Biting Salmon - Salmon River, NY Fly Fishing - DSR

[@fshng2fish]

Hi Bryan watched all three of your Salmon River videos...got to say great stuff. Just subscribed. What type and size hooks are you using to tie your buggers? I saw you had one hook straighten out. Does this happen much?

[@WhiteDogTrailCompany]

That's great to hear! Thanks for watching and following us! This winter I will be doing a fly tying video for the buggers I use for salmon and planned on discussing the 2 different sizes and experiences with the hooks. I have actually found a few things over the last 2 years. - The bigger hooks are more likely to straighten out. I don't have the hooks in front of me so I can't remember the exact size (either 4 or 6 I believe) but they are a 2x Heavy, 5x Long hook. - Shorter hooks are much less likely to straighten out. I think they are a size 8, 2x heavy This last trip I almost exclusively used the smaller hooks with some pretty big fights and none of them bent at all. - I fish the bigger buggers when fish are more aggressive and smaller buggers when fish are less aggressive. Going smaller can make a huge difference (bugger size, line size and additional weight on the line) when fish are not as aggressive. Thanks for watching and let me know any other questions you have.

[@fshng2fish]

@@WhiteDogTrailCompany I will keep an eye out for your Bugger Tying Video. Interested to know what hook manufacturer you use. Ever thought about tying the Bugger as a tube fly ? That way you could switch out the hook size and still use the same fly.

[@WhiteDogTrailCompany]

@@fshng2fish Yes... and I think you are much better off with a short shank hook as it does not allow the big fish to bend a long shank or use the long shank as leverage to pull the hook loose. However... you lose a ton of flies when you're salmon fishing so going simple is really nice. I put a lot of weight in the fly itself so I can put as little weight on the line as possible (avoids accidental flossing of fish) which might be hard to do with a tube fly. I am just using Mustad streamer hooks for now.

[@yergsadventures5198]

White Dog Outdoors Did u ever make a video on how to tie these yet??

[@WhiteDogTrailCompany]

@@yergsadventures5198 Sorry... I just saw your comment. I haven't made that video yet. My fly tying space is under renovation... but I have been thinking about doing the video on the buggers. I'll try to get that out in the next few weeks! Now is a good time to start tying those flies and filling boxes! Thanks for watching and for the comment.

[@Snitchols]

Awesome video Bryan. Glad to see you and others letting the little guy get some action and a feel for what it takes.

[@WhiteDogTrailCompany]

Thanks Jason... I've caught enough salmon in my day that I would rather teach people how to actually catch them and show them that they can be caught without flossing, lifting or snagging them... as long as I get a little time and fun for my own fishing too ;)

[@benwalker7527]

I have been fishing the DSR for 25 years. The last spot on your video is my favorite spot. Thanks for sharing your video. It was quite enjoyable.

[@WhiteDogTrailCompany]

Yes! I don't often see people there but I have found fish there consistently. I enjoy my time there every year! Thanks for watching!

[@heathhudson4856]

Just fished the dsr on Monday March 25th !!!!! It was great time no fish but got to c a lot of the river , beautiful piece of the river!!!!! Got plans to go again!!!!! Fish-on!!!!!!!

[@WhiteDogTrailCompany]

Nice! I'm heading up for 3 days in April for some spring steelhead! Will probably hit the upper river and skip the DSR though. The upper river holds a lot of steelies this time of year! Best of luck! I'll be doing a series of videos from our trip so STAY TUNED!! :)

[@prestonfountaine2220]

Great video. I went from sceptic to believere for sure. For instance,,, them fish are harased by anglers right in town so they tend not to bite. And where people tend to fly fish in smaller groups are getting really good bites. Awsome. And another thing ive noticed is their a bit more respect out their than what it used to be. Again great video to learn from.

[@WhiteDogTrailCompany]

Thanks... Unpressured fish is one of the keys. In the gauntlet of people slapping sinkers in their face and trying to snag them they'll almost never bite.... no fish would bite in those situations. Find them when they haven't been pressured and you will often find them in a much better mood!

[@RushVoorhisOutdoors]

Love it buddy! The DSR never disappoints

[@WhiteDogTrailCompany]

Thanks Man! It does not disappoint! Although I have a much shorter drive than you to make it happen. Loved your video from this year!

[@kevmcgrandles2846]

Hi man Fished the dsr last year me and a few mates came over from Scotland it was different class I also fished with the guy who’s in the first part of the video at the same spot he was having plenty hook ups and had snapped a rod

[@WhiteDogTrailCompany]

Nice! It becomes a small world and you begin to meet a lot of the same people!

[@kevmcgrandles2846]

Great video keep it up

[@truenorthangler]

Nice female pal. Loved your video. Nice of that guy to help you.

[@WhiteDogTrailCompany]

Yeah... I find most people up there are really nice and we all help each other for the most part. I've had mostly really good experiences in the many years of going up there.

[@truenorthangler]

White Dog Trail Company That’s awesome

[@pensnut08]

I may have to make a trip back to New Yorkastan this fall....

[@WhiteDogTrailCompany]

Definitely! It is always a blast!

[@pensnut08]

@@WhiteDogTrailCompany - Do you guide on the Salmon River?

[@WhiteDogTrailCompany]

@@pensnut08 I have guided the Salmon River but to be honest it is so far away and I have enough trouble getting there myself that I usually don't guide it. I do know some good guides if you are interested though. Let me know and I can put you in touch with someone.

[@joebostic1783]

We always fish Ellis cove! I fly fishing also I use 1x leader got 1x 2x 3x tippet also make big difference!

[@1BigMistakee]

Man, you make it seem so darn easy lol.

[@WhiteDogTrailCompany]

Haha! It's my passion. I've been fly fishing for 30 years and I've been fly fishing for salmon and steelhead for probably 10 years. I've learned a lot over many years. Honestly learning Euro Nymphing has helped me the most with salmon and steelhead fishing. Learning to control a fly along the bottom and making it drift as naturally as possible makes a huge difference for trout, salmon and steelies. I have some Euro Nymphing videos on the channel that might help you.

[@theitaliananglerflyfishing]

Great video and nice way to live that river among other anglers,unfortunately we are not all the same there is some assholes too but anyway ...What was your set up with that 2 hand rod? I mean in terms of shooting head and tip and level tip! Thank you in advance ...

[@WhiteDogTrailCompany]

The rod was the Redington Dually 8wt Switch Rod. I have a Rio InTouch Switch line (not the chucker version). It has a longer taper than the chucker. I want to be able to roll cast or spey cast it a long way if i want to swing but still be able to throw an indicator (although very rarely throw an indicator). Front taper is 16', body is 24' and back taper is 15'. I also hand tie my leader with heavy sighter material tied in and I'm either swinging over the top of the fish with light buggers or using heavy buggers and tightline nymphing them using the sighter line. Those 2 methods have been my most productive for getting good takes.

[@davedevoe6659]

I love when people say they dont take i caught so many in the mouth the otherday and its awesome i to use a small bugger or stonefly with 1 or to small dinsmores other guys think you need all sorts of weight they will eat like any other fish just gotta have that understanding

[@WhiteDogTrailCompany]

They'll bite sometimes... My day on the river this year was interesting. There were a lot of fish but in the morning I could not get bites. People were flossing around me but I was not hooking up... then fresh fish came in and everything changed and I got LOTS of actual bites! I got most of my bites when I removed ALL weight from my line and fished with just a wooly bugger. Nothing for them to see and shy away from. Our trailer from this year is here. kzbin.info/www/bejne/qKW6kGugoM6EoZI I'll be launching the first full video in a few days.

[@stephensauter9785]

Great video, anyone ever fished here mid oct? I'm going to the DSR oct 13-14th so I'm just looking for tips. I expect it to be slow because it will be end of the run but maybe some trout. Anything advise would be nice.

[@WhiteDogTrailCompany]

Likelihood of some late salmon and a good possibly of steelhead! I have yet to run into the big browns but they are also a possibility.

[@b1ink586]

Awesome video! Can you explain your setup please? Is that shooting or floating fly line? Are you also using a sinking Skagit head?

[@WhiteDogTrailCompany]

Back in 2018 I was just using a 9' 9wt rod with floating line. I now have an 11' 8wt switch rod which is much better and can handle bigger fish while protecting tippet better. I have the Rio switch line with a longer taper so that if I want I can do a modified spey cast with it. I am not using any sinking tip. I basically euro nymph for salmon and steelhead and put as much weight as I can directly in the fly itself. I use the least amount of split shot I can get away with.. usually no more than a tiny BB size split shot.

[@b1ink586]

@@WhiteDogTrailCompany what is the red line? Is that part of the switch line

[@WhiteDogTrailCompany]

@@b1ink586 No... that is part of my leader. I tie my own leaders with high visibility sighter material (just like euro nymphing). I use red and yellow now. Amnesia makes both colors. It is just heavy, brightly colored mono. It helps you detect and see bites by being able to see the line very easily. My videos from last year are actually way better than this video. If you haven't see them start with Part I kzbin.info/www/bejne/gWLZaaKhd9l7pKs

[@WhiteDogTrailCompany]

@@b1ink586 I was reading another comment when I saw this one. I go through my detailed setup in this video. kzbin.info/www/bejne/i3m3iJ6oZbFkhNk

[@Fisherboy86]

Do salmon shake their heads when hooked?

[@WhiteDogTrailCompany]

It depends on how you have them hooked!!! How the salmon reacts is a good indicator of where they're hooked. If you have them in the mouth you will get pretty massive headshakes! Headshakes are a telltale sign of a good hookup! If you feel steady pressure with no pulses or violent headshakes then you probably have them in the body somewhere and I'll try to shake them loose or break them off if this is the case. If you get a constant pulsing you have them in the tail.. again I try to shake them loose or break them off if this is the case. I'll usually try to make sure I know where they're hooked before I break them off because they can definitely fool you once in a while.

[@zer0kewl119]

Can I ask what is the absolute LIGHTEST rod you would/could use to fish DSR?

[@WhiteDogTrailCompany]

For Salmon I would not go less than an 8wt. Ideally a 9' 9wt or an 11' 8wt (switch rod). These fish are super powerful especially when they are fresh that low in the river. A fresh fish will toast you even on the rods I've listed above.

[@zer0kewl119]

@@WhiteDogTrailCompany Last year I hooked into my first DSR salmon, right at the border of the DSR and where it becomes public fishing. It was like hooking into a Ferrari. Broke my tippet. Thanks for the advice!

[@TheEverLovingOutdoors]

Those Fish are swirling because the feel line and are trying to get away from it. Fairy tale?

[@WhiteDogTrailCompany]

I think it definitely depends on the situation. Every fisherman is going to floss or foul fish... It's just hte way it is on this kind of river with that many big fish. You control what you can control and the rest is up to fate lol. I work hard to minimize accidental flossings or foul hooks. If a fish boils because they feel the line you are going to feel it in the rod if you are keeping a tight line... which, if you want to detect actual bites, is what you have to do. In these cases where the kid is fishing, the fish swirled and then a few seconds later, in a different spot from the swirl, the line jumped and went tight (where before that it was traveling smoothly and consistently across the water). That is not a fish getting away from the line. Plus we were not using much weight so most of the time the flies are swinging above the fish. With the number of fish in that area if our flies were down lower we would have been flossing and fouling many fish. But we didn't. We purposely keep the flies higher in the water column. Now in the beginning of the video when I am fishing the slower water in the evening that is a whole different ball game. I am not swinging... i'm drifting flies. I am keeping a vertical, tight line on my fly and watching the sighter material. Again i use as little weight as possible and I do not put a long distance between the fly and the weight.. I am a little more than 12" to be legal. The more line you have horizontal along the bottom the more likely you are to floss. And if you have a big weight on the line and weight in the fly then you are laying the line horizontally along the bottom. I work to minimize that as much as possible by keeping the weight light on the line and tying as much weight in the fly as I can. Then I keep a vertical line between my fly rod and the fly (as much as possible). I am bascially euro nymphing with wooly buggers for salmon. Plus with the straight, tight line I can feel what is going on most of the time. I can feel bottom.. I can feel when I drift though some tails and I can tell when I get a more distinct feeling of an actual bite many times. Do I still floss and foul fish even though I try hard not to? YUP! We all do! I look for hook placement in the mouth to help me know whether or not a fish was flossed or if it bit. A lot of times you can actually watch their behavior too. i have actually watched them swim across a hole, following my swinging bugger and have many times watched the actual take. There is not doubt in my mind that they bite... despite the hoards of people who will never believe it. i do not believe they are feeding... I believe they are territorial predators with a killer instinct. I have seen plenty of evidence that when they get aggressive and chase each other they are gonna start chomping anything that comes near their face lol. Nothing kills their mood though like 20 guys slapping huge sinkers all around them and trying to snag them... If you try to catch them in that kind of environment there is almost a zero percent chance of getting a bite.. which is why i go looking for unpressured fish.. Good luck this year!

[@TheEverLovingOutdoors]

@@WhiteDogTrailCompany What Ever you Say lol. There's no point in arguing with you. Believe what you want. I've fished this River a couple hundred times over the past couple years and I'm still not an expert. I also learn from the best but hey You must have fished it thousands of times and know something I don't know. Plus Don't write such long replies lol

[@WhiteDogTrailCompany]

@@TheEverLovingOutdoors I try not to argue with people... no sense in it. Everyone has their own experiences and beliefs but no one is an expert. In all seriousness.. hope you have a good season.

[@bigron8346]

Are you using a switch rod? If so are you using Skagit, Scandi,or regular float line? Btw i love all your videos please don't let people discourage you into stopping your vidioes!!

[@WhiteDogTrailCompany]

There are rarely haters on this channel and if there are it is usually because they don't believe that you can get salmon to bite!... probably because they have never worked hard enough to actually experience it. I won't stop making videos :) I am using a switch rod (Redinton Dually)... I really love switch rods for salmon and steelies! I use the Rio Switch fly line (not the "chucker" version). The chucker has a short thick head for throwing floats which I rarely do. I like the longer head section which allows me more flexibility especially if i want to do a spey cast further across. Glad you're enjoying the vidoes!

[@MrKveite1]

That's not flyfishing sir, that's fishing with a fly rod and there is a huge diff....

[@Bassman1066]

You should do a salmon tip video

[@WhiteDogTrailCompany]

You mean like this one? :) kzbin.info/www/bejne/i3m3iJ6oZbFkhNk i just did this video less than 2 weeks ago. I tried to pack as much info in and be as real as possible about what salmon fishing is.... or can be.

[@TheEverLovingOutdoors]

I was expecting someone to be biting a salmon

[@WhiteDogTrailCompany]

LOL... Now that would be a funny video!

[@coalcountyoutdoors2698]

Not one single fish bit in this video. Don’t care if the hooks in the corner of its mouth or the fin. You flossed it. Don’t piss on people and tell them it’s raining. They do bite out of aggression, but not the way you or anyone in that video are fishing. Just a heads up.

[@FishyZacky]

Coal County Outdoors you’re telling me that these spawning fish that have stopped feeding weeks ago aren’t biting the smallest glo-bug pattern you can find in this crystal clear trickle of a flow in the middle of the day with multiple anglers trampling around? Are you sure???

[@Jeff-lm9tg]

Yea, floss if u want to but don’t make a video stating otherwise. This is a joke. Swinging flies in fast water is not going to trigger a bite, those fish have only one thing on their mind which is busting upriver. You’re kidding urself.

[@stickythegod369]

Not a fan of of DSR, land is leased and then used to profit from fisherman by charging fees to fish for the day or weekend...go up river and you can find great free fishing!!

[@WhiteDogTrailCompany]

I understand everyone has their view on the DSR, good or bad. For me, I find fresh fish without the crowds and fish that are willing to bite because they have not been pressured and have not been in the river very long. I have yet to find that experience elsewhere on the river. The days that I have chosen to fish above the DSR I just do not find the same willingness from the fish to actually bite.

[@Bassman1066]

Do you use egg sucking leeches at all

[@WhiteDogTrailCompany]

Yes... the first take I ever got from a salmon was on an egg sucking leech. I swung it in front of a pod of spawning salmon and one came out and hit it. :)

[@josephsicherman7841]

Biting hahahahahaha