If you live within driving distance of Rochester NY, we invite you to attend the Angler’s workshop on February 4th.  This is a wonderful event for the beginner to the advanced fly fisherman.  Some of Upstate NY’s most talented fly fishing experts will be sharing their knowledge and advice.  Don’t miss out on this special opportunity.

Time:	Saturday, February 4th  –  9 am to 4 pm
Location:	Brighton Twelve Corners Middle School.  2643 Elmwood Avenue, Rochester, NY 14618 (Use Monroe Avenue Entrance)  CLICK HERE for directions
Tickets:	Purchase at the Door – Adult = $15  & Youth under 16 = $5

(Gate proceeds benefit Upstate Fly Fishers, Canandaigua Lake Chapter of Trout Unlimited
& Seth Green Chapter of Trout Unlimited)

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Sessions

Raffle Prizes

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We’ve experienced some decent rain this week and I was itching to fish.  A half an inch or more of rainfall has the capacity to bring in fresh steelhead.  Recently, I managed to free up two hours of fishing time and drove to a small tributary.  To my surprise, the water was clear and the flow low.  It looked like the creek hadn’t experienced any rain run off.  It never ceases to amaze me how localized our rainfall can be in Upstate New York.  Creeks near my house were brimming with water, while twenty miles away, this Lake Ontario Tributary looked like it didn’t receive rainfall.

Since I had geared up and was hankering to fish, I walked to a popular bridge hole.  With the help of my polarized glasses, I soon spotted a 2′ steelhead in the tail out.  Just the sight of that fish fining in the center slot made me glad I was fishing.  It’s funny how one fish can validate all the effort put into taking time off to fish.

I checked my fly (hot bead white soft hackle streamer) and visualized my approach, presentation and hook up of that promising steelhead.  I’d like to tell you that’s how things transpired.  But, my plans went quickly awry.  Have you ever had one of those days when your angling errors seem to compound?  Well, fishing that bridge hole was my comedy of errors.  It’s good to get your fishing ego humbled now and then.  After fishing that well known spot,  I sure felt like a rookie an hour later.  It all started when my careful approach proved not too careful.  I attempted to creep down the bank and stealthily move into position to cast to that fish.  Instead, I bumbled, slipped and noisily crashed down the bank to the water’s edge.  My studded boots weren’t much help in the fresh mud.  Once I slid to a stop, I recovered and attempted to hide behind a bush.  The water was low, clear and I was still trying to preserve a stealthy presentation to the fish.  At least the fish hadn’t moved, yet.

I estimated the length of line needed and roll cast my fly upstream of the target.  Except, my cast landed to the side and slightly below the fish.  My next cast was also off.  Around the fourth or fifth cast, I nearly hit the fish on the head and it uneasily swam towards some brush.  Being the stubborn angler that I am, I proceeded to roll cast again and lobbed my streamer directly into a tree branch on the far side of the hole.  Darn it!  I tied that fly, liked that fly and didn’t want to leave it dangling in a tree!  Why not wade across and retrieve it?  Besides, I’d already spooked the fish.  A quick scope of the trough and tail out didn’t reveal any other fish.  What did I have to loose by safely wading out and retrieving it?

I was able to safely wade across and grabbed my fly.  To my horror, I spooked another 3-4 steelhead that I hadn’t previously spotted.  They were tucked against a downed log or hidden against the ledge.  My carelessness just blew out several nice fish.  I cringed as I watched them speedily dart upstream, seeking cover in the deep hole near the bridge.  It certainly wasn’t worth retrieving that fly!  So, I waded back, sat on the bank and regrouped.  Perhaps those fish would settle down.  For the next hour, I cast half a dozen tiny nymphs and egg patterns (sizes # 12 to #16) with no success.  I dropped down to 6lb flourcarbon, discarded the indicator and focused my efforts on high sticking the hole with a dead drift, no additional weight.  Now and then I continued to see the fish.  They had no interest in my offerings, even moving out of the path of my drifting fly.  I’d blown the fish in that hole.  We all have off angling days and I’d certainly muffed my chances with those fish.  Next time, I’ll certainly think twice next time about retrieving my fly.

Just when you think Old Man Winter might really be here, the forecast warms up.  After a few days of cold temperature and light snow, the temperature moves back to the upper thirties and mid forties.  This is ideal for the winter steelheader.  First, it’s always more pleasant to fish when the temperature is above freezing.  Iced guides, cold hands and trouble tying knots are just a few of the inconveniences of fishing when it’s below freezing.  Another benefit, steelhead tend to be more active if the water temperature creeps up a few degrees past 33 or so.  The final advantage of each warming trend is the snow melt and ensuing influx of water.  Melting snow and increased water flows move a few more lake run fish into the tributary each time.  Whenever get a minor winter warm spell and higher water, there’s a chance that fresh chrome might move upstream.  The best thing about these fresh fish are that they are more likely to bite.  Fresh steelhead are typically more aggressive than fish that have been in the tributary for some time.

We’re in the middle of a pleasant warming trend right now.  Snow has been melting and there should be fresh steelhead in our creeks.  If you have a chance, go fish!  Besides, you never now what frigid weather lays ahead of us in February or March.  If you’re trying to time it right for winter steelheading, then these conditions look favorable.  Try to fish between late morning and mid-afternoon, when the air and water temperature are most likely to be at their warmest point.  It may even reach fifty degrees today, perfect for winter steelheading.

Look for steelhead in the deepest holes and runs.  Get your fly on the bottom and concentrate on precise dead-drifts.  This is a great time to scale back the size of your fly and to present a more natural offering.  I like to fish smaller egg imitations (sizes # 14 to #16) and dark nymphs or stoneflies (sizes # 12 to #16).  Sometimes,  I’ll slip a hot bead for flash or weight on my nymph.  It pays to have a variety of sizes, shapes and colors as you may need to experiment with a pattern that the fish prefer.  I find this especially true on popular steelhead holes that spin fisherman, center pin fisherman, and other use.  Sometimes those fish have seen all types of offerings.  A small, natural, weighted # 16 Hare’s Ear Nymph, Pheasant Tail, Latex Caddis or a Dark Stone is more realistic and may provoke a bite from heavily pressured fish.  With as many large steelhead as I’ve hooked over the years in Winter on small patterns (sizes # 12 to # 16), it never ceases to amaze me the capability of these fish to key in on more natural offerings.  Regardless of what you decide to fish, go out and enjoy this warming spell.  Perhaps you’ll be fortunate enough to time it just right for a Winter Steelhead.

Craig and I decided we were going to take a couple hours and do some New Years Steelhead fishing.  We went to one of our favorite Lake Ontario tributaries and was greeted with bright and shiny Posted signs. We found what we believed to be a public section of the tributary and gained access through that point. A bit further downstream of this unposted area, we ran into an angry land owner who told us to leave or he was going to call the cops.

Of course we left immediately and it started a conversation between Craig and me about what New York State actually says about fishing rights in the rivers, and creeks we fish so often. There are two things to know when fishing private land. One is the “navigable in law” rule and the other is Public Fishing Rights. This is what we found out.

• New York allows the right to navigate on freshwater waterways that are non-tidal even if that waterway is private property. This is how the DEC defines this New York State Law:

Q.
May a person travel in a boat or canoe on a waterway which is posted?

A.
The answer to this question depends in part on whether the waterway is subject to the tides. Waterways that are affected by the tides are considered to be “navigable in law” and the public automatically has a right to navigate on these waters, regardless of who owns the bed or if the waterway is posted.  The issue of whether the public has a right to navigate on freshwater waterways not affected by the tides is more complex. The public has a right to navigate on freshwater waterways that are publicly owned, but has a right to navigate on freshwater waterways crossing private property only if the waterway is “navigable in fact.”  The courts have held that a waterway is navigable in fact if, in its natural state and ordinary volume of water, it has practical utility to the public as a highway for trade, travel or transport. Both utility for commercial use and capacity for recreational use can be considered in determining whether a waterway has such practical utility. If a waterway satisfies this test, it is navigable in fact regardless of whether a court has ever made a finding on the issue, and regardless of whether the property owner posts no trespassing signs on the waterway.

A waterway may be navigable in fact even if it is not capable of being navigated against its current and even if the capacity of the waterway for supporting navigation is not continuous over time, as long as the capacity necessary to support navigation continues for a sufficient length of time to make the waterway useful as a highway for trade, travel or transport. A waterway may also be navigable in fact even where it contains occasional rapids, falls, dams or other natural or manmade obstructions so long as it nonetheless is useful as a highway for trade, travel or transport. If a waterway is navigable in fact, the right to public navigation authorizes a boater to get out of the boat to pull it around obstacles or to get around obstacles by portaging over private property, so long as the portage is by the most direct and least intrusive safe route possible. The right to navigation does not authorize the public to go on private land for purposes not directly related to navigation, such as camping, hunting, or hiking. Also, the public may not cross private property for the purpose of accessing or leaving a navigable waterway.

Q.
If I have a right to navigate on a waterway, do I also have the right to fish from my boat on that waterway?

A. It is clear that the public has a right to fish in tidal waterways and publicly owned non-tidal waterways.  However, the fact that a particular freshwater waterway on private property is navigable in fact does not by itself mean that the public has a right to fish in the waterway. The right to fish on a privately owned, navigable in fact waterway depends on several factors, including: deeded rights of the property owner; whether the State has acquired public fishing rights from the land owner; and whether the public has acquired the right to fish as a result of a history of fishing without landowner permission. A 1997 New York Court of Appeals ruling found that the public did not have a right to wade in the water to fish, or anchor a vessel to fish, in thenavigable in fact freshwater Salmon River where it crossed property owned by Douglaston Manor.  Wherever fishing is permitted, you must remember to acquire any necessary permit and comply with all applicable laws and regulations.

Conclusion:
The issues of whether particular freshwater waterways are navigable in fact and whether the public has a right to fish in privately-owned waterways that are navigable in fact can be complex. When in doubt, the prudent paddler or angler will consult with the landowner and, if that does not result in a satisfactory resolution, Department of Environmental Conservation personnel.

• New York State Public Fishing Rights

I know that most of my fly fishing friends know these laws but as we travel around the country and sometimes other countries sometimes the laws get a bit muddled and we tend to forget the laws of our home state. I for one will be quite a bit more cautious when fishing private land.

Every year that we fish is a good year.  It’s tough to be cynical about any year that offers quality angling.  Still, there’s always that missed fish, missed hatch, or squandered angling opportunity.  Any fly fisher who spends  a minute on piscatorial reflection will uncover missed angling opportunities from the past year.

In my fishy mind, the best way to reconcile  past with present is to make an angling wish list for the New Year.  Looking forward, my simplest wish for the upcoming New Year is that I get to fish.  That said, I’ll venture forth a dozen, chronological specific fly fishing wishes for 2012.

-  A chance to catch a fish on January 1, 2012.  There’s always something special, symbolic and uplifting about catching that first fish of the year, on the first day of the year.

-  Winter Blizzards that shut things down and heighten my fly tying determination.  It always seems that I’m most productive and creative at the tying vice in the bleak mid-winter.

-  Mild weather and a great turnout for Angler’s Workshop on Saturday, February 5th.  As the primary organizer of this event, I spend lot of time and energy on this one day event.  Between the new sponsors, speakers, raffle prizes, demos, etc, it will be an improved Angler’s Workshop!
-  Another chance in late March to swing streamers into a particular imposing logjam of the Irondequoit Creek system.  I missed a hefty steelhead there last March and the ferocious assault on my streamer still leaves me wondering about that fish.

-  Wadable water levels on the West Branch of the Delaware in late April.  The early season hendrickson hatch can be stellar there, has fewer crowds in April and those selective trophy browns, not as discerning.

-  My last steelhead hook up of the season in early May.  It’s very possible to fish for steelhead in our tributaries from September through May.  An aggressive, acrobatic, May steelhead  is icing on the cake and a great way to cap the steelhead season.

-  Two non-weekend days in early June to fish the start of the sulpher hatch on the West Branch of the Delaware.  The first seven to nine days of the hatch, those gorgeous trout are what I call “sulpher silly” and less discriminating towards your fly pattern.

-  Top water feeding, surface crashing small mouth bass in the Thousand Islands.  I’ve caught dozens of bass in a day up there, nary a single bass on a top water fly.  Perhaps this Fourth of July Weekend is the year that I crack the code on how to catch these guys on top.

-  A better Summer crab pattern to deceive those 40″ cruising striped bass that manage to either ignore, or spiritedly move away from my fly.  I’ve landed some nice fish in the 30″ plus range, but have witnessed multiple rejections from the biggest bass of the bunch.  Maybe they want a baby lobster pattern…

-  A stronger tippet for carp fishing in the canal.  It’s a bit humbling when you finally convince a carp to inhale your fly and with one sweep of the tail, it pops your flourocarbon and laughs at the pressure you feebly applied.

-  Any drizzly, overcast day on the Salmon River when fish are flooding upstream from Lake Ontario.  It’s Fall, the scenery is superb, the fish fresh and the bite is on.  When you are amidst so many fresh fish that are willing to move for a fly, it’s part of an awesome fishing scene and a page from from nature’s journal.

-  Acceptance that I’ll never fish as much as I want to.   Regardless of where you are, may you enjoy angling blessing for 2012 and remember to take a kid fishing!

With moderate rain over the past two weeks, several smaller tributaries enjoyed a fresh push of rainbows.  There were rainbows actively spawning, on gravel, digging redds and chasing each other around.  Around Thanksgiving and for days after, there were some epic quantity catches of rainbows.  The number of fish that my egg sack fishing acquaintances caught were substantial.  When you catch over several dozen lake run fish in a single outing, that’s extreme catching.  It’s always nice to hear them get bored of catching fish and finally look to use a fly rod, preferring a greater challenge.

When conditions are this favorable, that’s when I try to introduce novice anglers to tributary fishing.  I like to take young anglers, novice adults or  casual angling friends fishing anytime after Thanksgiving.  The crowds are fewer, the weather still tends to be mild and there are plenty of fresh fish to target.  This year, the bonus factor has been our unseasonably warm temperature.  When you’re catching fish in December and the air temp is in the fifties or sixties, life is good.  This is the time of year when I make good on my promise to host budding fly fishers on our local tributaries.  Conditions are near perfect and it may be there best shot at a salmonid species over 8lbs.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve taken a student at my school fly fishing, my brother-in-law and a fellow colleague fly fishing for tributary fish.  We’ve caught a few browns, but our primary catch has been either rainbows or steelhead.  I tend to take them to small streams, outfit a 10′ eight weight rod with an egg pattern or egg sucking leech style streamer, and place a bright Thingamabobber 3′ to 4′ above the weight and fly.  It’s tough to miss that Thingamabobber move when it slashes to the side, or  abruptly moves upstream!  We’ve focused our casts on the seams, deep runs, bend pools, below natural waterfalls and against deep cut banks.  The fish have been generous, spirited and acrobatic. Some of the fresh steelhead have torn across the pool and then ripped off line as they bolted downstream.  The higher water has made the fight all the more enjoyable.

It’s been a real treat to share fly fishing for quality fish with appreciative novices.  If you’ve been thinking about taking out a budding fly fisher, now is the time to get on the water.  There are browns still spawning, drop back browns looking for an easy meal, territorial rainbows looking to intercept eggs and fresh steelhead eager to consume an egg pattern or a well-presented streamer.  The fishing has been good and should continue to be decent, barring any major cold spell.  Get on the water and take a novice fishing.  Better yet, convince a kid to leave behind their video game and introduce him or her to fly fishing!

Like many Americans, our family recently received boxes of Girl Scout Cookies.  I purchased mine through a Girl Scout in my classroom.  My wife bought some through a local Brownie Troop.  Enjoying these cookies is an annual Fall tradition.  Another Fall tradition is chasing lake run brownies.  Have you ever noticed that really good tributary fishing for brown trout, coincides with Brownies dropping off Girl Scout Cookies?  It’s what I call “Brownie Time”.  When Brownies start delivering cookies,  count on plenty of lake run browns in our tributaries.

Recently, two friends and I enjoyed a stellar day of brownie fishing.  We arrived at dawn to a mid-sized tributary that was reported to hold large numbers of browns.  We chose a lower stretch of the creek, within 1/2 mile of Lake Ontario.  We knew that water levels continued to stay low and that this would encourage lake run fish to remain in the lower stretches.   On smaller creeks, low water forces fish into limited, deeper holes.   We were not disappointed.  Over the course of the day we saw hundreds of fish.  We each landed over a dozen and tangled with plenty more.  It was an epic day of catching browns.   We enjoyed several double hook ups.  While there were a few fish on gravel, the majority were holed up in deeper water.  If you could avoid spooking the pod of fish, you stood a better chance of hooking up.

I can’t say that it was terribly technical nor challenging fly fishing.  It was more about getting outside, leaving work behind and spending quality time on the water.  It was also about the pure, unadulterated fun of pulling on quality fish with friends.  We caught browns on all types of egg imitations and managed a few on streamers.  Over the course of a day fishing, we noticed several trends and/or observations that might help fellow tributary anglers.  These include:

Small, realistic, muted color egg patterns were most effective.  Some of our best patterns were the size of a pea, on a #10 or #12 hook.  There was a particular stretch in the afternoon when diminutive egg patterns out fished egg sacks.  A spin fishing friend and I fished one stretch together, fishing side by side.  It’s rare for my flies to out fish his scented skein.  When I fish near my egg sack fishing friends, they have a tendency to hammer fish.  In this case, the large, scented chunk of egg sack was too much for these fish.

In slow water stretches, I used an indicator, no weight and lightened my tippet.  Fishing 6lb or 7lb tippet allows the fly to get down faster and I didn’t need to add any weight to the fly.  FYI, I tie some of my egg patterns on a heavy wire live bait hook (Mustad #9174).  The pure weight of the hook is enough to get the fly down near the bottom.

The indicator was essential in detecting the strike.  In some holes, there were thirty or more fish.  If your indicator twitched and you tightened up your line, you might foul hook a fish.  There were that many browns, that they were constantly swimming into the leader/fly.  You had to rely upon the indicator to plunge/stop/abruptly move, discerning it from the casual movement caused by a fish swimming into the line.  After practice, you can distinguish an indicator that’s moving because of unintentional contact with the fish, versus a fish that has actively bitten your fly.

Don’t be afraid to experiment with different color streamers.  With such a dense concentration of fish, target opportunistic fish that might chase down a streamer.  On this particular day, my white chenille soft hackle streamer and an olive bead chain bugger were most effective.  All you need is one aggressive,  rogue fish to make it worth streamer fishing.  Curiously, browns preferred the white chenille soft hackle streamer and steelhead preferred the olive chain bugger w/ a chartreuse head

Be on the lookout for greedy steelhead.  One run may have forty browns and two steelhead.  Odds are that the steelhead will be the most aggressive fish in the group.  You want a steelhead willing to track down a moving streamer.  I sight fished two particular steelhead with streamers, amongst a pod of browns.  It’s awesome to watch them weave in and out of fellow brownies, tracking down a twitching streamer.  My best steelhead of the day, a well-colored 28″ male took on my 3rd presentation.  It lazily followed the first two times, then lunged as I teasingly stripped it out of reach.  It might have helped, that my two steelhead streamer fish, both came on an olive beach chain bugger with a chartreuse head.  It’s not always true, but chartreuse can be a hot trigger color for these guys.  I like to think that one streamer caught fish is worthy several caught on egg patterns.

As we move closer to Thanksgiving, support your local Brownie Troop and enjoy some cookies.  As important, give thanks to the wonderful fisheries that we enjoy in Upstate New York.  We are richly blessed with abundant angling opportunities in the Empire State.  Let’s continue to protect our water quality, give thanks for our great fishing and remember to take a kid fishing!

On Tuesday, November 15th I’m presenting for our local Chapter of Trout Unlimited.  Seth Green Chapter of Trout Unlimited is the Rochester based Chapter that meets at Gander Mountain (300 Jay Scutti Boulevard – Rochester, NY 14623  (585) 424-4100).  There is a fly tying demonstration that begins at 7pm, followed by the business meeting at 7:30pm.  My presentation should begin shortly after the business meeting.

The topic is Fishing the West Branch of the Delaware River.  I’ve prepared a neat compilation of photos, videos, seasonal observations, entomology, flies and overall observations that should help the fly fisher be more successful at this challenging tail water.  I’ll share specific WBD strategies and will reference plenty of hours spent fishing this awesome fishery.  My favoritism and bias towards this river will likely come out.  If you are a trout fisherman and don’t get excited about 20″ plus browns on dry flies, then your angling pulse requires attention.  The WBD is capable of trophy trout, as well as epic rejections.  This presentation should generate  good discussion regarding selective trout strategies.  Come join me on the 15th to learn more about this fishery, or to talk about catching wary trout.

We haven’t received significant rain in the past week.  As a result, our small creeks are low.  Tributary browns that ran upsteam several weeks ago are mostly hunkered down in deep holes, waiting for more rain.  There are some male browns on gravel with the odd female.  For the most part, the majority of small tributary browns are holding off their spawn.  They need more water.  In some cases, they are  stacked up in  deep holes.

I scouted/fished a smaller creek mid-week and witnessed one hole that held 30-40 Lake Ontario browns, packed together like cord wood.  It wasn’t possible to cast into them, without accidentally snagging one.  They were so stressed and pressured from other anglers, that I chose to leave them alone.  These fish came in with great anticipation and decent water levels.  As the water level receded, they sought refuge in the deeper holes and  bunch up.  Low water does that to fish.  I observed several fish with hooks still in them, evidence that this particular hole had been hammered by numerous anglers.  Let’s leave those stressed fish alone and find other fishing options!

During this time of year, it’s not unusual to find salmon, browns and steelhead all sharing the same stretch.  Salmon are occupied with their spawn over gravel, browns are preparing to spawn and steelhead are greedy consumers of fresh eggs.  It’s fascinating to observe the dynamics between these species.  A fresh Fall steelhead may be a great opportunist.  I’ve witnessed large steelhead nudge  larger female salmon, physically encouraging her to release eggs.  When these three species are in the same vicinity, I like to present and tease a soft hackle streamer.  Sometimes, an active fish will track down the streamer and engulf it.  While steelhead tend to be most aggressive on streamers, it’s not uncommon to catch any of the three species.  On my last trip, a hot steelhead tracked downstream the white soft hackle for ten feet, engulfing it before the tail out of the pool.  Takes from browns, fishing the same white soft hackle streamer, were more lazy, less aggressive takes.

Until we get more rain and our small creeks rise, my advice is to focus your angling efforts on larger tributaries.  Oak Orchard has been very consistent and very crowded.  The Oswego, Salmon River and Cat are also producing nicely.  Fish in these systems may be several weeks ahead of fish in smaller tributaries.

Yesterday, I decided to check out a large tributary that some consider a beleaguered crown jewel of Rochester.  I fished the Genesee River for two hours after work.  My car wasn’t broken into, there was only one fellow angler and I had hundreds of yards of water to myself.  My target was steelhead.   I managed several gnarly salmon.  The salmon spawn is presently
going on strong at the Genny.  My plan was to find

some steelhead behind the salmon, but no such luck.  Since the recent Modernization Project underway by RG&G on the Power House, I’ve experienced a significant decline in my Fall steelheading.  There are some nice new steps going down to the Power House Pool and the salmon fishing is generally the same.  Talking with fellow anglers, they observed similar results noting poorer steelhead conditions during Fall.  The Lower Genny Gorge and area around Seth Green Island can be a visually stunning setting to fish during the Fall.  Towering oak and maple trees line the gorge.  In that scenic setting, it’s fascinating to witness dozens of salmon spawning in the lower shale/gravel stretches of the river.  So far, I’ve heard scattered reports of steelhead in the Genny, but nothing consistent.  Pay your dues on this river and you might just tangle with some large steelhead.  For more consistent fishing, you may just have to wait and see how the river fishes once the Modernization Project is completed.

As autumn leaves color our landscape, we are still waiting for significant rainfall. We need days of soaking rain to push more water into smaller and mid-sized tributaries.  Recent rain over the past week barely elevated water levels.  The ground is so parched, that most rainfall was quickly absorbed.  Over the weekend, I scouted three smaller tributaries and didn’t see any fish.  In past years with higher water, there were already plenty of fish in these same creeks by mid to late October.

An extended period of a soaking rain will flush out fallen leaves and bring a fresh push of tributary fish.  Nature has her own ways of adapting.  Small creek to mid sized tributary salmon and browns will postpone their upstream swim and spawn, waiting for sufficient water.  On certain years, it’s not uncommon to find Lake Ontario browns spawning in December, or even into January.  Or, fish like salmon that are more time pressured,  will remain in the lower estuary zone and attempt to spawn.  A few years back, I recall a push of salmon that entered a creek in early December.  Regardless, we still have weeks of spawn time for salmon and browns.  Whether the current storm system has enough moisture to induce the spawn, is another story.

The best bet for anglers wishing to chase salmonids is to spend time on large rivers.  The Salmon River, Oswego, Genesee, Oak Orchard, Eighteen Mile, Cattaraugus Creek and other similar large tributaries have been experiencing fish for weeks.  Numerous salmon carcasses already litter the banks of some large rivers.  I recently enjoyed a trip to a well loved tributary that I typically avoid until after Thanksgiving.  Too many anglers, crowded conditions, pay for parking, etc are a few reasons for my avoidance.  However, due to low water conditions and the Genesee still being discolored, it was the surest bet to find fish.  A friend and I hiked below the majority of the crowds and focused our effort on a narrow portion of river.  The point we fished acts as a natural funnel and salmon, browns, and steelhead.  These fish converge and in this zone.  It was a beautiful Fall Day and we managed to find several nice fish.  As you head out to the river, here are a few tributary specific tips that might improve your odds:

• Give them plenty of different profile flies and egg colors to look at.  Tributary fish can be moody and if you know that your fly is repeatedly being seen and rejected, try a new pattern.  Sometimes an off-color streamer, less bright streamer, more realistic egg pattern, natural nymph/stonefly, random San Juan Worm, chartreuse caddis larvae or whatever, is the right trigger pattern.
• If you’re not fishing for fresh salmon, then there’s no need to beef up your tippet strength.  You will get a more natural drift with six or eight pound test.
• While on the subject of ensuring a natural drift, make sure that your split shot is sufficiently distanced away from your fly (NYS DEC Regulations-must not exceed 4‘).  It’s plausible that the ticking of split shot alert already spooked fish.  Or, build non-toxic  weight into your fly and skip the split shot.  Personally, I like to employ custom built sections of T-14 that I loop to loop connect to my weight forward floating line.  These custom length T-14 sections allow me to effectively fish various depths, especially when dead drifting or swinging streamers.
• If you can see the fish, odds are that they can see you.  Consider backing off, getting above them and maximizing your presentation location.  Also, consider employing a more natural colored indicator.  White or Black are great colors and will be less likely to spook educated tributary fish.  Adjust your indicator depth to slightly more than 1x to 1.5x the depth of the water your fishing.
• As long as you don’t infringe on another angler’s water, cover water.  Use your polarized glasses and scout out the most likely holding zones for these fish.  Sometimes a quick upstream or downstream jaunt will yield less spooked fish.
• Finally, mend and mend more.  While there are times that actively swung flies work, dead drifting a natural presentation (such as an egg pattern) requires constant mending and line manipulations.  For those anglers interested in dead drifting as well as swinging patterns, that JP Ross Switch Rod works well for both.  Over the past two seasons, I’ve found switch rods the perfect compromise between the limitations of a conventional 9′ rod, versus the fatigue and heft of a two-handed rod.  Consider making the conversion to a switch rod and you just might be pleasantly surprised!