Got out on the water today around 11 am with my buddy Mike. Water levels are at winter draw-down and temps were around 37/38 on Cayuga. We fly-fished all day and found a couple pods of fish. Overall the fishing was good but the catching was slow. Mike nailed a 22" salmon that gave a great account of itself - jumping 3 times. He lost one when his tippet section broke at the knot. I never had any solid hookups today but had a handful of hits. Fly-fishing these fish can be tricky in the winter - as it gets colder the fish often get more lethargic, hitting once and that's it. We had a few repeat "hitters" today, and also a few isolated grabs. Fun day and I'm looking forward to the days getting longer and getting to put more time in.
Re: Dropbacks. Mike's fish today was thin and had some signs of abrasion, as well as what looked like an attack from a Loon or Cormorant. There was no apparent fin-wear. Mike kept the fish, and sure enough it was a drop-back female with a few eggs left in it, as well as some tiny undeveloped skeins. The fish had some very large alewives in it, so it had resumed feeding.