offers a fish smoking service with immediate turnaround. Catch your fish one night, surrender it to the “fillet master,” and come back the next day within 24 hours to collect a tasty smoked salmon treat.

Northern zone archery kill
Northern zone archery kill

Not only is the fishing fantastic at Browns, but there is a slew of public hunting land available nearby to chase whitetails. One of the best trips to date was October 2010. We slammed the salmon in Oswego and on the salmon river access point at Browns Campground and I shot a nice 7pt buck with my Mathews. Cast and blast can be a fun weekend for those who are looking to break up their Salmon fishing itinerary.

I plan on making a trip to Browns every year and will eventually bring my future kids along for the adventure. Monica and Pete and great people and will give you a warm welcome every time. Many of their campers are regulars dating back 20+ years. If you plan on making a trip to Salmon country, I strongly urge you check out Browns. For booking information, please contact Monica at brownscampground12@yahoo.com. If you have any questions, please contact me at greenlakechronicles@gmail.com. Thanks for reading!

Michael

After a long day of salmon fishing, I relax in the shade under my truck
After a long day of salmon fishing, I relax in the shade under my truck
Central New York/Fall/Fishing

Salmon River Madness

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Chronicles crew with a nice keeper chinook
Some of the Chronicles crew with a nice keeper Chinook Salmon

It’s that time of the year again! This weekend, we Boston boys will be making our annual trip to Pulaski, NY to butt shoulders with other fisherman on the overcrowded Salmon and Oswego River. Sounds fantastic right? The stress of potentially not securing your spot and fighting with a massive local “Oswegonian” is well worth it when your line gets tight and the drag starts screaming! A few of us went to college at SUNY Oswego and started fishing for these freak fish over eight years ago. Now that we have “respectable” jobs and more responsibility, we look forward to this annual trip to escape  and continue our pursuits of these monster salmon and cold Labatt Blue.

Early Steelie caught by Mr. Jones on blue egg sac
Early Steelie caught by Davey Jones on a blue egg sac

I am going to give you the most important piece of advice to help you land a salmon this fall.  Do not get too drunk the night before you fish. GET TO THE WATER VERY EARLY to secure a spot and do not leave until you are exhausted. The river will start filling up with fishermen between 6:45-7:15AM. If you safely get into position a solid hour before the others, there shouldn’t be an issue with crowds until 7:30AM. The rivers can get packed with people, but it is well worth it. The past few years, we have been having more success with hooking up and landing steelhead and bows. Salmon hook ups are frequent, but they run so hard and often come off the line.

I am not an expert at catching these things, but have had some good success following the factors listed below:

Water depth and flow – The higher the water level the better, the faster the water, the more oxygen, get the drift? There is a sweet spot with flow/depth. I like fishing the Oswego River when it’s between 4,500-6,000cfs. This river can be dangerous as hell if it get’s higher, but I have always had success during this flow.

Preliminary salmon runs – Location is key! Salmon can randomly begin their cycle depending on environmental factors such as water depth, flow and temperature. Typically the best runs start Columbus day weekend and end early November, but you never know when a major push will happen. Stay updated on local blogs and fishing reports and plan to have flexibility in setting the date for your trip.

Weather – The salmon run can greatly be affected by the weather patterns, a drop in temperature can result in a preliminary or unexpected run, as listed above. Cold nights and cooler daytime temperatures will help move the fish up river. You can never really predict the weather, but try and fish when it is getting a little colder.

“Stay Sensitive”- If you plan on using a spinning outfit, make sure you have the right line to feel your sinker kiss the bottom of the river while your leader sways into a fishes mouth. This ticking is important, because your hook (which should be on a leader, three feet behind weight) will hopefully pass through lines of fish. Salmon will rarely eat or go after your hook, so “lining” them is the best way to get success. Having minimal stretch line with narrow diameter will help you feel the tick and have more hook sets.

If you see someone attempting to snag the fish, rat their ass out to the DEC. Snagging is horrible for the fish and not real fishing. Thanks for reading and if you have any questions, please contact me at greenlakechronicles@gmail.com. Be sure to check out our Facebook and Instagram pages.

Michael

Salmon River map

Fat king caught on a homemade estaz fly
Fat king caught on a homemade estaz fly
Altmar, NY foliage
Altmar, NY foliage
Stud Washington Steelhead
Stud Washington Steelhead
Nice Bow
Nice Bow
Early morning steelie on the Oswego river
Early morning steelie on the Oswego river
Central New York/Fall/Fishing

Oneida Lake Fall Walleye Blitz

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My Cuse buddies with a nice set of Fat eyes
My Cuse buddies with a nice set of Fat eyes

I moved out of Syracuse, NY a little over three years ago and one of the things I miss most (other than dirt cheap rent) is the Fall Walleye Fishing on Oneida Lake. Walleye fishing becomes one of the hottest attractions of the fall, fish start becoming aggressive in their feeding routines, chasing bait into the shallower waters and circling the lake with a nightly feeding “schedule.”

What sets this time of year apart from the springtime walleye fishing, is the lure selection. In the spring we strictly utilized a 3/8” oz jig dipped with a juicy nightcrawler tail, jigging it on the bottom around 15 feet. As the temperature increases, the fish would head towards deeper waters, thus requiring a heavier jig. With fall the water temperature dropping,  large schools of walleye gravitate back towards the shallows, consistently circling the lake for balls of baitfish. With the fish coming shallower and following a more aggressive feeding pattern, stick baits would be our main lure choice. We’ve had great success with the Rapala X-Rap. This lure is a “slash” bait that suspends in the water and produces a radical motion. The reason I love this bait so much is that it is designed for the shallower water and the color patterns offered are extremely realistic. The X-Rap gives you that edge in weed “evadement” and also allows you to cast a significant distance with its long cast technology.  In my opinion, this is hands down the top bait to use in the fall. Just cast it out there and hook up.

Rapala X-Rap
Rapala X-Rap

The best time to fish in the fall is dependent on a few environmental factors:

  • Water temperature: colder temperatures allow fish to swim into the shallows feeding  on baitfish.
  • Wind direction and speed: generally you want to fish into the wind or in a cove where the wind is pushing waves to shore. This will push the bait closer and in turn schools of walleye will aggressively follow.
  • Time of day: preferably in the evening within an hour of sunset. You can start fishing in October and end Mid-November, just keep in mind, the activity is dependent on the water temperature as mentioned above
Hot Color Patterns
  • Silver and Black
  • Clown
  • Perch
  • Fire Shad and Standard Shad

Thanks for reading and if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at greenlakechronicles@gmail.com. Be sure to check out our Facebook and Instagram pages for good pictures and videos!

Michael

Action Camera Videos/Fishing/massachusetts

It was a Swift River weekend

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http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUWLRUd21lc&feature=youtu.be

My goal for the last few years was to get a “go-pro like” action camera and bring it along on my outing adventures. Been chirping for years to my buddies about all the “unreal” things I’ve seen and sick of having them not believe me.

Swift River rainbow
Swift River rainbow

I did not want to spend $400 + on a camera that I will most likely beat the hell out of.  Recently I purchased the new DB Power action camera, cheaper equivalent to the popular go-pro. The first video I shot, is of a school of fat rainbows mocking me in the middle of the bend hole at the Swift River. I was hoping to get an action shot of a fly take, but they just looked at the camera and swam away.

I was able to land one fish before getting blatantly disregarded for the rest of the trip. It was a cool morning, probably around 43′ degrees and I expected the fish to be eating up a storm. They were biting from 7-8:00AM ish then slowed down. I kept going after them, but they stopped considering what I had to offer.  Thought it would be cool to try and get them on camera, so I slowly walked into the bend hole. I know the footage is a little shaky but its pretty cool to seem them underwater.  Thank you for viewing this post and be sure to follow our Instagram, YouTube and Facebook pages for more great footage and still photos.

Michael

 

Fishing

Cabelas Stowaway Rod Review

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Shawn casting a nymph/scud into a Millers River hole.
Shawn casting a nymph/scud into a Millers River hole.

My buddy Shawn, a Chronicles Pro-Staffer, and I trekked out to North Central Massachusetts this past weekend, with high hopes in landing a few fat rainbows, browns and native brook trout on the Swift and Millers River.  The night temperature was very chilly and the morning projections looked to be a misty and cold  nymph kind of day.  I was using my Temple Fork Outfitters  rod and Shawn pulled out his new Cabelas Stowaway 6.  It was a fun day and Shawn wanted to share his thoughts and opinion on this new rod. Read his personal review below:

“Over the years there has been many claims as to what the perfect dry fly rod is………………

Cabelas ReviewI live in New England and have recently purchased the Cabela’s Stowaway 6 rod 3WT – 8’, 6’’ with a combination of the Cabela’s Prestige Premier reel. A classy mix between stiffness, control, durability and aesthetics, not to mention it comes in a compact 6 pieces for easy transportation.

When looking to make a purchase I wanted something I could use locally on New England’s smaller streams and rivers with the capability of being used for the annual Montana fishing trip on the Little Big Horn River that I make every year. With a steady Dun and Trico hatch, the indigenous Rainbow’s and Brown didn’t stand a chance! The longer length than traditional lighter rods allows for cuts against the wind that usually a 4WT is needed for. Which is exactly what I needed since I prefer the fight (and the rush) lighter rods tend to provide during a hook.

Shawn with Montana fishing guide. Fat brown down!
Shawn with Montana fishing guide. Fat brown down!

I couldn’t be happier with this purchase, and definitely would recommend this rod to other anglers interested in having a quality tool without the price tag of Sage, Orvis, or Winston rods. If you have any questions about these Cabelas  products, please email us at greenlakechronicles@gmail.com.”

Thanks for the review Shawn. I hope you enjoyed this post and if you have any questions, please contact us right away! Thanks for reading and be sure to check out our Facebook and Instagram pages for awesome pictures.

Michael