Black Friday

About 14 degrees   at 5 AM, but gave it a shot.   Met Charlie and we walked in a 6.   A foot of snow in front of the gate.  I will spot burn because the place we went will close after tomorrow.   There were only 2 others there and we got a spot in the gut of the pool. Fishing was in spurts but  hook ups were fairly plentiful, but landings were not.  Lost several at shore ,  the hook would pop after a long fight.  Lost several to the 4 lb tippet I was using too.   Charlie and I both  got one to the net.   My camera is broke so maybe he will post some pics.      Hot flies for me were   Rhyacophila caddis of several variations.  Egg patterns in blue and peach mostly in the babine style, nothing special the 2 eggs just separated by some red thread.   Of course the steelhead hammer in pink did well too and got the fish to the net.   There was a mixture of fresher and darker fish throughout the day
 
It was cold enough to have to clean the eyes often and my feet got a bit cold, bit not frigid.
 
Highlight of the day was when a guy was fishing across from us and a guy came out of the woods and started yelling at him for walking on his land to get there, told him he called the police and they would be waiting for him andhe stormed off.   The fisherman  left 5 minutes later and was gone for a while and then came back.  He said the guy met him at his property line and then proceeded to call the DEC.   He parked in the LFZ lot and had walked up and the DEC officer could tell by his tracks that he made a "reasonable effort"  (officers words) to stay within the easement.   The officer then asked if he would like to file a  Sportsman harassment complaint against the guy,  turns out he was not the land owner but a "caretaker"   also said he was a guide and this was not the first time he has called and caused trouble and they were sick of it .   The officer wrote the a hole a ticket and was nice enough to set the court date to a time where the fisherman could come.  

 
The pool fished well until  a speytard set up down from us  in the middle of the run frothed up the water and pushed all the moving fish to the other bank.  Then the folks across from hooked up alot. 
 
We left and fished mid river for a while,  alot of water looked good , but did not produce.  It also seemed the water was warmer mid river too as my feet were not as cold and the guides took alot longer to freeze up.
 
Supposed to be close to 0 tonight so good luck to Charlie tomorrow AM, I will be sitting this one out.   May or may not go Sunday.   I have another week of work and then another week off so will get a few more days in then before ice hits
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

HT through where??  If you mean the fisherman he stayed close to the bank  (in his words) all the way from the LFZ.   He also said  that the officer said as long as the he made a "reasonable effort"  to stay close to the bank  he was OK.   The tard was just a guy I think, he asked if he could "squeeze in" above me and I just looked at him and said "where"  as there may have been enough room for a friend to squeeze in, but not a stranger.  Charlie and I heard him  and another tard saying something about rotating  in from above us.   
 
Does not look good for ice around here for a while as there will be a warm up next week.   Next vaca starts on the 9th.   Still waiting for that Killzone to get back in stock too.   I did get an old Clam shanty with a fold up suitcase type base for free and it will work  with just a little duct tape for a few holes in the tarp.  It is big and heavy though. Possibly looking at the Marcum vx Pro 1 flasher too. I have a few credit card reward points to turn in for gift cards .............

I really like the idea of the closure. Leaving those fish alone to winter over is probably a big reason they stay so healthy. NY has it so right with the size and creel limits. Taking it a step further on the SR with the Flyzones makes it an even better situation. JMHO, jus say'IN..
 
 
As far as other guys, some dont know that they dont know. With ALL that water, there's no reason anyone should be closer than 10-15yards to one another. Spredd AWT! We gottem in some fast water, some slower pools, just about anywhere we applied the right techniques. Do a little work instead of squeeze'in, ya might be pleasantly surprised and rewarded... 'Course I'm preachin ta tha Choir.......

Clint, why use 4lb tippet for steelhead, was that all you had handy?  I use 10lb - 12lb for steelhead....4lb just seems so light. 

Clint, you are too kind!'
 
4 lb just does not work with size 1/0 sponge flies!
 
L13
 

Well Lucky, I am busy here tying a couple hundred 1/0 for next year's run....Gotta break in the new vise right.....It's 8s and 10s for steelies....Still looking to do a float trip the Friday after xmas on the SR.  As soon as my buddy gives me the green light, I'll look to hire a guide up there.

rdace12 welcome aboard to the group,great people and serious anglers here.
I also used that easement but did n't run into any problems.

I've used that easement as well, this year in fact.  I saw the guy cutting weeds with a mower for campers....He didn't say anything to me, maybe he was too busy or just didn't see me.