September is almost here and the anticipation of Salmon and Steelhead Season arriving in about 4 weeks is causing fly and spey rods to twitch. In other words, get ready! Salmon fever inflicts all types of ailments: brain cramps, delusions, and peculiar visual maladies that result in difficulty differentiating between suckers, salmon and even the shadows of overhead clouds.

I am sure you’re all wondering what the fall salmon season will bring, especially given the low water conditions due particularly sparse rainfall this summer. Though I don't have a crystal ball, I do have the benefit of having experienced several previous seasons on the Salmon River with similar weather conditions. The way these past seasons have played out, combined with the current conditions on the lake, suggest we could be in for a particularly good king and coho season.

Last season some time, a friend of mine and I were headed back to our cars from one of our favorite holes on the Farmington River. We were walking riverside when we came upon a young man who was hooked into a very large brown trout. He was very quiet and intensely focused. He did not want to lose this fish. My friend and I each commented on how nice the fish was and, as we both started walking away, heard the kid groan and subsequently blame us for "jinxing" his ability to land a fish he had evidently been fighting for ten minutes. My friend and I felt bad for the kid. It was, without doubt, a very nice fish. I didn’t want to be the one to tell him that it was his technique, and not our compliments, that caused him to lose that fish.