Four from Long Island -- First Steelhead Trip Ever

We were joined by 3 Mikes and an Anthony. Mike Albano the Father of Mike and Anthony along with Mike Palma a very good friend. All four of them very good fisherman, but new to the steelhead game. They fish the Delaware for lunker browns and rainbows and they say if you can fish the Delaware system, you can fish anywhere.

They arrived on Steelhead Alley after driving for 8 hours from Long Island and began preparations for their 2 day fishing trip. John Miller and I were their SAO guides for the 2 days and we were excited to get going. Elk was primed and ready to go so we got out early to beat the sun and hit the first light bite. John went low on the river and I went high. It was not long before we were into our first fish. Mike hit a nice shiny steelhead that took him to school and eventually got off. He was excited and shaking. He said to Anthony "those fish are unbelievable". I watched him play that fish with a joy on his face that can only be described as a child on Christmas moring receiving his first 2 wheeler. There was a real honest joy written all over his face. From that moment I knew we were going to have an exciting two days. These guys were not looking for numbers of fish, but the entire experience. All them, as good as they were continued to be students of fly fishing and just enjoy the fact that they were with family and friends sharing new experiences. As it turned out, they caught a ton of fish as well.

The river on Friday was near perfect conditions. It was on it's way down and clearing. By Saturday afternoon, it had dropped quite a bit and cleared to about 24 inches of visability. So with good conditions and good fisherman, we had a banner couple of days.

Below is Mike Sr. with one of the largest fish taken during the two days. This fish took him for a walk up then down the river. It's a good thing he had lots of backing. After about 20 minutes John Miller was able to get this fish in the net.

Mike with a very nice Steelhead

How about the Chrome that Anthony is holding (pictured left)

Mike And Mike

Mike releasing a fine Steelhead (obove left) Anthony proudly shows a nice chrome.

Someone always has to mess up the silver streak with a bit of gold

Anthony with a nicely colored fish (above left) and Mike showing off his solid chrome

These guys were a riot to fish with. It was a fun two days and from the smiles I witnessed they almost had as much fun as I did.

I will need to post more pics on future blogs. Hope you enjoyed these and keep us in mind for your Steelhead fishing trip. I look for conditions to take another up swing so keep your eyes on the weather and book soon.

Scott McClintock
RSM Fly Fishing

Steelhead Alley Outfitters

Fly Fishing Specialist.

Difficult fish and Good Fishermen

The day started early at 6:15. It was dark with a chill in the air as we walked to the stream. We were going to fish Elk with high expectations due to the recent rain. I had two experienced fly fishermen with me. Bob, never fished for steelhead before, but was very handy with a fly rod, and Meridith who fished with Steelhead Alley Outfitters numerous times over the years.

Pictured below was our target, and one of Meridith's first fish. The First Fish at about 7:30am

Meridth was first to strike with a nice pair

Bob soon followed fishing in a nice run up above. Since this was Bob's first steelhead, we wanted this fish in the net real bad and as you can see (pictured below) it was a good one. It gave all three of us a work out. This fish headed upstream, then downstream, with many jumps and the guide chasing him all over the river. Add to that Meridith running up to get pictures and getting stuck in the mud and rolling around, we had a memory and a good laugh as we rested ourselves on the bank. The fish was in much better shape than we were after that battle and I'm not sure who won.

The Master Strikes Again and Again

Two more for Bob and another good one to boot. I'm not sure who is hooked here.

Meridith Showing Off Another

There are Big Fish in Our Rivers

Looking back at the day, I wish I had a video camera with me. There were so many moments that we will only be able to store in our memories. A good time was had by all and I know that I enjoyed myself.

We are getting some nice fish and it will get even better. Give us a call if you're interested in getting out on Steelhead Alley. We're sure you'll have a laugh, and a good time.

September 30 Scouting/Fishing - WOW!

What a day. The Rains brought in a ton of fish. My scouting mission turned into a fishing trip. I could not resist. These fish were hot and fresh from the lake. You couldn't reel or strip fast enough on direction changes. On occasion they had you running after them to keep backing on the reel. Seeing the fish jump 5, 6, and maybe 7 times was amazing. These fish gave me a workout. I had more hookups than I can count and more fish to the net than a man deserves. I was actually tired and sore by the end of the day. My arms were tired and my face hurt from smiling so much. What a blast.
Now that I have your heart pumping, I must appologize for these pictures. I was by myself and using my cell phone and I don't like handling the fish too much so I only took a few pics.

Fishing should continue to improve as we get more water in the tribs. Reports are more rain over the next couple of days. A Nice Hot fish that gave me a workout

Another nice fish with the Iceman that stuck her

Almost like a mirror

As we get more water and the weather turns a little cooler our fishing will really kick off and become much more consistent. Based on current weather reports we are going to get off and on rain between now and next Tuesday. I am guessing that we should have good conditions by Wednesday next week. If it's a little high and off color, get out your big streamers and swing some flies. Stop back for updates or contact us at scott@rsmflyfishing.com or gregsenyo@yahoo.com Thanks for visiting and stop back soon,

Best fishes to all,

Scott McClintock

Owner / Operator

RSM Fly Fishing

http://www.rsmflyfishing.com/

It's almost time.

We are starting to see a number of steelhead moving in from the lake and holding in the pools in the lower sections. With the rains scheduled over the next couple of days we should see another push of fish and you can bet the guides at SAO including myself will be out on the water scouting and maybe a little fishing as well.

I will be out in the rain tomorrow checking out the situation and most certainly will wet a line if we have flows. Keep your fingers crossed. Check back tomorrow at http://www.rsmflyfishing.com/ or Steelhead alley Outfitters http://www.steelheadalleyoutfitters.com/ site for more information.

Remember if you are interested in a trip it's best to book your dates early to ensure you get the dates of your choice.
Contact me at Scott@rsmflyfishing.com or Greg Senyo at Gregsenyo@yahoo.com . The bookings are coming in so hurry. We will keep you informed on the fishing conditions so make sure you check back. It is truly starting to look like we are going to be into steelhead soon.