Bill Hilts Jr.: Revisiting Oswego County stirs memories, changes (2024)

Oswego County truly is a sportsman’s paradise. Located on the southeast corner of Lake Ontario, it is home to some of the best freshwater fishing in the country. This made it the perfect place for the annual conference of the New York State Outdoor Writers Association as we mix business with, well, business.

Yes, outdoor activities like fishing and hunting are part of what we do as we communicate the outdoors to the masses. Yes, there is some pleasure involved– I won’t deny that– but taking notes and photos while on an outdoor adventure can sometimes get in the way of pure enjoyment.

When most people think of Oswego, there are two things that come to mind. One is the Salmon River. This is home to the Salmon River Fish Hatchery in Altmar which creates one of the most spectacular runs of salmon and trout every autumn that people have ever seen in the lower 48 states. But if crowds are an issue, there are plenty of other places to wet a line.

Pick up a copy of the Oswego County Fishing and Hunting Guide by calling 800-248-4386 or go tovisitoswegocounty.com.

The other important characteristic of the area that is ingrained to all who experience this part of the state is snow –and I should know.

I went to school at SUNY Oswego from 1976 to 1978 and the snowfall we witnessed was mind-boggling. In the year that Western New York fought through the Blizzard of ’77, Snow that season totaled over 400 inches of the white stuff. Yes, 400 inches! We made "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" on back-to-back nights as it snowed for two days straight. There were small pieces in the paper that warned parents to keep the kids off snowbanks along the road – they were too close to the power lines! Yes, that kind of snow.

Our conference was at the end of May and the first couple of days of June, so we didn’t have to worry about snow (thank God). We did have to make the tough decision on where to hunt or fish in some beautiful weather.

The first morning it was walleye fishing on Oneida Lake with Dave Figura of Skaneateles, local chairman for the conference. Also on board was media specialist Sue Bookhout. We were teamed with Capt. Torrey Pfeifer of Wild Eyes Charters, veteran owned and operated out of A&P Marina in the southwest portion of the lake at Cicero.

It’s been a few years since I fished Oneida and was pleasantly surprised as we turned in a great morning of fishing on the lake using a variety of tactics. We started casting marabou jigs, bouncing the bottom with exaggerated pulls as we worked our bait through the weeds in 11 feet to 13 feet of water. Figura hit a couple nice 'eyes. I switched to a KVD jerkbait and Sue was using a casting harness – the BHammer lure developed by local angler Brian Hammond. While Sue did not catch a walleye, she caught the most fish for the morning as she reeled in numerous pickerel and a variety of slab panfish from the sunfish family.

As I worked on casting the jerkbait, I finally hit the biggest walleye of the day, caught a couple pickerel, and lost another keeper walleye at the boat. I also released some short fish.

Pfeifer was a pleasure to be with as he knew his stuff. If you need to get in touch with him for a charter, his number is 315-729-6699. His 21-foot WX2060 Multi-species Skeeter was great to fish out of.

Oneida Lake is the largest freshwater lake that lies entirely within a single state. It’s appropriate that the Oneida Lake Association is the state’s largest lake association and a charter member to the New York State Conservation Council. Membership is just $8 and check out oneidalakeassociation.org to find out about all the things the group is involved with to protect the lake.

The next day it was brown trout in Lake Ontario with Capt. Tom Burke and Capt. Andy Bliss of Cold Steel Sportfishing Charters, running a 36-foot Egg Harbor out of Oswego. I’ve known Burke and Bliss for a long time, usually announcing a big catch of salmon and trout for a pro-am tournament in Niagara County. It was another beautiful day and we had a full crew of six media mavens. In defense of the captains, we didn’t hit the water until almost 7 a.m. due to complications from another boat and a last-minute switch. Brown trout hit better at first light, and it was far from that.

For the first hour or two, everyone had a chance at the rod and we boated a few nice browns and a small salmon. Rather than stay on the fish near the power plants, the writers voted to chase salmon in a different area. Like the late Doug Stein always told me, never leave fish to find fish.

Cold Steel Sportfishing comes highly recommended and the dynamic duo also fish either the Salmon River with Burke or the Oswego River with Bliss come fall. Call 315-391-8079 for more information.

Some big news was coming out of the area is that the eastern basin of Lake Ontario is being designated a National Marine Sanctuary. Off the shores of Wayne, Cayuga, Oswego and Jefferson counties, the Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary encompasses some 1,722 square miles. This will be co-managed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and New York State.

A big part of the special designation is the fact that there are numerous shipwrecks and submerged planes in the region. Just west of Oswego is the David W. Mills Submerged Cultural Preserve and Dive Site – home to at least five shipwrecks. It is the state’s first diving preserve in the Great Lakes. All told, the network of NOAA sanctuaries and marine national monuments is 16, three in the Great Lakes. Check out sanctuaries.noaa.gov/lake-ontario/ for more info.

It was great to get back to Oswego again, but there is more I need to revisit and discover. I won’t make it so long before a return trip is in order.