The equivalence of a hogline, bank bound anglers with drift gear slinging bait and hardware in a sequential routine…one waiting for the other and drift after drift in the early morning light. Just as a bobber fisherman has to pick his place in this sometimes combat atmosphere, the novice fly fisherman sauntering down to this mix in the early morning light should think twice. Rarely do the techniques of fly fishing presentation and drift fisherman flow in a synchronized fashion unless adequate space separates the each other (20 yards)….a distance begging for 2-3 more drift fishermen when the salmon are in. Do not insert yourself into the cluster f@#k of bank anglers. You may have to wait until most leave after the 1-2 hour morning bite. Try a weekday when most gear guys have departed a morning bite to go to work. Try mid-day or just before the evening bite. Move to rapids or tailouts. Move to where the gear guys aren’t and see what water they are ignoring. They do tend to like the holes or middle of the drift. As much as a FFer abhors someone cutting in below them on a drift (drift guys always do this without blinking…few ask if you mind)…gear guys, no not abhor, but get pissed off at some gear or fly guy not following the right pace of taking turns casting and drifting. Don’t wait your turn or long line down into the drift beneath you and you are soon going to have lines zinging over yours. So, a fly guy will seldom get the long swing and hold below presentation.
My advice avoid the scene above unless you are a gear guy…then by all means enjoy rubbing elbows…been there done that many times…too many stories of rudeness, ego, assholes….well if you have been there you know. Which reminds me…if you are knew to fly fishing, you can encounter the same looks and comments if you waltz down to a drift and cut in below a FFer, like you have always done as a gear guy. Fly fishing etiquette requires you to greet, mutter the usual enquiries and move above the fly fisher last in line…go to the top of the drift or above the top most fly fisher. You can ask if they mind if you share the drift. They won’t answer truthfully…but will say go ahead. Don’t cut in below anywhere below on the entire drift with a steelhead fly fisher…they consider they own that water until they have stepped and swung every square yard of it…. Drift boats, sleds, reasonableness of it all for another time…just pick your place and do not try to mix the unmixable.
SwittersB & Exploring 
Combat fishing during a salmon run is not for me – I’ll stick with my solitude on back-country water and buy my salmon at the grocery store when needed.
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One thing that I like more about Patagonia is that you can fish an entire day one river alone.
Regards.
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Here too, at certain times. But, stay away from the salmon runs, stone fly hatches and some steelhead waters…. It appears to me up here that you live in paradiso down there. Como se dice…lucky hombre? afortunado does not sound cool enough.
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I believe that the correct word would be “suertudo”. It is very nice, sometimes, to live in the end of the world.
Regards.
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this should be posted in every fishing shop across the country !!!!!!!!!!people have just lost their minds ,it is becoming a war out there ,im going to start carrying a battle axe with me and case people down the river ,atleast it will be fun ,after they ruined my drift ! I was low holed twice in one day on the Dechutes last week people just don’t know and now all of a sudden everyone has a fly pole ,and no one knows the edicate which you are supposed to follow .I actually had to yell at a guy and he went back to his truck and started yelling he would kick my ass from there , real tough guy ,if he had asked i would have gladly let him fish the drift . the rules are ask and go to the top of the drift or stay atleast a football feild down stream !!!!
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