Mid-Winter Fishing...Deal With The Cold and Reap The Rewards!

As I sit here in Oswego, Lake Ontario continues to drop inch after inch of snow.  Of course, this amounts to endless shoveling, challenging driving conditions along with a chill from the northwest wind now and again.  

But!  To a weirdo fishing dude like myself, the barrage of lake effect in it's solid form only brings one thing to mind..."Ahhh, deep-winter steelhead fishing..."

As a full-time fish-head, I truly appreciate the annual cycle I participate in.  I follow Lake Ontario's Pacific salmon and trout through it's tributary rivers right into the open water and back again.  Each time of the year holds it's merits, no doubt, but there is something special about trudging through feet of snow in pursuit of Mr. or Mrs. Steelhead.

Once I start seeing those flashes of chrome in early fall, I am usually in a T-shirt and enjoying a mild October day, but a part of my mind ventures to layer upon layer of clothing, frozen hands and slow drifts.  

It's a sickness, what can I say?

Although winter steelhead fishing is not for the faint of heart, the pay-off is sweet.  It's almost a right of passage in calling yourself a true steelheader.  After-all, who doesn't love 65 degrees, sun shining and a vicious bead bite?  Now come talk to me with a windchill in the single digits, a super specific color combination on a jig and they're only sitting on the inside of this particular seam.  

Challenge accepted.

As for the fishing lately!

The Salmon River in Pulaski, NY has been kind to us willing to venture on it's snow-filled shores lately.  As per typical winter fishing, they're layered in certain holes.  Trick Em' Jigs as well as Trick Em' Plastics have been clutch for my fishing successes.  

With my time-off, I was also fortunate enough to hit the ice in the Adirondacks.  Nothing like a change of pace, chasing marks on the Vexilar rather than float drops in a run.  

Brothers Frankie and Angelo braved the cold this week and hit the water with me.  Although we didn't start off with the hot hand, we ended on a good note finding an area chock-full of willing fish.  Angelo got to experience a little winter-steelheading, which was a change of pace from his typical Florida Fishing.  Easy to love your job fishing with guys like them!

Enjoy the photos and find some time to hit the water, don't just read the report..make one!

See ya out there.