Fly Fishing Visit the Salmon River in Pulaski, NY

Fly Fishing Cadet Club weekend visit to the Salmon River in Pulaski, NY. The club had many interactions with the New York Department of Environmental Conservation (NYDEC) during this trip. Cadets stayed at the NYDEC Training Academy (not in session), which is along the river. The location provided a great area for the cadets to learn about the river and salmon fishing. In the evening, they shared stories with the Environmental Conservation Officers who were also staying there as part of the Salmon River Detail (surge in law enforcement during the busy season). Saturday, Vietnam Veteran Jim Kelso, an old friend of the club who has fished the Salmon River for 40 years, guided and instructed cadets. To gain a better understanding of the how the fishery was created and maintained over the past century, the club toured the NYDEC Salmon River Hatchery, led by Fran Verdoliva, Special Assistant, Salmon River Corridor. Saturday's fishing saw cadets learning the techniques and a few hooking fish. By Sunday, the cadets were improving, and all were hooking salmon, many for the first time and for many, the largest fish they ever tried to catch. They found it difficult to land the fish which average 20 lbs., but by Monday, using teamwork, some cadets landed their first salmon.