Half full

   Like to keep my glass half full all the time but gotta say lately its been a chore. Some say older guys can get '****ety' and perhaps there is some of that goin on but frankly havent been too happy with the Outdoor scenario lately.
   Fish came into the SR real early this past year and then kinda  quit for a while but the 'Hordes' of fishermen came early as a result and double lined the place for an extended time in very low water conditions throughout the season.
    This with 'drought year' fish returning- hope the long term affects are not too serious. Low water and unusually big crowds made for a difficult season with tons of sidelined fish being removed and few 'biters' cause of excessive chasing. You could stand in a spot and watch the lines goin crazy below ya with each approaching fish running the gauntlet - this went on for more weeks than normal- in low water too.
   Didnt even buy Turkey or Deer tags up there this year cause my area has been pretty much a wasteland for the past coupla years for both. Thought it may be excessive logging or the harsh winter of a coupla years ago but residents here on the Forum keep saying its excessive poaching in my area. Lousy situation-----
    Similar here in CT with last year havin a record deep snow cover and clear reductions in Turkey and Deer ( which were already at a low ebb) in my places this year. Then we had a nonexistent Mast crop this year. Fortunately this year is a record breaker for lack of snow and the critters left at least have a chance--
      Turkey and Deer will come back someday but it will take them a while-gotta find some new ground both here in CT and up around Pulaski too.
    I LOVE the fishery and one a day or so keeps me quite satisfied so I'll never quit but what happened last year cant continue without HUGE impact on the long term IMHO. Not to say there  were not some real great days this past season it just seemed to be late and VERY crowded for the conditions on the water.
    A dozen miles of guys lined up on each side within casting distance of each other slashing each and every fish trying to pass by aint fishin and will destroy the place- We NEED some heavy releases during the season to prevent this from happening all season long anymore.
                 Post season depression---

Got no issue with someone havin to feed their family - HAVE issues with so many with a nice truck, snowmobile and 4 wheeler sittin in the hard next to a cooler fulla brewskis tryin to sell that line though. Its the  line heard all too often sittin at the bar next to a guy who had the bucks to get  poo faced cryin bout his starvin family.

Kinda like to use Blackberry for that --makes ya not really care anymore--hope work picks up- lousy time of year to be stuck with not much to do. Probably never get that lucky during some kinda decent  season.
  Sometime life aint worth livin if ya cant go out and kill somethin

Slayer,are you the guy that used to carry a basket on your back?If so I shared a few drifts with you many years ago in the DSR.

Good luck with the recovery- hope you can get fishing soon--

 BTW- one real great thing did happen on the river this season- On my last trip I fished the Kiddie Pool and the 'pool captain' wasnt there. It was a nice quiet enjoyable time.--

 -cept for the idiot pi**in in the water.

i'm not sure why but it seemed to me a lot of fish never entered the rivers.i use a hummingbird 120 portable finder from shore almost every day saw a wall of fish caught some but saw very few run into the creek.i'm not saying they didn't but compared to past years very few.i heard from a friend it was the same.i fished almost every day in oct and nov.did notice a lot of coho not as big a run of kings.i think the low water kept fish in holes and they got pounded.on the other side last years flood put all the fish up above the wire unmolested in a few days.i agree with more controled releases say 750.gives fish and men the same odds.

Chosen- my sentiments exactly -
  An odd year the way the fish ran- or didnt- The hos came in early and then never showed in their usual upriver haunts later on - many were high and dry. considering they say bout 50% of the hos are natural spawn can hardly wait to see the numbers in a coupla years.
When the Kings ran through the gauntlet some Steel and hos were caught but never got to spawn on those low rocky areas where I generally see them up river year after year - no water.Did they move on up or get taken out before spawning??- Yes they were up in the zones but  didnt see any more than normal up there. Actually heard a lot of grousing even in the zones.
   Please dont get me wrong here- not sayin it was armageden in any way- just seemed real different--Flip side would be the year before with the big floods and so many fish coming in on it and missing the whole gauntlet thing altogether- - now thats a bright future photo--

i fish the salmon river + nobody next to me = ????

It was great for me too. BTW- I saw basket man. Slayer- get some refills, will ya?

ORIGINAL: hot tuna

Honestly I thought it was an epic 2011 on the SR..
Caught awesome fish, met GREAT folks, relearned the after flood areas and never once got pizzed off..
Maybe less time on the river "having" to put ppl on fish played in part but still,,, the fish came and we caught..



I'll chronicle the 2011 year at some point..

I'll second that......I had a very good time during 2011.....lets do it again this year :)

RT:
Strike that... I did get bent during columbo week..
Tried to put a friend on fish.. I hooked em' but didnt catch them.. Crowds were crazy..
It was full swing and I was a fool..
The browns however seemed to all migrate west.. The last 2 falls by the way.. I learned a theroy behind that as well.

Still 2011 went down in my book as Great..

This year was alright for me. Only disappointment was the crowds lasting way into Dec. and Jan. on the upper river. Too F'in warm!!!!!! Still got fish, just had to bounce some flies off the sides of driftboats, and tug on a few bobbers.   The  early salmon  with HT was off the charts. Epic. Watchin' Jack put on a  steel and coho clinic one day was fun, too. He did give me enough time between netting his to get some of my own. Had steady days on steel. If you look at the DEC angler use study the river is getting swamped. I don't really have an informed opinion, only personal preference. I hope the remainder of the winter thins the crowds a bit.
 
Charlie

Not unemployed--work related injury and surgery---hit the ice a few times(friend drilled) and got out for steel yesterday--prob back on Mon light duty.

Perhaps I dwelled too much on the half empty part--
  On the bright side--
  Salmos back
   Metal is healing
    Tunas fishin 'hard water'.
     Not much more can go wrong with Dimes cars
      Charlies goin out ta dodge real Sharks
       Clint is still fishin the SR
    C ya at da paty
    
Oh yea- and Drakes lurkin in a dark corner someplace gettin ready to pounce on a snow bunny. 

Fan- My first trip to the SR is forever imprinted in my peanut little mind. That was well over 30 years ago and remains FABULUS.