Sept 5,6,7.

   Drove up Monday and had to cut grass Tuesday in the AM despite the wet . It was way too long.  Saw guys late Monday in the drizzel and they all looked tired and wet and hanging around.   Not many and they all had similar stories.  Not many fish and what was there are moving VERY fast.
     Got out just as the weather cleared Tuesday noon and stayed in the Ballpark area up to the 81 pool all the rest of the day. Fished that big pool all alone for a coupla hours with Popsicles with  no luck but did learn a lot bout my new  Cabelas switch LOVE IT..
     Pulaski does a good job keeping that long stretch open with ample parking- bout all thats left for most guys on the low end.
    Got above the slashing on the rapids down below and saw a couple of dozen BLAST past as fast as their little legs could move them. All singles with only one pair. And I mean BLASTING UP.
    One huge male finally held in a small spot and after a few passes he ate a popsicl right in the inside corner of the mouth GREAT- caught and released.   
        Was neat for the first of the year to be a good one that I could watch eat the fly on the new rig. PERFECT TRIP.
    Today (wed) was raining and  did  chores and got out bout noon for a couple of hours- They were BLASTING through one at a time again but only one bout every half hour or so. All but one other guy in the upper Ballpark by mid afternoon- SLOOOOW.  Bugged out and got home in rain all the way.
    Its starting and from what I read kinda hit or miss for most. Gotta be lucky and just hit the right spot this early.
   Water was dropping a bit Tues PM and today ( wed) was coming up and starting to get a bit murky- If they get that rain I hit from Rome on down thers gonna be some high muddy water for a bit- Every stream and river all the way to Mass. was up and muddy and some way outa their banks.
  Personally I'd wait a few days to go back up only gonna keep gettin better anyway.

Hey Tuna=despite a lotta looking and walking around those nice pools and holding areas that was the ONLY fish I saw hold. Fished a TON of white water as  I moved around too=behind every rock in that stretch I could get to,  NADA'
   What few  were coming were very very fast and bout impossible to throw anything to -didnt even slow down-ZIP=gone- the slashers werent even hooking up below me = only rarely-one lift and gonzo.
   Dont buy into that sport shop $$$$ splatter- Its early. It aint HOT and aint ON FIRE or even 'theyre in the river' yet = spotty is an alomst proper term but might better be used in a few days.
That said am happy as donkey poop to have been there and hooked one but If a guys has only limited  time- wait a bit = theyr commin.
I had upgraded the reel quite a bit as you had suggested for a more reliable drag- got a nice   Lamson - also upgraded the line - great setup.

   Got a #8 11'  4 pc Cabelas switch rod with a 3 .5 Lamson large arbor- the 4 just didnt feel right in my hand (on rod) - different strokes. Put on a good Cabelas 9 wt line. Have 10's if feel the need to go up another wt. but the 9 does Ok for me so far.
   Hate to be knocking those early reports like have been but some just get too overzealous  OMHO  early on when compared to the better parts of the season.
     Always think back to when my time on the SR was very limited and I wasted time and money listening to reports that were NOT what I found on the river- or even backed up by some of the very places that made the reports upon arrival.
   YES it has started, but the first step aint no marathon. If there had been any kinda decent fishin woulda stayed another day- despite the wet weather.
  This is that time when a hundred guys go fishin and only a very few get into  fish. Nice reports but not the norm.

Good morning guys
  Hope all  up there today see some fish and that they get into them. After reading all reports on all forums by the folks actually fishing it seems that it depends greatly on the ability and desire to move around a lot this time of year to find them.
Thats nothing new and is a mainstay of early fishing on the SR. Personally got some issues with walking around a lot and when jumping generally end up at the 'popular spots' as the day goes on.. Makes me stick it out in one or two places. Thats OK cause its the fishin not always the catching that makes me come back and made me buy up there.
  As a guy who prefers the upriver places it was great to hear that there seems to be  nice mixed pod moving up there.
   That bit of flow the next day or two should certainly bring some in -especially after a coupla overcast days where (hopefully) the water temp came down a bit too. The temps were in the mid 50s to mid 60s but it looks like they are goin back up 10 or so for next week.
  Better days----keep fishin.
  Remember if you have limited time to go up this still is early Sept fishing and is picky and spotty - we all get excited about it not just for what it is but for what it represents- 'the beginning'. If your limited in river time - "wait a bit.' Its just gonna keep getting better.

Hey Coho,
Guess I bugged out just in time yesterday PM. Saw all those overblown rivers and streams along the Throughway on the way down.
Hey bout the fishin. Just read Dimes report bout "the fishin sucks" in DSR this morning. That after the post -take a look- the DSR made yesterday.
It aint anybodys fault just the same old same old early Sept stuff. coupla early fish and they all go nutso.--I'd wait. It only gets better his time of year.
That said fishin is great whenever you go and if ya keep the proper attitude and just plain know what the deal is this time of year.
  Only a coupla hours out- guess ya can buzz up most anytime just for the day--lucky.
   BTW- dont know where 'Turning Stone "is but if its West of Utica try and get off in Utica and going right through Rome 'the back way' I do that Rome thing all the time just to get off the highway-its a bit shorter too. Not far from Utica to Rome. Bout a 45 min ride from Rome to Altmar that way. An hour from the actual Rome Throughway exit. Think its 49 or 69 from Utica into Rome-short ride.

Silver Bullets

Yesterday was when the 800cfs hit the estuary and lake.
I'm sure it brought most of what was in the estuary upriver and some from the lake are trickling in because of it.
The estuary fish were ready in a school and blew up in pods.
Then the lake fish started trickling in in ones and two.
Those I believe are what I was fishing to today.
If they have enough water to do it again next week I would love to be in the DSR early AM when the new estuary fish start to move.