RIVER UPDATE-SALMON,STEELHEAD AND STILL CAN'T BELIEVE THE DRY FLY TROUT ACTION!

Sorry for the delay in postsing! This salmon run has been a very good one with lots of fish spread out all over the system from the dam down to below Newaygo. We have seen some very large fish this year!
We hit two nice steelhead the other day- bingers feeding on eggs behind salmon.Water levels are low-1260 cfs-but they are calling for rain for the next 5 days.
AGAIN.........I'm still blown away by the daily heavy caddis hatches and egg-laying flights from 4:00pm till dusk.Last night went into the upper river around dusk and despite the wind, when it calmed down, here came the bugs and caddis pupae emerged right at dark. Took some nice fat rainbows and browns on my latex pupae-one nice brown that went 18 inches. All the stockers are pushing 12 inches-are really fat and are totally keyed in on the caddis.Despite having active salmon beds near me, these fish would start getting into their feeding lanes about an hour before dark. It has been their mainstay diet now for4 months and their growth rates have been about 1& 1/2 inches a month. These are the growth rates of the heavy caddis days in the early 90's- the caddis and the trout are back in a big way!!!!!!!! I beleive they pilage behind the salmon for eggs,nymphs,larvae during the day and then go to the top for caddis dinner time.
Salmon are targeting eggs for clean mouth hook-ups.Steels are still in the behind redds mode and in shallow water-soon swinging flies will be the schtyk!
NOTE: Salmon must be HOOKED IN THE MOUTH legally for them to be considred a catch.I've seen more than the usual number of "reputable" guides "fly snagging and dragging" fish to the net and putting them on Boga grips for the "client hero shot" just so they could get tips and repeat business.You cannot handle or dispaly a foul hooked fish -PERIOD-IT IS ILLEGAL".I know times are tougher and everyone is competing for the business.If anyone sees this behavior, please call a Conservation officer. For those of you out there, you know who you are.Just because groups of guy clints have "big fish contests" and 'dollar bets", doesn't mean a guide needs to be an accessory to the crime. The client needs to be educated as to what is right and wrong ethically and legally-that is a guide's responsibility.
Sorry for the soap box, but I'm sick of that "sh...it". If the client doesn't get it, start using 5x tippet on kings