Salmon River Reservoir Thawing

By

Spider Rybaak

Kayaking the Salmon River in Redfield.

The nicest thing about severe winters like the one we just had is the pay back feels so good. Last weekend, Oswego County finally saw some global warming, with temperatures soaring into the high 70s, and folks stepped outdoors in droves to break their cabin fever. The Salmon River Reservoir saw loads of the weary gather on its banks to usher in spring by watching winter cry itself away.

While the Mad River, and both branches of the Salmon were too high and cold for average anglers to even think of fishing, their tributaries and the smaller creeks pouring into the reservoir were much more manageable. The water was so frigid, however, the fish weren’t into chasing after the bait, so you had to bump their noses with a garden worm to get them to hit. With all the run-off, that was kind’a hard and everyone interviewed for this story admitted to getting skunked.

Still, the mood was upbeat. “That leaves more for next month, when the brooks and rivers will not only be easier to get to, they’ll be easier to fish,” predicted Joe, a Pulaski native who wouldn’t divulge his last name.

A lot of bottom anglers tried their luck at the mouth of the Salmon River in Redfield. Fishing off the south bank, just below the County Route 17 bridge, they didn’t catch dinner, but were treated to spectacular natural scenes like glacier-sized floes sweeping downstream, the dalliance of bald eagles, and kayakers.

The channel below the public fishing access site’s platform at the northern County Rte. 17 bridge was mostly iced over and unfishable. However, several groups came to do everything from catch rays and play frisbie to relax in the fishing platform’s comfortable seats and take in the sounds and sights of the ice’s death throes.

A couple deer came around, too. They were just as surprised to see all the people as we were to see them, and bolted, jumping onto the spongy ice in their bid to reach the woods on the north shore. It held. But a couple spots of open water stood between them and the bank.

The lead deer jumped into the first opening, and the smaller one followed. Swimming over to the edge of the ice on the other side, the bigger doe struggled to get a toe-hold. Everyone feared the worst. A loud, collective sigh of despair swept over the reservoir.

Somehow, the struggling pair managed to climb onto the floe, slipped and slid their way across the porous ice, jumped into the second opening, and climbed out again.  Reaching the other side, they disappeared into the trees.

We hit County Rte 2.  The woods along the road were blanketed in snow.

Turning onto Dam Road, we headed for Salmon River Falls. Ice sculptures chiseled out of the snowbanks by the warm breeze lined the way. Susan decided to strike off for what would probably be her last jaunt through snowy woods this season. She thrilled in snowshoeing with just the shirt on her back.

The Salmon River Falls drew even larger crowds. The parking lot was full. But that didn’t matter because the trees were bare, and the awesome power of this magnificent cataract was easily visible from the road.

And there’s more. Although Monday’s warm weather whittled away at the ice and snow, the evening’s freezing temperatures, followed by Tuesday’s snow, sculpted the northeastern edge of Oswego County into a fresh winter wonderland.

It won’t last, however, probably not much past Easter, so get out there and enjoy while you can.

Susan Rybaak last-chance snowshoeing at the Dam Road. 

Deer heading for the Upper Reservoir's north shore.

Making it to the other side.

Whitewater Summer

By  Spider Rybaak

Photos by Susan Rybaak

A family of tubers floating through the Trestle Pool.

A web of exciting whitewater slices through Central New York. Unfortunately, much of it is too dangerous (Black River), shallow (Scriba Creek) or short (the rapids at Caughdenoy) for most of us to play in. The Salmon River, on the other hand, is just right.

Running for roughly 13 miles, from the spillway at Lighthouse Hill Reservoir to its mouth, this world-famous trout and salmon stream’s base flow is kept at 185 cubic feet per second year-round. That’s the minimum required to keep its rapids at the right speed and level to maintain the sensitive habitats that mature salmon and trout need to spawn; and their offspring require to carry them through their first few months of life and their trek to Lake Ontario.

Serious whitewater enthusiasts rank the Salmon River as a pitiful Class II, about as exciting as spit in the bucket.  But for average folks, its pleasant, safe pace allows for leisurely floats in tubes, kayaks and canoes, down playful rapids lined in riverbanks teeming with colorful plants and wildlife, all under the graceful flight of bald eagles to ospreys.

Still, even the meekest among us harbor fantasies of risky adventures some of the time. Several years ago the authorities, after gentle coaxing by whitewater interests, decided it wouldn’t hurt to shift the  Salmon River ‘s thrill level higher periodically and decreed that the power company release additional water five weekends each summer for recreational purposes.

The second of this season’s flow increases took place 4th of July weekend and legions of folks took to the rapids in everything from tubes to over-sized rubber duckies to indulge in some bubbly. About the only complaint competing with the laughter wafting over the whitewater was that the water didn’t stay up a little longer.

Good news. This year ain’t typical, and when the screws were tightened on the water gates, the rapids didn’t slow down a bit. The above average rainfall pouring over the region since the beginning of summer hasn’t drained off the countryside yet; and at this writing the level is at 650 cfs, well above the normal for this time of the year. Considering the size of the river’s drainage, it’ll take all of a week, maybe longer, for the flow to resume its typical summer level.

While the thought of a stream flowing so high above average is enough to send the fear of rapids coursing through your veins, it’s really not that bad in a shallow stream like the Salmon River.

That doesn’t mean you can throw caution to the wind and jump in carelessly.

 What it does mean is you can enjoy a long, comfortable, relatively safe float down whitewater averaging 70 degrees. But you gotta play smart. Here’s some tips to keep you safe:

- Always wear a life jacket.
- If you go by tube or air mattress, make sure it’s big enough to float your body weight.
- If you get thrown into the fast water out in the middle, don’t try to stand; you might get your feet wedged between rocks and the force of the rapids can submerge you. Float on your back, feet first, until you come to a slow moving shallow area before trying to walk out.

If you go by canoe or kayak, bring along a fishing outfit. Atlantic salmon and Skamania—summer-running steelhead--are drawn into the stream by high water. They’re in top shape this time of year, guaranteeing you a run for the money.

If the water goes down before you can make it, no sweat: additional whitewater releases are scheduled for the weekends of July 20-21, August 4-5 and August 31-September 1.

Launches and take-outs with parking areas line the river. Some of the most popular include:

- CR 52 Bridge in Altmar
- Sheepskin Road, about 100 yards east of its intersection with CR 48, Pineville.
- Northeastern corner of the CR 2A Bridge, about a mile east of Pulaski.

Enjoy…and stay safe.

Spider casting  a streamer for Atlantic salmon as kayakers watch.

The river's at the perfect height, the weather's just right,
for a float trip.

Fishy encounter: Kayak angler and Spey-caster at the Trestle pool.