fishing report

[Brian Sloss]

My business partner, Ryan Griffin and I got out for a full day of fishing in the blue ribbon area in my MacKenzie drift boat Tues Nov. 8th. Ryan decided to keep an exact count of how many fish he caught that day as he reeally wanted to be able to give an exact number for this report rather than guessing. His total was 37. My total was somewhere in that range as I quit counting by 10 am. We were catching fish on both black and tan size 6 and 8 Norfork specials, eggs, stoneflies (black and brown), olive leeches and wooly buggers. The biggest fish were in the 15 - 17 inch range and the smallest being a 5 or 6 inch wild yearling. Near Mary Decker, I won't say exactly where, I came accross a female about to get on to a redd. I caught a big hooked jawed male that was showing beautiful colors and was dropping milt. He wasn't the first I'd seen doing that, but then the next fish was a big hen full of eggs. She didn't drop any and was full of fight. I don't think the redd was active yet, but it probably is now. Because they were in deeper water, just below a gravelly run that drops into it, I think they were stagging to come up and start laying eggs. Anyway, I hope that female produces many young trout. All and all, a great day. The weather reached the low 80s and the fishing was great. The good fishing should continue through the winter, so I'd suggest coming down. By the way, we only saw 2 other poeple the whole day.

[snap]

My business partner, Ryan Griffin and I got out for a full day of fishing in the blue ribbon area in my MacKenzie drift boat Tues Nov. 8th. Ryan decided to keep an exact count of how many fish he caught that day as he reeally wanted to be able to give an exact number for this report rather than guessing. His total was 37. My total was somewhere in that range as I quit counting by 10 am. We were catching fish on both black and tan size 6 and 8 Norfork specials, eggs, stoneflies (black and brown), olive leeches and wooly buggers. The biggest fish were in the 15 - 17 inch range and the smallest being a 5 or 6 inch wild yearling. Near Mary Decker, I won't say exactly where, I came accross a female about to get on to a redd. I caught a big hooked jawed male that was showing beautiful colors and was dropping milt. He wasn't the first I'd seen doing that, but then the next fish was a big hen full of eggs. She didn't drop any and was full of fight. I don't think the redd was active yet, but it probably is now. Because they were in deeper water, just below a gravelly run that drops into it, I think they were stagging to come up and start laying eggs. Anyway, I hope that female produces many young trout. All and all, a great day. The weather reached the low 80s and the fishing was great. The good fishing should continue through the winter, so I'd suggest coming down. By the way, we only saw 2 other poeple the whole day.

Brian....I have read many of your fishing reports and see that you refer to "wild trout" quite often. I fish the 11 point 5-6 times a year and have caught many trout. My question to you is ...how can I tell if I have caught a wild trout and what exactly do you mean by a wild trout??? thanks...snap

[Brian Sloss]

Brian....I have read many of your fishing reports and see that you refer to "wild trout" quite often. I fish the 11 point 5-6 times a year and have caught many trout. My question to you is ...how can I tell if I have caught a wild trout and what exactly do you mean by a wild trout??? thanks...snap

By wild, I mean stream bred. It wasn't until the last couple of years that MDC started stocking the Blue Ribbon area, as for the decade or so before they relied on natural reproduction. That had limited success, but there was and is some successful reproduction going on. Of course stockies were and are coming upstream from the White Ribbon area as well, but most of the fish in the blue ribbon area are wild or stocked there. All stocked fish in the Blue ribbon area are clipped (anal fin). That is the best clue. The stockies do color up and start acting more wild, but you can always look at fins and the wild ones tend to color up better and often fight better. I'm always positive when I catch a young of the year fish with all its fins. No mistake there. Sometimes I might confuse a larger trout that may have come up from the white ribbon area and been in the water a long time.

[snap]

By wild, I mean stream bred. It wasn't until the last couple of years that MDC started stocking the Blue Ribbon area, as for the decade or so before they relied on natural reproduction. That had limited success, but there was and is some successful reproduction going on. Of course stockies were and are coming upstream from the White Ribbon area as well, but most of the fish in the blue ribbon area are wild or stocked there. All stocked fish in the Blue ribbon area are clipped (anal fin). That is the best clue. The stockies do color up and start acting more wild, but you can always look at fins and the wild ones tend to color up better and often fight better. I'm always positive when I catch a young of the year fish with all its fins. No mistake there. Sometimes I might confuse a larger trout that may have come up from the white ribbon area and been in the water a long time.

[snap]

thanks Brian... I usually fish the white ribbon area and will start checking the anal fin. See ya on the river...but not until Easter. Thanks again!