No fish in the SR

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troutbum21
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2018/11/15 20:36:55 (permalink)

No fish in the SR

Yep, no fish fish in the SR. This is photoshopped to get you to waste your time and money for fish that don't exist. Lol
I borrowed this photo from a well known guide who's client caught this fish yesterday mid river.
post edited by troutbum21 - 2018/11/15 20:50:44

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#1

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    Kokanee Killer
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    Re: No fish in the SR 2018/11/15 22:22:39 (permalink)
    wow  what a block  nice fish  gotta be 20 lbs

    I have become comfortably numb
    #2
    Lucky13
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    Re: No fish in the SR 2018/11/16 07:52:06 (permalink)
    Having had boots in the water up there for a part of each of the last four weeks, I can attest that there are some fish in the river, a lot of what are there are big ones, but there are NOT a lot of them.  The boat guides are doing runs from Altmar to 2a, and picking soft spots along shore, 4, 5 drifts with eggs or beads, working hard hunting for the few fish they are getting, or they are parking in the School and the Wire where some fish have concentrated.  It has been mainly VERY slow, and mainly teeners, until the last couple of days when there were some smaller fish that showed up in the wires, and smaller fish reported in DSR.  Unless it warms up significantly, I'm done for this year, the risks of driving the Lake Effect belt are not justified by the action the river has been producing, and the big muddy will fish once it gets cold.  We've spent a fair number of afternoons fishing Pineville the last 4 weeks, and there are not a lot of happy people getting off the boats.  And Guides have been known to recycle photos, Randy Jones is using some that are 10 years old! 
    #3
    troutbum21
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    Re: No fish in the SR 2018/11/16 10:18:41 (permalink)
    That fish was reportedly 36"/17lbs.  
     
    #4
    Lucky13
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    Re: No fish in the SR 2018/11/16 19:53:34 (permalink)
    Not doubting it, but it is the exception this year, not the rule.
    #5
    fichy
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    Re: No fish in the SR 2018/11/17 08:13:59 (permalink)
    Lucky13
    Not doubting it, but it is the exception this year, not the rule.


    Thanks for your honest reports Lucky, I've never fished in my life just for the surroundings.  I fish to catch and if the odds are really low, the appeal diminishes. I really do have a better chance at landing a big brown out of the trophy section of the Battenkill.   Not a steelhead, but a challenge that can be engaged in  3 minutes, not 3 hours.  I hooked one steelhead that was easily in the teens, but had it break off  trying to horse it after several runs and jumps.  
        I just cashed in my points (all my trips west are paid for by my Southwest credit card which all my suppliers  have on file)  and we're flying into Albequerque in April. Up to Utah to  backpack  into some wilderness canyons with ancient dwellings, then back to NM to hit the San Juan for some of the best  trout  catching in the US.  20" fish on a 4 wt. is fine for me.  I may go to the SR at some point, it's just lost it's immediacy for now.  First plowing and shoveling over with. Nothing broke, including my back.  Mud and grass under the snow made it  a challenge. I have some  very long driveways that are dirt. Tricky floating over the grass crowns without excavating.  Hopefully a break for awhile. Happy Holidays to all.
    #6
    troutbum21
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    Re: No fish in the SR 2018/11/17 10:08:49 (permalink)
    Over the last two weeks I've seen more than a few pictures of big steel both on the SR and the OZ.  What I find confusing is a few short years ago many complained that the fish were all cookie cutters, no big fish around.  Now some big fish are being caught but it's not enough to make the effort while lamenting there are no small fish to target.  
    I say take your chances, wet a line and accept whatever might come your way even if it's the skunk.  One thing is certain if you sit on the couch you'll never know what might have been. 
    And yes I will be on the river December 2 & 3 as I had the good fortune of winning two drift boat trips in the recent LOTAC Catch & Clean raffle.  Nothing left to do but smile, smile, smile. 
    #7
    Lucky13
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    Re: No fish in the SR 2018/11/17 15:51:18 (permalink)
    I take it your boots are wet?  I have a lot of other places where I can fish and have a better chance of connecting at much lower cost.  There are not a lot of fish around.  I don't recall anyone celebrating a lack of fish any year, and while big fish are nice, seeing no hookups a day everywhere on the river where I observe is not normal.  With a boat you will improve your chances, and by then the fish may be in better, but right now it is the suck up there, at least when the daytime highs are in the 30's and the water temperature is similar, the run that is "normal"  for October never materialized in any numbers, and that is not just me and my experience talking, I hear it from people in DEC as well.  If it gets warmer, I may drive the miles, but in winter conditions there is too much good water in my backyard to contribute more to global warming by putting extra miles on the vehicle.
    post edited by Lucky13 - 2018/11/17 15:54:52
    #8
    hot tuna
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    Re: No fish in the SR 2018/11/17 19:09:52 (permalink)
    I'm not for or against anyone who feels it's not worthwhile. Mostly any of my trips now, there or other places are pre planned and unless disaster strikes, I have to roll my dice.
    The exception is usually on popular places in crowds.
    As some or many, we have caught enough to pick and choose what suits our fancy.
    I get the urge and desire dont get me wrong which is why I don't mind kicking down a little extra for a lot more comfort with much fewer trips.
    I ain't spendy and know that years ag with 30 plus days on the SR I would never afford what I do now.

    Bottom line, Enjoy what you do otherwise it becomes more like a miserable JOB

    "whats that smell like fish oh baby" .. J. Kaukonen
    #9
    Lucky13
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    Re: No fish in the SR 2018/11/18 07:50:19 (permalink)
    troutbum21
     
    And yes I will be on the river December 2 & 3 as I had the good fortune of winning two drift boat trips in the recent LOTAC Catch & Clean raffle.   


    So with all those big fish all over the river, exactly what were the results of the LOTAC tourney?  And the MR Moose Memorial Float was that day, too, at the Altmar at the same time afterwards,. how did all those guys do?
    #10
    twobob
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    Re: No fish in the SR 2018/11/23 05:52:34 (permalink)
    Not well.
    The smell of skunk was on all the boats.
    #11
    hot tuna
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    Re: No fish in the SR 2018/12/03 17:43:40 (permalink)
    I seen photos of a co worker that fished the SR over the weekend and did very well mid river shore fishing . Some beautiful fish were caught. He's mainly a fly guy but caught fish using both fly and sacs.
    Not a numbers guy but 11 fish is pretty darn good to me.
    Someday I will get back in the game again.

    "whats that smell like fish oh baby" .. J. Kaukonen
    #12
    r3g3
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    Re: No fish in the SR 2018/12/03 18:32:53 (permalink)
    If someone got that many on I may start again too. Like old days.
    Glad he scored and glad they are there.
    #13
    hot tuna
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    Re: No fish in the SR 2018/12/03 19:51:20 (permalink)
    He showed me pictures of 6 quality fish he landed.
    He stayed at trappers and fished some in that area. The other good location was below Pineville. All north bank if it helps.
    Pressure was light.

    "whats that smell like fish oh baby" .. J. Kaukonen
    #14
    Lucky13
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    Re: No fish in the SR 2018/12/04 08:55:08 (permalink)
    According to the scuttlebutt, they have been trickling in, and certain spots have been parking lots for drift boats and producing.  Also Deer opened in PA, and only just closed north in NYS, plus the driving has been questionable, so less people are out.  But I've also spoken to anglers who frequent other NYS tribs that get comparable plantings of fish in relation to their size, and chrome has been noticeably few and far between, although there have been browns and some Randolph strain 'bows to compensate.  And what chrome are there are in winter mode, less zippy and jumpy due to the cold water temperatures.  The fall run was a real dud this year.  May have to save my pennies and buy a pass next year.
    #15
    r3g3
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    Re: No fish in the SR 2018/12/04 10:54:39 (permalink)
    Today is last of our Ct rifle- not out- house chores lol.
    Had good shooters on 2 of my properties and have passed does and skippers and one sub buck waiting out their grandpas.
    Muzzel starts tomorrow and goes through Dec 31.
    Often bucks go on walkabout lookin for love after the does on their home areas are bred and don't come back home till late season.
    Have had some good luck later.
    Either way its fun stuff.
    Any thoughts of fishing will come later.
    post edited by r3g3 - 2018/12/04 10:56:00
    #16
    bigbear2012
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    Re: No fish in the SR 2018/12/04 12:00:24 (permalink)
    I can't get the pic to post but we were up thanksgiving day, I got one 34.5 in with a 21 girth, we got a few more and lost a couple....slow, but there are fish

    wishin i was fishin
    #17
    hot tuna
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    Re: No fish in the SR 2018/12/04 19:19:16 (permalink)
    You mean one of theses L-13 ?
    I was a pass holder for a very long time but 2009 was my last. It became kinda foolish to continue on with the many changes that happen, personal as well. Rocky was cool but missed Norm, Fred, Connie and some regulars . My pass reasons were client based for salmon season until the early gales of November blew and at time I thought the fishing was better on free water anyways. Lots of folks didn't like paying to release a trout , good or bad but ...

    I looked at my coworkers pictures again and geesh, they are pretty darn nice double digit weight fish as opposed to the standard 6 lb that most think are 10.
    Knowing there are some pretty nice quality fish excites me more than just lots of fish in the river folks been used to the last 2 or 3 years. Lots of fish usually bring people, I been skunked many, many times and ok with it . My desire didn't wane from that but it did from people pressure.

    Glad you got some fun BIG bear 👍

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    "whats that smell like fish oh baby" .. J. Kaukonen
    #18
    Lucky13
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    Re: No fish in the SR 2018/12/05 07:53:37 (permalink)
    Just sayin, for 13 days on the river, I had 5 on.  I could say that was just my ham handed tying and casting and insistence on swinging, if everyone else was catching fish, but the only place we saw or even really heard of any kind of "action" going on was from Altmar down to the wires, and even that was reported as being mostly spotty.  There were days where I could watch from the Unemployment down to the School tail and see 20 guys and not see a bent rod for two plus hours.  I did stop going when the cold snap started three weeks ago, I am getting too old for driving with white knuckles, you eastern guys are out of the Lake effect band pretty quickly while we stay in it all the way home sometimes, and as I said before, the cold water fish are no where's near as active as the normal October November fish, so once it freezes up (and in Rochester we are at ~18 inches of snow for the year, in 2017 we had 2.5 at this point) I tend to look for opportunities closer to home, although my other responsibilities and the days of fishable water have not been lining up well this year.  I have never said there were no fish, but they were a lot fewer and further between than I've seen since the Thiamenase die off a few years ago, and mainly big fish says there is a year class not showing up in numbers.  I'd have still been going up if it had stayed warm like last year, but people have been ice fishing smaller waters around here off and on for two weeks.  So maybe they are coming in in greater numbers now, and all the high water up there isn't making them more vulnerable down low.  I go looking for Atlantics and skams in the summer, but no one is trumpeting "lots of fish" at that time of the year.  My expectations for the fall run are higher. 
     
    Metalslayer (a victim of the purges here) works at DSR now, and when I saw him the week after the catch and clean, he said they have abandoned the lift ticket, now they use a wrist band.  I am tempted by the thought of fresh fish that are still somewhat schooled up from the lake, because this fall, once they got above the Black, a lot of them seemed to disappear.  And maybe some of the commenters on the Management plan are correct, and trout should be catch and release on the whole river at least until November 1.   
    #19
    hot tuna
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    Re: No fish in the SR 2018/12/05 17:43:56 (permalink)
    13 I do not dispute your experiences , just stating another's. You know these are migratory fish and most do not spawn until spring,. Late March early April will be the tell tale from the hatchery.
    As you said your thinking about saving some coin to fish privilege waters. It seems to lead me to think the fishing was better there this fall. That water area was showing some pretty nice fish during your time frame on their site.
    Some variables:
    The fish moved slowly up stream out of there .
    Those that did , many got picked out in keep areas.
    Now maybe there are more fish entering the system.
    Your style of fishing was not producing ( I get that observations from others was low )
    So there are lots of things to think about.
    When you figure it out , please keep it close to the vest.
    I had a tough time trying to figure out my deer activity this season as well this year.
    The only thing that I know is I've seen some above average fish that were caught and that excites me.
    As for my hunting, our cameras also showed some above average deer and that kept me going through long hrs and tough conditions until my son scored another deer of his lifetime, after that it was all gravy. If that had not happened than I'd still be driving through blizzards along I-88 and freezing my already been frostbitten fingers and toes .
    I know there is a bigger one out there and some other trophies by anyone's standards still free but I'm at peace.

    A reply to 2 comments
    The ski pass I posted was a season pass.
    Do they really give season holders a daily wrist band now instead of a plastic card ?
    Lastly, things are not always as some seem,
    I know of only 2 , both outta staters that were purged post grizz being a moderator The 3rd is still on approval posting pending until read.

    Peace and tuna
    post edited by hot tuna - 2018/12/05 17:45:09

    "whats that smell like fish oh baby" .. J. Kaukonen
    #20
    hot tuna
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    Re: No fish in the SR 2018/12/11 17:15:34 (permalink)
    Above said co worker fished river again Sunday and yesterday. It seems his pictures don't lie. There are really fish in that river and I'm jealous.
    He fishes below Pineville and above 81.
    Pressure was light and he released all as usual
    This is only his 4th year fishing that river but a pretty skilled angler as are others here.
    All his fish caught were on his tied flies.
    Not trying to cause a mass rush because of my second hand information. Just a fact that there is hope at some quality fish this year. Who knows what the future may bring, we live in a right here right now generation.
    post edited by hot tuna - 2018/12/11 17:18:25

    "whats that smell like fish oh baby" .. J. Kaukonen
    #21
    r3g3
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    Re: No fish in the SR 2018/12/11 18:45:08 (permalink)
    Rich, if I read the DSR reports correct lately many are 'cookies' mixed with some larger fish, which may speak well of the fishery's health.
    Considering the weather lately up there, some seem to have done very well down low.
    Albeit late am really happy to hear the recent reports.
    post edited by r3g3 - 2018/12/11 18:46:17
    #22
    hot tuna
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    Re: No fish in the SR 2018/12/11 20:21:58 (permalink)
    His fish were above average and not dark

    "whats that smell like fish oh baby" .. J. Kaukonen
    #23
    Lucky13
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    Re: No fish in the SR 2018/12/12 07:55:35 (permalink)
    Two weeks of high water are bound to pull more fish, but my early experiences are echoed by other anglers on other tributaries along the lake.  So the winter fishers enjoy some of what we have come to expect in October and Early November, and that were not showing in any significant numbers then.  Local waters have also started producing, I saw pix of a couple of ~20's that came out of the big muddy while it was still high and stained, but unless we get another rain out on the weekend, it should be at good levels soon.  And some people will fish in anything, but I don't care much for 8000 cfs, or over 2000 in the SR, it is neither safe (for an old guy like me) nor fishable with much other than eggs.  As the DEC reports say, the pinners are starting to have a field day, and if you like to dead drift egg flies you can score with flies.  But the balmy swing weather of Indian summer never happened this past fall.
    post edited by Lucky13 - 2018/12/12 07:57:18
    #24
    chartist1
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    Re: No fish in the SR 2018/12/15 11:09:25 (permalink)
    I saw more steelhead during Columbus Day weekend in the DSR this year than any year I've been fishing there.  I had steelhead swim up to my boots and grab a sucker spawn i had dangling there waiting for a guy to finish his battle.  
    #25
    dimebrite2
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    Re: No fish in the SR 2018/12/18 19:49:32 (permalink)
    I've seen some beautiful fish. Very large ones. If this season hosts a healthy dropbacks I cant imagine the monsters we'll have next year. As for the complaints of early fall steelhead numbers being low in the SR, I'd honestly blame it on the salmon tactics that are practiced thoroughly through October in the lower river. So many steelhead get slaughtered. This used to never happen.
    #26
    hot tuna
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    Re: No fish in the SR 2018/12/18 20:19:21 (permalink)
    Hey db , welcome from outta the cave .
    Agreed, some beautiful fish I've seen as well this season.
    Some things maybe different or the same, I don't know.
    Years ago , the legal treble hookers pulled a lot of trout . It also seemed, the times in November were tough and the big steelhead of yore were caught during " steelhead " weather.
    Then a big lull in years.
    Regs changed making a more brighter future.
    Next came the internet explosion, lots self promotion ensued, so did the masses and later some complaints of cookie fish.. humm.
    If there was only a balance to keep everyone happy.
    Mine would be , get the nitwits off the river and just fish as fishing should be.

    Peace and tuna:
    Happy holidays to all.

    "whats that smell like fish oh baby" .. J. Kaukonen
    #27
    dimebrite2
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    Re: No fish in the SR 2018/12/19 07:27:14 (permalink)
    Tuna great points. From my perspective though, my referencing is from the difference between tactics and angle pressure from the pre-internet days to the post internet days. Yes, snagging days many trout were compromised. But in those days, it was mainly upriver. Before the internet, people would look at us like we had two heads if we said we hooked 20 steelhead in the staircase in late October early November. Just as little as two weeks ago there were still people plunking weight on monofilament fly rod set ups in town. There were a few days I witnessed hundreds of steelhead being flossed roped and strung in late October in the lower river. I used to never see that. The lower end used to clear out. Not saying it's the only factor, but to play a part. Those hot chrome's used to go near untouched compared to today's standards.
    post edited by dimebrite2 - 2018/12/19 07:28:24
    #28
    twobob
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    Re: No fish in the SR 2018/12/19 08:01:58 (permalink)
    dimebrite2
    I've seen some beautiful fish. Very large ones. If this season hosts a healthy dropbacks I cant imagine the monsters we'll have next year. As for the complaints of early fall steelhead numbers being low in the SR, I'd honestly blame it on the salmon tactics that are practiced thoroughly through October in the lower river. So many steelhead get slaughtered. This used to never happen.



    Steelhead which survive spawning spend the next year recovering and gain very little weight.  
     
    What is the limit on steelhead in the DSR? 
     
     
    I have experienced some of the biggest runs of large fish Halloweenish time frame. 
    Times change and things change like the holes along the river.
    As for me this year, I fished with lucky + a few days before he wanted to mix in with  the early salmon "anglers"  
    My take is that there were fewer fish this year ( last fished upriver was a week ago Thurs) 
    But there was a higher % larger fish ( largest I personally saw was an early 17 pounder ) my biggest of the few I landed was a thick 32-34 inch range hen I estimate was 12-14 pounds.
    I caught one 16 inch microsteel and couple 4-6 pounders on.
    As lucky said we were at the ramp regularly, and saw a lot of disappointed anglers getting out of boats.
    Rose said she was getting more negative reports than positive.
     
    Tuna is your friend younger?
    It was a year where covering water was important since the fewer fish meant there was lots of holding water with no fish and few bunched up anywhere.
    An option I no longer have.
    Two or three spots each day and I'm beat.
     
    Hope everyone has great holidays and good fishing
     
    post edited by twobob - 2018/12/19 09:25:05
    #29
    r3g3
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    Re: No fish in the SR 2018/12/19 08:34:37 (permalink)
    Pressure is a big deal. Used to have a couple of upriver mid to late May places all to myself for days at a time.
    If one wasn't producing another would.
    Now ya cant even get close to them cause guys are posted up on them for days at a time- 
    Back then very few fished that late- no, I think because of the computer- its common.
    Some fishing some flossing - some outright snagging.
    As one who doesn't keep fish up there I appreciate the impact of the added pressure and keeping.
    OOOps -yes- I did keep a Ho about 9 years ago.
     
    HEY ANDY- nice to see ya.
    post edited by r3g3 - 2018/12/19 08:35:49
    #30
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