South Sandy Creek Steelhead Fishing: Jefferson County, NY
There is more than one Sandy Creek in New York, and this article is about South Sandy Creek in Jefferson county. These are guide tips, tactics, and spots for South Sandy Creek Steelhead fishing.
South Sandy Creek is a mid-sized river that can provide excellent steelhead fishing from October to April. Steelhead fishing on South sandy creek is not the only fishing available, anglers will also find plenty of big Chinook Salmon and some migrator brown trout in the river in the fall.
South Sandy Creek Steelhead Fishing
There are 2 or 3 other Sandy Creek in New York state flowing into Lake Ontario and all get runs of steelhead. For the other Sandy Creeks see 13 Best New York Steelhead Rivers.
This South Sandy Creek is a small tributary to Lake Ontario in Jefferson County, located just 10.8 miles from Adams, in New York, United States.
South Sandy Creek is sourced from the Tug Hill region westward and flows through the Ellisburg village and then finally empties into Lake Ontario.
South Sandy Creek, together with other close tributaries like North Sandy Creek and Little Sandy Creek receives stocking of about 28,750 yearling steelhead, each year.
The South Sandy Creek has just over 20 miles of water body in length and South Sandy Creek steelhead fishing is limited to the section below Monitor Mills Dam at Ellisburg. As small as this creek may be, it has the record of providing some of the most memorable steelhead fishing in the state of New York, in the United States. See The 12 Best New York Steelhead Rivers
Local river guides and anglers will tell you that it takes a decent rain to bring the water levels up to bring the steelhead in, but once they are in, the big steelhead will hold in the many deeper pockets and pools. The upside to this is that when other more popular rivers like the Salmon River are too high or are too crowded, the South Sandy Creek can be perfect to fish with a lot fewer anglers around.
South Sandy Creeks can produce some big fish and allow for great steelhead fishing opportunities in NY, thanks to its quality runs, good mix of pools, many access points, and a fair amount of spawning gravel.
Anglers are sure to find a variety of fish such as chinook salmon, coho salmon, brown trout, and steelhead here.
Best Time To Fish South Sandy Creek
South Sandy Creek steelhead fishing can be so easy if only you know how to predict the runs and the right time to fish. Typical of every Ontario tributary, steelhead begin to enter South Sandy Creek after significant rains raise the water levels and this can happen from September through May and thus gives anglers 9 months to target these steelhead.
However, it’s still possible to fish for steelhead in Ontario rivers like South Sandy Creek even in the summer for smallmouth bass near the mouth of the river, giving anglers as much as 12 months of fishing.
Steelhead Fishing South Sandy Creek In Fall
Steelhead begin to enter South Sandy Creek in small but still fishable numbers as early as mid-September. This marks the beginning of the steelhead spawn migration. As the fall season progresses, the temperature of the water in South Sandy Creek drops to suit steelhead migration (usually 45-60 degrees F).
Together with the onset of cold nights and October and November rains, steelhead migration continues with more steelhead and anglers farther up the creek. November is one of the best times to target these silver bullets in the fall.
Anglers who know how to adapt to the changing fall conditions and temperature drops, and are knowledgeable about steelhead location shifts are those that have the most success.
If you are looking forward to fishing for steelhead on South Sandy Creek in the fall and would like to learn the most effective methods used by me and other steelhead guides, you can check out my article: Fall Steelhead Fishing.
Steelhead Fishing South Sandy Creek in Winter
The winter season is characterized by declining river temperatures, gradually getting close to the freezing mark, which typically stalls upstream steelhead movement. Steelhead runs slow down considerably and steelhead in the river will hold in deep slow pools.
Most anglers avoid steelhead fishing during this time because South Sandy Creek steelhead becomes so difficult to catch.
However difficult, The steelhead are there, and they will feed at times, and experienced anglers can still take advantage of these icy cold conditions and land some great steelhead.
I think this is a great time to fish the creeks for steelhead because you won’t find so much pressure on the creek and I find that some of the biggest steelhead enter the rivers in late November and will hold over in the creek all winter. As long as the river is not frozen solid and you know how to fish winter steelhead this is a good time of year.
Winter steelhead fishing can be great if you understand how the temperature affects steelhead behavior and their holding patterns. There are methods, setups, and baits that are best suited for winter steelhead fishing.
I discuss everything you need to know about winter steelhead fishing and tell you how river guides keep their clients catching fish even on the coldest days, in my article: Winter Steelhead Fishing.
Towards the end of winter, the river experiences an upsurge in temperature and begins to warm up; and regular steelhead fishing on South Sandy Creek resumes.
Steelhead Fishing the South Sandy Creek in Spring
The spring season is a great time for South Sandy Creek fishing for steelhead. Spring can provide some great steelhead action, as these Chromers begin to find their way to the best spawning grounds within the creek. This usually begins around the first week of March through April and can last into the first week of May.
The cold winter is gradually turning into warmer weather associated with spring. This temperature upsurge raises the river levels due to snow melting and triggers the first spring steelhead runs. These spring silver bullets can also be aggressive during this time and so they will readily grab any bait, fly, or lure, that is well presented.
Spring is generally characterized by fluctuating water levels and temperatures and there are 3 stages of the spring steelhead run. If you don’t know what stage the steelhead are in, spring steelhead fishing during this time can be somewhat difficult.
Understanding and adapting to these fluctuations is critical to landing many great steelhead.
To find out guide tips and tactics for spring steelhead fishing and about the stages of the spring steelhead runs, you should check out my page: Spring Steelhead Fishing.
Steelhead Fishing South Sandy Creek in Summer
Some locals tell me there are sometimes some steelhead in South Sandy Creek during the summer.
Some Ontario tributaries such as South Sandy Creek can have some small sporadic runs of steelhead during the summer. Summer steelhead fishing is associated with a unique strain of steelhead known as Skamania, which can run as early as May; however, the majority of runs come in during June through September.
The Skamania breed of steelhead usually begins their spawning run during summer and remains in the river until when they are sexually mature and ready to spawn later in the fall or winter.
Fishing for Skamania is usually a “hit or miss” as their upriver migration tends to be very quick and South Sandy Creek’s summer steelhead are often strays from the stocking efforts of nearby Salmon River. This means the numbers are small and sporadic.
Skamania steelhead fishing also depends greatly on the river conditions. The basic conditions that will stimulate Skamania’s run are rising water levels caused by heavy rain events.
Timing is very critical when it comes to these chromes, and so your best chance at landing these steelheads is during periods of increased flow.
Best Methods For Steelhead Fishing The South Sandy Creek
There are many methods that anglers use to catch steelhead on South Sandy Creek. The methods used are almost identical to what guides and anglers use on other rivers of this size all around the great lakes region. I will discuss some of these methods here but if you want more in-depth information check out my page Steelhead Fishing – Most Effective Methods For Steelhead
Float Fishing
Float fishing for Ontario steelhead tributaries such as South Sandy Creek is very popular and very effective. Float fishing for steelhead is a method used in presenting a bait to steelhead by using a bobber, otherwise known as a “float”.
Your choice of float is very critical in helping you catch more South Sandy Creek steelhead. I discuss how to determine the best Centerpin floats for steelhead fishing on my page: Best Centerpin Floats.
Under the right conditions and the right bait, float fishing can be the most effective way of consistently catching steelhead in South Sandy Creek.
Some of the baits I recommend are spawn bags, beads, flies, and worms. For more productive baits and how to use them, you can check out my page: Best Steelhead Baits.
Float fishing is more than just throwing out your float and bait and then watching it go. This is unfortunately the approach of most anglers, and the result is always a disappointing few steelhead catches. The best float fishing involves a few simple skills and setup. If you’re interested in learning how to do it right, you can check out my page on: Float Fishing for Steelhead.
Drift Fishing / Bottom Bouncing
Drift fishing for steelhead is one that works well in shallow and deep waters similar to the South Sandy Creek. Drift fishing and bottom bouncing are very similar and are steelhead fishing methods where you cast your bait out with no float or bobber and you allow it to drift and bounce along the bottom.
The least amount of weight should be added to your line to get your bait to the bottom of the water when drift fishing or bottom bouncing. Many anglers use too much weight which can cause them to snag up or not be able to detect a bite well.
The goal is for the bait to bounce in tandem with the speed of the current, such that the steelhead picks it up as it bounces along. Any slight hesitations, a tug on the line, or upstream movement is a sign of a hit. When such happens, you want to quickly raise your rod and confirm if it’s a fish.
It takes practice but this can be a deadly effective method in the many pools and pocket water found on South Sandy Creek. I discuss the best methods and setups used for effective drift fishing, the best baits and types of water to use drift fishing method, on my page Drift Fishing For Steelhead.
Spin Fishing With Lures
Lures can also be used with good success on South Sandy Creek. Spoons and spinners are great choices for steelhead lures on smaller creeks like South Sandy. Plugs and jigs work as well in the bigger pools.
These are some of the best lures I would recommend for this river but to see how to use them, what sizes and colors are best, and how to fish them under varying water conditions check out my page Lure Fishing For Trout: Tactics From A Pro River Guide.
Fly Fishing
Last but not least is fly fishing for South Sandy Creek steelhead. Many local river guides only fly fish for steelhead on New York Steelhead Rivers and South Sandy Creek is perfect for fly fishing.
The most common method used when fly fishing for Steelhead on South Sandy is Indicator Nymphing but there are other fly fishing methods that work well and maybe even better. I discuss my most effective and all fly fishing methods on my Fly Fishing For Steelhead: Great Lakes Style.
Best Access Points for South Sandy Creek
South Sandy Creek boasts of being well-signed and having different access points with plentiful parking. This can be found in different sections of the creek from Ellisburg downstream through South Landing Road. You will find public access on Lakeview Wildlife Management Area, also downstream of South Landing.
There are also other access points at roads that lead off Route #193. For generalized location maps intended to aid anglers in finding designated steelhead fishing areas and public fishing rights (PFR) segments, check out the South Sandy Creek Fishing Maps.
Streamflow For Steelhead
Understanding steelhead behavior is important if you want to be successful in pursuing steelhead. This behavior is partly dependent on water streamflow, and so it is smart to check the river conditions before heading out to the river.
For real-time streamflow data and a good indication of river conditions, you should check the USGS South Sandy Creek flow gauge, New York Water Science Center.
South Sandy Creek Steelhead Fishing Q & A
We wanted to have the most comprehensive page on South Sandy Creek Steelhead Fishing on the internet and I think we have succeeded. But if you have a question or a comment, a tip, or even some local fishing advice that can make this page even better, let me know in the comments section below.
Tight Lines
Graham
