Winter Fishing Recap: Snow & Ice

The famous Salmon River.

In November, I started on my first engagement as a consultant. This meant lots of time traveling to the client site in Toronto and exposure to fishing opportunities that I would normally be unable to explore. I would drive to my grandparents' house in Lockport, NY, and take the bus to Toronto every Monday. My grandparents were living in Florida for the winter, leaving me with lots of free time on the weekends to explore Upstate New York and Pennsylvania. Two of my trips to Toronto lasted 3 weeks, giving me many opportunities on the weekends to explore some new waters. There was just one problem: it snowed every day.

If I had to use one word to describe my fishing experiences this winter, it would be "frozen." The rivers, I, and possibly even the fish were all frozen. It was rare to find a day where the high broke 30 degrees, and much of my fishing was cut short due to ice and snowstorms. However, this didn’t stop me from exploring.

On my first drive up to Toronto, I stopped in Northern Pennsylvania to fish Pine Creek and Slate Run. These are two of my favorite places to fish in the state, but winter fishing proved difficult. The water was high, and fish were nowhere to be found. I remember throwing the drone in the air at the end of my day and almost getting hypothermia in my hands from using the controller to fly it. I remember sitting in the car for 30 minutes waiting for my hands to warm up so I could grab the wheel. At least the pictures turned out well.

After working in Toronto for the week, I came back to Lockport excited for what the weekend had in store. I had booked a hotel room in Pulaski, NY, along the famous Salmon River. On Saturday, I drove 3 hours through Syracuse and Oswego, experiencing small snowstorms along the way. When I arrived, the riverbanks had a foot of snow, and the upper fly-fishing parking lots were totally snowed in. To my surprise, plenty of anglers were out on the river searching for steelhead. I eventually found a secluded spot to set up shop for the afternoon. I caught nothing that day. I tried nymphing and swinging streamers, but there were no signs of life. The next morning, I returned to the river to try again. A drift boat floated through the pool and managed to pull out a nice steelhead. It was the only fish I had seen caught. I was among many skunked anglers fishing along the banks. In hopes of beating any possible snowstorms, I left early and headed back toward Buffalo.

I was still determined to catch a fish, so I decided to stop at Oak Orchard Creek on my way home. Within the first couple of casts, I hooked a fish. It was a small steelhead or lake-run rainbow trout. I honestly couldn’t tell. When I got the fish in the net, I started to laugh. I had driven 3 hours, booked a hotel room, and frozen for hours just to catch a fish 20 minutes from my grandparents' house. I was just happy to have caught something.

The following weekend, I set out to fish a new river. This time, I figured I would give Cattaraugus Creek a try. When I arrived, I had a long hike down into the gorge. It had just snowed the day prior, and the fresh powder made for an interesting hike. To no surprise, the banks of the creek were completely frozen. This made for a sketchy fishing experience, using my wading boots to break the ice as I walked to the creek. Once again, the water was high, and fishing was nearly impossible. Despite the lack of fish, the spot was beautiful, and I thought about the potential fishing opportunities when the weather warmed.

A snowy walk back to the truck.

I only caught one fish this winter. I even questioned what I was doing each time I put on my waders and prepared to walk to the river. But, I did learn some things this winter. I learned how many layers it takes to stay warm in a snowstorm and that fishing gloves really are pointless. More importantly, I learned that there are some amazing opportunities in Upstate New York, a place that I had overlooked for much of my life. I can’t wait to venture back up to this region in warmer weather and try my luck again. I didn’t catch much, but it got me off the couch and out into the water. That being said, I’m pretty tired of snow.