Oddly the start of my fall vacation were oddly mirror images from salt to fresh. The fall striper migration is late and going in dribs and drabs. The fantastic weather also made for some huge crowds on  the  beaches and tons of boats parked along some of my favorite rips.  I caught a dozen or so stripers, all schoolies, but they all took some line and pulled hard and the sunsets were some of the best ever. After a weekend on the salt, we transitioned to the river and a semi-unplanned night at Stoney's camping. Let's just say fireworks were still going off at 3 am, we were still getting serenaded  by a Harley with straight pipes and the only people up at 5 besides us were blowing chunks in the bushes. Great place to party your azz off, not so if you actually plan to fish. I guess the town pool and ball park had lots of rippers arrive  around noon.
Selkirk was much, much better and dead quiet after 10. Our time on the river was highlighted by seeing some good people, meeting some, and some fish activity thrown in. I got to fish with Jack, Clint and Wayne and once again it was an honor and a pleasure. Final tally was 6 fair hooked Kings and 2 steel landed, all on swung flies.  It furthered the fact that I LOVE STEELHEAD!!!!!!!!!!!!   That silly pic with me looking up with the steel, was because it was raining acorns! Deer and squirrels will have plenty of mast this winter. I was hoping for some steel to be around far more than the sharks and  some were. Thanks to Clint and Wayne for being good net men. I owe you both. I also enjoyed meeting Jack's cousin Glen and Wayne's Dad. I hope to fish with them both in the future.  Clint was telling me about getting a pistol permit. Maybe not a good idea, as we may have a new phrase- "going all LFZ on their azz" , after what he went through yesterday. I almost lost it a few times, and the rippers and lifters were out of hand. If this continues we'll have to do something folks. Lets not have the fly zones turn into Dawn's Hole. 
   As for flies, sz. 6 stones with  a peacock thorax for steel, orange comets sz. 4  for the sharks.
I did foul hook a couple dozen sharks, and lost many more, including some nice ho's to operator error and the usual just plain bad luck.  I'll go back when I can, but the next trip I'll be after trout only (unless I can sneak a suicide run/ rain day in next week to fish with Jack and Glen again).  Oh, yeah, I got to yell across the river at a guy that looked like a charter oak snapped off at about six and a half feet.  I hope we get to fish together this fall, 2b, I'm sure I'd have a ton of fun and learn a lot. The final tally leaves this trip  on the positive side. Thanks for the memories, guys.

Nice!
 
"Lets not have the fly zones turn into Dawn's Hole." From what I've seen, that happened in September and October about 5 years ago.  I think enforcement of the trespassing laws for being there at night could help, but you guys were in there about  an hour before legal fishing time to get your spot according to UF's post.  Maybe letting Fran Verdoliva know about what sounds like actual assault and potential battery that is starting to happen over perceived "long term lease agreements" could get some of those undercover ECO's up there for some real cuffs and collars, threatening or visiting bodily injury on another fisher is going to get you a much harder slap from the JP in Pulaski than a hook or leader violation, and you might actually see some of the worst black fly country in the Adirondacks from the inside (Why do you think Danemora is built where it is, no one in their right mind would try to escape, people have literally been eaten alive by the bugs in the wetlands surrounding the prison.)  Do people say that (that's my friends spot, he's just getting lunch) when they are on a beach fishing for Stripers, or out on a jetty waiting for false albacore, which sounds like the most intensive form of combat fishing on the planet?  Where do they get the idea that because they got into a spot after nighttime, it is theirs until night falls again whether they leave it or not.  All this is eventually going to lead to enforced rotation, which does give everyone an equal shot at all water, but also cuts your time in a run if you were the one who got to it first, and stayed and fished it.  I think we all agree that the guy sitting  on the bank retying his leader is still in the spot, but you go back to your car for something you forgot, or back in the woods to burn a blunt, or over to the Altmar for a hot roast beef sandwich, you are in line when you get back, not walking right into the water that someone else has rightfully occupied after you abandoned it.  
 
Just sayin....
 
I'll let someone else make the comments that arise from your statement and the area in another month when the back channels are filled with moldy king carcasses.
 
L13

Fichy, great story and beautiful pictures. Heck, I thought (bet
I'm not alone) I was seeing Uncle Si holding the fish. (lol)

You painted a terrific portrait with your story; making it easy for me to see your adventure with my minds' eye.

Thanks for the memories.

Charlie you are the Zen master, nice job.
 

Well Charlie I took the class today for the permit.................
People are just getting there earlier and earlier and staking their claim and  groups feel they can save a spot for a guy gone sometimes an hour.
L well said and it is just not worth the hassle to argue with these type of people. Last year a group of drunkies came on my nephew was fishing with me and was relying, he left his coat on the ground right where he was standing. Guy literally came in and stood on his jacket and took his spot.
All that said Charlie has it right we put up with it because we love the fish especially the steel.
 
Charlie I am sure you will return the net later this winter.

Had a job most of my adult life where fights ( real fights) were commonplace=was kinda fun till I got older and it hurt longer and it took longer to heal..
Can only fish those kinda spots for a very short time and  get disgusted and go elsewhere. When every fish caught is accompanied by a slob story it  just aint worth the aggravation IMHO.
 Rather go fish a fishless pocket someplace and avoid the BS.

My point is, I'd rather see the problems addressed before they become the norm. Fists weren't flying and no one was even threatened within my hearing. Just  some disagreements and tension. The LFZ is still not the trestle and attracts a lot of good people who respect the river and those around them. Just like many of us, they love the fishery. The good thing is steelhead are  much, much harder to snag and landing them on 4 lb. flossing tippet is tough. Not that the jerks have that kind of skill.  Most of the azzhats won't be back later in the season, and those that persist in their new found love of chucking weight on a fly rod will get a thorough skunking.  I put up with a little crap to fish great productive spots. I'd put up with a whole lot  more  crap to land those steel again, but that's just me. When those bullets were  bouncing around on the end of my rod, I wasn't paying a bit of attention to the crowd. other than to avoid them.  I never saw one person cross someone while they had a fish on and  almost all  carried their garbage out. Some of the  good people around them rubbed off a little, I think. Accentuate the positive.  I was being more than a  little tongue in cheek and using hyperbole about the pistol permit and use of force. If the fish had been dispersed throughout the river, this would be much less a problem, as Lucky pointed out. I have very good memories of this trip.  I never raised my voice in anger and had zero confrontations. I walked away when people did stupid things around me.  I got mad, but saw it as pointless to react.  I just don't want to see the bad behavior escalate. By the way, Wayne and I took turns at the spot we fished. Sometimes I roamed and fished an opening, sometimes I wandered back and took over for a very accomodating Wayne.   It worked. I yanked up a  a number of 1/0 est(in the)azz  flies out of some hairball snags. I laughed every time I did.

Spot on Charlie, it's worth the hassle for the most part. The one guy was clueless to what he had done, the other guy was content with his 5 foot drift and the one guy was just an @$$. For the most part most folks are fine. One or two silver bullets erase all that.  If this was like years past, alot of these guys would have been else where. There were several in the mix (like the guy next to me ) that I don't think ever picked up a fly rod. I have never felt threatened there, but just pizzed of. I will usually walk before anything erupts because I am alone and not 6'5 like TB.  As far as the permit thing if I can carry I may, but would my demeanor change, I think no way. Just don't like confrontation. Never have, never will.  There are other spots to go, if it comes to that. 
They are not all bad.  On Wednesday had a guy offer me his spot when someone got a little too close to me (and it was a producing spot). Asked if I could just move down two steps towards him and all was fine.

Nice read brother . Glad you played with some fun, salt and fresh. I miss the tug of a shark in moving water. Maybe another time for me.
Hope to share some trout water together . .. Remember brown town is coming up and might suite some of us just fine now..
Great day here for a fire:
Thanks for sharing Charlie

Nice reads guys.
Like I told you when that chucklehead moved into your spot while you tied up clint.
In my younger days I would have said something but now I just won't let aszhats like that upset me and ruin my bliss.
Now if he did that and then went into a whirlwind ripping motion maybe it would still be different.