First Try Steelhead - NJFishing.com Your Best Online Source for Fishing Information in New Jersey

Gerry Zagorski · #1 11-02-2023, 10:35 AM

Heading up Pulaski this weekend. This will be my first time up there and we'll be targeting Steelhead. Going with a bunch of guys who fish there every year and are going to show us rookies the ropes. Wish us luck and if you have any tips let me know.

Here's a 17.5 that was caught this past week....

Godrew1972 · #2 11-02-2023, 11:32 AM

Good luck, awesome battle getting one of those on the line watching it take off and get air. Be safe, not sure your wading or in drift boat but I find that river bottom to be very slippery compared to most NJ rivers and streams. River bottom in some on the better spots seem to be carpeted with softball sized slick rocks, the size you break your ankle on. Most NJ river beds IMO seem easier to navigate. I always used my walking stick when wading up there. Good luck, hope you reel em in.

Gerry Zagorski · #3 11-02-2023, 11:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Godrew1972

Good luck, awesome battle getting one of those on the line watching it take off and get air. Be safe, not sure your wading or in drift boat but I find that river bottom to be very slippery compared to most NJ rivers and streams. River bottom in some on the better spots seem to be carpeted with softball sized slick rocks, the size you break your ankle on. Most NJ river beds IMO seem easier to navigate. I always used my walking stick when wading up there. Good luck, hope you reel em in.

Thanks we’ll be wading and I was warned about that so I put some metal cleats on my wader boot bottoms.

The place we’re staying is right outside Altmar along the Fly Fish only section. Not sure if you’ve fished there. We’ll probably do some fly fishing but the plan is to mostly spin fish using floats or bottom bouncing.

Godrew1972 · #4 11-02-2023, 12:13 PM

Good burger and fries at the Altmar, thats where my son and I would always go and he would count how many beers I would have.

Gerry Zagorski · #5 11-03-2023, 08:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Godrew1972

Good burger and fries at the Altmar, thats where my son and I would always go and he would count how many beers I would have.

Sounds right up my alley!

bulletbob · #6 11-03-2023, 10:08 PM

. Have a good time, hope you guys do well.. . I live here, and never go.. went once , decades ago,caught a salmon first time out, and never went back.. too much of a madhouse for me, nasty selfish rude "anglers" using the f word loudly 10 times in every sentence. . Might not be that way anymore, not sure. Lots of good fishermen love it, so I might just have went to the wrong place on the wrong day... The DEC guys were everywhere , and from what I saw, those salmon simply did NOT eat, they were all snagged by guys with very expensive polarized sunglasses that have perfected the art of snagging them without looking like they were snagging, if that makes any sense. Lots of those guys would see the fish, and could drift the hook with some yarn wrapped on the shank right into the mouths of the fish as they were resting, facing up current with their mouths open.. Pretty impressive talent... Again maybe its not like that anymore, but from what I saw and from what others have told me, those spawning fish are really hard to get to bite... First thing I was taught was to open the hook up wide so it would be more likely to sink.. The DEC guys knew all the tricks though.. anyway, i hope things have changed.. ....

Gerry Zagorski · #7 11-04-2023, 06:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bulletbob

. Have a good time, hope you guys do well.. . I live here, and never go.. went once , decades ago,caught a salmon first time out, and never went back.. too much of a madhouse for me, nasty selfish rude "anglers" using the f word loudly 10 times in every sentence. . Might not be that way anymore, not sure. Lots of good fishermen love it, so I might just have went to the wrong place on the wrong day... The DEC guys were everywhere , and from what I saw, those salmon simply did NOT eat, they were all snagged by guys with very expensive polarized sunglasses that have perfected the art of snagging them without looking like they were snagging, if that makes any sense. Lots of those guys would see the fish, and could drift the hook with some yarn wrapped on the shank right into the mouths of the fish as they were resting, facing up current with their mouths open.. Pretty impressive talent... Again maybe its not like that anymore, but from what I saw and from what others have told me, those spawning fish are really hard to get to bite... First thing I was taught was to open the hook up wide so it would be more likely to sink.. The DEC guys knew all the tricks though.. anyway, i hope things have changed.. ....

I hope so too Bob. I've heard some of the same negatives about this fishery and the one reason I've not been up there before but figured I'd give it a shot.

I love to catch fish as much as the next guy but I'm not competitive or really serious about it. Fishing for me is a way to get outdoors, unwind and spend some time with my buddies. If we happen to catch some fish, that's an extra bonus.

Not sure if it's changed since you've been up there but I hear they have some specific rules as far a leader lengths to make it more difficult to snag fish but that doesn't change people's attitudes and manners. If it turns into Gorilla Warfare fishing, this will be my first and last time up there. Life's too short to be around those sorts of people.

Full report to follow....

bulletbob · #8 11-05-2023, 09:53 AM

Steelhead seem to actually bite more than the salmon which are not eating at all.. I know the steelheads aren't eating either, but they seem to be caught in the mouth more than salmon, which are more typically hooked in a suspect manner...Really interested in how you do as far as catch, and the fishing experience itself. Its odd that here in upstate NY there are some guys that avoid that area like the plague, and others that live and breathe it, and can't get enough... bob

Broad Bill · #9 11-05-2023, 10:01 PM

Salmon will hit various baits and lures before ascending the river. Once they run, for the most part, biology takes over, they develop lock jaw and are interested only in spawning before their life cycle unfortunately runs it's course.

Fishing the mouths of tributaries early before the river run starts can be rewarding, once they run it's all about lining or snagging fish which is an absolute circus and shit show. If that's your thing, go for it, but it brings out crowds and some of the worst behavior you'll ever experience fishing.

Steelhead, browns, domestic rainbows and an occasional Atlantic on the other hand will actively feed their entire time in the river. And as long as they survive the gauntlet of snaggers, unlike salmon they will actually survive the spawn and drop back to the lake. They don't die like salmon. If that's what you're after, I'd suggest going during the week as opposed to weekends because even during the winter months and in the fly zones, the number of people on that river can be insane. I've had some absolutely fantastic days with steelhead and browns and days I swore I'd never go back because of the crowds and behavior.

Good luck and look forward to your report.

thmyorke1 · #10 11-06-2023, 12:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bulletbob

Steelhead seem to actually bite more than the salmon which are not eating at all.. I know the steelheads aren't eating either, but they seem to be caught in the mouth more than salmon, which are more typically hooked in a suspect manner...Really interested in how you do as far as catch, and the fishing experience itself. Its odd that here in upstate NY there are some guys that avoid that area like the plague, and others that live and breathe it, and can't get enough... bob

Like Broad Bill said, the lake run steelhead definitely eat, fall through spring.