That's Ok Lucky. But I'm sure the guy using 1/0 egg hooks has the purest intent??? I have to admit the trips to the Salmon for salmon were to appease my son.  Now that we've had some rain and cooler weather the Steel has started to flow. The next two months are what I wait for. Fresh fall steelhead on the swing.  Although this season is different so far, we'll see.  I have only fished the "other" great NY steelhead fishery.  Will be up to the Salmon R next week!  I really like my new Sage switch rod! Whats the post spawn carnage like up there.  Everything smelling like feesh yet? 

It was pretty ripe last week, but 1500 for 4 or 5 days should clean it out pretty good.  Thursday. Friday look good for temperatures, although 1500 is a little more water than I like.
 
L13

high water clears out the stinkers....i've fished it late in the fall with low water and the smell could gag a magot
i don't love the high water but if you fish floats on the slack water seams you can do well on steel and browns

A little early to commit but look out for you weekend warriors.. could be soaking rain Wednesday through Thursday... if it comes through as some models are predicting it will be an even bigger blow out!

And time says Dime was right on the money!
 
L13

Nice !!
neaphyte, sounds like the trip was a success.. glad the streamer / sight fishing worked well and hope you come back with new ideas learned.. looking forward to them..
salmon fishing for myself is basically a tale of 2 rivers (or bobs) but streamers have always produced well for a predator fish over a feeder fish..
300 flies ? gosh, in the day I would tie 500 streamers for the season of clients.. carry about 50 per day, lose about 10 maybe if the bite was hot..
It's steel time and anything goes (fly wise) until spring then it SRS Streamer time again..
Hope to share ideas and water with you sometime.

I wasn't hanging  around here when the first thread  of neaphyte's was active. I went back and read it- it was a great thread. I was busy training for doing miles in the  Sierra wilderness at the expense of early salmon season. This year, I've already planned  (and got the plane tickets) for a backpack trip  in   the Grand Canyon in April.(Rainbows and cutts at the confluence of the Colo. and Bright Angel Creek)  I may miss some drop backs, but  next Sept. I will be fishing streamers for Kings and Ho's. Getting top water bites from salmon is off the charts. Gotta be early, and gotta be low on the river for the best chance at it, I think.  2bob would know if that's true or not. . Tuna showed me the DSR and got me started.  Not that I won't go upriver later in Sept., too. I'm missing the Kings, to tell you the truth. They are awesome fish. Having them v wake and smash a fly  on the surface is one of the best fishing sights I've seen, and I've seen a few. Oh  yeah, I forget salmon have to be lined or snagged.  Silly me.
 

Shot at a king in the surface film downlow.
Pretty much your only chance and even then few and far between.
Stars must be perfectly aligned.
Ripping takes on streamers lower in the water column the norm.
But then I have to admit I have never spent a season targeting them at the surface.

I had success on streamers way up in late Sept early Oct,they are n't chasing on the surface but they grab it mid to low column and then you hang on! I love it!!

I've had every species hit surface for a fly throughout my time. Not always streamers though. Usually in tail outs of drifts while fly is skating slightly below surface. The two that take the cake for me are a brown and coho. Both in the joss hole coincidently. The ho was mid December on a blue extaz with blood red crystal flash pulled from the front over the back and tied off with a tail. It was high water and was dead drifting from the north bank in head of joss hole letting it swing straight down in the oxygenated pocket rolling over the slate. about a 12# beat red male crushed it nose first and can.e right out of the water.. lost it as I wad using 5 or 6# maxima and didn't stand a chance. Awesome is an undrstatemdnt.

The brown was in the tail out with a wooly bugger no weight. It was my first outting ever with a spey rod in 1999... stripping line out and getting the fly out, while still dry and floating on the surface a 5# brown crushed it right off the surface. My brother and I looked at each other in shock for a few seconds then I proceeded to land the fish.

My son had a coho crush his yarn fly this past august with no weight on. The thing came right out of the water...straight tight lined tail out of drift...

Steelies in tail of town pool February 1992... crushing black extaz on the strip in of the tailout... a top 5 day of my time for sure... kings here and there through the years.

Steelies post spawn in may 2007...late may ...the first year they implemented no weight rule after may 1st??? They took severe inticing but once again they struck on the straight downstream from almost tickling their noses with a maribou tail... took 3 fish in two days of target...

Yes it can be done all year round with various patterns

Neaphyte... great to keep the kids involved...tight lined brother!