Fishing guides and local bait shops are in agreement about the current state of the fall salmon spawning run on the Salmon River.
Things are good right now and it's going to get better, they said -- a welcome change from last year, which many agree was subpar.
"Anglers are happy," said Charlie Blaas who works at the Douglaston Salmon Run at the lower end of the river. "We're clearly seeing more fish that we've seen in the past few summers. Most anglers are bringing a number of fish to hand, and I've seen a lot of fish leaving our parking lot."
Blaas said that the Douglaston Run, which only sells 250 day passes to anglers each day, sold out on Saturday, Sunday and today. In fact, thanks to online registrations, with the exception of this Thursday, no other passes are available until Sunday, he said.
See the Douglaston Salmon Run daily fishing report at douglastonsalmonrun.com.
Up the river, Dale Wheeler, at Pineville Sporting Supply, said there was "some pretty decent action" Saturday at the Trestle Pool, but things slowed on Sunday. Today, he added, he's heard reports of some steelhead being caught in the downtown area and at the stretch "near the ballpark."
As for the Chinooks, Wheeler added many have been "pretty good sized -- many in the 20- pound, and some in the 30-pound range.
"In addition, the guys out in the drift boats are seeing a lot of fish in the estuary," he said. "It's already shaping up better than last year and the salmon really haven't started running yet."
Joe Laurino, a flyfishing specialist and guide who works at All Seasons Sports in Pulaski, said he hasn't had a chance to get out yet, but he's heard some anglers are doing well, while others are struggling.
"It's not other worldly, but it's definitely better than last year," he said.
Mike Ariola, salesman and angler at Fat Nancy's Tackle Shop in Pulaski, said he's heard of a few decent waves of spawning Chinooks coming through the Douglaston Run.
"Some blew right through the river and went up the DEC hatchery (in Altmar)," he said. "Guys are catching salmon and it's still going to get better. It's definitely fishable right now."
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Catch a big salmon on Lake Ontario recently or one of its tributaries? Send your photos to David Figura, outdoors writer for NYup.com at dfigura@nyup.com.