old school perspective

How bout those arguments you and a buddy would get into about something, but had no real way to figure out who was right.   Now you just get on your (not mine) phone and look it up.   I do not have and will resist to the last minute getting a "smart phone".   Hell,  I really do not even text.   
Technology is here to stay as with the PC world of Ball games where no one loses and contests where every one get a ribbon.   I feel that is a HUGE issue now a days with the younger generation,  everything at their fingertips and not taught that if you don't work hard you can and will lose.   In my day my dad taught me is was not  OK lose and if you did you learned from it so it would not happen again.   We lost, cried and played harder next time.
I will go off on a tangent and tell a story about a Babe Ruth baseball game (13 to 15 yr old).   I was playing first base and a with a runner on second a deep fly to right field on the line.   My play should have been go out for the cut to relay home.  Thinking a guy on second and no play at third for the tag  I just  meandered out and took caught the ball and took my time turning around and coming in.   Guy tagged from second and never stopped as I was in shallow right when I got the ball.    After the play  my dad rushed on the field pulled me to the bench yelling at me the whole way and sat me down because a run scored because I was not paying attention.   You have to realize we played baseball in my house by Ty Cobb rules, spikes up, sliding hard.   Finished 3rd  in the state  I think that year.   How far would that go now a days???
Point is we were taught to play hard, not accept losing and learn.    I NEVER, EVER let another guy score from second on a tag again.   
 
Wow that was a tangent that may or may not have anything at all with this post.  
 
As far s fishing I would spend the night at my friends house in Pineville and we would walk to the river on  Saturday mornings.   Carry around 5 gallon pails and  get eggs and sell them at the corner store.   There was some # we called to get info back in the day, but according to it there were always fish in the river 
 

Dime,
 
2B and I used to walk from Pulaski to the Estuary and encounter no one in August, and, while we listened to Mike and then Connie, I remember listening to Fred when the line first went in.
 
L13

Great stories guys. Yup, even in my early days there were no trails along the river bank on my first trips. Wed hike the river from dsr stairs to the meadow. Always a fish or two like you said twobob. Even in the lowest of water which in those days it would be nothing sometimes. Seeing no one at all was common and if rumors of said pods came through you'd see a guy or two.
Lucky, my first few years Fred was around with mike. Then just mike.

Clint, my fathers friend played a spoof on that hotline after fishing for a full week with no fish. He called em from a payphone across the street and they told him to come on up the river was loaded...lol

Scott your right about February. Pretty sad sight to see.

Spot on with past sep. 15th tuna. I was mostly referring to "early season"... I'd say as you said with steelhead that the early salmon season got exploited from internet as well.

Tuna you are right about the crowds for salmon before the webs.
Of course they were stocking a million more a year so the runs were freaking huge and you didn't need any knowledge or talent to get your 5 to drag out.
 
I was talking steelfaces and I think the googles denenatly has had an affect on it.
The salmon jalorms of the early days wanted nothing to do with nasty weather or fish you couldn't spot pods of to rip thru.
They wanted meat and bragging rights.
The innertubes brought a new, much more knowledgable crowd but a crowd none the less and with it came the me first me me me mentality.
While I don't begrudge others getting the enjoyment of this fishery  I do feel a bit sorry for them that they will never have to learn it themselves with no vids, magazine articles, books, guides and the .coms for info and the satifaction that comes with the learning and with the year round pressure of the present times they never will have that opportunity.
I feel blessed to have been in my prime at that point in history.
 

Gerry I'm with ya man. 90 was my first year up as a youngster but I was lucky to have a father who took me multiple weekends in a row for salmon and steelhead. My first thoughts after getting out of school everyday was calling the dsr report and honestly, from my experience it was usually pretty honest... from Fred to mike to Connie the reports were usually spot on any time I checked them after I fished that day. Never really bothered with many of the other ones. Jim rusher was always an honest guy though. Fond memories of late fall and mid winter steel heading for me throughout the 90's... mostly the early 90's and the late 90's. The middle 90's were not the best s for steel in my experience. I got my drivers license in 97 and I ran death run trips to the river all the time. Fond memories to say the least.

Duke,
Easy on the "a few of you are much older than me, almost old enough to be my dad" nonsense.  I'm still coming to terms with turning 6-0 earlier this month.
I agree, there are many here who are willing to share their knowledge but motivation is probably the best teacher of all.  

Lucky13

And Duke, you are at the prime age, old enough to know enough to get to sleep to get up early, and young enough to walk the miles you may have to to find a spot that isn't occupied.  You'll get the fly stuff quickly, just be patient!

L13

Duke hurry up buddy because I'm just a few years older than ya and I find myself questioning moves I used to pull on the river... definitely ain't as quick as I used to be...lol

Plenty old enough to be your pop Duke.
 
TB21 you're just a pup.
 
Dimes right about using your body while its at its peak.
To misquoete Satchel Page don't look behind you cause father time is gaining on  you fast.
 
It was a day fishing  a pocket abovecoho hole with L13 when I hooked another monster rusthead that took off downriver.
For years I would have plowed thru the tail and down the outside of the island to land it at the head of the Black.
This time I got there and decided it was turn him away from the main river current or lose it.
Lose it I did.
 

dimebrite2

Easy 2b... I'm still as good as I once was ;)

Too easy picking.
I will pass this low hanging fruit by this one time.