General Description

[chub minnow]

We floated the Bryant from the Hwy 14 bridge last spring - April 9-12.  I would not have wanted to start any higher up (Vera Cruz) but there was plenty of water for a loaded canoe there at that time .  It was flowing at about 460 cfs at that time.  If it was significantly less than that I would consider starting further down.  The fishing was good and the solitude was EXCELLENT.  We did not see a single boat the whole four days.  We did encounter a few folks at access points on the weekend, but not enough to even field a basketball team.  There was a festival going on just east of the 14 bridge when we launched, but after the monastery I don't think we encountered another soul.

We caught lots of smallmouth, goggleye and kentuckies.  I actually caught my first fish right above the monastery bridge on a mister twister curly tail grub. I made a very long cast and instantly felt the tug of a solid bite.  The fish immediately started doing huge cartwheels, probably 2.5-3' out of the water and I thought to myself that this did not seem like a smallmouth, but it sure was putting up a good fight.   I few minutes later I netted a 15"-16" rainbow that was fat and sassy.  I was not expecting that.  I had heard there were a few bows in there, but did not expect to catch one that far above Rockbridge, especially on bass tackle. 

We camped three nights on the river (it's more a river than a creek really) and took out at Hodgson Mill.  I felt like this was just about perfect in terms of being able to fish hard and explore the sights along the way.   One thing I will tell you is that getting a fully loaded canoe over the Monastery bridge is a major P.I.T.A., but it was worth it.  If you like solitude and don't mind getting out of the boat a few times both the upper Bryant and upper North Fork are highly recommended.  Unless you come off as a total jerk when you interact with folks, I don't see you having any problems with landowners whatsoever on either stream.