It has been a strange year.
But maybe its just a natural cycling.
Then again it could be a disease or parasite....i haven't heard about the bacteria infections they were worrying about a couple years ago doing any harm... the whirling trout parasite that spread in the 90's hasn't made headlines in a while....lets blame it on the dsr and tailwater lodge!!! lol

OK lucky maybe not "ever" is the final conclusion... But in 25 consecutive avid years its the worst I saw and many folks who have been at it even longer including lake guys are quite puzzled themselves... And NO, none of my opinion is based off of just a few outtings every few weeks

And I guess you didn't notice the question marks ???

Settle down guys , lol. We are not the scientists, just some average fishers discussing thoughts . I have been fishing on the Trib a grand total of once this fall and that was for trout.
I have only drawn any info from other forums and as we know most is just rumor. It does however seem there is a big problem in most all the Great Lakes systems. Some have crashed and if a solution is not found , this one seems on course. I know a one off year is far from that but it also may be the early warning signs of things to come.. The fishery overseers must keep pro active ( I'm sure they are) and so much information does come from those who spend time on the water

but i did sleep at a holiday inn last night

I have a lot of faith in the NY folks in charge of the fishery.
They have developed a world class system where little or nothing was there to begin with and have manage it well throughout a number of ups and downs.
 Ma Nature is always handing out some kind of barrier and the State folks always get around it with professional expertise.
If fish go back to old low  numbers for a bit while they get it straightened out -well so be it.
A part of the ebb and flow of the fishery I guess- although its hard to adjust to with very low years or disease following banner seasons.
 
Personally  doubt its whirling disease as from what I read it hits the young of the year and there is little about it hitting adults.
Also doubt its the gill lice as fish seem to have had them right along albeit in smaller amounts.
Might agree the greater amount of lice weakens the fish and might be  factor in their strength fighting off something else though.
Water levels and temps don't seem to be a factor so there is certainly something else happening IMHO.
Chemical reactions in baitfish are perhaps a factor but with an increase in Lakers ( which are greatly affected by the bait fish thing) it may well not be the answer with this dilema-
 We will see----

I heard from my folks at DEC today, nearly word for word what Clint has.  It will be interesting to see what develops. Let's hope for the best.

Rember its the fisherman of concern that the DEC needs... It was fisherman that provided concern and the first specimen to be evaluated at Cornell. Scientists we are not but fisherman we are and the DEC would have quite a tough job to do with out our efforts, thoughts and opinions... Seeing is believing and can be quite factual in itself. Yes tuna, following fishing forums for info on the "problem" at hand is not the best fact base. I started this thread based off of first hand knowledge that I obtained and every bit was fact... Dying fish, many having gill lice, and specimens being taken to Cornell. Should we really just sit back and act like a lifeless dumby who has no opinion or concern??? (Notice the question marks) the articles that clint posted up were articles I have read also in which I have contemplated already. Special thanks to him for sharing... And its nice to hear some other opinions and concerns... My opinion may be getting a little too expensive though... Might have to start using dollar signs instead of question marks

Maybe it would be worth letting the DEC know about 2012 and 2013 late drop back season as many fish that made it back to the estuary made it no further... Swirlers galore both of those seasons at the end in the estuary... But wait, that's based off of just a couple days outting and opinion...

Its very possible that all of the stress factors combined are having a synergistic effect on them....they ran early (aka less O2 in the water, and more people beating them up), longer in the river (less food), gill lice (less O2 into their system and makes them more suseptable to other infections) and who knows there may be an undiagnosed disease at play too.