I also saw fish at mckean last yr in mid October. Last October was weird. Some fish ran early and shot way up, then it seemed like no fresh fish ran for a while. Lower elk seemed nearly empty downstream of Girard, while fish were scattered through upper elk up to Mckean. I actually talked to guys at the elk access who swore that no fish had made it to rt 5 yet, then I got in the truck, drove 8 or ten miles upstream and found steelhead. They'd been there since late sept and they had seen alot of of pressure by then, but they were there. Made for tougher fishing but kept the crowds down in any particular place. Walnut, however, was another matter. Typical circus but tons of fresh chrome. Choose your poison.