Syracuse.com - Filming of second season of 'The Run' underway as Salmon River fishing season peaks

[HuntingNY-News]

This year's story lines on the reality TV show will include Lake Ontario charter boat captains based in Oswego, along with the Oswego River fall fishing scene.

The annual Salmon River chinook and coho salmon spawning run is approaching its peak this weekend and Pat Donnelly is once again at the river and in Pulaski filming it for his reality TV series.

Donnelly's TV mini-series, "The Run," premiered this spring on the Sportsman Channel and has since run on the local cable channel as well. The four-part series followed the lives of a host of characters -- Lake Ontario charter boat captains, Salmon River fishing guides, employees of local businesses, etc. - who depend on this annual fishing phenomenon.

"This community depends on the run. These four weeks can either make or break the whole year for many businesses," said Patrick Donnelly, head of Team E Media, the Weedsport-based, production company making the series.

Andy Saunders, of Syracuse, a retired professor at SUNY ESF, hoists a 42-inch, spawning chinook salmon he caught and released on the Salmon River in late August. Ray Norton photo 

Donnelly said the show's first season was well-received. It looks like the second season of the show will have its original characters and businesses back, and several more have been added in the story lines. The original sponsors are still on board and more have signed on - both at the local and national levels, he said.

In addition, Donnelly has brought the Oswego fishing scene into the fold. This summer, he began filming the activities of a couple of charter boats based at the marina in the city of Oswego, and is currently following the Oswego River fall salmon fishing scene as well.

"The Oswego River is going to be a great story line. You have urban fishing that's pretty good, compared to the country fishing that takes place on the Salmon River," he said. "You also have the whole thing with the river going up and down, the horns from the power station sounding off when that happens - plus the added element of danger when fishing those waters."

He's also filming a morning with a DEC environmental conservation officer on the Salmon River as he patrols and makes sure anglers are following all the rules, particularly those against snagging. Donnelly noted that before being given approval, he had to submit to the DEC every possible question that might be asked of the officer ahead of time.

Donnelly is the son of DIRT auto racing mogul Glenn Donnelly. Team E Media, located in specializes in sportsman and motor sports television production. Its shows have aired on the Outdoor Channel, Sportsman Channel, Pursuit Channel, Time Warner Sports and Speed.

Donnelly said this fall is shaping up to be a "banner year" on the Salmon River.

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"The fish started running early this year and they haven't stopped," he said. "And for whatever reason, there's lots of huge fish. Last year the average fish seemed to be about 23 pounds. This year, it's more like 28 pounds."

Donnelly said the filming has brought him closer personally to all the characters in the show as it highlights how important this 35-40 day stretch each fall is to their economic well-being.

"We're living their lives through the cameras. They're working double shifts this time of year ," he said. "One of the fishing guides we're following just had his truck blow up. He couldn't afford to be down for even a day. He earns $1,000 a day, plus tips.

"He just went out and bought another truck."

View the full article on The Syracuse Outdoors Blog