If ,and that is a big IF,the DEC would get serious about enforcing the rules the SR would be what some now call "world class",as it is now it is a sick joke.While I was there twice I saw 20 -25 DEC vehicles parked across from the hatchery,I have no idea what they were doing there all day but they sure were not enforcing any laws there!The only DEC I saw was the driftboat on the LFZ that day that Clint mentioned.Anyone see any downriver actually doing anything positive?
 

Jack, my guess is that all those vehicles and officers were doing in service training.  Silly season is the perfect opportunity to do training because you have officers centrally located.

I think there were seminars going on jack. When I was up with the boat there were tons of dec at the old portly angler. I think that's where the training and " welcome to the salmon river " happens late aug .They have their cards for expenses ( I believe ) and were packing in the feed bags towards evening, as were we.
We sing the same ole ' songs every season, better enforcement . Honestly I wish enforcement wasn't what was needed. That river has plenty of good stewards of which i have fished with. It needs good teachers, more fishers and less hookers.
It has come a VERY long way in some aspects , went backwards in others but much more could be done in improvement from " anglers" and use that term loosely .
Chuck bait, swing flies or pull hardware, it's all fishing to me and fishing is how it should be .

Too many people for sure. But I agree with the backwards part more so... I recall fishing slinkies on running line in the mid -late 90's as opposed to weight forwards with split shot when it first opened up in 91... We usually used enough weight to get a full drift in whatever areas we targeted. Fish were mostly fair hooked and not 100% lined...From what Ive seen of the lfz lately I'd say its worse now.i dont even see people successfully lining fish...As two Bob confirmed nothing but foul hooks which is most of what I see. And most of all, people who know nothing of fly fishing for the most part.

Sorry brother but I still disagree as far as trout.
Slinkies and long line dredgers produced far more pec fin and belly hooks way back then .
Just enough weight meant , ticking bottom until the line stopped then set the hook.

I always try to find how much weight it takes to find bottom and then take some off.
The next thing I want to feel is the take.
Doesn't always work out that way but that is the goal.
 

Andy this year was the worst of it on the LFZ,what happened I believe was the word got out that there were fish there as opposed to the long stretch downriver and then everyone with a flyrod migrated to the LFZ.The crowds were much larger than the past years,hope it's different in the future as this year was not too much fun for sure.
As far as seminars for the DEC during silly season why not have them earlier and get on the stream in force and clean it up!

I would say the problem in the zone now is that many people go there because that is where the fish are (that is what they are told).
They don't fish fly tackle at home.
A)They have been told or read that you have to get on the bottom to catch these fish so they put on too much weight.
This makes them 
1) hang bottom, getting in the way of people that do know how to fly fish
2)They have been told how light these fish bite and you must set on anything.
3)A+1+2 =dragging bottom and therefore setting the hook all the time
4) then there are the long time well practiced lifters and liners there to get an ego boost from the 1 2 3 guys that don't get that they are POS aszholes cheating good people out of the chance to catch these fish fairly
 
This weekend it was worse because the fish were so hammered by the crowd every second of the day light hours.
Even the most aggressive were just trying to find a place to hide lessening the fairly hooked fish number.
 

lol...i took my dog for a walk (a jack russell all of 12 lbs) over on the south sandy...didn't even have the rod along
we were walking in a very shallow section, maybe 3-4 inches of water.  came upon a small hole (size of a dining room table) the dog jumped in and a big male king, that was hiding under an under cut rock, flew out of the tiny pool
that's how hard they were hiding this week end :)

Two bob, would you even call it lining? I'm not seeing any mouth hooks. And I'm also referring to times I've fished it for steelhead within the past 3 years. Its been over two years since I've fished there. Last time may have been with clint some 2.5 years ago. But I've done a lot of observing. Maybe I had my science down perfect or maybe I had a lot of biting fish in the old time C and D days as my hook was and usually is now in the mouth.