My sign was the arrival of this mounted bull canvasback (taken near the end of last season).

-Victor

I used "ruined" as a figure of speech. My little group of fishermen (mostly family and close friends going back three generations) have fished the West Branch for many years. My father and his buddies were going up there when they still used the river to drive logs. The logs would at times fill the river from shore to shore making it impossible to fish. The river wasn't fished by very many people back then. I'm thinking that would have been in the early 50's. They had the place to themselves.

I first fished the river in the 70's. You had to check in at the Ranger Station before going up the gravel road. Pray's Camps were still around and the Big Eddy was empty except for a few guys tenting. But even then it was getting extremely busy with rafters and screaming college kids. I remember my buddy and I strategically placing ourselves about 20 yards apart in a pool thinking no one else would dare encroach. But as the bewitching hour approached we heard car doors slamming and down came the stampede. We ended up with two guys between us and several more on either side. That "ruined" an otherwise perfect evening on the river.

I'm sure you are right and you can still go up and find pools that you can fish by yourself -- if you don't go at the prime time and don't mind walking. But it's definitely not like it was in the "good ol' days."

We blamed Kukonan for popularizing the spot but obviously no one could ever keep a place that beautiful and with that quality of fishing a secret.

Ron, I’ve only been going to the West Branch for about 40 years.
My good friend’s great uncle had his doctorate in geology and minored in cartography and spent from early spring to first snow in that region and up into Canada.
I have seen the pictures of his of blankets spread on the ground with salmon and brookies spread on it that today we rarely if ever see.

I once told Bunny Pray about a hugh brookie I had seen saying it had to have been twenty inches.
She said there were no brookies like that in the West Branch since the 70’s.
The following year in late September i caught a 21” brookie on a streamer up at Roll Dam.





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On a whim last week I went to New Hampshire for a few days for my setter Max to work on wild birds. Flushed 6 grouse over 2 days so I know he's ready. I went to the skeet field a couple of times this past month and would be embarrassed to tell you my scores. I'm hoping it does not translate into missed birds when the season opens :(

The blue winged teal showed up at our marsh today in central NY right on schedule, calendar birds. The woodies are starting to show up in numbers saw about 50 today.

Some not so subtle signs for me is when I switch from wearing shorts, tee shirts and flip flops pretty much every day to waking up on cool mornings and putting on jeans, a flannel shirt, shoes and socks; a fire in fireplace starts to be a more common occurrence than running the A/C; and bourbon on the rocks is preferred to gin and tonic. Now when I open the outside door the friendly summertime mallards somehow know ... and fly away rather come for food.

Wild rice, Sora rail, 28 ga. Parkers and #10 shot all work for me!

Kevin, That is something I've always wanted to do!