Salmon River Steelhead-The Never Ending Story

[steelheaderny]

Can't sleep. I was hoping for atlantic. I've at least seen two dead ones.

[steelheaderny]

I have an old friend coming from N.H. to nail some steel this weekend. I was planning on him staying with me and us driving the hour to Pulaski both mornings. Today I get a phone call from my brother saying he booked us a room for Friday and Saturday night right in town. Nice, huh? Then he tells me he arranged us a guide for Saturday. Does my bro get us your everyday average teach you nothing- take your money, thanks common ordinary Salmon River Bandit?...... I think NOT! We are going out Saturday with none other than the legendary Salmon River GIANT guide extraordinaire GEORGE STEELSLAYER EFFIN' OBRIAN! Betcha wish you had a bro like mine. I'll post Sunday night.
Tight Lines,
F.

[buckeye17]

Sounds awesome! To your previous post.....Did you catch many atlantics this past year on the SR? Myself and those I fished with caught more atlantics on other NY rivers this past season than we have total in the past 10 years combined. I'm hoping that it wasn't a fluke and is something we can look forward to continuing to improve in the futuer.

[steelheaderny]

Nope. Never caught an Atlantic. Never caught a coho. What time of year did you hit the Atlantics? I saw a dead 15" Atlantic on shore- something was eating on it.Other than that photo, (which I'm still unconvinced it's an Atlantic or not) I've never even seen an Atlantic caught.

[steelheaderny]

It appears the difference between brown and Atlantic are- no spots on Atlantic adipose, and forked tail on Atlantic- square on browns. This thing has a forked tail, and what appears to be one spot on adipose. I don't know.

[steelheaderny]

I went out this weekend with George Obrian Saturday and it pizzed rain all day. I learned to use a centerpin. It was totally different then I expected. I loved it. I hooked and lost two fish within ten minutes. It was AWESOME! I gotta buy a centerpin. I'm going to use it with the switch my bro is building me. I have never hooked a fish under an indicator, and it's not what I thought. I thought I would miss the strike from bouncing I'm used to. It's not all that much different. Sunday was TORTURE. Frozen ice building up all over everything and It was bad, bro. I took my first skunk of the year and called it at 11:00. My partner hooked and landed one, and hooked and lost a MONSTER. You can cover more water with a pin than any method I've seen. I'll be going out this weekend and will post then.

[steelheaderny]

Water was treacherously high and unfishable this weekend. Quite the drag, seeing how nice and warm it was. Now that the time has changed, I'll be able to get some time in after work some afternoons. We're approaching pre-spawn "lockjaw" time. I hope they keep hittin' until the April 1st opening of upper fly. I love watching them on the redd. I love CATCHING them on the redd. I know a lot of you feel it's not very sporting, but hey- it's a GAS, MAN! Seeing them fight over who gets the green woolly bugger first is a lot of fun. They're really kinda fragile (relatively) during the redd, so I take as much care as I can to not knock the hell out of them. Take a LOT of care handling and reviving, etc.

[steelheaderny]

Went to the barrel today- big skunk. Stopped at altmar bridge and hit two fish in ten minutes. Stevie wonder could catch a steel at that bridge. There must be a hundred fish in that small run stacked like cordwood. Get there at 4:30 am. Put your back to the middle of the abutment on the altmar parking lot side. Have fun. There- two hundred instead of a hundred and fifty guys trying to get there first.

[steelheaderny]

Went to the lower fly zone. Never hooked a steel in open water on a flyrod. Hooked 4, landed two. It's a feeling like no gearslinger could ever get. The fish fight travels right down to the palm of your hand. It's an epiphany of angling I've never felt. I dig it. It's still babyshit compared to a floating centerpin, but close.A new world. I plan on mastering it. It's easy, but spiritual unlike a gearslinger could ever feel.

[steelheaderny]

Pounded two at the bridge, 7 at the schoolhouse. Didn't have the nut to brave the fly zone. Thank God for cold water. It'll all last a bit longer.

[steelheaderny]

Can't seem to get pic's posted without cutting the head of the fish off. This was a red-hot chromie last November 1st or so

[steelheaderny]

This is absolutely my favorite picture of my favorite two things- myself with steel in hand(s).I don't know why I can't get the whole image. This was a nice buck caught in my honey hole last November 2010. Red hot warm water fight like all hell STEEL, BABY!

[steelheaderny]

I don't get it....sorry.

[steelheaderny]

I recently made a small monetary contribution to TSS. I've gotten a LOT of enjoyment on this site, not to mention learned almost everything I know off the web here. If you've had the same fun and learned from TSS, you might consider it (donating). It's like public radio- you use it, but let other people pay for it. Sorry for the lecture, but think about it. $25.00 or so (or more!) is a VERY small price to pay to keep it real and help it stick around. You'll be glad you did it.

[steelheaderny]

Bin Laden is dead! Obama says he's being buried following Islamic law. I say bury the fukcer azz up with a pork chop in his mouth, the fithy muthafucker.