Black_Ghost
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Here is a list of fly fishing variables for GLs steelhead and salmon that I posted on another fly fishing forumn over a year ago. Below are major subject areas and sub variables within each for fly fishing andramous steelhead and salmon:
1. Water
Temperature - increasing, decreasing, stable
Clarity - clear, clouded, dark
Tributary locations and impacts
Ground spring locations
2. Weather
Wind
Rain -down pour, sprinkling, steady
Clouds -Overcast, scattered
Snowing
Sunny
Barometric pressure
Air temperature direction
Sunlunar Indicators
Photo Period - length of daylight hours
3. Fish Attitude
Happy
Feeding
Stale
Personality of fish strain - steelhead types - Little Manistee strain, skamania, Kalkaska, etc.. salmon - kings, coho, kokonee, etc, brown and lake trout, etc
Wild or hatchery fish
4. Technique
Drift fishing
Shooting Head
Indicator fishing
Sink Tip
Floating
Spey Rod
Single Handed Rod
5. Fly
Size - many
Color - many combinations
Type - 1000s of types, dry wet, spey, nymph, streamer, egg, etc..
Weighted/Unweighted
6. Leader
Tippet - color, diameter, length
Knots - leader to fly, dropper flies, leader sections, leader to fly line, fly line splices etc..
Monofiliament
Fluor Carbon
7. Emotional State of Fish
Harassed
Spawning
Aggressive
Dormant
8. Stage of Migration
Spring
Summer
Fall
Winter
Dropbacks, kelts, etc..
9. Aquatic Insects
Free drifting eggs
Free drifting nymphs
Hatching flies
10. Curent Flow
Fast Run
Slow Run
Confluence
Cluttered pool
Long slow pool
Under cut bank
Shallow run
Shallow pool
Deep Run
Deep Pool
Structure - log jams, sweepers, rock gardens, rapids, pocket water, etc...
Speed
Depth
Dam control impacts
Headwater/tributary impacts
11. River Knowledge
Angler knowledge of river, none, low, high, etc..
Availability of river information - none, some, a lot
12. Legal Regulations
Fly types - weighted/unweighted
Hooks - Barbs or barbless, hook gap size
Fishing hours
Fly fishing only or all methods etc..
13. Miscellaneous
Lake or ocean forage fish, insects, etc
Boat pressure - Drift boats, canoes, etc
Public and private land access points and issues
Thats enough variables to challenge us and no wonder why every one has fishless days. Even the supposed experts will fail at times. Thats what makes this sport so interesting you never have it conqured there is always something to learn and a new challenge for you.
This information was taken from the following book which I added some more to it based on my 42 years of FF experience which has been primarily for river trout and salmon, although I have done some salt water, bass, musky, and pike.
"Fly Fishing for Salmon and Steelhead of the Great Lakes" Kenn Filkins, Wilderness Adventure Books, 1998, Page 9.
For the price of $ 20 in paperback this book would be a good addition to any one fishing the great lakes tributaries or other andramous fish in NA.
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"The ability to delude yourself may be an important survival tool."
Jane Wagner
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fredaevans
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so darned much per hour.
Do all that on "company time?"
":>)
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Fred A. Evans
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Steelheader69
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LOL Fred. Hmmmmmm, maybe it was on a lunch break? 
But alot of good points though.
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TEAM JACKSON BALDWIN
Project Healing Waters
CampChef Prostaffer
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Black_Ghost
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Fred,
Nope just copied and pasted it from that "Other Forumn" where I posted it a year ago.
With all of those variables to your andramous river fishing day I think it is "better to be lucky than good".
LOL
It does pay off though to have adequate KNOWLEDGE of the fish and the river you are fishing which we know can take a person several years of on the water fishing.
For example I was going to go summer run fishing on Thursday but when I heard the weather report, the river flow and water temp, I said "fuggadeaboutit".
"Knowledge itself is power" - Francis Bacon - 1600
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"The ability to delude yourself may be an important survival tool."
Jane Wagner
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Steelheader69
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LOL, why do I think I know that "other forum"? 
But it's a good piece, most people don't think about all that goes into it.
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TEAM JACKSON BALDWIN
Project Healing Waters
CampChef Prostaffer
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Black_Ghost
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Yeah, heres a good saying for everyone to remember.
"Fishing ain't just luck. Its mostly knowledge and experience.-- but a little luck don't hurt ! "
It pays to concentrate on learning a few rivers and its andramous fish rather than going to a large amount of different rivers and never gaining indepth knowledge of the rivers currents, taking, feeding, and running lies.
It takes a few years to usually figure out a river in my experience.
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"The ability to delude yourself may be an important survival tool."
Jane Wagner
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Marty
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I agree learning a rivers finer points takes years and it can be washed away in one high water. Luck is taking advantage of a lot of hard working knowledge, True luck is not easily repeated.
--------------------
Marty
Got Your Steelheader.net stickers?
Pay it forward
Steelhead dues paid one cast at a time repeated a 1000 times a day...one more cast looking for a fix
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Black_Ghost
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Since we have some threads about fly fishing tips, I will resurrect this one from the archives on River Fly Fishing variables for steelhead and salmon.
Make sure you think about these and accumulate knowledge of your most fished rivers applying these variables.
Most of these concentrate on the fish, river, and weather.
Another key one is angler competition. Guides and other fisherman think what they will be using and where they will most likely be fishing, adjust your strategies as applicable to increase your chances of success.
BG
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"The ability to delude yourself may be an important survival tool."
Jane Wagner
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Black_Ghost
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Updated to the above River FF variables for the "leaf drift" variable.
1. Water
Add: Annual autumn Leaf Drift variable. Avoid fishing if considered to be a high amount of leaf drift.
Hey Jerry, SH69 may want to put this type of knowledge thread into a secured member viewing only area. There is only one book I have found to date which discusses these and it is the one I list above.
BG
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"The ability to delude yourself may be an important survival tool."
Jane Wagner
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BobK
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The Greeks used to use "The Oracle at Delphi". She would "read the entrails of a goat" and check out the other signs, then "read the future". (These were usually ambiguous readings so she had an "out".)
Anyway, there are so many variables that I just quit worrying about it, and just go fishing. That seems to be the best medicine, rather than trying to find out what turns on a fish with a brain the size of a pea. (And that is a tough pill to swallow!)
BobK  
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Black_Ghost
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True, but before I go fishing for andramous fish I always weigh some of the key variables before I decide to go, unless I just must have more spey casting practice and exercise over barren water.
BG
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"The ability to delude yourself may be an important survival tool."
Jane Wagner
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Black_Ghost
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I thought of another variable: How could I have forgotten this one.
"The Cracker Factor" - Depending upon their presence or quantity at your planned river of fishing you may want to adjust your plans at certain times of the year, like the peak period of the salmon runs. LOL
I have been doing that for 20 years now.
BG
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"The ability to delude yourself may be an important survival tool."
Jane Wagner
Edited by Black_Ghost (11/18/03 07:57 AM)
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Black_Ghost
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Another one:
When are the fish ladders opened and closed on the river preventing fish movement ?
BG
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"The ability to delude yourself may be an important survival tool."
Jane Wagner
Edited by Black_Ghost (01/06/04 05:34 PM)
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Black_Ghost
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Here is another one worthy of the list:
Always know when the "rubber hatch" is on the rivers you fish. Don't fish that river or fish around the hatchs hours some rivers have set times these allowed on a river. For example, no rafts, kayaks, canoes allowed until after 9 AM and no more launchs after 5 PM.
Not sure if this one is in the above thread, but heres one as we enter The Horrors of salmon season.
Always know where the terminal fish points and where the combat angling situations are present year after year. Avoid them if fly fishing unless you want to have a very bad day and possibly an unhealthy one. LOL
If you do enter a combat fishing zone in salmon season don't wear your Orvis, Simms, or Patagonia attire which increases your risk factor considerably. Some old low cost and tattered camo rain gear, duck hunter look always works in Michigan for me. LOL
BG
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"The ability to delude yourself may be an important survival tool."
Jane Wagner
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Steelhead86
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This is just way too complicated - I just go to the
river and catch fish.
   
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What good is treasure if you can't share it
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Magicfly
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 I agree... Except, I just go to my yard and sweat.
Mf
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The schexy van...under the Trees
There is unrest in Camas...
trouble with the van
for the family
wants to keep it...
and the PANTS ignores
their pleas....
(Part XII of Fear)
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Black_Ghost
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The only variables I consider is the ones which may totally knock out a days fishing, weather, water CFS/temp, crowds, no fish etc...
BG
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"The ability to delude yourself may be an important survival tool."
Jane Wagner
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Black_Ghost
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The hated annual autumn leaf factor variable is almost over in the western Gls. On the plus side the hunting variable has kicked in leaving our andramous rivers with less fisherman. But most important large chrome fishies are ascending all western GLs tributaries.
Priceless !!
BG
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"The ability to delude yourself may be an important survival tool."
Jane Wagner
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Steelhead86
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Oh, this is torture. Currently in the no Steelhead to
be caught zone. In between is tough!  
BG, please pass some more words of hope.
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What good is treasure if you can't share it
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Black_Ghost
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You in the no steelhead to be caught zone, please I am sure you could find something that may have one or two in it anyway, just keep casting and praying etc.. eventually something good will happen. Like this !
BG
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"The ability to delude yourself may be an important survival tool."
Jane Wagner
Edited by Black_Ghost (11/01/04 02:47 PM)
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Black_Ghost
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Bump
My god two years since this thread has been updated, one of my best I must say, surely some one has a new variable to add ?
After I drink another Hacker-Pschorr I am sure one will come to me !
BG
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"The ability to delude yourself may be an important survival tool."
Jane Wagner
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fredaevans
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True, but SH86 seems to have dropped off the Planet. Anyone know of Clay??????????
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Fred A. Evans
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Black_Ghost
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Yes its been over a year at least for Clay. Hope he is well.
BG
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"The ability to delude yourself may be an important survival tool."
Jane Wagner
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