10/8/14 par for the course. 10/10/14

Got up there at sunrise, had my pick of spots except for the upper rock. At fishing light there was decent movement and I hooked up a few times then it sputtered out. It would go in spurts. We went and had lunch and went to a few other places and there was a fish here or there and in the holes, but not alot of movement overall. Came back at 4:00 to catch the night bite.  at around dark I noticed this guy hooking up all the time at the top rock. It was Jack putting on a clinic. I was the proud net man of two nice bucks. Nice size to them too.  There were a few trout around  especially in the fast water. The guy right next to me got a nice 10plus ATLANTIC. I had fair luck on the hook ups, but not on the holding. Played with a few kings and at least one steel if not two.
 
My biggest issue of the day was that my 6# drennan tippet was stronger than my 10# leader so went I got snagged I would often break the leader. The 4# drennan was better, but I lost some fish to it. I think 5# would do the trick. I am also going to run a  15# leader next time.  I know drennan  is thicker and stronger than comparable pound test of different brands, but I like it and you get close to twice as much at 50 meters  and most others are 25 yards.
 
Flies that did the truck today for me were pink bunnies, prince nymphs and peacock hurl stones

Clint S
Oh and who said salmon don't bite. One I netted for Jack clamped down on my boot and wouldn't let go.
 
DEC laid the smack down this am,  4 tickets written. 2 for too much weight, 1 for weight more than 4 feet from fly and one for something to do with the fly line. I saw him strip all the line off the reel and the write the ticket. It was across the way. He checked every person.

This is sweet to hear clint.
 
The line as no doubt a straight running line.
Just used for chucking to much lead.
 
I was thinking of trying to start a chain letter type attempt to get more enforcement in the lfz since it has such easy access for them.
If we all wrote and got 2 or 3 extended family or friends (fishers or not) to write asking for more tickets in the zone and if each of those got 1 or 2 others to write it could build to a decent number of requests from individuals with different area codes.
 
Some saying that since it has special regs that we agree to by fishing there we would be in favor of more tickets since those breaking the laws certainly know what they are doing by being in the zones to begiin with.
 
 
PA glad you got into them.
 Sign me up for one of those clinics.

Thanks again Clint for being my net man last night!
I finally had some decent action for a change.The crowd was gone and the fish got active before dark.Played with a couple Steel and a bunch of Salmon.The hot fly was a BH Prince nympth size 10.All fish were fair hooked but one.Going to my secret spot today to escape the mob.....I hope!

Last weekend in the UFZ, a group of 4 nimrods with heavy accents were spin fishing! They stopped when I pointed out their error. No cell phone reception to call it in. Never saw DEC around:(

I hope the only time DEC is noticeable in terms of the presence of cars is when they are at the feedbag (we all got to eat!), but it is great to hear that the presence is on the river, and considering the easy revenue pickings downstream from the zones, be thankful that an appearance was put in, because maybe it will start to have some effect toward fixing what Fichy hopes won't happen, and I say did, years ago up there.   I am sure a DEC team can write a ton of tickets at the ball park, or trestle, why waste time on 250 yards of petting zoo!
 
L13 

I just wish people would go there to " fish " instead of intent on hooking one. I've been skunked before, even in the zoo.
Don't need no stkin' badges ( just kidding )
It's a river of fools, some in other ways ( and I mean in a good way

Twon
we shouldn 't need no badges but there are so many idiots that it seems the only answer to me.
 

Got to my secret spot Thurs about 9 and on my second cast got a solid hit and set the hook,fish ran up center for a few yards then turned and screamed down thru the rapids with me trying to keep up reeling as fast as I could,to no avail as my tippet snapped halfway.From the way it hit and ran I presume it was a nice Steel.After that it was a steady pick on Salmon for a couple hours until the Sun got high then it shut down.We left around 2 thinking to take a break then hit the evening hatch.That did n't happen 'cause I got a slight fever and scratchy throat and running nose.Slept late today and called it a season and hitting the road.
By the way the DSR says it was on fire yesterday and this morning.....too late for me!

Agree with down river...primarily mid October in to November. Guys slaying steel with salmon tackle... Lfz needs a good washing though also. The same fish getting belly hooked over and over again. I'll be completely honest with you...I believe less fish were getting foul hookex When the lfz was primarily chuck and duck before the newer regs came out. Seems everyone is so concerned about "not" foul hooking fish so much has turned it in to a pin cushion sanctuary...small flies with light line...strike indicators, thingamabobbers...high sticking...yada yada... Belly hook after tail hook and over and over again

Size 4 woolybugger planted inside mouth in the zone.
That silver and ivory don't indicate a fish that has been in the river more than a few days.
90%  of the guys fishing there go for bragging rights.
Anyone using 4 pound and flies 12 or smaller in black are pretending they don't want to foul hook fish .
They want them any way they can get them.
Really needs to be more enforcement there.
Still be the rule following pretenders.
But a good lesson taught might slow down the worst of them.
 

Guys like yourselves two Bob and pa are an exemption from the majority for sure. Nice job on the steelies.

I'm in the majority for once? Cool, pretending ain't that bad. The dam thing is, I ain't constantly hooking up, with the exception of rare and far apart days. Guess I really suck.
The recent seminar at the hatchery featured a guy who likes to fish sz. 16 stones for big steel, so I was told. I rarely  go smaller than 8, but then again, I'm a pretender, though in the majority.  Can someone point me towards the forum with the majority, like me? Thanks!
  
 

Fichy you recall I got to watch you fish.
When a guy can tuck in with trees up against both sides and behind overhead and make the cast drift he's bringing the goods.
The 90% I'm talking about are the stealth snaggers that PA pegged to a tee in his post.
Casting out too much weight, dredging to bottom as the current starts ripping their hook downriver and then that sneaky pretend to to be casting while the hook is still fishing maneuver .
 
I just about always say there's one before I set the hook.
These guy are always faster on the hook set than me for some reason.

On the size 16 stone, yes the guy fishes small flies sometimes with a very short tippet of a foot. To get the fly in front of the fish quick. The seminar was on fishing to steel in hard reach places. Reasoning behind the small flies was this. Most of the large 4 year old fish have seen all kinds of lead (he puts all his lead in slinkie sacs, even one or two bb's) and flies flung at them and they are wary of each so they opt for the easiest meal that looks the most natural and that did not bite them in the past. Small natural stones fit that bill. Not many folks fish with size 14. He (which most here know) also said that most steel can hit and spit a fly in a miniscule amount of time so folks like me miss more than half their hits not even knowing they got them. He likes to sight fish steel and he has seen more than one time a hit so fast it did not even twitch a line that was not tight or drop a indicator.
As far as the stealth snaggers it usually better in steel season, many of the guys across from the rocks are just there to hook up no matter what,  not to fish.   I can attest to jacks small prince nymph hook UPS that were inside the mouth needing pliers so I did not get bit again.

Smallest hooks I've gone with in quite some time are 12 and that is usually in winter months. And its not often. I am not opposed to a steelbow taking a 14 nymph at all though. And yes fish can get lined with any method out there. I do believe less foul hooking went on in the zones even in the chuck and duck hay - day... It just seems too many folks who fish the zone during peek times don't know a thing about actual fly fishing. And of course theres ones who know exactly what they're doing. Yet they try to make it seem like they are the $h!+.... Two weekends ago I watched a guy tail and belly hook a few fish within ten minutes. A guy across the way commented by sayin "what is it youre using...wish I had some of those".... The guy hooking up answered back with a heroic grin saying it takes 35 years experience to hook em like this... My father and I were laughing pretty hard at that one.