Steelhead - Salmon River, Pulaski, NY - Ye-Haaa!!!!

ORIGINAL: YankeeAngler

Drake,
Your discomfort was simply due too:
1. Your wore the wrong waders for the daily conditions?
2.. Your guide did not helpfully and or professionally suggest the correct gear for the conditions at hand, that DAY?
3. You didnt hook into (most importantly) enouph fish, to keep that adrenaline running, to keep you warm?
4. You hired the wrong guide? (Maybe not taking into concern your comfort level and safety as #1 (As I always do?)
-
Your temp's are tuff.
Ive done them plenty of times, with incredible Steelhead fishing result's,  BUT, as you and I geteneral Advice older, picking your day (last minute) is the best way.

Good General Advice there Mr Jones.

I don't think it was the poor choice in waders that day I got cold feet in the boat. The waders were fine, it was just the frigid single digit temps, no bottom mat in the driftboat to prevent contact with metal bottom of boat with thin felt soles, and my decision to not wear korkers - which do provide that extra sole between felts and bottom. My feet were the only thing that really got cold - and they got cold through the bottom of my feet.

Did I mention that it was so cold that I my professional guide had to pour warm coffee on my hand after I attempted to "juice up" an egg sack against the gunwale of the boat and the sac & my fingers froze to the metal - like the kid on the flagpole in "A Christmas Story"?

We hooked into fish - it was a slow day, but we did encounter fishez.

Our guide was very professional, courteous, kind, obedent, cheerful, thrify,brave, clean, and above all reverent.
He reminded me of that Action Hero Bruce Willis "The Last Boy Scout"

****************
Sometimes it's easy to schedule a trip at the last minute - especially when I fly solo - which is a good part of the time. But if others are involved, pre-planning often becomes necesary and, as you know all too well, can be a shot in the dark with the ever-changing weather patterns of the Poooooolaski area.

****************

I enjoy sitting in a driftboat and watching the river go by. I enjoy the journey down the river and the conversation with boatmates almost as much as catching the fishez.

But I also enjoy, bustin trail - where no trail has been busted before - especially when the snow is high and fluffy like the Poooolaski brand of freshly fallen Lake O Lake Effect flakes.
The incredible scenery also takes my breath away, - almost as much as the time I tried to blaze my arse through 3' of snow drifts from the Papermill bridge up to Clark's Falls via north bank trail. I'ze almost felt like Fred G Sanford proclaiming to his beloved Elizabeth that IT's the BIG ONE!!!
********************

ORIGINAL: YankeeAngler

Hoping that you have more comfortable and a lil wiser fishing days ahead up here. :)

Well, thank you for your concern RJ, next time include a prayer for me to navigate through the rest of my life's activities - I can use all the help I can get in just about every department...

ORIGINAL: YankeeAngler

I'd rather see you with heavy duty spikes and waders w/ those temp's. on - in my boat,  than not. (Safety #1 - Comfort #2) F---the boat!

It was not like the Guide gave a shat about his boat's appearance that he told me not to wear spikes in his boat. It was my decision to leave them in my truck because I am just that type of courteous, respectful kind of guy that you have come to admire and respect..

The guide's boat was very sea-worthy, had some battle scars and scatches on it - like a well-worn fishing ourfit that feels good in the hand - not a display case boo rod that is meant to sniff and re-tube before it begins to oxidize...Most importantly, our lives were in the hands of a highly-skilled oarsman who took us down the river and kept us dry from the 35deg water.

ORIGINAL: YankeeAngler
But, hiring a Pro. Guide would have left you w/ a much better feeling.

I assure you Sir, that our Guide was TOP-NOTCH PRO Material, who knows that river better than the back of his hand. He even went so far as to insist on moving both propane heaters up front for us. It was a wonderful gesture on his part - sacrificing his own personal comfort for his clients...

It was a great idea, until I leaned too close against the front of the boat as I was battling my biggest fish of the day, and suddenly smelled that noxious, odorius smell of burning petroleun products which was the outer shell of my waders.

Amazingly there were no holes in the waders, but the surface was a bit runny and droopy after it stopped smoldering and cooled down..

The only casualties occurred when "Little Drake" suffered first degree burns on his forehead, and I sadly discovered that I burnt up a smallbag of schwagg - not exactly in the manner in which I originaly intended to do so.

ORIGINAL: YankeeAngler
P.S. If your in my driftboat, you will never walk (if that at all) more than 100 feet (at most, normally 30 feet) to fish a specific spot where the fish are LOADED! - Ye-Haa!!

Tell you what RJ, I will publically commit to book a float trip with you on the Salmon River for Jan 2012. I am picking Jan because I hope we get slammed with some bad, cold weather (throw anything at us but high winds), so we can all be put to the test. It should be a good time, and honest to god - NO BS - I hope conditions are tough- because I would really be interested to see close-up how you do your "Litte Buggy Setups" that are effective in the lowdrolms of winter fishing. We all have our different methods of madness - but I want a peek behind the curtain into the dark side of the Yankee Angler's arsenal and mind-set.

Put a Jan 2012 date into your book RJ. I can't give you an exact date yet, but I will do so no later than Oct 2011.

later..

p.s. off to hopefully blast a few crows at dawn - and watch God drop a few black turds, then make black snowflakes slowly follow the turd to the ground.

Then it's off to the lake to catch some of them big stupid brook trout that the PA Fish Commission stocked just two days ago - by pouring them through a big hole in the ice - like a cement truck delivery. My neighbor loves to eat trout - and I can guarantee he will have three fine specimens - it's just a matter of jiggin them up. then giggin them to to the ice surface via a Rapala fillet knife tip through their trouty-pea-sized brain...

Have a Good One.

later

p.s. - 6 days till the better half returns from trip. Where did I put that honey-do list????

post edited by draketrutta - 2011/02/13 05:26:05