General Intro Salmon and Steelhead Questions

[Bugs318]

After having done a few spring Steelhead runs, I have caught the river steelie bug and have been hearing/reading that they follow the salmon in the fall leading to my questions. My apologies if these questions are 'newbish', but I appreciate any advice!

On steelhead:
1) If the salmon are still running (in Lake Ontario tribs), are there likely to be steelhead running now too, or will they only come after the spawners die off? That is, will they occupy the creeks/tribs at the same time or only after the salmon die-off?
2) Having had zero luck in either of the last two springs with roe bags, but plenty with spinners and spoons, I have become somewhat averse to roe, but all fall tips seem to imply its necessity. Will spinners/spoons still nab steelies in streams in the fall or would I be wasting my time? (I am also concerned about drifting into salmon with this method and accidentally 'flossing' them and would wish to avoid that!)

On salmon:
3) Having never fished but pondering trying salmon, I am wondering about apparently conflicting reports regarding edibility. Some seem to imply that no salmon can be eaten now, while others simply avoid them post run but consider them fine when staging. Not that I still wouldn't try catch and release, but may keep one if I am fortunate and wouldn't want to regret it, and am thus wondering if any river runners are edible and also if stagers are generally edible?
4) Will salmon still be staging? That is, do they stage and run continuously such that some are still staging near piers while others are already nearly finished or will they basically all be upstream by now? (Another way of saying this would be to say am I too late to bother with pier fishing for this season if I make the attempt?)

Thanks so much in advance! Good luck out there and maybe I will see you in the creeks!

 

[staffman]

1. Steelhead will follow salmon upstream to feed on there eggs and will be in the rivers long after the Salmon die off.

2. You can catch steelhead with spinners and spoons whenever they are in the rivers. Trout beads are an excellent alternative to roe whichis popular because it does catch fish.

3. I,personally, would never eat a salmon out of lake Ontario.

4. I would think that most of the salmon would now be in the rivers although there may still be some by the piers waiting for higher water.

 

[JaysonMarion]

After having done a few spring Steelhead runs, I have caught the river steelie bug and have been hearing/reading that they follow the salmon in the fall leading to my questions. My apologies if these questions are 'newbish', but I appreciate any advice!

On steelhead:
1) If the salmon are still running (in Lake Ontario tribs), are there likely to be steelhead running now too, or will they only come after the spawners die off? That is, will they occupy the creeks/tribs at the same time or only after the salmon die-off?
2) Having had zero luck in either of the last two springs with roe bags, but plenty with spinners and spoons, I have become somewhat averse to roe, but all fall tips seem to imply its necessity. Will spinners/spoons still nab steelies in streams in the fall or would I be wasting my time? (I am also concerned about drifting into salmon with this method and accidentally 'flossing' them and would wish to avoid that!)

On salmon:
3) Having never fished but pondering trying salmon, I am wondering about apparently conflicting reports regarding edibility. Some seem to imply that no salmon can be eaten now, while others simply avoid them post run but consider them fine when staging. Not that I still wouldn't try catch and release, but may keep one if I am fortunate and wouldn't want to regret it, and am thus wondering if any river runners are edible and also if stagers are generally edible?
4) Will salmon still be staging? That is, do they stage and run continuously such that some are still staging near piers while others are already nearly finished or will they basically all be upstream by now? (Another way of saying this would be to say am I too late to bother with pier fishing for this season if I make the attempt?)

Thanks so much in advance! Good luck out there and maybe I will see you in the creeks!

1. Yes they are running in a few tribs right now. The usual tribs start early and some start in a couple weeks. Your best bet is to fish near the mouth.

2. Spinners work awesome for steel anytime of the year. I have more success with roe though from now until mid november, then its all minnow baits till March. Then from March to May, Tandem yarnie and stonefly... Deadly... Oh and beads!

3. I wouldn't eat any salmon out of Lake Ontario to be honest.. but that's my opinion. I'm sure tons of people do eat it and they are fine. Just don't eat a 25lb black boot... eww.. lol.

4. Yes there is still lots of fish in the lake.. I was catching fresh chinnies in creeks like Bronte into November. It all depends on the rain/temperature.

 

[Bugs318]

Thanks for your responses!

On the eating question, I suppose I could clarify that my question isn't whether to eat Lake Ontario fish, but rather whether a staging salmon still tastes alright and if they only deteriorate in the run or whether they'll already have lost their flavour.

 

[Dilligaf0220]

The contaminant part of eating salmon is overblown IMO. They are not exactly health food, but the mercury & PCB levels are actually lower than alot of farm raised fish being sold in supermarkets.

Now whether or not they actually taste good, well the tastebud is on the tongue of the beholder. Don't expect the pink tasty meat of wild West Coast fish, the forage for Ontario salmon is mostly alewives, which gives salmon an oily white mostly tasteless flesh. If you don't like eating fish you might like salmon, Lake O fish are kinda meaty but not fishy. Best eaten with cooking styles that add flavour like a glaze or smoking. My personal fav is Kung Pao salmon & noodles or a maple syrup glaze on a cedar plank done on the grill or open fire.


Some rainbows will be up the creeks already, look for the nooks & crannies that a salmon can't fit into, being smaller fish they kinda run & hide while the big bruiser Kings do their business. One of my fav fall hidey holes for steelhead on Bronte is actually under a limestone ledge that flossers will be standing on casting at the big pod of salmon in the hole. Then again mostly I fish it just to see the "WTF" look on their face when I pull a rainbow or brown trout out from under their feet.

 

[Porter86]

The contaminant part of eating salmon is overblown IMO. They are not exactly health food, but the mercury & PCB levels are actually lower than alot of farm raised fish being sold in supermarkets.

Now whether or not they actually taste good, well the tastebud is on the tongue of the beholder. Don't expect the pink tasty meat of wild West Coast fish, the forage for Ontario salmon is mostly alewives, which gives salmon an oily white mostly tasteless flesh. If you don't like eating fish you might like salmon, Lake O fish are kinda meaty but not fishy. Best eaten with cooking styles that add flavour like a glaze or smoking. My personal fav is Kung Pao salmon & noodles or a maple syrup glaze on a cedar plank done on the grill or open fire.


Some rainbows will be up the creeks already, look for the nooks & crannies that a salmon can't fit into, being smaller fish they kinda run & hide while the big bruiser Kings do their business. One of my fav fall hidey holes for steelhead on Bronte is actually under a limestone ledge that flossers will be standing on casting at the big pod of salmon in the hole. Then again mostly I fish it just to see the "WTF" look on their face when I pull a rainbow or brown trout out from under their feet.

I must agree salmon with a maple glaze is TO DIE FOR!! My mom gets this one thats in like a white cream sauce, and that was is just as amazing as the maple glaze. I think I have read that the colouir of the salmon will determine if it's going to be a good tasting fish still or not.

haha...thats awesome!! I would love to go up that spot with yeah one day.

 

[Meppsman]

I wouldn't keep the ones that are too dark because their flesh is decaying unlike trout.

 

[NADO]

it would have to be completely silver for me.

 

[Meppsman]

it would have to be completely silver for me.

Yup,

It's go silver or go home.
(I'd recommend not keeping any at all)

 

[Porter86]

I've eaten bass out of 16 Mile before, and that wasn't to bad to eat. But I know it's different. lol.