Up she goes!!

[Frank Swarner]

Salmon River, NY

1800 cfs until Jan 27. USGS at Pineville shows 2440 cfs.

Yeah baby!! Should be good fishing when it drops to 1000 cfs or less. Hopefully they will keep it at 750 cfs for a while.

The only problem is some steelhead are beginning to spawn............I can't stand when people make it a point target drop backs.

[parker]

That's great news. Are the drop-backs easier to catch?

[Frank Swarner]

For myself, it's not about whether they are easy to catch or not.

A "drop back" is a post spawned or spawned out steelhead which has used much of it's stored resources and is trying to make it's way back to the lake. Many of them stay in the river for a bit of time to eat and try to put on weight for their journey back to open water.

They have survived quite a bit (to say the least), have lossed a fair amount of mass during the spawning process, but amazingly are still trying to survive and hopefully spawn again next year.

I think they are in the weakest part of their adult lives during this time.

[parker]

On the west coast only about 10% make it back a second time, although it varies among watersheds. In one place, tagging revealed a 40% return of an entire spawning class for a second spawn. That's amazing. Between catching a pre-spawn and a post-spawn fish, I think the lesser evil is catching the post-spawn, if we're talking about risking killing fish or long-term harm. 90% of the spawned out fish are doomed anyways, whereas 100% of the pre-spawning fish have a great chance of making another generation.

[Frank Swarner]

Good point!! A bit different in the great lakes though.

I think you may have trouble getting that logic by many west coast steelheaders as well.

I prefer not to fish for drop backs even though it is not the norm.

Too each his own.

[parker]

I agree. The heart says let them go back to try again without bothering them.

[Xabier]

Finally i have discovered this date for my area bass, first new moon after winter solstice is time for sex
better to let them stay