memories

Its slow. so how about a few special River memories-
comedy- alarm-great things-or just stuff forever imbedded in our past thoughts--
 
Was  fishing Steel in mid May a few seasons back in one of those 'special places' that holds late upriver Steel.
Wearing full camo- hip boots and a head net for those pesky gnats and leaning against a favored tree high sticking to some fish  on a wide long side channel pool  with a brush pile at the downside.
One took my offering and immediately went air born and then ran directly down to the brush and jumped again-
Jumped right out and up onto the pile- landed on some leaves and sticks mid stream and just lay there acting dead.
Welll- haven't kept a fish in some years and this seemed to be the one- if it didn't look sick - this was unusual at best.
Had to walk in over the boots to get to the fish, then removed the bug with my pliers.
He lay there acting dead the whole time.
A moment after the hook removal an inspection was made and the fish looked clean and healthy- but dead.
About the time he was going to go out with me he suddenly came back to life took a big flip - away he went heading to the lake - or someplace down river --fast.
Loved it.
Think he had knocked himself out.
 

DSR with Rich, Jack's secret spot the day we we had nearly a 1/2 mile of river to ourselves and we had king doubles on a regular basis, Twice , Rich  has had the hot seam for steel and handed it off to me.  Class and decency.  One of the biggest chromers I've landed , with the river over 2,000 and Nancy netting it way up in the bushes after a fight in really heavy water.  Some great days with Clint.  Hanging out with Andy. Trips out with my regular trout and bass  partner, Uglyfish.  One weird day when we left the upper  , did well in  the barrel and got a phone call that Nancy's sister was dying. We made it to her bedside before she passed and helped the rest of the family grieve. Plan was to stay in the upper all day with no cell service.  River gods were watching out.  Thanks for dispelling and counteracting the bad, guys.

My best memory is meeting and fishing with some of the guys who post regularly on this forum.  While I haven't met all the ones I have are class acts.  I'm looking forward to sharing water with you all for many years to come.

Here is an oldie but everlasting memory.
37 years ago this March, I was first introduced to Oswego county.. It was a planed trip with my dad while ice fishing in January locally.. He new this guy from work ( I still see him daily) who had a camp in Sodus and a driftboat on the SR..  The talk on the ice that day was "we gotta try this giant rainbow trout called STEELHEAD  fishing ".
And we did , schoolhouse pool in march .. Packed with people playing ballgames on the radio, fires on the bank, huge snow banks.. Thing was , folks were catching big rainbow trout called steelhead.. With ranger insulated rubber waders, a snowmobile suit underneath and a fly rod with a spinning rod I caught my first steelhead using a slinky and black matuka fly.. I was clue less and never had another bite, nor dad all weekend but I was hooked..
We went weekly without any luck since that first time but we watched and learned.. These things called Lacrosse Neoprene waders , wool gloves, noodle rods,,, all came into play the following spring.. We also figured it would be less busy like in February..  It was but it was also more brutal conditions so again we started learning,, back then water was up, water was down, holes were frozen with skim ice and unfishable until afternoon , small free flowing remained open..  Finally we got some guidance from the fellow co worker in drifting us , introducing us to the local and those "other flows".. By the end of year 2 in may we felt confident .. I'm sure I showed some pic's of dad before..
 
Now season 3 : Steelhead..
Dad brought our lifelong hunting partner and my great uncle from PA to see this spring thing called SR steelhead..
Even under adverse conditions , flooding, snow, ice and rain, Uncle Kurt was hooked in his first trip, So much so he bought stake into the fishery.. Got a summer residence and a 1968, 19' Larson with a Volvo outboard..  I spent all summer on the shores of lake Ontario. It was the landscape, people and opportunity at a NY trophy silver fish that hooked me and my family , past and present to Oswego county..
Now long story to and ending.
Uncle Kurt , retired from PA, spent his last day in Oswego county doing what he loved best.. He stayed the entire spring and summer on the shores with his wife and my aunt Lill, (still alive at 101 years young), but always hunted the woods with dad and I ..
Well weekend before opening southern zone, he decided to take a trip to Oswego county without my Aunt and go deer hunting up there.. Dad got a call from our Aunt that he had a heart attack in the woods.. We made the trip up that night to be the last relatives to speak to him.. He passed in the AM..  From what I remember, he loved that place and the times spent there.. As do myself and my family..  The fishing is just that, fishing.. Much better things to worry about then how many salmon I may catch.. How many smiles I will see is what counts most..
 
Peace & Tuna
 

And no mowing to do, just get out and fish, eat sleep, repeat!

hot tuna
Wife has been doing the mowing for me .
It was a ZOO with boats out here at daybreak . We took lunch break at 11 and now it's pretty peaceful . Seen nice marks and nice boxes , we are just out here for the ride and memories .
Hotter then heck , don't think I'd wet a line in da river

Have you caught any Rich? Is anyone catching any?We need some encouragement Rich....give us some!

We had enough of in active fish , pulling rods and going deep

As if mowing wasn't bad enough Lucky- Every Fall hadda do leaves at least twice-
During the run would  take two full days ( at least) to clean up the yard- then mow-----
Must say I really liked the place though- was worth it--
Tip to folks wanting a 'place' for vacation --do it in the woods-----no yard