your most memorable day on the river?

    I'd have to say it was a 2 day trip last year. My son was bugging for years to go up and fish but mom was nervous so I talked her into it we did a overnight trip and had a great time plenty of fish he landed around 5 or 6 fellow fisherman handing their poles over so he could reel their fish in we had a great time. Now I can't leave home without him or pass Ponderosa without saying he's hungry. we did it again this year and now he's like the 12 year old expert out on the river but not a moment goes by that were not having a good time and for those that have had a child fly fishing we know they can make some real nice tangles. I hope its a tradition they will go on for some time. Now if I'm fishing and see a young angler I'm the first to hand off a rod to see the joy and excitement in their face as they fight a monster fish.

That's a tough one. I've fished for steel out west and Atlantics on the Gaspe' but was turned off by the SR in the 80's. My loss.  Finally, I decide to return 4 years ago  and try for winter  steel. It took a few tries,   but I finally had a day where  lots  came to the net, some in double digits and the addiction went full bloom.  I couldn't believe how much fun it was to fight incredible fish with a backdrop of snowbanks and the branches glistening like diamonds in their sheath of ice. Even though it was cold, I could have been in a t-shirt and not felt a thing.  The only person around was my wife. Could have been in the wilds of B.C.,  I can't think of anything better. Last Tues. was an absolute great one. Fishing with Pafisher and both of us  staying attached to Kings for dam near 9 hrs. straight was a little off the charts.  That'll stick with me for a few. New Year's morning 2011 I landed by 8:30 in order- an 8 lb. brown, a steel of about the same size, a freakin' unicorn! an Atlantic of about 5 lbs. and a domestic of 18 inches or so.  Last New Year's morning ,I landed 3 steel in 3 succesive casts not long after 3fan and Dime past me in fan's boat.  There's been other wonderful days and hilarious ones and ones that are very odd in how they worked out, days with good friends and days meeting people you 're glad you met and hope to see again. And  the days alone freezing your azz off, beating the water for a few little taps and on-offs, and dealing with thawing your guides every third cast. Every one makes me want to come back and do it again. And again. I really ain't that much for forums, but I do like this one by virtue of its subject and the good people here who appreciate what a place the SR is.   Thanks for the topic, Bear.
 
Charlie

I was one of the early explorers back when there were not supposed to be any fish coming back in the early 80'S.  That got the bottom into my head, and got me used to the trek from Town to Port Ontario.  It had to be about '84, we had a memorable season , meeting two jerseyites, Andy and Ritchie, who were fishing the lower river, and the four of us had the school bus almost to ourselves.  High the next couple of weeks on Tuesdays and Wednesdays with all the fresh chromers,  flies in the AM and eggs with Keith Smith and a few others in the lower clay in the PM when the water went up, and then WB and I headed up for our annual 10 day trip, set to end on Halloween, when he had to tarbend at night.  During that one, we guided Francis Betters, the Smith Bros and their sons, Bill Flick and, one day, his Dad, Art, and got that whole crew into chrome.  But the best day of the trip, and my best since, was the last day, when WB and I met Keith and Gary Chimenti in  the long pool below the wall below little black ( maybe the glide now?) at dawn, and in the early Saturday light it looked like somebody had dumped an 18 wheeler full of torpedoes into the run.  We could not buy a fish early, while Keith and Gary went through 6 dozen egg sacks.  The they switrched over to color, and Keith actually caught one on a cigarette filter, while we started to score on Glo Bugs.  By 0900 they wanted wet flies with red, especially a Royal Coachman, and we caught fish until our arms wanted to fall off.  You would drop a coachman into the water, it would sink about three inches and you'd see the swirl, if you missed another fish grabbed it, like being in a pool full of hungry brookies, but you are the size of a chipmunk.  WB came to me at about noon and said we could leave then and make his wife happy, or I could keep us there by providing flies. His box was MT!  I broke out what I had left and we caught another dozen or so, and finally packed it in with enough time to get home before dark so he could get to work.  I got a call from another fisher that night, and went back up in the AM with him, and the run was empty, we got one fish all morning.  We played easily over 100 steelehead's that day, average fish was around 10, and a few were pushing 20.  I've seen some good days since, but never one pool with easily 500 fish in it all day.  Like dying and going to heaven!
 
L13 

I had a few days I think back to as a kid where I hooked up alot, that was back in the snagging days. Best day on the river was my first steel and then I got sick and threw up 3 times on the way home due to food poisoning or something.   Most memorable overall would have to be a day up in Quebec on a reservoir way out up there.  In the AM we got into the eyes landing several in the 30 inch range.  Mid day got a 44 inch northern and towards the evening I got into a school of Sturgeon  catching 4 in a 2 hour span Smallest being 36 inches and the largest being close to 60 inches.  The thing actually broke water several times jumping.  No clue what it weighed, but we never got it in the boat.  Got it to the side measured it with a paddle removed the Jig  and off it went.  Took over 20 minutes of fighting.  Sad thing is that only one polaroid was taken and it is long gone.

There were so many great days that I could n't pick one.Among the many were the day three of us were at the Joss Hole years ago and had FRESH Kings and Coho on on every cast for 10 hrs,had to quit because we were too tired to fish anymore.
Recently I had a great time fishing with HT last year for four days late in Oct.,we caught every species of trout/salmon.I love sharing the water with someone that has the same passion for it as me.
Just this year Fitchy and I had a epic day with mostly Kings,but many were still fresh way up river.Talk about passion.....Fitchy has it and I really enjoyed sharing it with him.
I've had some good days Steelheading on the SR but the truly epic days were out west on the Erie tribs,at times it was like a dream with 50-75 fish brought to hand,20 a day were common.
So i've been fishing the tribs for 30+ years and will continue to do so as long as I'm able.

bumping this cause i can't believe more people don't have a story to add.
i'm jacking bear's thread and turning it into just memorable days on the river so
 that i can add another day.
 
it was an oct day many years ago.
i had been asked to take a newb out by a friend that had other clients to take care of.
we went to the upper clay, before it crowded up like it does the last 10 or 12 years.
fishing was slow but the newb landed 1 nice mirrorbrite and suddenly became steelhead bob expert angler.
i had him fishing the lower end of the hole where the freshies held after coming thru the riff.
there is a large sycamore with branches that reach over the river.
steelhead bob in full concentration on his fishing was wearing a stetson that prevented him from seeing the osprey that landed in that tree about 20 feet over his head.
after about 15 minutes iot folded its wings and plunged down hitting the water maybe 10 feet in front of him.
the reaction was  a big $$$ winner if i had gotten it on video.
 
the osprey came to the surface after a couple seconds with its talons firmly in the back of a steelhead of about 5 pounds.
it would try to take off but the fish would dig his tail in and pull it back down.
after several tries it changed plans and used its wings like oars and swam down the riff angling to the north bank.
just as hes dragging his hard won prize to the bank fran verdoliva comes walking up the trail with two clients and he has to release the fish and take off.
it was a classic lose lose situation.
the bird was thwarted and i can't believe the fish could surive having those claws buried in him that long.
 
 
 
WHO'S NEXT....

Surprised your not on the river Dime with this flow!
Way off topic....do you think there will be anything left on Long Beach Island after the Frankenstorm  hits on the full moon?
I cancelled my trip and am doing fun things like cleaning gutters,warming up chain saw,storing water as I'm on a well,etc.
It looks like I'm in the path but inland,lots of rain and wind but the coast is going to get hammered!

I have so many memeroable days  that I just could not pick one .  so here goes ,   one day  back in the  early 90's  I fell   and slid  down  to the river bank , and on the way down I managed to slice my hand  wide  open  leaving a fair  amount  of my hand  in the snow. My friend  took me to a local clinic  where the nurse  actually stepped back in disgust and said  we can not help you here...  you need to  go to Syracuse  right now ,, well  it really had not been hurting all that bad , until she said that  , now it was killing me and it was killing me  the whole drive to  Syracuse .  Once in Syracuse ,  I had a young doctor  using those microscope  eye glasses working on my hand ,  I asked him how bad is  it ?   He said  "well  tough to really tell  as it does look as if  some of the tendons were knicked  not cut but just knicked,  It could have been a lot worse " in what way ,   I asked ?  he said and I quote "  It could have been my hand"  well we both laughed  and  my hand has never been the same  but has  never slowed me down either.  That young  Dr  did a great job ,  he told me that he just got back from  the Gulf War  and worked on so many worse injuries  and that I would be fine , I was Lucky and Honored  to have him work/fix my hand. 
 
That is probably  the most memorable day ,  but the thing that sticks with me the most is  that feeling  I get as the day on the Salmon  River comes to and end , that last hour ,  so many emotions,  there is such a sense of urgency,  to just get one more on ,  there is a sense of sadness , just do not want it to end ,  then the  period of reflection  on the day  and sense of satifisfaction  for what I have just had the opportunity to experience , then the look around  is there a more beautiful place  than the Salmon River at Sunset , Yes  Salmon River at Sunrise earlier that day,  and  then finally  the anticipation for  Tomorrow  when I get to do it all over again . 
 

  Long time ago hooked a fish well below the Unemployment on a spin rod. A kid was nearby and I gave the fish plenty of slack and asked the kid to hold the rod while I lit up. He wasnt wearing fishing gear nor were the 2 adults I had seen him with earlier but they were fishing.
   When the line tightened he tried handing me the rod and i told him he had hooked it so it was his fish. Had already lightened the drag quite a bit. After a few runs the line went around a rock and then slack- OH well a decent try--as the kid reeled in the line it went tight again and the large Hen had come close and stopped at our feet. lol
 By this time a few guys had stopped to watch and the kids Father and Uncle came over too with a camera.
  Took some time but we landed the Hen. Seems that it was the only fish the 3 had  in 3 days of fishing. They had come up from way down South someplace just to visit the SR. They took the fish right over to Malindas to get it mounted for the kid. ( think it was malindas back then ??)
   Three of the happiest guys ya ever saw. Someplace there is a photo of that Kid and me  and a decent size hen on a young adults wall.
  Have had both my sons -or should I say men- up there and some grandkids too but that Southern kid was a great memory.

A few years ago on the last day of the Upper Fly being open, I arrived at noon or so to a parking lot with 2 cars. The river was at 2000. I decided to go in and asked a fellow  and his young son walking out how he had done. He replied that he was a little depressed , as he and his son had driven 7 plus hours from the tip of Long Island to a river that looked unfishable.  His son, age 8, wasn't fishing, but was there to watch Dad catch a steelhead! He had bought a new  switch rod that was yet to have any Mojo attached to compound his frustration. I told him if he wanted to take a walk back, I had an idea. We went to the tail of the Paradise Pool and I told him to wade out into the flooded  bushes and set-up in front of them.  I gave him an egg sucking leech that had worked downriver that morning and told him to carefully and thoroughly  fish the seam 15 feet in front of him. I went upstream a hundred feet or so and in a short time hooked and landed one. He really started to pay attention then  and shortly after was screaming like a little kid with his son echoing his joy. He made a few mistakes playing the fish but eventually I netted it. He tried to get a pic in the net, but plop goes his non-waterproof camera! So I took some pics of the proud Dad and e-mailed them when I got home.
By this time, father and son were cold and hungry and now they were successful, so they decided to call it a day. We chatted a bit and he gave me a business card and told me he was the president of the LI chapter of Trout Unlimited.  I have a standing invitation to fish the coastal streams of LI, which I doubt I'll ever use.  On that note, it's 3 am and time to hit the road!  Hopefully I'll have power and a report when I return. Stay safe and weather well, everyone.

Charlie ,  
cool story ,, safe travels  and   hit  em hard .

so back when the river changed corse and created the new upper clay there was a willow tree at the base of the fiff between the meadow and the clay.
it was a good hole in its own right.
when that sycamore fell it lodged first mid river along the willow hole to the south bank.
one day on about 1000cfs i was the only person on that side of the river.
a big run of kings came thru that morning and i had already gotten to see one of those solid white glass boat rods the snaggers used blow uo trying to stop one, so it had already been a good day.
about 9am a run of coho started and lasted the rest of the day mixed in with a solid amount of kings.
how many i had i have no idea but this is about just one of them.
it was a male in the 12-15 pound range that hit just below me, gave the classic headshakes and turned down not upriver, always a good sign.
it ran down 15 or twenty feet ending in one of those coho somersaults where it seems they are trying to bite there own tail.
ran back up to me then turned down going under the tree and leaped out of the water and over the tree not once but twice which stopped my line better than the best drag could do and snap it was over.
all took 30-40 seconds, or hours in the slo mo dimension i was transported to.
it was as if the first jump was to check out the obstructions and then a planned escape using the tree.
it was the only time i can remember giving a fish credit for human  like reasoning.
25 years later and i can still see it happening if i close my eyes and think about it.
 

lucky reminding me of that brown.
back in the day when the upper clay had just changed its flow to the backside of the island we were fishing for salmon.
that means it was probably early Oct.
shirt sleeves and sunny skies.
i had started fishing a west coast steelhead pattern searching for an early ingot when smashbang I get bulldozed.
Huge headshakes and just backing down to the tailout.
No doubt a good salmon.
As it turned to go out of the hole I got a glimpse and new it was a giant brown.
Change in plans.
Where i had been going to either turn it or lose it it became time to beat feet downriver.
finally landed it in the willow hole that used to be between the clay and the meadow.
she was rich buttery in color like a stream brown. truly a magnificent creature.
i whistled and held it up. to my supprise my left hand that i used to support her belly disappeared into what must have been 20000,# for you dime,eggs.
not really into them but her belly just flowed around it.
when i revived and realeased her and went back up to fish lucky asked what was the big deal about the salmon.
Still the biggest by far that my eyes have ever seen.
 
ps still can't believe nobody else has anything for this thread.

i have one about a drop back from 7 years ago
i was up in late april for a chance at the few remaining steelies...but figuring i would catch more bass since it had been warm for a few weeks at that point
it was in the mid 70's as i walked over to my rock in shorts and tennis shoes
beautiful blue bird kind of a day
when i looked from the high bank into my favorite little hole i saw what i first thought was a beat up salmon holding with two sizable male steelies down stream flanking
i dropped in to my rock and drifted an egg sac down and sure enough she took it, i set the hook and she moved into the heavy water....well using 6lb test i knew this was going to be a short battle if i didn't start swimming...so, i jumped in and got across the river and started following her down stream...finally landed the biggest steelie i had ever seen in the tail out of the wire hole
the only other person fishing had a pair of boga grips and weighed it at 22lb 7 oz i nursed her back to vigor after about 10 minutes and watched her swim away
great day :)

I like these kinds of threads for a couple reasons
ususally they don't get high jacked
they tell you alot about the people you are sharing water with
they make us all smile
 
just like fishing, it should be about the enjoyment :)