Friday to Monday

Well arrived on Friday with a newbie (my dad) to the great lakes area.  We unpacked and hit the water.  I was surprised at the number of folks at this body of water but we hit a reliable spot.  Two domestic rainbows one of which was dropping eggs.  We released them and thought we might have a successful week.  Of course the single digit night didn't help our case.  Saturday, several spots completely locked up and slush everywhere to be found, so off to the SR.  Fished mid-river and immediately hooked up with two.  The net was left in the car so only one made it to the hand.  We then headed up to Altmar.....  and then headed back down to mid-river however the rest of the day was unproductive.  Sunday, slush started to disappear and worked hard for one bow and one steelhead.  Monday, headed back over to the SR figuring it would produce.  We hit mid-river in a spot where only the two of us fished, well with the exception of a guide boat a little ways up stream.  Hooked up on two and the 4 lb leader was no match as both broke off.  To my own admission, my drag was not set appropriately for the 4 lb leader.  We then went slightly up river and brought two to the net.  Lastly found a monster half dead near the bank where a guide boat had been.  I tried to revive this fish but boy was she beaten up.  I can't say I was confident this fish was gonna make it.  I would have thought that whoever caught this fish would have spent more time reviving it, I couldn't pinpoint if it was the guide.  All in all I had never fished late November and provided this cold snap hadn't occurred perhaps it would have been more productive.  I could not get over the cars at Altmar also seemed to be pretty packed at 2A everywhere in between was managable.  Bags and assorted stuff like imitators/streamers, although I will be the first to admit it seemed bags did better.  I personally saw a few folks hooked up, but IMO it didn't seem like a stellar weekend given the weather/water conditions.

Yeah internet, word of mouth, tackle shops or simply catching one during the tail end of salmon season have driven this trend in my opinion..............  I thought perhaps going up while all my fellow PA residents were in the woods would keep the total number of folks down but by the look at altmar perhaps that was a poor assumption.  Also I had to love the fact that we were fishing a section and two drift boats came right through the riffle we were fishing banging around in the boat and clacking their oars, etc...  Certainly nice and all but after that we moved on as I'm sure those fish were even more spooked.  Also I had to laugh that another boat was parked right below a popular bridge.  I thought all this water and you are sitting right below are parking lot where every and any wader toting fisherman can sit....  What's the point....  With that being said next year I'm gonna go up and hook up with gottum because if nothing else he can teach me a few pointers about joining the dark side i.e. pinning.

Lucky, the boom in fly fishing began long before "A River Runs Through It."  The snobs needed a format to separate themselves from the pack.  The same happened with the game of golf.    

Fichy,  There was a time when people were only concerned about competing against themselves.  Unfortunately its a keep up with the Joneses world.  You either choose to play or march to the beat of a different drum, I choose the latter.

Charlie got me laughing-thanks- needed that- 15 for 20-- heck - never had those numbers even in my 'artful lifting' days. Too selective and too much sitting around watching the show on the River  I guess.
 Reminded me of all those 40 and 60  hookup reports.
 Nothing wrong with a banner day now and again but ---GEEEZZZZE
 I know---I know--- 90/10.    lol

Well, I've been flyfishing for 50 years, and I still wear polaroids, as much for the ability to see hazards on the bottom as to spot fish.  My Orvis Rod is going to expire the guarantee pretty soon, and my Orvis vest (a gift from my wife) is about 15 years old now, so I am not exactly a fashion plate on the river.  So much Orvis because they had a shop here, and for a while I worked there, although with that job I didn't make enough to afford their products (I guided the Editor of the News and the head of the school on the LO tribs using a Glass St Croix before they became chic and trendy).  We've always seen big crowds around run peak times ( Mid September used to be the bigtime, now it is Columbus Day and around Halloween.) But now it is sustained from September into November.  As to the roll cast to the same spot, once you know what the right water speed looks like, and you pick out a seam, especially in high water, you will connect a lot more by keeping your fly swinging through that same spot, usually on a pretty short line, than you will glory casting all over the river.  However, even at 2000 earlier in the year, a 5 and a couple of 3/0s' was plenty of weight for this fishing, and that is a lot less than a  small marble.  As to competition and numbers, it is all official now, check out a couple of Morgan Lyle's recent articles about Loren Williams (who used to frequent this site) and the competitive trout leagues that are starting up around the country.
 
Early morning blathering, now off to work...
 
L13 

Lucky13
 
 
 so I am not exactly a fashion plate on the river.  
 
L13 

 
Did you say not exactly a fashion plate.
I've seen less seedy people living under bridges than you and I appear on our annual steelhead pilgrimages.
Everybody we go near checks their pockets to be sure we haven't picked them.
Crap half of them run back to their cars to see if we've smashed our way in.
Why do you think we have so few people around us when we fish?, because we would rather fish second water by ourselves rather than first water in a crowd?
Not hardly.
 
 

Dime, do you know Caucci and Nastase? I thought their books were good reference manuals and they had done some useful research. I stay away from the  Jersey  Alps, but I've heard nothing bad about C&N from a lot of very talented and decent folk.  You use to get crap there for fishing something other than bamboo, and that was in the 70's. I found ways to sneak into some private club pools on the Neversink. Lots of fun and I never got caught........I also fished the Lackawaxen, which was a great fishery that you couldn't get "seen"  on, so few fished it.  I did drift both branches in my 10' Johnboat that I strapped to the roof of my ratty VW bug. I used a junky 20"  bike for a shuttle.  I have the same attitude now as I had then- If you don't like what I'm doing F'off.
I haven't trespassed since I was 20 , so the DSR and Jailhouse Lodge is safe from me.
 

Like the attitude Charlie-subscribe to it myself.