Drift boat magic on the Salmon River

Technically speaking, New York fishing guide Josh Day is not actually a magician, but put him at the helm of a Salmon River drift boat and you’ll watch

him work some amazing steelhead magic. I witnessed Day’s magic act firsthand when fellow outdoors writer and radio talk show host Doyle Dietz invited me

along for a fishing adventure in pursuit of steelhead trout on New York’s storied Salmon River last week. I’d never fished for steelhead before and I

hoped to add another species to my fishing “bucket list” on this trip.

First stop upon arriving in Pulaski that Monday afternoon is a quick visit to Fat Nancy’s Tackle Shop where I plop down ten bucks for a one-day, non-resident New York fishing license. After that we drop by the upscale Tailwater Lodge -- essentially a recently converted elementary school -- to register a room for the night before heading out for our scheduled 2 p.m rendezvous with Day at the Altmar boat ramp.

Day shows up right on time, hauling his 17-foot Fish Craft

aluminum drift boat on a stubby trailer and deftly settling it into the frigid 40 degree waters of the Salmon River. Day secures the boat with an 80 pound anchor and appoints me to stand watch while he and Dietz head out to our predetermined extraction point at Pineville some six miles downriver where they’ll drop off Day’s pickup.

Typical of such drift boats, Day’s craft features construction of heavy duty aluminum and a wide 54inch berth that offers washtub stability while navigating the roiling river waters. When Day and Dietz return, we all pile into the boat, weigh anchor, and shove off. Day’s proficiency as a maneuvering maestro becomes immediately evident.

Since the typical drift boat is outfitted with no engine and no trolling motor to power or steer it, Day relies on the river’s current and a hefty pair of tenfoot oars to help guide the boat. Day’s navigation via his rowing efforts is supplemented by the periodic dropping and weighing of the anchor and

manipulation of the anchor line to best position us over fish-rich pockets of water where steelhead are staging.

Dietz and I take our positions seated side by side toward the bow of the boat behind a four-rod spread, each of us assigned to a pair of custom 8-1/2 foot

fishing rods secured by rod holders and fitted with Shimano bait-casting reels boasting 50-pound braided line leadered down to 12 pound fluorocarbon. Terminal tackle consists of Rapala lures back-trolled 30 to 40 feet downstream. “I’m not a fly guy,” Day admits as he politely circumvents the casting endeavors of two fly-fishermen wading nearby. “I prefer spinning gear.”

We work our way through a 50-foot wide stretch of river known as “the Barrel Hole” while Day deftly jukes the bow back and forth to give our lures broader

presentation and cover more ground. “Some guys just run their boats in a straight line,” he says, “but that’s just not as effective.” A large fish breaks

the surface near the shore looking bruised and battered. “That’s a dropback steelhead,” notes Day. “It’s already spawned and is heading back to Lake Ontario.” The afternoon’s weather is perfect with no wind, 70-degree temperatures, and sunny, cloudless skies. Dietz, a veteran Pulaski fisherman, reports that he’s

never enjoyed more perfect weather here. But while the weather is ideal, other factors are less auspicious. “The steelhead run came sooner this year due to our mild winter,” Day explains, “so the fish spawned earlier than normal.” Another problem is that the water level is uncommonly low for this time of year.

Since it’s a Monday at the tail end of the steelhead season, boat traffic is relatively light and Day has plenty of elbow room to maneuver, a luxury he

seldom enjoys at the height of the fall salmon season when hundreds of drift boats and crowds of wading fishermen flood the river, dynamics that make

plotting a drift boat route exponentially challenging.

But even when the river is packed with competing boats and anglers, Day’s piloting skills, qualifications, and intimate familiarity with the river give

him and his clients a significant advantage. Unlike many others, Day’s Wack’em Guide Service is fully licensed and fully insured including both a New York

State license and a Coast Guard license. Actively guiding these waters for the past seven years while averaging some 125 float trips each year, he knows the river like the proverbial back of his hand. In fact, he’s been fishing the

Salmon ever since he was just six years old on weekend trips with his family. As a child he fell in love with life on the river and it’s a love affair that endures.

The 34-year-old Day is originally from Orfield, Pa., where he returns in the offseason. He also maintains a home in Pulaski where his

busiest times during the fall salmon run are September, October, and November and then again during the springtime run of steelhead in March and April.

Day explains that our afternoon excursion is the second half of the day’s double and that the morning trip yielded five hook-ups with one steelhead boated. The river still holds staging steelhead, but not the vast numbers of a few weeks ago. As we unhurriedly

wend our way downriver, Day points out the varying hydraulics of the current and how they affect our efforts.

But an hour and a half passes and nary a steelhead nudges our lures. Day’s keen eyes scan the waters. “The key to success on this river is adaptation,” he

declares, and he’s about to demonstrate what that means. Next week: checking off that fishy bucket list.

For more about Josh Day’s guide service, go to www.whackemguideservice.com, call 484-2399399, or email wackemguide@hotmail.com. For more about the fabulous, “old school” Tailwater Lodge, go to http://tailwaterlodge.com

ANSON B.NIXON TROUT RODEO. The Twenty-First Annual Anson B. Nixon Trout Rodeo will be held, rain or shine, this Saturday, May 7, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

in the Anson B. Nixon Park. Pre-sale tickets can be purchased at the Kennett Square Borough Building (610-444-6020) at 120 Marshall St. from 9:00 a.m. to

4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. On May 7, date of event, tickets can be purchased starting at 7 a.m. Ticket prices are adults $10, children $5. A PA

fishing license is required for those 16 years and older, trout stamp has been waived. Ponds will be

stocked with brook, brown, rainbow and golden trout.

Breakfast sandwiches, lunch and refreshments will be available. Bring your bait and gear with you. The White Clay Fly Fishermen will demonstrate their craft throughout the day. Prizes will be awarded for largest single trout and highest total weight. For more information, call 610-388-2773 or visit

www.ansonbnixonpark. org.

COURTESY PHOTO Salmon River fishing guide Josh Day readies his drift boat for launch.