According to The Fishing Wire service, the white water release that occurred on Labor Day weekend on the Salmon River (Oswego County) NY, is the trigger for large numbers of spawning Chinook and Coho salmon to enter the river. Each fall, the salmon run draws thousands of anglers to the river from across the northeast.

Salmon numbers typically increase through the month of September. The run usually peaks in mid-October when most of the spawning occurs. Although Chinook and Coho salmon die shortly after spawning, large numbers of steelhead enter the river later in the fall to provide exciting angling opportunities.

Pacific salmon can be caught on egg sacks, flies and other traditional salmon fishing techniques. Anglers are reminded that snagging, lining, and lifting are not allowed and anglers doing so will be ticketed. The desire for ethical angling practices and increased enforcement of existing regulations was a common theme during public meetings leading up to the development of the Salmon River Fisheries Management Plan.

YOUTH HUNTING PROGRAMS TO BE REVISED

The Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners gave preliminary approval to a revised mentored adult program that will bridge the mentored youth and mentored adult hunting programs.

Hunters and furtakers in Pennsylvania will be able to purchase their first licenses at age 12, after successful completion of a Hunter-Trapper Education course. The mentored youth program enables those younger than 12 to participate in hunting, while the mentored adult program allows those 18 or older to participate, simply by obtaining a permit and following program requirements.

Within the program, mentored youth may hunt only squirrels, rabbits, doves, woodchucks, coyotes, deer and turkeys. Mentored youth under the age of seven do not receive their own big-game harvest tags; their adult mentors must possess a valid harvest tag when hunting deer or turkeys, and the mentor must transfer the tag to the mentored youth upon harvest by the mentored youth. Additionally, the mentor and mentored youth may possess only one sporting arm between them, and it must be carried by the mentor at all times.

On the other hand, mentored adults may hunt only squirrels, ruffed grouse, rabbits, pheasants (pheasant permit required), bobwhite quail, hares, porcupines, woodchucks, crows, coyotes, antlerless deer and turkeys. Mentored adults receive only a spring turkey tag with their permits. To harvest a fall turkey, their mentor must possess a valid fall-turkey harvest tag; and to harvest an antlerless deer, their mentor must possess a valid antlerless license or Deer Management Assistance Program permit; then transfer the applicable harvest tag to the mentored adult at the time of harvest.

If the measure is adopted, mentored youth hunters under 12 would continue to pay $2.90 for their permits, resident mentored youth hunters ages 12 to 17 would pay $6.90 for their permits, nonresident mentored youth hunter ages 12 to 17 would pay $41.90 for their permits, and mentored adult hunters would continue to pay $20.90 for residents and $101.90 for nonresidents. Purchase of a hunting license by any mentored hunting program participant automatically would invalidate any mentored permit and associated harvest tags held by the same.