zonker

Well done sir!

Sweet vid Brian, enjoyed it!

That's one sweet spot to camp, RE: Gavin's pic. If that one's taken, there's a smaller bar between Little Hurricane and Turners on the right side that's a good one too. Pic attached.

Mic, Here's the link for the WM's: http://www.bigskyinflatables.com/ I own a couple of the Kodiak's and I love em. All pieces pack into a large drybag/ backpack so they're versatile and easy to get up and go. I mainly use mine to get from riffle to riffle, but I do throw streamers when floating. My buddy Mark has a couple as well and he almost exclusively fishes within the WM. They're stable (not gonna tip) and the low profile is sweet.

Crapola! Those stocker browns are gonna need to get wild in a hurry.....

OK, TC- Yeah, the GoPro Hero is the one I've had my eye on. I've watched a few of Brian's vids and the image quality is certainly impressive. Might just be that time to bite the bullet. Appreciate the advise. Out.

First trip at the end of Feb. was about the streamer bite & nymphing black stoneflies for the browns. A buddy of mine, Mark, and I caught several nice brownies + a load of those stockers and reg. sized bows using a variety of streamers (slumps + meatwhistles the best) & nymhing stoneflies HEAVY and DEEP from Sunburst downstream. Water levels were ideal for wading + a couple of overcast skies made for a great trip. Went back w/ Dad earlier this week and the river was up and rising. Fished Kelly to Sunburst Monday @ 800+ cfs and continued to rise throughout the day. Thought for sure the streamer bite would be on fire....no dice. Bluebird skies might have had something to do with that....who knows. Anyway, switched over to the heavy nymph rigs fished DEEP and started picking up reg. sized bows consistantly the remainder of the day. Black rubber legs, eggs, flashback PT's, & caddis larvae all produced. Dad stuck this fat & happy 18" bow near Blair to wrap up the day. Floated Tues. from S'burst to James, water level over 1200 & wading tough....so we stuck with fishing from the rafts most of the time & some really nice bows came to play! Rubber legs were by far the fly of choice, fished HEAVIER and DEEPER in the seams and pocket water. Landed several 16+" that day, largest @ 19". Threw streamers intermittently throughout the day with only a few soft takes. 90% of fish landed were bows, the remaining stocker brownies. Always a special trip when given the opportunity to fish with Dad. One last thing: Drowned my Flip HD video camera and would love some input regarding a good, compact, HD video, preferably waterproof. Any advise is much appreciated. Out.

helluva fish! nicely done.

Nice pics and report Brian. Need to get back down there soon to chase 'em both.

Good morning all, First, let me tell you that I'm a Project Manager, LEED accredited professional, and registered Architect looking for full-time employment in the Columbia/ Jefferson City area. I've spent several years directing traffic on various construction sites for projects of all shapes and sizes as a Project Manager and design team representative/ coordinator. My goal is to focus on my skill sets developed while doing so in project management, project coordination, as a design manager, or as an owner's representative. I do appreicate assistance that any of you can provide....these days, you need all the help you can get to locate the right employment opportunity. I can shoot you my resume and references immediately and please feel free to email me with any questions. Take care. Kevin (zonker)

nicely done matt & craig! some seriously sweet brownies stuck/ released.

Own a couple of the Kodiak models....they've been great to me. The older is pushing 10 yrs. old and neither has needed repair to this point. Extremely well made. Many pros, including portability, durability, stability with a wide footprint and low profile, can haul alot of junk, and able to stand and cast whenever needed while the raft stays put. The only con that I can think of at the moment is the drag while rowing through long stretches of flat water....certainly won't cut through the water like a boat or canoe. Have used the WM on the 11pt, NFOW, Current, Niagua, Gasconade, & White River in the Ozarks. Roaring Fork & Arkansas in the Rockies. Would say it performed very well on all, except perhaps on the White. A larger craft works better on the really big water. A couple of pics attached of it handling some white water on the Arkansas.

TroutRinger, Those dry bags are what my Water Master rafts break down into, however, one can also be purchased without the raft. Here's the link: http://shop.bigskyinflatables.com/product.sc?productId=19&categoryId=4

A couple of wonderful days on the 11pt Thursday and Friday. Weather was perfect and the fish were certainly cooperating. Those bows are looking healthy, coloring up nicely, and have been eating well for quite some time. Brought to hand several nice ones, including two at 18+". A couple of pics attached. Can't wait to get back. Thanks again Brian for the shuttle. Go Cards! Out.

a sink tip definatly helps....gets that streamer in the feeding column quicker and keeps it there. most of the time those fish will hammer it on the swing through the current. let it make the ENTIRE swing, then let it hang for a second or two....can't tell you how many fish have crushed that streamer while it's just 'sitting' there. double streamer rigs work well for the smaller streamers and is my prefered way to fish them, especially when swinging through the current. like to keep another rod available with a single large streamer and heavier sink line for those deeper areas where that toad should be hanging out. an erratic retrieve while stripping it is preferred. a ton of fun catching them this way. good luck.

it certainly makes no sense brian. ran through the possible scenarios on the drive home and couldn't convince myself of a good reason for the nymphing funk. the bows are certainly still there. btw, sweet vid. nicely done.

floated from lamb shoals to sunburst on wednesday and stuck several bows along the way. stripping a variety of streamers was certainly the best route....majority of the fish brought to hand via the natural slump buster. also nymphed some and landed a half dozen or so smaller bows on a #16 flashback pheasant tail dropper. switched the lead fly a ton and never hooked up on anything else except the pt dropper. the fish have really colored up nicely.....gorgeous markings right now. largest @ 17". attached are a few pics. strip those smaller streamers in the riffle tailouts. the water level is almost perfect right now (finally). enjoy.

sweet fish justin. i floated from blue ribbon section on wednesday and spotted a few up there too. threw every large streamers i own with sinking line at them with no luck. hoping the rest of you can pull a few of those out!

similar to chris, i've never landed a NFOW bow 20"+.....i've certainly had them hooked, but have yet to win a battle. been fishing there since the mid-80's, mainly in winter/ early sping, and have brought to hand several in the 16-19" range (and have lost my fair share too). was digging thru some old pics and noticed that the majority of my largest NFOW bows were stuck between 2003-2007. question for those that are more in tune with this stream (justin, brian, kyle, etc): were water levels consistant year-round during this period? (i know we had gone thru some TOUGH low water years at the turn of the century.) have the numbers of fishermen increased significantly in the past 5 years? curious....

curious if others are noticing the lack of 17+" bows in the nfow? the past few trips have been AMAZING for numbers of smaller bows (and that's a beautiful thing), but where have the toads gone? used to be fairly common to stick into a couple of really NICE ones during a trip....now, not so much. doing the same things i've always done (nymphing DEEP with a ton of weight and a 2-fly rig, throwing a variety of flies, constantly changing up patterns, sizes, etc.). anyone else experiencing the same?

first time posting here, but a long time reader. quick report: large brownies on fire tuesday and wednesday last week! the first fish stuck on tuesday was a 22" toad brownie and the final fish landed wed. morning @ 23+" (thanks to justin for the pic). released another decent brown @ blair and approx. 3+ dozen bows in between. those bows were in about every spot they should have been, and usually more than one willing to cooperate....eating a huge variety of small nymphs. streamer fishing @ sunburst early wed. morning was incredible! tight lines all.