Awesome, Awesome Guiding Weekend!

[Brian Wise]

This report has to start a week and a half ago.....bear with me.

Fishing had simply been "off." Nymphing was slow, streamer fishing was slow--fishing was off.

Late last week I was racking my brain trying to come up with a dependable bite since I knew I was going to be putting several days of guide trips in a row (pressure makes one better....and gives ulcers) and it just wasn't happening. We had bluebird skies and 90+ degrees for almost a week straight and very little bug movement. True, we were catching fish but they were few and far between and almost all were second year rainbows.

Saturday I met my guys and was straight forward "We are going to have to earn these fish today." We put in at Kelly Ford and had a rough go with low numbers and no size, again, we caught fish but the bite was just kind of 'blah.' After we got off the river a nice rainshower came...little did I know but Mtn Grove was getting HAMMERED with 3.5 inches of rain (Mountain Grove is the upper, upper part of the watershed and if it gets hit that hard the river reacts.)

Same guys Sunday. Again, we put in at Kelly Ford and immediately noticed there was more color and generally more flow. Rowed up to Lamb Shoal and drifted it several times and nothing....floated through Kelly....nothing...time for a change. We had cloud cover and I had been talking to these guys about big streamer fishing the day before so the question came up "Who wants to go Hero or Zero?" We threw a yellow Sex Dungeon on the lead guy in the boat, 15 minutes later....

We proceeded to see a big fish in every hole and run either eat, roll on, chase or eat that fly all the way to Blair with a truly massive fish chasing it all the way across the river and BLOW UP on it (think striper blitz here) but he didn't even feel it....him and I both needed a little bit of time to get our heads straight after that one. But the next drift he got a nice consolation....

Monday I had a different guy and had already talked to him about the possibility of streamers...so he came to ROLF with a 7wt in hand and ready to dance. He was really new to the big streamer thing (and totally new to the big streamer from a drift boat thing) but is a crazy-good caster. Again, Kelly to Blair and we rowed up to Lamb to get started. Nothing really happening at Lamb, which is super hit or miss anyway, so we rowed out pounding the bank with the SD until a HUGE silver streak ate. The fish took the 7wt 100' into the BACKING within a minute and it was obvious what it was.....

Literally one of the largest hybrids I have ever heard of being caught on a fly. After explaining what was happening with the lake being backed up over Dawt Mill dam and that allowing Stripers, Hybrids and all sorts of other fish into the North Fork of the White we mutually agreed to harvest the fish for the conservation of the North Fork of the White's wild rainbows. On down the river we go and it is looking like the same thing is happening as the previous day...the fish just WANT the SD, period. We had several rolls and chases with a couple of eats but lost some fish and another huge fish swirled on it long enough to come tight and lose. SO MUCH FUN!! Nice Smallmouth, a nice rainbow, the huge Hybrid...but he was short a brown until....

I thought the world was coming to an end....we got to the point where we EXPECTED to see or hook the alpha fish per hole.

[mic]

Good thing the hybrid was on a 7 wieght. Thanks for the report. Did you check what the state record was?

[Brian Sloss]

Those are some nice browns, but that hybrid is ridiculous! Hell of a few guide trips Brian.

[Brian Wise]

Yeah Mic, the state record Hybrid is something like 20 lbs.....but they don't keep fly only records that I could find. This HAS to be up there for hybrids on the fly though.

The Spring 2011 video that I am editing just got a little better.

[mic]

Yeah Mic, the state record Hybrid is something like 26 lbs.....but they don't keep fly only records that I could find. This HAS to be up there for hybrids on the fly though.

The Spring 2011 video that I am editing just got a little better.

Thats crazy. They list alternative methods. Fly rod should have its own catagory.

[Brian Wise]

Had to edit that state record is 20.8 lbs.

And looking at the record list they keep track of gigging and grabbing as the "alternative method."

[Brian Sloss]

State record hybrid, check (maybe). Nice job Brian. I personally covet a state record in the creek chub department. Get the scales at the post office ready, cause I am gunning for it.

[Nortrad]

Holy Moly! The browns would be enough already, but then the hybrid...WOW! Good thing about the 7WT, would have had a broken stick otherwise. Sometimes it all comes together. Excellent report Brian!

[Chris Barclay]

Seriously impressive!!! I need to get myself down there ASAP.

[sean c]

Brian great report. We were out Thursday through Saturday and really struggled single digit fish counts in my boat all three days. Could get some chases on streamers but not many takes and the nymphing was poor at best. We did get out Saturday evening and floated Blair to Patrick after the rains. Spring creek was turning the river milky white where it comes in it was really weird the left side of the river was white and the right side was perfectly clear. Strangely enough the only nice fish hooked that weekend came on that float in the milky white water on a yellow circus peanut I figured it was the only thing bright enough for them to see in that water. It was probably an 18" brown that left me after putting on a neat aerial show. I kind of wish we would have stuck it out a fished Sunday now oh well.