Syracuse.com - Many salmon anglers on Oswego River disregard signs, sirens, buoys

[HuntingNY-News]

The big problem is that restrictions set up to prevent drownings aren't being enforced.Despite the often-changing water conditions few, if any are wearing life vests.

Dennis Nett/The Post-StandardAnglers fish in front of the Brookfield power station, the spot where two anglers were fishing last year when they drowned. Notice the 12-foot drop-off in front of the anglers (particularly on the bottom left side of the photo). Oswego Fire Chief Jeffrey McCrobie shakes his head at the anglers fishing the Oswego River for salmon this fall when they ignore the numerous signs, sirens and restricted areas.

In particular, he points to those fishing in a dangerous stretch in front of Brookfield Renewable Power’s Varick hydroelectric plant, where there’s a shelf right next to a 12-foot drop-off. It’s where two fishermen were initially standing before they drowned last year.

The river, due to periodic water releases from the utility’s dam and hydro plant, can rise quickly. Sirens go off, lights flash. Anglers are advised to leave the river immediately.

The area in front of the hydro plant is clearly marked with buoys, cables and no-trespassing signs. A Brookfield employee at the hydro plant gets on a loudspeaker on the average of three to five times a day to tell anglers who venture into the area to leave.

The anglers often just keep fishing.

“We had meetings after meetings, where suggestions and safety precautions were discussed,” McCrobie said. “We came up with this “Wear It! Oswego” campaign, urging fishermen to wear life vests. We talked to hundreds of people, went to schools, posted signs.

“Look out there. How many people are wearing life vests? Nobody is doing it. Somewhere along the line there has to be some self-responsibility of the people entering the water.”

Each fall, the migration of the chinook and coho salmon from Lake Ontario up the lake’s tributaries like the Oswego and Salmon rivers draws anglers from throughout the Northeast and beyond, giving a seasonal economic boom to the communities along the waterways.

<span class="adv-photo-large">Dennis Nett/The Post-StandardFast-rising waters can present problems for anglers who wade out on islands and rocks. /span> The Oswego River below the Varick dam and hydro plant supplies lots of excitement as anglers engage in what some call “combat fishing.” They line up in many places shoulder to shoulder, hoping to hook a 30-pound chinook.

That excitement, though, turned to horror on Sept. 28, 2010, when Leonard M. Nichols, 45, of Wellsburg, and Clifford Luther, 52, of Horseheads, died after being swept away in the river’s fast-rising water.

Last winter, the Brookfield staff, officials from the city of Oswego and Chamber of Commerce and other concerned individuals met in often-emotional meetings to come up with ways to make the river safer without hurting the fishing. The idea of requiring all anglers to wear life jackets was rejected.

This spring, Brookfield and city staff got together with state Department of Environmental Conservation law enforcement officials to discuss making areas off-limits to fishing and the proper wording on signage.

“One of the big issues was whether Brookfield had the legal standing to make a ‘no trespassing’ complaint,” said the DEC’s Capt. Woody Erickson.

It did not, he said. The land where the anglers access the river from the west side and the river bottom in front of both the dam and the power plant is owned by the city of Oswego.

“The city was not interested in filing complaints against fishermen,” Erickson said.

Bottom line: There’s no enforcement .

“We view it as a cautionary zone as opposed to an exclusionary zone,” said Capt. Mike Beckwith of the Oswego Police Department. “We hope the fishermen heed the caution and warning signs because it is a very dangerous place for them to be.

Making matters worse, on Aug. 17 the state Department of Transportation announced that the bridge leading to nearby Leto Island has structural problems and would be closed. That shut off access to a popular fishing spot, and the result is more fishermen are concentrated on the western side of the river.

In addition to the signs and restricted zones, Brookfield has put in depth poles at various spots on the river to provide visual confirmation of the water level. There are also distance markers along the Linear Park on the western side to help out-of-towners tell emergency workers exactly where they are and where the emergency is located. And there are new rescue ladders along the linear park and rescue platforms in front of Forebay Island.

“We’re doing everything we can,” said Julie Smith-Galvin, a Brookfield spokeswoman. “We appreciate there’s good fishing there. We just want everyone to be safe.”

She said that once the sirens go off, signaling a water release, “we give sufficient time for anglers to get out.” She was unable to give an exact time in minutes.

“It depends on the operational and natural conditions of the river,” she said.

Tuesday morning, Kevin Davis, a drift boat captain with “Catch the Drift” charters, who was anchored with two clients right in front of the plant, said, “You should have seen it yesterday.

“There were 20 guys (in the restricted area). You can yell at these guys for 10 minutes. They don’t care.”

Andy Bliss, a drift boat captain with “Chasing Tails Adventures,” who was anchored with his clients near Davis, said the power company went beyond its authority, particularly if the city and the state aren’t willing to enforce the restrictions. Both said that if nothing else, anglers should be kept away from the front of the hydro plant.

Davis said each fall he rescues fishermen there.

“I do it three, four, five times a year. Last year, this guy went in and he was about two feet under water when I grabbed him by the neck,” he said. “When somebody falls in the water again — and you know it’s going to happen — they’d just better hope that I’m here.”

Dennis Nett/The Post-StandardAnglers often fish side by side in their quest to get salmon.The “Wear It! Oswego” campaign

For specifics on the “Wear It! Oswego” campaign and safety tips while fishing on the Oswego River, see the Group's Facebook page.

View the full article on The Syracuse Outdoors Blog