Summer Fishing Outlook, 2009

[Brian Wise]

Summertime fishing on the North Fork of the White can be very rewarding, if you go about it the right way. As we all know our Missouri trout streams are all but taken over on the warm summer weekends by canoes, kayaks, tubes, coolers....people, and sometimes a lot of them. Now don't kid yourself and think you can't catch fish between the canoes, you absolutely can--is it the quiet trout fishing you dream of, no, but it can be done.

Floating is easily the best way to fish the river. If you plan on floating, put in early ahead of the crowds and you will have most of the day (depending on where you put-in/take-out) with a pretty quiet stream believe it or not. If you are camping and not floating get on the water early and fish hard, take a siesta, then hit it hard again into the evening.

As for the actual fishing itself? One word...Fun. The summer is a chance to stretch out and relax a little. Wet wading, actually embracing (and enjoying) standing in a cool trout stream without waders--it's great. Inevitably, the water is usually starting to get low in the summer but if you really think about what a fish really needs to survive you can break the water down that much easier as it gets low. A trout needs cool, oxygenated water that either has or provides cover and food. Most of the time we want to fish to feeding fish, unless we are sight fishing to some big nasty browns which we will cover in a bit so most of the time you will find feeding fish in the faster, broken water....which is really oxygenated, cool, and provides cover along with more feeding opportunities see what we are getting at here? If anyone has done their homework on fishing the North Fork of the White river I'm sure you found out that most of the time you are going to be fishing deep, and we aren't talking 3' under and indicator here, we are talking DEEP. Summer fishing is the epitome of fishing deep especially after the morning hours and the sun hits the water. Usually the skies are clear and cloudless and the water is a little warmer...which, in turn, pushes the fish deep. However, those early mornings and late evenings when the bugs are stirred up a little more swing wet flies or soft hackles can produce incredible results and is a major go-to.

Most of the year you may hear us talking about fishing what a lot of people in the mid-west call big flies in 8's to 14's and heavy leaders and tippet in the 4x range but with lower water comes clearer water and with clearer water usually comes smaller flies and smaller leaders and tippet. A usual spring set-up may consist of a 9' 4x leader with a #8 Rubber Leg Stone and a #12 Psycho Prince attached with 5x tippet where a summer set-up may consist of a 9' 5x leader with a #10 stone and a #18 Micro-may....ever evolving. All of this is of course depending upon water levels you are fishing at that exact moment.

We really see a lot of the bigger browns in the summer, and you would be suprised where you see a lot of them as well. Low, clear water makes sight fishing to these big browns a ton of fun and one of the most challenging fishing scenarios you will come across. These browns show themselves during the day for sure...but if you really want the best chance at catching them--go dark. Heavy craw patterns during the day for sight fishing is usually your best bet, something you can bounce in front of their face--or just make them mad enough to chase. For night fishing, you are mostly fishing a profile so stay darker and I personally am looking for one bite during a night of fishing and not a lot of 'small' bites if you will. So looking for one bite from one big fish I usually throw nasty, nasty flies....stuff you would run from in a dark alley.

So to cover the main points, concentrate on faster water, fish early and late (then real late), when fishing early cover all water depths, when fishing closer to mid-day fish DEEP, chase big browns during the day and get frustrated because of no takes, go back and catch those same big browns at night.

Have a good summer guys!

Brian

[Danoinark]

Excellent!

[Nortrad]

Thanks Brian. I've had some luck with your rubber legs stone fly nymphs in various colors. Only fished the N. Fork once last July. Looking forward to hitting it again. My fishing bud nailed two big 'bows at the Falls in consecutive mornings. Thanks again.

[KATroutman13]

Do you drive a seventy-four coupe deville? With the leather seats, power, weathered wood on the wheel?

[Kyle Kosovich]

Good work Brian, You nailed it!